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Predictable enough that the sight of her curled up in one corner of the sofa doesn’t come as a surprise. What is surprising, though, is the dark TV. “What are you doing?” I ask as I approach. “Just sitting here in the dark? Is everything all right with Jase?”
“We had lunch. It was good.” Her response is short and sweet. No eye contact. Something is definitely up.
She pulls the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands before wrapping her arms around herself like she needs protection.
“You don’t look or sound like it was so good. Did something happen?”
Her head swings back and forth. She still won’t look me in the eye. “No. I’m just bored. I’m tired of watching TV. But you know that already.”
Is that all it is? “Am I going to regret having him stay here? Because if he’s upsetting you—”
“He’s not, okay?”
At times, I would swear she’s doing her best impression of a moody teenager. This is one of those times. And all at once, my temper threatens to flare up. Nobody speaks to me that way.
But fighting isn’t the answer. I have to be the bigger person. “All right, then. Have it your way. Sit here in a silent room by yourself.”
She lifts her gaze, studying me from beneath her thick lashes. Suspicious. “Why? Where will you be?”
“There’s a fundraiser for disabled veterans and their families,” I explain. “Dallas and Griffin will be coming with me. We were hoping…”
Wait. What am I doing? She doesn’t need to know. Why is it my impulse to open up and tell her information she doesn’t need to know?
“Hoping what?” Dammit. If I open up even a crack, she’ll push her way through. I know better by now, or I should. “What’s the plan?”
I could lie. I could calm down and deny everything. I could also hit myself over the head repeatedly with a hammer. It would get me as far with her and give me the same splitting headache.
“We were hoping to draw out whoever is behind all of this.”
She sits up straighter, gripping the cushion under her like she’s using it to keep herself steady. “You’re going to put yourself out there like that? What happens if whoever’s after you is there?”
“Then we get rid of them. We wait for them to show themselves, and we take care of business. That’s what it has always been about.”
“And what happens if you don’t come back?”
“I’m going to come back.”
“And if you don’t? I’ll just be sitting here waiting forever for somebody who never comes back? No way.” She leaps to her feet, teeth gritted, jaw jutting out. “I’m coming with you. I’m not letting you do this alone.”
“Do you hear yourself? Absolutely not. I would never expose you to that.”
“News flash: I’ve already been exposed to plenty of danger. Did you ever think that maybe I would like to set eyes on whoever is doing this? They’re kind of screwing with my life, too, or did you forget about that part? They were going to kill me. They tried to blow up my brother. I think I at least deserve to get a look at them before you… do whatever it is you’re going to do.”
I notice that takes a little of the fire out of her. Imagining the truth of what this situation is inevitably leading toward.
“Right. And I’m sure you would stay by my side and listen to every word I said.”
“I would!”
“With all due respect, you’ve already set a track record for doing whatever the hell comes into your head at any given moment.”
“I would do everything you said. This is serious. It’s important to me. I won’t fuck it up.”
How does she leave me torn between admiration and exasperation? It’s like a gift she has. “How do you plan on protecting yourself if someone ambushes you?”
She blinks rapidly while flailing around silently, trying to come up with a defense. “If I’m by your side, I won’t have to worry about that, right?”
Touché. “Still. What if we were outnumbered? What would you do?”
“Kick them in the balls.”
The worst thing I could possibly do right now is laugh. She’s not making it easy to keep a straight face… or to keep from touching her. Her flushed cheeks and flashing eyes threaten to draw me in no matter how I try to fight it. “I need you to prove you can protect yourself if you’re going to go through with this insane plan.”
“What do you need me to do?” Her eyes are sparkling when she lifts her chin, squaring her shoulders like she’s ready for battle. If she’s not careful, I’ll have no choice but to throw her on the floor here and now, and by the time I’m finished, she won’t be worried about attending the gala. She’ll be too busy with simple things like walking.
