“Yet Scott Tinsdale was in the garage. If you told Harvey no more being his go-between, and he was going to listen, whatbusiness would Tinsdale have there? And you told me the man he was talking to had been in your bar.”
“I don’t know why Tinsdale was in the garage, and I don’t care. I told Harvey I wouldn’t deliver any more messages regardless of threats. I believe he understood.” She waved her hand as if the subject was closed.
“You do know Harvey is dangerous and can’t be trusted?” He wanted to make that perfectly clear.
“You do know Javier is dangerous and can’t be trusted? You’re dangerous and can’t be trusted. Most likely, everyone you know is dangerous and can’t be trusted,” she countered.
He’d walked into that one. There wasn’t one thing she’d said that wasn’t true from her perspective. He refused to take the bait and be offended.
“I see what you mean. You make a good point. The things I know about Harvey make me believe he isn’t a good person and could possibly want to harm you, but I’ve never spoken to him, and you have. You’re capable of hearing lies. He must have made you believe that he had no desire to hurt you.”
“I don’t altogether trust my ability to hear lies or truth.”
Gideon’s heart clenched hard. That was his fault. She’d believed him when he told her she was safe with him. He’d meant every single word. He’d believed it when he said it. It hadn’t occurred to him that he would have to give her up to protect Sebastian and Rose. Or Mack and Jaimie. Or the rest of his GhostWalker family.
He pressed his fingers to his temples. Sometimes his headaches were killers, and he could feel the beginnings of one pushing hard right behind his eyes.
“Gideon.”
That voice of hers. So soft and compassionate. He tried not to let it affect him. He tried not to hope. Maybe he should be the one to end their time together, but he knew he wouldn’t.
“You weren’t the one to make me distrust my abilities. I’ve been shaky for a little while now but have no idea why. The nightmares have been getting worse, and with them, my abilities to do certain things seem to come and go. Some gifts are sharper and other capabilities seem to be weaker.”
She was moving the subject far away from Harvey Matters, and he didn’t see how he was going to turn it back without getting her very upset. He would have to find a way to circle back around at another time.
“Are you still feeling that odd sensation with your skin?” He continued to press at his temples, reminiscent of the way she pressed against the spot above her left temple.
She moistened her lips and nodded slowly, as if she were reluctant to admit it to him. “Yes. I did think about what you’d told me. I even practiced saying that horrible man’s name over and over until I could do it without getting sick.”
Rory fell silent and Gideon didn’t ask for anything else. The fact that she at least had considered what he’d told her about her past instead of dismissing everything he’d said because she was so hurt by him made him admire her all the more. That was the other thing about Rory that got to him. She was sitting here with him even though he’d hurt her. Not just hurt her but truly shattered her. He’d felt the true depth of her devastation. She’d meant it when she’d said she didn’t want to see or hear from him again. Yet she’d been so worried about him, she’d reached out to ensure he wasn’t bleeding internally again. That was Rory. He needed that sweetness to balance him out.
“I like that you can talk to the birds the way you do, Gideon. I think that’s amazing. I loved hearing you talk about the places you’ve been to study the birds.”
“The first night I ever heard you laugh, I’d gone up to my rooftop because I was hurting like hell. I hadn’t been able to sleep in days. Ithought I might be going a little insane. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw things I just couldn’t take, and I needed to meditate to try to get the images out of my mind. The doc didn’t want me to climb the stairs, but I did anyway. I had just about found a way to shut everything down, and Javier joined me. I knew he wanted to talk about what happened, and it was the last thing I wanted to do.”
Gideon watched Rory pull her legs up onto the seat. They disappeared beneath the blanket. There were things about her he knew so well now, things he loved watching her do.
“When he left, I had to start all over again, trying to meditate and get above the pain. That’s when I heard you laugh. My hearing is very acute. I knew you had to be a few blocks away. I could tell you were surrounded by a large group of people. I just had to wait for you to laugh again to pinpoint your exact location.”
“My hearing is excellent, but yours has to be extremely good to hear me in those conditions, unless I was laughing like a hyena.”
“I assure you, you were not.” He sent her a faint grin. “I found myself straining to catch the smallest sound from you so I could send one of my spies. I wanted to know everything there was to know about you.”
Her long lashes fluttered. He waited to see her reaction. She didn’t disappoint him. He saw it in her eyes first. Recognition. Then amusement. Her smile was radiant. “That very naughty sparrow who came to visit me on my rooftop.”
He nodded. “She found you at the bar first and then followed you home.”
“It scared me when she flew into the cabinet door.”
“That wasn’t part of the plan.”
“I can’t do anything cool like use birds to spy. I love to study them and take pictures. I’m more of a gardener. I love to design gardens. I meant it when I told you that someday, I’m going to have my own vegetable and herb gardens. I want to stay home and cook.I’d love to bake my own bread and pasta. I wouldn’t work at the bar as many hours so I’d have time for all of that.”
“What about your songwriting?”
“I do that in my head all the time.”
“Wouldn’t you want a little recording studio?”
