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Keep moving. Just keep moving and you’ll figure everything out. Don’t slow down.
The house smells like browned butter and spices, and I realize all at once how hungry I am. I turn the corner into the kitchen, and immediately run into Piper.
She’s standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, a frown pulling down the edges of her mouth.
“Hello!” Akim calls from the stove. “Good to see you. I made soup and sandwiches. Come on in. We’re definitely going to let you eat and not attack you with accusations the moment you walk through the door. Right, Piper? Just like we disc—”
“Why are you holding me hostage here?” Piper snaps before Akim can even finish.
His shoulders sag, and he shakes his head. “I tried, man.”
“And failed.” I side-step Piper and walk to the island. I grab half of a grilled cheese sandwich and take a hulking bite out of the corner. “I would have sent someone else to pick her up at the airport if I knew you couldn’t handle it.”
Piper appears at my shoulder, her eyes now narrowed. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”
“Then don’t ask stupid questions,” I fire back.
“Asking why I’m being held hostage is not a stupid question!”
“It is when you aren’t being held hostage.” I finish the sandwich in two more bites and grab another one. “Hostages don’t get Akim’s cooking.”
Akim spins around and nods. “It’s true. I’ve tried, but Timofey thinks it sends the wrong message to our enemies. Too hospitable.”
“Would you two shut up!” Piper explodes. She steps closer to me. “I want to talk to you, Timofey. Please.”
This is the last thing I want to deal with right now. I’m tired and hungry. My chest feels scraped clean, hollowed out. I can barely find the energy to chew and swallow, let alone explain to Piper why I’m keeping her safe.
But there is a quiet pleading in her voice that reminds me of the vulnerability we found in that hotel room together in Mexico. Maybe, for a second, we can find that again.
“Akim.” I dismiss him with a wave of my hand. “You can go now. I need to talk to my…Piper.”
Piper’s brow arches, noticing the way I stumbled over her title. I don’t know what she is to me. There hasn’t been time to puzzle that out quite yet.
To his credit, Akim slips out quietly, swiping a bowl of soup and a sandwich from the island on his way. Then Piper and I are alone.
“Well, you wanted to talk. So talk.”
“Do I have your permission to speak?” she drawls. “Apparently, I need that nowadays to live my life.”
“You don’t need my permission to live. You need myprotectionto live. That is the difference.”
“Protection from what? Getting assaulted at the airport? Too late!”
“I made sure Akim was there for you,” I bark. “You’re the one who told me to go after Kreshnik.”
She crosses her arms, knowing full well I’m right. “Only because I knew you’d never forgive me if he got away! Did he, by the way? I assume if you’d caught him, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
I clench my teeth. “He slipped away, but it’s only a matter of time before I catch up with him.”
She nods. “Okay. Great. So what do I do until then? Should I live in the panic room just in case he attacks the house?”
“No, you should live in the panic room because you’re driving me fucking insane.”
Her green eyes flare in offense. I shouldn’t have said that, but I’m tired. It’s been a long, shitty day. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine.” The way she says it lets me know it absolutely is not fine. “You have a lot going on. I just want to help. Why don’t you focus on dealing with Kreshnik, and I’ll deal with everything else.”
Everything else?What else is there?
