“As a compromise to both sides, they each get to make a visit to each other’s territory once a year. This, of course, is at complete random, so each side has no time to clean up their act if they are breaking laws.”
“Suseas said… Demechnef oligarchs wanted to meet you—and I.”
“Did she? I don’t recall.” He continues examining weapons as if my conversation is boring him to death.
“That explains why you ran. But it doesn’t explain why you took me with you.”
“You’ll give yourself a migraine trying to figure it out.”
“This is insane. I deserve an explanation.” I drop my arms to my sides and slide down the dirt wall to sulk in the mystery of the moments that have just passed.
“You know, using thatwordin an asylum is frowned upon.” A twitch at the corner of his mouth.
“Oh, pardon me, but we both know you’re not insane,” I blurt out.
He glowers at me in suspicion. His bare feet rub against the rough grains of dirt as he sits a few feet across from me against the wall.“That is certainly something I haven’t heard before,” he mocks, yet I can tell he’s surprised.
“I think people mistake great intelligence for insanity.”
He tilts his head, narrowing his eyes as if to look at a child that has just spoken like an adult. The shadows under his eyes darken along with the definition to his jawline, and his two fingers and thumb trail over the stubble along his chin, examining me as if searching for a hint to a problem he’s working to solve.
“Please tell me what we’re doing here,” I say. He takes no time to compose himself.
“Waiting, of course.”
“Waiting for what?”
“For the end of the day.”
“But why amIhere?”
He doesn’t answer this. He just looks up to the ceiling and sighs heavily, like there is so much I don’t know.
“Can we at least talk while we’re down here?”
“You want totalk?” he mocks.
I flinch. “Is that a problem for you?”
“I took you hostage, and you want totalk.” He stares at me in disbelief.
“Are you going to hurt me?” I ask hoarsely, with a slight crack in my voice.
“Not unless you give me a reason to.” He smiles.
“In that case…” I say, scooting closer to him. “I have a question.” His eyes widen as he watches me close the distance between us. I sit cross-legged, face-to-face with him.
“Why did you come back? You stopped Martin from striking me.” Like a moving painting, his arms caught Martin’s, tightening his grip like a python.
He stares past me in thought.
“I don’t know.” But there’s an unmistakable flash of temper at the memory.
“You’re lying,” I say coldly.Tell me something I can hold on to.
“Foul rumors are floating around the asylum about you,” he tells me.
My eyes close reactively, as if to block the truth of that from splashing me in the face. I sigh, shrugging. “There are foul rumors about you, too.”
