James ordered, while Holden waited beside Kit. “Maybe we should take these to go,” Holden said, casting an appreciative look at Kit. “Much as I’d love to watch you squirm around on a chair.”
Kit glanced around, but nobody could have heard. “Yeah, I planned to just stand next to the table like a weirdo.Yes, we’re getting these to go.”
Holden grinned.
This was just like the last time they were here. When Holden oh so coincidentally appeared in line behind Kit. And then Kit saw a camera flash and panicked for no reason. Just a dad taking a photo of his toddler.
Except Kit wasn’t panicking for no reason. The camera flash had been a red herring, but Kit’s instincts were finely tuned to danger. He just hadn’t realized what really set him on edge.
“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?” Holden asked.
“Last time we were here,” Kit said quietly. “That wasn’t a coincidence.”
“Nope,” Holden confirmed, unabashed. “I was stalking you. Do you mind?”
“Fucking freak,” Kit muttered. Then he covered his mouth on a whimper, as Holden tugged him closer to plant a kiss on top of his head.
Kit should mind. But if he really minded, he wouldn’t be on a coffee date with two murderers. With a plug twisting his nerves and weakening his knees.
So much for his list of Normal Things to Do.
Kit flipped the page, then flattened the notebook face-down on the scanner. “I really thought you were kidding about making me file papers forever.”
Bishop’s home office was surprisingly cramped, given the comfort of the rest of the house. There was an equally surprising lack of secret files. Kit was pretty sure that meant one of the walls was fake, but he hadn’t decided which one. He wanted to have a good guess before he asked Bishop to confirm.
Today, Bishop sat behind his desk, flipping through one of Holden’s murder scrapbooks. Kit sat across from him, methodically scanning another.
For all Darius’s noise about wanting to read them, he had only flipped through a few binders and notebooks. James just asked for any information on his family.
Bishop alone had the patience to go through all of them, and he was still making Kit do all the scanning.
“We’re not filing papers,” Bishop said calmly. “We’re digitizing archives.”
Kit pushed a button, then grabbed his coffee mug. At least Bishop kept him caffeinated through the struggle. “Fancy words for scanning a billion fucking binders.”
A small smile tugged Bishop’s lips as he returned to his reading.
“What are you smirking about?” Kit demanded, though he didn’t expect an answer. Bishop would just smirk again, acting all handsome and mysterious with his stupid blue eyes, and—
“I thought you weren’t going to flirt with me anymore,” Bishop said.
Kit’s jaw dropped. “I’m not flirting! This is whining. Complaining. How is this flirting?”
Bishop flipped a page. “Apologies if I’m mistaken.”
Fucking hell. Kit obviously wasn’t flirting. He was just acting like a complete brat, a little lighthearted whining, because he wanted Bishop’s attention...
Oops.
Kit turned to the next page. “Apology accepted. You wish I was flirting with you.”
Bishop’s reply hit below the belt. “I’m glad you feel comfortable with me.”
That light tone, with earnestness beneath. Kit hated and craved it at the same time. “You’re the worst.”
Bishop just kept reading with that same small grin. Kit continued scanning in silence, trying not to move too much in his chair. His ass still ached from visiting Darius the night before. A good, distracting soreness.
Not as distracting as wearing the plug at the coffee shop. But Kit could imagine wearing one now. He could have pushed it in before leaving James’s place. Or James would have been happy to shove it in for him.
