“We need to go check on a—” He stops himself abruptly and frowns at... nothing it seems, but then he reaches up and covers Maggie’s ears before whispering, “On a brothel.” I have to bite back a smirk so hard that it actually hurts, but I pretend it doesn’t and keep listening. “I need Rory with me today, but Celly’s here and we should be back around four.”
“Sounds great.”
With another unprompted kiss that I don’t shy away from, he walks out of the room.
Rory pauses only to coo at Maggie, but barely glances at me before leaving too, and by how genuine her smile looks, I can tell she really only likes kids.
“They’re so weird, Maggie,” I mumble at her before kissing her forehead. Then I go in search of breakfast
The part I don’t say out loud is that it seems we fit perfectly here. It’s too real a sentiment to ever think again, so I throw it away and focus on getting my day started.
“You’re not listening,”Duffy stresses, sounding like a petulant child.
“I am. You’re just so ridiculous that I refuse to take you seriously,” I tell him, knowing well and good that if I raise my voice even a little, he’ll win, or he’ll think so at least.
“A brain injury could totally make you smarter!” he cries dramatically, and flops back on the couch with a huff.
One thing Eian failed to mention was that instead of Rory, Duffy would spend the whole day with me, and that when Maggie went down for her nap he’d beright there, ready to pounce and talk my ear off.
It didn’t get this bad until half an hour ago after we had dinner—Eian did call to let us know they wouldn’t make it by four, but I couldn’t even complain about him leaving Duffy here to babysit me since Duffy took over the conversation.
It’s not that I dislike Duffy. I don’t. He’s funny, even caring, and makes me feel good about myself. But he has so... much... energy. And I need to focus on the measly information Seamus has gotten from two—that’s right, just two—bank accounts.
“You try doing it then,” was his grumpy retort over the phone when I called to check in with him an hour ago, and I have even less patience to deal with moody teenagers. Yes, I know he’s not technically a teenager, but he sure does act like one.
“Is everything okay?”
I do not sigh in relief at the sound of Eian’s voice, definitely not.
“Colby’s being mean,” Duffy declares and even pouts.
“I am not, you brat. And get your feet off the table before you screw up my system.”
He grumbles something about systems but does bring his feet back to the floor where they belong.
“Duffy, go bother someone else,” Eian orders, voice distracted as he comes over and watches the computer’s screen over my shoulder.
“I’ve got nothing,” I tell him, and I don’t lean back on my chair to be closer to him—of course not. I just need to rest my back.
“Did Seamus send you anything?” His hands come to rest on my shoulders, and I have to work extra hard to keep my eyes open when he kneads the muscles softly.
“Nothing that’s actually going to help here. It’s impossible. We’re never going to find the answers to this unless we can find that stupid website again. I can’t believe they shut it down?—”
“They probably did that after we found the warehouse,” Eian interrupts me.
I can see out of the corner of my eye how Rory walks around the table and starts grabbing papers to holdthem closer to her face, reads for a moment, then puts them down exactly where she found them. She has manners.
“Seamus said he’s looking for the new one, and he said something about cross referencing usernames. I don’t really know what that means, but?—”
“Why won’t you let me meet him?” I know the risks, but I still interrupt him. I’m too tired and I need to getsomeanswers from him. Seems this is the fight I’m choosing tonight.
Eian stays silent for a beat, then pulls out the chair next to mine and sits.
“He’s going to meet you when he decides he wants to.”
That’s annoying. Why doesn’t he want to meet me? And it totally takes the wind out of my sails.
“So it’s not you keeping me at a distance, like with your aunt?” I sigh in relief, and can barely keep looking into his eyes.
