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“Your billionaire dollars in action.”
“A concerted effort between local and outside companies,” he said, confirming my guess.
“Must be nice to get whatever you want at the snap of your fingers.” I didn’t want to fight, so I needed to stop pushing him. I caught his gaze in the mirror. It looked…I didn’t know. “Not that I’m complaining. It worked out for me this time. I’d hate to be on your bad side.”
“Would you?”
“Um, yeah. Duh.Idon’t have minions to do whatever I want for me. A war with you would be a total David and Goliath. I’m clearly the David, and so naturally I’d win, but I’d probably getsmashed up way too much for my liking first. That’s not my jam.”
He stared at me, earthy brown eyes searing.
I broke the contact. “You better pack, too. As soon as the road’s clear, I want out of here.”
I could feel his attention a bit longer, lingering, watching. And then he stepped away. Honestly though, looking around, it was mostly me who had things to pack. He only had the bag from the shop downstairs and a few pieces of clothing.
With him not in the bathroom, I finished packing in peace. And when I went back out into our room, he wasn’t there either. That was weird. I was grateful for the space though, so I finished up and then sat down on the edge of the bed.
It felt like I sat alone in the room for an eternity. I knew I should spend the time writing. I knew I should do something, but I didn’t. Eventually he returned, told me the car was waiting, and we headed downstairs.
Wallace chattered away on the drive back, all about the presents he bought and what a wonderful time he’d had in Boarsville. But neither Gabriel nor I spoke much at all, and certainly not to each other.
Once we reached my building, I popped out of the car and hurried to meet Wallace at the trunk.
“I’ll do it,” Gabriel told his uncle.
“I don’t need any help,” I said. “I got my bags down here on my own just fine. I can get them back up, too.”
I tried to pry my bag from Gabriel’s grasp, but he was ridiculously strong and wouldn’t let go. It wasn’t worth the fight.
Inside, once we made it to the stairs, I was actually kinda glad that he was here because I was exhausted from the weird sleep, from the weird tension, and from the long drive.
“No elevator?” he asked.
“It’s broken,” I told him.
I could feel disapproval wafting off of him in waves. I ignored it and lugged my bag up the steps to the second floor.
At the end of the hall, I spotted Maxim looking down and mumbling something to himself. I didn’t know what that was about, but I was glad he was preoccupied and leaving me alone.
I opened the door.
“This is where you live?” Gabriel asked.
“No. I just have a key and hang out in the worst building in the city for fun,” I said as flatly as humanly possible. “Watch out for the tacks, in case I missed one. Hurts like a mother.”
“Tacks?”
“Thumb tacks. On the floor.”
“Did…you spill them by accident?”
“No. I put them there on purpose. The best home protection is the boobytraps the bad guys don’t see coming.”
“The worst home protection is the kind that wounds the homeowner.”
“If you’re done judging me, you can leave my bags and go.”
He had his phone out, working on something, and ignored me.
