Up until now, I’d thought that thick, vast void out there was the most dangerous thing to my wellbeing. But as I came into the room and sat in the chair farthest from Shep, I decided that maybe it was King.
“Nice of you to join us.” King’s voice was low, so low I barely heard him as I settled in and got ready for my dressing-down.
“Sorry, just wanted to grab a smoke. You know how it is.” I looked over to see Shep was laser focused on King, and it took everything I had to not strangle him.
King turned around, notepad still in hand, and I was surprised he hadn’t brought up my little love note to Shep—but then again, it wasn’t as if King was going to outrightsayhe was jealous that Shep and I were obviously together.
Even if it was currently the elephant in the room.
“Well ifyou’reready,” King said, and finally turned to face us, “then maybe one of you could explain why you missed your check-in this week.”
“It was an oversight on my part,” Shep said, ever the good soldier. “I apologize. The days got away from me.”
I flirted with the idea of telling King we’d been too busy enjoying each other, but I was pretty sure he’d already come to that conclusion with the way he was white-knuckling the notepad. It wasn’t like my message had been subtle.
“Yes, I can see that,” King said, his eyes shifting to me, and while most might cower under that direct, accusatory stare, it merely emboldened me.
I took a draw of my kretek and let out a lazy swirl of smoke. “What can I say? We were just so busy enjoying…nature.”
King walked closer to me and tossed the notepad on the coffee table. “You were definitely busy doing something.”
If he was hoping to intimidate me, he was in for disappointment. King might be my boss, and I might be beholden to him when it came to Libertine and any missions we went on, but I owed him zero explanations about whom I fucked, and I’d be damned if I apologized for sleeping with Shep.
“Or someone—” King added.
“We were going to check in today,” Shep said, shooting up from his seat and more than likely saving me from a brush with death.
King pivoted in Shep’s direction. “Yes, it was clear that was a priority when I arrived.”
“Ty, don’t?—”
“But while you two were busy forgetting to check in and let us all know you were alive, those of us back at home who have been trying to work out who is trying to hurt Theo were worried for your safety.”
Way to pack on the guilt trip. But it was difficult to feel too bad when this same man had questioned my loyalties only a few days ago.
“I know,” Shep said. “There’s no excuse. But we’ve been going through a list of people that might want to hurt Theo. People that might want to hurt us.Allof us.”
King’s nostrils flared as he turned to pick up the damning evidence against me, then looked back to Shep. “This looks like a list of Theo’s boyfriends.”
“Ex-boyfriends,” I said, drawing King’s attention back to me.
Did I take a little too much pleasure in emphasizing that one word?Oui. But he deserved it. He had two—not one, buttwo—boyfriends waiting for him back home. So he could just deal with the fact that I’d stolen this delicious specimen right out from under his nose.
“And you think one of them might want to kill you?”
I could see he thought that highly possible, since he was probably thinking of all the ways he wanted to do so himself right then.
“Non.” I took another draw of my cigarette, enjoying the spicy taste of the cloves almost as much as King’s annoyance. Then I got to my feet and walked over to him. “My exes generally remember me fondly. Can you say the same?”
“Theo,” Shep growled from across the room.
But I was too busy facing off with King to pay him any mind. Shep might need a minute—or five—to work out what to say to our leader, but I sure as fuck didn’t.
“You know what, it’s getting a little cold in here for my liking. I think I’m going to step outside and let you two work this out.”
I walked around King, ready to be done with this conversation, and was almost at the door when I heard my name. I stopped, thinking he was about to forbid me from going outside.
“Stay close,” he ordered me.
