“I’ll only eat if you eat,” he threatened.
I grumbled, because he’d played the right hand to get me to break. I took the half he’d offered me and took a bite out of the corner, and he started eating his.
Thoughtlessly, I practically shoved the rest down my throat, eating it out of stress more than hunger.
Ty, on the other hand, took his time as he stared off at nothing in particular, likely reflecting on not only everything that had happened tonight, but my behavior leading up to it, and how something like this had to be the case, considering how close to my chest I kept all my secrets.
After he finished swallowing his first bite, he took a sip from the bottle of water I’d handed him before offering it to me. I didn’t want to accept it any more than I’d wanted to accept the sandwich, but it wasn’t just water—it was an excuse to taste him, the closest I could be to those beautiful lips.
I took it and savored the cool, refreshing sip before running my tongue along the rim of the nozzle, hoping to taste as much of him as I could. That had to be deranged, but I didn’t give a fuck.
I handed it back to him, and he slid the nozzle into his mouth, his gaze on mine as he seemed to have the same intent as me in enjoying what saliva of mine remained on the bottle. When he finished taking his drink, he ran the rim of the nozzle across his bottom lip.
How could he still play these kinds of games with me in a time like this? Although, maybe everything was just so fucked up that what the hell did it matter what we did when so much was already totally screwed.
When he finally drew it away from his mouth, he took a beat before asking, “So where do we go from here?”
“I’ve contacted some former coworkers. Waiting to hear back from them before we make another move. So we lie low here in the meantime.”
“What should I do about work and school?”
“We’ve made arrangements for people under our protection in the past, so it’s manageable. With work, you’ll need time off. Do you think that will be an issue?”
“I can find a way, I guess. Ihaveto, don’t I?” His eyes opened wide as he took a quick breath. “Wait. What about Jesse and Eric and Mom…?”
“I’ve already made arrangements for them to come under our protection. After the attack, I alerted the IPB about a mole and made your family’s security a priority. However, since the leak comes from inside the agency, this is a code red, meaning outside of that, you and I are on our own. I will send a distress signal to my former team—the only people at the IPB I’m willing to trust until this is resolved—and when I hear back from them, we’ll start making arrangements on how to proceed from there. But as far as your family is concerned, they’re safe.”
“You don’t trust most of the guys at the IPB, but you’re sure they’re going to keep my family safe?”
It was a fair question. “I don’t trust most people, as a general rule. And within the agency, anyone could be the bastard responsible for this mess. However, no one there—mole or otherwise—is dumb enough to disregard my instructions and risk me calling their ass out later. I’m a loose cannon they don’t want to fuck with.”
He didn’t appear entirely satisfied by my response, but for now, it was the only assurance I could offer.
“Thank you,” he finally said as he expression seemed to relax.
Once again, his words shot a jolt of guilt right through me. There I was, stripping him of so much, yet he was focusing on what seemed to be the bare minimum of what should have been expected of me.
Ty finished off the wrap, took a few napkins from the plastic container, and wiped his face. Despite how long he’d been asleep, he looked exhausted, perhaps a lingering effect of the sedative he’d been given.
“The amount of Special Z they used was clearly designed to take me out, so I’m sure they dosed you up with plenty. You should get some more rest. Don’t worry. We’re safe here. No one knows where we are. This place isn’t on the IPB’s radar.”
I noticed how much I worked to assure him he wasn’t in danger, maybe because I knew just how much danger we were both really in.
He eyed me suspiciously. “What about you? Are you going to sleep?”
“Doubtful.”
“Between how I feel and everything you said, I think I could lie down, if not pass out.” He let out an awkward, soft laugh. It killed me seeing him so distressed and perplexed.
I collected the trash off the table and tossed it in the bin before fetching another bottle of water from the fridge. Swinging by the counter, I snatched a plastic bag off it and headed to Ty.
I rested my free hand on his shoulder and massaged it gently with my thumb. “Come on, Pretty Thing.”
He pushed to his feet, and I guided him upstairs, back to the room I’d put him in. When we reached it, I handed him the bottle of water and bag. “There are some toiletries in here for the morning. Bathroom’s down the hall, to the left.”
He scanned the bag before glancing around the cabin again. As his gaze settled on me, it shifted to my lips before trailing up to my eyes. “Don’t know how great I’ll be sleeping, but maybe I’ll at least have some more questions for you tomorrow.”
“And I’ll have answers, Ty.”
