He paused in the doorway.
“For what it’s worth,” I said in a low voice, “thanks.” I flicked my wrist, lightening my tone. “Now, go text Hollis so Audrey’s best friend doesn’t worry.”
“That woman, I can’t deal with her for much longer. Drives me nuts.” He rolled his eyes. “Something tells me she would, and evencould, find us. I better look into her background tonight, make sureshe checks out.” He shook his head, and silence continued to stretch between us before he muttered, “Just do me one favor, okay?”
No, dammit, I’d rather talk about why Audrey’s friend is annoying you.Not that it was hard to annoy that man. I did it just by breathing. “What?”
“Just remember that you don’t have to be the magician anymore. You never wanted to be anyway, right?” He nodded. “Be who you really are.”
I let go of my shirt, eyes shooting to the floor after he left.And who’s that?Because at this point ... I was starting to think maybe I had no damn clue myself.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alejandro
I managed to avoid Ryder and Reed the rest of the night—because I hid like a coward. Like that inner magician I just couldn’t seem to shake no matter how much I tried.
I’d volunteered to patrol during the storm to avoid talking to anyone. Wound up spending half the night walking in a frozen tundra (mildly exaggerating, but I grew up in Vegas, so sue me) when there was no need to. I’d been numb to the cold, too focused on what Reed had said to me and what had happened with Audrey.
Now I was about to come face-to-face with her, and I wasn’t sure if she’d even open the door when I knocked after I’d told her not to last night.
I knocked on her door like I was a salesman hoping the door wouldn’t open so I wouldn’t actually have to do my job. Barely a tap, then I turned, planning to tell Ryder to come up himself when he was off the phone with his mother.
I was mid-escape when the door opened.
“Thought I told you what to do if there was a knock,” I muttered, swiveling back around, not prepared for the sight in front of me.
Blonde hair in a messy bun with a few loose strands that begged for me to reach forward with my hand and brush them behind her ears. Her skin was pink, as if she’d been scrubbing away evidence of tears, matching her reddish eyes.
And then there was the white sweatshirt with piano notes on it that hung off her shoulder, paired with black leggings that hugged her long legs. Bare feet and pink-painted toenails.
Basically, she was a vision I’d give anything to come home to every day after work. Minus the possibly-just-cried part.
“You okay?” I rushed out before she could tell me why she’d opened her door for me.
“Chase misses me. He’s worried. We were FaceTiming.”
Yeah, that’d do it.And I had no way to help fix that problem. Not yet, at least. Not until Mitch and every potential enemy were dead and buried for good.
She moved out of the way like an offer to come in, one I probably ought to refuse after what had gone down last night.
I, of course, did the opposite. At this point, it’d be more shocking if I actually heeded my own commands to stay away from her for once.
She set her back to the wall by the door and bent her knee, propping up her foot.
I caught a whiff of the perfume I’d packed now that I was in the room with her. Lancôme Idôle. I’d memorized the label, telling myself it wasn’t because I planned to buy a bottle after this op so my place would smell like her. I wasn’t that obsessed. Or so I kept telling myself, at least.
“Breakfast.” The word came out like a rough demand as I remembered why I was up there alone with her again. “Reed’s cooking. One of the few things he does well, aside from killing people. Well, that and memorizing every detail involving human history.”
She began tracing the piano notes on her sweatshirt, and I followed along with every swipe of her finger as she whispered, “I thought you were here to talk about last night.”
Talk?Doubtful that was possible. But I kept doing the same shit over and over again while expecting a different outcome anyway.
“Though I have a feeling you’re going to tell me we should lock that up in the Never Happened box, along with seeing me naked and talking about my underwear.”
“Who saw you naked?” Ryder’s question, and his sudden appearance, had her shoulders startling and me damn near jumping out of my skin.
If anyone were to get the drop on me, it’d be Delta One.
