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I would’ve risen to the bait, but shit, he’d worn me out last night.
After a long ride in the cold, he’d fucked me in the shower, and had turned around and did it again half an hour later while we were lying there about to go to sleep. Then we’d both gotten up for a snack a little later. And though we’d gone back to bed fairly quickly after that, that wasn’t enough time for me to recuperate. Unlike, apparently, him.
Now, it was dark enough outside for no light to penetrate the windows, which meant that it wasn’t smart for my health to get up yet.
Hence the reason I stayed right where I was.
“If you insist on doing that at the butt crack of dawn, you’ll never get any help from me,” I pointed out groggily.
I heard him chuckle, but refused to open my eyes, even though it was one of my favorite things to do—watch him laugh.
He patted my leg and said, “I’ll be back around ten or so. If you’re still in bed, I might make use of you.”
I smiled and fell back to sleep before the bedroom door even closed.
The next time I woke it was definitely light outside, and there was knocking at the front door.
I reluctantly got out of bed and shuffled to the front door, my eyes half open, thinking that I would find Sway or Hancock or both on the other side with my stuff.
The last person I expected to see at Hannibal’s house was Zip.
But there she was, standing right in front, waiting for me.
“What are you doing here?” I narrowed my eyes. “And how did you find me?”
Folsom would be my guess.
She scoffed, as if she could read my thoughts. “Folsom didn’t tell me. But I know other people.”
That was news to me.
And, since it looked like she was being cautious, I sighed. “What are you doing here?”
She crossed her arms. “I’ve never believed your act over the last few years. I want to know what’s going on, and I want you to tell me everything, so I can leave you alone and let you experience life with that man I just saw you with earlier.”
So she’d seen Hannibal and me at some point over the last day or so.
“When exactly would you have arrived to have been able to see that?” I wondered.
“I actually arrived in time to see your show. Then I saw you with that man. Hannibal. Then I got the last hotel room at that hotel y’all were staying at. And when y’all left, I followed you,” she said. “Well, actually I followed the Apple Air Tag I planted on his bike. Then I rented another hotel after I saw where y’all went. And now I’m here.”
What was with these stalkers I called family?
“Come in,” I said as I opened the door wide.
She did, taking a quick glance around at everything.
“Wow,” she said. “For a bachelor, he sure does know how to decorate.”
I imagined that it wasn’t Hannibal doing the decorating. If I had to guess, it was one of his sisters-in-law.
Yet I didn’t tell Zip that.
“Bagel?” I asked. “I can order some.”
“No,” she shook her head. “Some of us have to try really hard to maintain our figure. And since I’m still one of the only ones who knows how to work in this family, I gotta stay in tip top shape.”
That sounded like our ‘father’ coming directly out of her mouth.
I ignored the barb and walked farther into the kitchen. “I think Hannibal has a protein smoothie mix. I saw it last night.”
Zip took a seat at the counter across from where I was now leaning my hips, and stared at me for a few long seconds before saying, “Are you going to come back?”
I saw no reason in lying, so I filled the awkward silence with chatter.
“How did you really find me, and I’ll tell you,” I suggested.
Zip’s mouth twitched. “I’d recognize your photography and design anywhere.” She turned her phone toward me and I saw the new banner that Crew was hanging outside the doors of Vegas Royale. “I follow other circus people. I want to be able to come up with new ideas, offer fresh ways to do things. This woman, Tarryn, is an entertainer there, and I’ve been following her for a few years. Two days ago I saw her posting about the new branding that was going on at Vegas Royale. She shared photos of the website, and of a potential banner design. And I just knew that was you.”
“So you drove all the way here?” I asked.
“Actually,” she said, “I flew. We decided to take a few of our next tour dates off, and I have exactly seventeen days to do whatever I want. You were my first stop.”
I’d noticed that they were a few down. With Simi barely able to stand up due to her nausea, Coco, the tiger, being out of service due to being poisoned by Tony’s stalker, and Tony being out with a concussion, the rest was needed.
