“Except me.”I hold her gaze as if throwing down a gauntlet.
“Except you,” she replies, throwing down her own.She’s questioning my loyalty.Where does it lie?Here, with her, or out there, with her father?
“You want me to lie for you?”I ask.
She folds her arms.“Yes, I do.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because Marta needs her wife.Willa needs to be with her family.She won’t miss the birth of her child because my father is such a tyrant that he sends a bodyguard into the middle of nowhere to protect his fucking investment when her wife is about to give birth.I won’t be the reason Willa doesn’t get the chance to see her child arrive in this world.I can’t bear the thought of Marta having to go through whatever she’s going through alone because, according to my father, my life is more important.That’s why I’m asking you to lie for me.And if you have any ounce of humanity inside that fucking chest of yours, then you’ll do as I ask.”
Her words are heavy, hanging in the air as if she’s testing me to see just how much of me is human and how much of me is the beast she thinks I am.
Fuck.
All the fight runs from my body, because who am I kidding?I will lie for her.I’ll do as she asks.Not because I’m human.Not because it’s the right thing to do.Not because I have any ounce of moral fibre in my being.
No.
I’ll lie for her because I’d do anything for her.
Anything.
Dropping onto the edge of the sofa, I clench my fists, massaging my knuckles.
“You should have spoken to me first” is all I manage.
“And let you talk me out of it?No.”She shakes her head.“It’s done.I got back safe.End of story.”
As much as it annoys me, she’s right.There’s no point going over the things she’s already done.Right now, we need to think about moving forwards.
“So, how is this going to work?”
Hayami’s shoulders drop, seemingly happy she’s won the battle.
“You report to Markus like normal.You tell him everything is fine.I got Willa to leave her work phone here, so as far as they’re concerned, she’s still here in the house with us.We can send some messages from her phone and answer anything Markus sends her.”
“And what about watching you?”I ask.
“I don’t need watching.”
“It’s enough that you have me lying for you.I won’t disregard my duties.Even more so now that I’m on my own.”
“You’re not on your own,” she says, taking a step forwards.“I’m here, and I can help to keep myself safe.I’m not a complete idiot.”
“Do you know how to look for traps?Do you know how to scan a room for tripwire?Do you know how to look for pressure pads that’ll detonate a bomb?Do you know how to fire a gun?”
I’m hoping this’ll hit home, but I know Hayami better than that.All she does is fold her arms and glare at me.
“No, but you can teach me.We’ve got nothing else better to do up here, and I’m a very good student.”
Chewing the inside of my cheek, I consider this.It’s not a bad idea.She’s more than capable of holding her own.I know this due to the number of times I’ve had to restrain her, the times she’s managed to run from me, and the times she’s fought back.
It’s not ideal, of course.I don’t want her to have to defend herself at all.This is my job, what I’m here to do.But I can’t be heroic about this now that I’m on my own.
“Okay.But I watch you still during the night.You’re at your most vulnerable when you’re asleep, as you can’t alert me, and if someone is going to come for you, then the cover of darkness is the most likely time.”
“When will you sleep?”She tilts her head to the side, and I swear she almost looks concerned.
