“Carina, we can talk about it later but it’s not a short explanation and we do not have the time right now.” He glanced around. “Plus, we have an audience.”
I looked around and realized that everyone in the restaurant turned their heads away at the same time. They’d been watching us. Maybe even listening in.
“They can hear what we’re saying here?” I asked. The closest customer was nearly twenty feet away.
“Most of them, yes.”
My mouth was suddenly dry. I picked up my water and sipped it. I had no idea what to think of that. I knew that Daniel and the police chief had preternatural hearing, but I hadn’t even thought about the other diners when I was asking Daniel my questions.
“Won’t you get in trouble for answering my questions?” I asked him.
“Of course not. You won’t remember any of it anyway.”
A cold chill washed over me. Somehow, since the incident with Leo earlier, I’d forgotten that the only reason Daniel was holding me hostage was because he wanted to wipe my memory of him and all the other strange things I’d seen in this town.
I took another sip of my water, hoping it would soothe the twist in my stomach.
Daniel fell silent, his gaze sullen as he looked around the restaurant.
Apparently, conversation time was over.
I picked up a piece of the bread and realized it was still warm from the oven. It was soft and fluffy as I tore it apart and dipped it into the herbed oil.
The flavors burst on my tongue as I chewed and the tightness in my stomach was a distant memory.
I suddenly remembered that I was ravenous.
I tore another piece of bread off the large slice, dipped it, and shoved it in my mouth.
“Good, isn’t it?”
I nodded as I chewed.
“Sam has the gift,” Daniel said, picking up a slice of bread.
He held it in his hand but didn’t do anything else with it, so I took it away from him.
“That’s mine,” he said, a glint in his eyes as he looked over at me.
“You should have eaten it faster then,” I said as I ripped the slice in half.
Before I could dip the bread in the oil, one half was snatched from my hand.
“Hey.”
“Thieves can’t complain when they get stolen from.”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” I retorted.
He smirked at me before he dipped the bread in the oil and ate it.
I rolled my eyes but didn’t say anything else.
We ate in silence for the rest of the meal, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before. Probably because the pizza was just as amazing as he promised.
7
The rest of my first full day as Daniel Ayres hostage was uneventful.
