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“Reminds me of when I was held prisoner. They took my shoes too,” Salem states as she slams her glass of water down loudly on the table.
“Of course, I had my own clothes. I can only guess from Astrid’s outfit that she doesn’t even have that.”
Astrid rubs her hands over her eyes and sighs. “I appreciate you sticking up for me, Salem, but it’s fine. They said I could have everything once it’s been searched. What I’m wearing is comfortable enough. Shoes would be good, though,” she admits with a wry grin, trying to defuse the situation. It’s ironic, given the circumstances.
“If anything, what I’d like are my glasses, my toothbrush, and my EpiPen. You know, just in case.” She trails off when she sees the looks turn shocked.
“Or not. I can wait. It can’t be too much longer before you let me go, right?”
“Your stuff is ready for you, Astrid, and has been since last night,” Evander informs her as he strolls into the kitchen, catching the tail end of the conversation. His jaw ticks as he avoids looking in my and Slade’s direction.
“Oh.” She folds her arms over her chest and nods. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I’m really not that hungry anymore.” She stands, and Greg stands with her.
“Come on, I’ll help you find your shoes, and then we can take that walk. Funnily enough, I’m not that hungry either.”
Slade stands too, but Zig looks at him. “Stay. Greg’s got her.”
Wisely, Slade sits as Astrid and Greg make their way outside. I grunt when I watch Greg swing Astrid up into his arms and carry her across the walkway.
“I think we need to go over a few things,” Zig announces.
I turn my head to look at him and see Salem staring at me with an odd expression on her face. “What?”
“You like her?”
“And?” I don’t deny it.
Hawk laughs. “Well, fuck. You’ve got your work cut out for you. She’s prickly as a porcupine, and after seeing what you two are like with her, I can see why.”
“Funny, I didn’t hear any of you complaining when she got here. And you were fine with me and Jagger taking care of her, keeping her out of your way while you decided if she could be trusted or not, and I haven’t received word to say that’s changed. Am I a dick? Yeah, but I’m always a dick. Why are you acting like any of this is new?” Slade argues.
“You’re not a dick to me,” Salem tells him, and I watch as his eyes soften for the woman we’ve all come to care about.
“I trust you,” he states.
“But once upon a time, I was a stranger, and you still never treated me like that.”
“Oz and Zig claimed you. For them to do that, we knew what kind of woman you are,” I tell her. She rubs her forehead for a minute, as if trying to make sense of it all.
“So, you being nice to me had nothing to do with me and everything to do with Oz and Zig?”
My brain sends up a red flag. Warning. Danger ahead.
“Is this a trick question, like, does my ass look fat in these pants?”
She picks up a roll from the basket in front of her and throws it at my head. I catch it and grin at her before taking a big bite.
She blows out a breath and tries again. “I understand why you’re being cautious, and it’s sweet, to an extent. But what you’re doing to her, not so much. I might not be able to see inside her mind, but I like to think I’m pretty good at reading people. And Astrid Montgomery is about as evil as my big toe.”
“I don’t think she’s evil, Salem. But good people can do bad things for the right reasons, at least in their heads. This connection she has to a man from your past, and another gifted person at that, is suspicious enough. But knowing what this man is capable of—that’s what worries me. He took out that clinic without blinking an eye.”
“Did he?” She crosses her arms.
“You know he did. She told us so.”
“Nooo. Astrid told us he took care of the problem, and you all latched onto that and decided he was the one to blow up the clinic. This isn’t you. I don’t get it. You guys are trained to do shit I’ve never even dreamed of, but right now, you’re acting like children. And not even nice ones.”
“Oh, come on!” Slade protests.
