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“You need to go grocery shopping.”
Oliver paused just inside the doorway of his home and frowned at Midas.“What?”
“Your cupboards are bare, man.Bare.Now I’m hungry as hell and you know I get grumpy when I’m hungry.”Midas folded his arms over his chest.“I did order some takeout so your lady wouldn’t starve but that little bit was barely the tip of the iceberg for me.Get more food the next time you want me pulling babysitting duty.”
Oliver kicked the door closed behind him.“It’s not babysitting duty.It’s bodyguard duty.You know, that thing you do professionally?”He craned to look around Midas, a hard task considering just how huge his friend was.“Where is she?”
“Sleeping.Avoiding me in the guest room.Same thing.I…mighthave made her a bit uncomfortable.”
Great.“Do I want to know what you did?”
“I told her about my freak of a father.Not real surprised when she went running after that.Most people do,” Midas said flatly, as if it didn’t matter but…
It mattered.It always did.Oliver knew the truth.So he craned a little more and finally saw behind Midas.“That the reason you went running?”he asked a silently watching Lark.
Midas stiffened.Cursed creatively—he was always extra creative with his curses.Said something about fucking fish flying in the air—and he spun to face Lark.“You snuck up on me!”he accused and sounded a little bit impressed.
“I walked out of the guest room.Came in when I heard Oliver’s car in the drive.”
Midas pointed down at her bare feet.“You didn’t put on shoes.You wanted to be sneaky.”
“I didn’t stop to put them on.I took my boots off before I tried to nap.”Her head tilted.“I wasn’t avoiding you because of your father.If that’s what you thought, you’re wrong.Of all people, I understand that we are not our fathers.”
Midas…backed up a step.One, then another.
Odd, because Midas didn’t usually retreat from anyone or anything.
But he was retreating from Lark.
“If that’s not why you ducked out…” Midas’s brow furrowed.“Why’d you get so quiet when the food arrived?Why’d you run as soon as you were finished eating?”
“Because you said I broke his heart.”Her attention shifted to Oliver.“Painting me as the villain in the piece, are you?”
Never, sweetheart, never.“Nah,” he answered easily.“Just telling my buddy the truth.”
“You need to have a heart in order for it to be broken.”
Midas whistled.“Damn.That is cold.”
I have a heart.It will always belong to you, Lark.
Her chin notched up.“Did you get to grill my brother?”
“We talked.Don’t know if I’d call it a grilling, but…”
She surged forward, then seemed to catch herself.Lark drove her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.“Did you do your magical profiling thing?Did you peer into his soul to see if he was telling you the truth or not?”
Would you kill to protect your sister?“I think I got the truth from him.”In a heartbeat.“And what I do isn’t magical.”Not by a long shot.
“So…you don’t think he’s the killer?”
He realized she was holding her breath.Staring up at him with her emerald eyes as she waited and hoped that he no longer believed her brother was a killer.
“Yeah…” Midas grimaced.“I think I should probably go clear out my hotel space.I was staying next to the pop star, and now that my business with her is done, I don’t think I’ll be needing that connecting suite much longer.”He inclined his head to Oliver.“I’m assuming you’ll be staying close to Lark for a while.”
“We have some leads to run down.Lark and I will be heading out soon, and, yes, I’ll be close.”
“Good to know.”Midas walked toward him and clapped a hand on Oliver’s shoulder.He leaned in close and whispered, “Don’t let her break your heart again.”
