I opened the packet of bacon I’d pulled out of the fridge, put it on the skillet, and turned it on low. Then I asked, “Are you done sleeping for days at a time?”
He surprised me by actually answering. “Not yet.”
What did that mean? I said “hmm” as I picked up the egg carton and thought about asking him how he liked them.
Then I decided he probably wouldn’t give me that classified information either, so there was no point in even asking. I’d scramble them and make them sunny side up and eat whatever he didn’t. Problem solved.
I’d barely cracked a couple into a bowl when my stomach clenched and my skin buzzed simultaneously, and he said, so rough it put every other one of his tones to shame, “I think someone is at your gate.”
The thing was, I wasn’t expecting anyone. I hadn’t ordered anything either.
I turned toward The Defender and watched his shoulders tense as his nostrils flared. His gaze was fixed on the wall that was in the same direction the driveway was, and he was frowning.
The buzzing on my skin got stronger. Was that him doing it?
“What?” I asked him, confused.
He frowned even harder at the wall, his eyes narrowing even more. “Who is it?”
Was he serious? “I don’t know. I don’t have cameras.” I’d thought about it, but they’d be too far away to reach my Wi-Fi.
Did that mean he couldn’t see through walls?
His expression didn’t change at all, but I could tell he was angry when he finally flicked his gaze over in my direction. “Who were you on the phone with yesterday?” he demanded.
There was no way I could have hidden the surprised expression that took over my features.He knew I’d been on the phone, but he hadn’t heard through the receiver?The Trinity were supposed to have good hearing; they had rescued people buried under rubble.
“I didn’t call anyone. I just checked my voice mail,” I told him slowly, getting more and more irritated by the second. This shit was getting old real fast. What the hell must I have done in another lifetime to deserve it?
He narrowed his eyes, annoying me that much more.
I took a deep breath through my nose and tried to pick my words carefully. “All I did was listen to old voice mails from my grandparents. I was sad.” He’d made me sad. “No one knows you’re here. Look at my phone.” It wasn’t like he hadn’t figured out the security code.
“Call logs can be deleted,” Paranoid Pants tried to claim.
I lifted the flat of my palm against my forehead and let out another slow breath. I was patient, and I could be kind. I was a decent person. I was doing this for humanity. “Why would I give you away?”
He was dead-ass serious as he said, “For money.”
I couldn’t help it anymore, I rolled my eyes right then and there, then glared at his perfect, annoying face. “First of all, you’re hobbling around, but I’m not stupid. I know you could kill me in the blink of an eye. You don’t fool me. I see it in you; I hear it in your voice. The Primordial seems like she’s an angel, but you don’t. You guys don’t have the same look in your eye. I thought maybe you’re just crabby because you’re in pain, but I don’t really think that anymore. You’re always grouchy. Or for some reason, it’s just me you can’t stand. I can’t tell.”
I’d said it. I’d fucking said it. I had stood up for myself to him.
Was it too much? Yeah, it was too much. This was why I didn’t have friends. At least part of the reason. But I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut and let him just keep being a butthole.
The Defender’s eyebrows flicked up just a little. Such a small, small amount that I doubted he even realized he did it. But I’d been staring at his sleeping face for days, and I could see the subtle change.
“Look, I’m trying real hard to be nice here.”
It was a small one, but his snicker made me blink.
Made me want to do a lot more than that, mostly including my hands and his neck, but I was going to let it go.
“Hear me out, all right? I’m not going to risk my life for money. What good would any amount mean if it ends with you—” I dragged my thumb across my throat “—doing that to me, huh? Anyway, you could probably hear me if I lied. I’m not a trained CIA agent; I can’t control my pulse. You make me nervous, but it’s because I know what I have living in my house. I don’t want to be found by certain people, and that has nothing to do with you. I didn’t give you away or invite anyone over. I don’t know who is here, but I’ll go out there and find out. Stay here and eavesdrop. You have my permission to use my body as a human shield if I’m gone. I won’t care.”
I wasn’t as amusing as I thought I was, based on his expression.
But just as I was about to turn, I hesitated. We’d made it this far, and my stomach… wasn’t right. And it more than likely meant nothing, but… “Look…,” I started to say, knowing I was about to sound insane, but on the other hand, his entire existence was even more nuts. “I’ve got a little bit of ESP, and I woke up today with a stomachache, and the last times I woke up feeling like this, my grandma passed away and you showed up. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything. I might just be gassy.”
