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“From the third floor? How’s she getting down? There’s no outside staircase and I don’t see her fashioning a rope from the four thousand count silk bedsheets,” Hud said.
“You ask me,” Ajax chimed in, “She’s just acting out. Victoria…she’s a woman who’s used to getting what she wants. And right now, she’s definitely not getting that. Not only does she find herself suddenly taking orders, but she’s taking those orders from guys like us.”
Listening, I leaned over to the pot of boiling spaghetti, taking out a strand and flicking it against the wall. The pasta stuck, which meant it was done. I put the colander in place and lifted the pot.
Hud nodded in understanding. “Aye, so what you’re saying is that she’s expressing how upset she is at being stuck with us by reinforcing her own boundaries.”
“Look at you, doc,” Ajax said with a slight smile. “And yeah. That’s a nicer way of saying that she’s pissed off and wants to let us know that she is.”
“Then what the hell should we do about it?” Hud asked.
I dumped the pot of noodles into the colander, making sure to set a little of the pasta water aside.
“Let her have tonight,” I said as I set the down the pot. “And I mean that for all of us. She’s been getting on our nerves like crazy, and we all need a little space.”
“You all having a nice little conversation about me?”
We turned, spotting Victoria standing at the entrance to the kitchen in the way she seemed to be so fond of doing.
“A little psychoanalyzing? Wow, with all of your heads put together, you might just equal one mediocre shrink.”
Hud and Ajax, always good-humored, cracked smiles at her joke. I, on the other hand, was in no mood for her bullshit.
“Keep the attitude to yourself, kiddo,” I said. “And yeah, we’re talking about how in the hell to deal with you.”
“Is that right? Because I’ve got a great idea—take me back to Candara and leave me in peace. Very simple.”
Hud couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Princess, you’re a right pain in the arse. But this crew hasn’t botched a single mission yet, and you’re sure as shite not worth us breaking that record.”
She glared at him. I allowed myself a small smile at Hud’s words.
“Here’s what’s going to happen—you want to stay in your room, fine. But you will still be expected to check in with us and know that we will be checking in on you. So, if you want to hide up there, go for it. Here’s the offer.”
“You’re making an offer?” she asked.
I nodded. “We’re making an offer. You check in with us every hour. And that means to come down here, sayhi, and look us all in the eye. If you miss a check-in, then that means we’re going to march right up there and bang on that door. You make us check in three times, then you lose door privileges. Four times, you lose room privileges.”
“You can’t be serious,” she said, disbelief on her face.
“Oh, we’re serious,” Hud said. “Losing room privileges means you get to hang out with us all day. Hey, we can be footie partners, watch the games together, chug a beer or two during the commercial breaks…”
She shuddered. “No. Not going to happen. And what if I refuse?” She smiled as if more than pleased at the idea of defying us.
I laughed. “Then we call your old man, tell him we need backup, that you’re being uncooperative. Something tells me he’s got the money for it. And trust me when I say if you don’t like having one merc group around cramping your style, you sure as shit will hate having two.”
Victoria narrowed her eyes, her gaze flicking from me to each of the other guys in turn. It was as if she was trying some last-ditch effort to intimidate us, to get us to back down.
Wasn’t going to happen. I’d stared down the barrel of a damn howitzer before—I sure as hell could handle a bratty princess.
“Hold on, Princess.”
I stepped over to the food, picking up a pair of tongs and using them to spin a little spaghetti onto a plate. Once that was done, I topped it with a healthy ladle of meat sauce. Finally, I reached into the oven where I’d been keeping a pair of big loaves of garlic bread warm. I took them out and cut her a big slice, the scent of butter and garlic filling the room. I set the bread on the plate next to the pasta and stepped over to her.
“Now, I know you didn’t step out and run off to White Castle today, so that means you’ve had nothing to eat but a single damn apple. Take this.”
“What is White Castle?”
I laughed. “Best damn burger joint on the other side of the ocean.”
