“Nothing,” they say simultaneously.
I just roll my eyes. “Fine. I need to go run some tapes anyway.”
“I’ll go with her to the down room,” Manny murmurs, and I feel my face go hot, because the last time I was in the down room with a member of King Security, dirty, dirty things happened.
“I’ll do a perimeter sweep,” Eric says.
“Report to me before you report to King,” Manny orders, and my chest tightens when I hear his name. Shit, I’ve got it bad. It’s like a fist clenches my heart just hearing someone mention him. I’m going to have to go lick my wounds on a deserted island when this season is over and the madman who wants to cut me up is caught.
“Will do,” he says and then turns on his heel to walk off but spins back. “Hey, have we thought that maybe Randolph is involved in the threats against Addie?”
No, I want to immediately deny. Bobby wouldn’t hurt me. We’re friends. I’ve known him my entire life. He wants to marry me, not cut me up, right? But after what King said about the threats against me, I’ve not dismissed the danger around me so easily. I thought it was an overzealous fan; now, I’m questioning everyone.
“Maybe,” Manny says thoughtfully. “I’ll talk to King about it, but I’m not sure he’s our guy.”
My eyes flit back and forth between them, because now I’m not so sure.
“Roger that,” Eric says before he turns again on his long legs and lopes away with a confident grace. There’s probably some very lucky woman out there somewhere waiting for him to come home. I, on the other hand, fell for a man who can’t or won’t let themselves share those emotions.
The movies lied; unrequited love doesn’t have a happy ending. This just hurts.
“Don’t go there,” Manny warns, his voice low so only I can hear it, and it startles me. He couldn’t possibly think I want to move on to Eric, can he?
“What?” I ask, still shocked that sweet Manny would think so low of me.
“He’s got something he needs to work through with a woman,” he explains. “And you don’t want to be the Yoko that breaks up King Security, because you may not realize it, but Eric is King’s boy, his protégé, and messing with their relationship for an orgasm at best or retaliation at worst is not a good plan.”
“One, that is disgusting,” I snarl, my voice low. “How dare you think so little of me when I have done nothing but be kind to you. And two, I was thinking that he’s a nice guy and there is probably some very lucky woman out there waiting for him to get home from this job and how guilty that made me feel.”
“Addie—”
“I had thought the same about you, but now I take it back,” I interrupt. “It won’t tomorrow, but right now, you hurt my feelings.”
“Adrienne, I’m—”
“And last, that was not nice. But you also have no idea what happened with me and Sky, and frankly, I don’t want you to. I don’t want anyone to know, because I was stupid, and I shouldn’t have gone there, and I did because I’m weak where he is concerned, and now it hurts. I don’t want to hurt anymore, Manny, and I don’t want anyone else to know I’m an idiot, because that just compounds the hurt.”
“You’re not an idiot,” he says softly.
“He was always going to hurt me, Manny.”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “He always was. But—”
“No buts, Manny. It hurts too much.”
“Okay, sweetheart, no more buts,” he agrees.
“Good, because I have tapes to run.”
“I’m sorry for casting judgement on you though,” he says. “I saw you look at Eric, and it upset me. I want you for my boy. King needs some good in his life, and don’t think I didn’t hear you call him Sky. That’s a big deal. You don’t know it, but it is.”
“Manny—”
“So I’m sorry I judged you. It was a dick thing to do, and I know better,” he says, and I’m still stuck on the fact that he said he wants me for King, but also that King was always going to hurt me. “So I am sorry.”
“It’s already forgiven,” I assure quietly.
“Thank you,” he replies. “No let’s get you to the down room.”
