“You were stalking us?” Winking, I raise my brows and she scoffs at my teasing.
“More like research. Done?” Her need to move doesn’t surprise me anymore. It seems to be her go-to mode when the conversation dives too deep.
At her apartment, she sniffs her arm pits. “Are you still up for the zoo? If so, I need a quick shower.”
“No problem. Take your time.” Hell, I’ve been up, so to speak, since I met her.
“Don’t you need to go back to your hotel? To change.”
“Is that a subtle hint?”
“You smell fine to me. Others might object.”
Is she flirting? It sure sounds like it.
“If you weren’t the type to go Neanderthal, I’d tell you there’s spare clothes in my bottom dresser drawer. They’re probably about your size.”
Kade? Again? Fuck. I bite my tongue and act like a grown-up.“Thanks. It’ll be faster.”
If I didn’t know she was ex-military, I would after she’s showered and dressed in less than five minutes. “Your turn.”
While I’m rinsing and trying to match her pace, I call out from under the water. “Hey, when you decked the NTSB agent, how bad was he hurt?”
“Barely bruised my knuckles, why?”
“Just wondering.” I grab her only towel, quite damp, and do my best to dry off and clothe.
I should tell her the man died last night, but I’m not prepared to put an end to our rare warm moment. “Ready to go?
“Sure.”
“I’ll drive, you navigate.” A little later, I turn toward an underground driveway next to a yellow arrow pointing to a giant PARK sign.
She flashes her phone against a machine on the wall, it spits out a ticket, and I place it in my wallet. As we walk to street level, it’s easy to imagine this as a real date instead of a public place to share shit news.
“This way.” We turn on 65th, stroll a few blocks on Fifth Avenue and soon arrive at iron gates supported by three brick towers.
In the courtyard, people sit on benches lapping ice cream. Excited kids jump up and down as we wait in line. At the entrance, she turns her cellphone screen, the guard inspects our vouchers, then hands us a map.
The sea lion pool is the first stop on our journey. As we stand at the rail, they raise their whiskered noses to be fed, and zoom around in the water.
“I have something I need to tell you.” As I wait, her head turns, and brown eyes lift to mine.
“What is it?”
Sometimes one must yank off the Band-Aid and hope for the best.“The NTSB agent you punched? He’s dead.”
In sync with some peacocks squawking nearby, her mouth drops open. “No way. When? How?”
“He had a concussion. His brain swelled, he fell asleep, and never woke up again.” Pulling her aside, we make way for a couple pushing a stroller.
At the next caged area, she stops and sighs. “Fuck. They’re going to charge me with manslaughter or worse. Have you heard if there’s a warrant for my arrest?”
“If not, there will be soon. I’m real sorry, Landy.” My gut wrenches as she wipes away a tear.
“God, I just can’t catch a break. Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem.” Not sure what I can say to make her feel better, we follow the arrows to the tropical rainforest.
