Oh, I’d hit a nerve. “We have a situation.”
“Do we?”
“Yes.” I stood and walked over to the small bar in my office. “Drink?”
“Is that the situation we have?” The corner of his mouth curled up, and I had a sudden need to taste his smile.
“No.”
“Just water, please.”
I filled a glass with some water and one with bourbon for me, handing his to him before returning to my chair.
“Lorcan Anders hates me more than you can possibly fathom, Penn. He tried to kill my children, and you ruined that for him. He’d cross state lines to find you and drag you back only to tear you apart right in front of me.”
“Why would him killing me in front of you affect you?” That was what came out of his mouth, not the fact that he’d be tortured.
“Because he’d believe it would anger me, hurt me.”
He sipped his water and placed the glass on my desk. “And would it…bother you?”
I swallowed my bourbon in one gulp, put the empty tumbler down, and looked directly into his green eyes.
“Yeah, Penn, I think it would upset me a great deal.”
CHAPTER NINE
Pennsylvania
There wasa fire in his gaze, conviction, and power. He meant what he was saying. It was odd that a stranger would be upset by my demise. Sure, I’d saved his kids, but firefighters did things like that every day.
“You don’t need to feel indebted to me for what I did, Gideon, and I don’t want anything from you for it either. Like I said, I’ll leave town earlier. I’ve been moving around a lot; I’m good at hiding and blending in. He won’t find me.”
“Why are you so good at hiding, Penn?”
“I just am.”
Fortunately, I was saved from further interrogation when Rita’s voice echoed through the house, announcing dinner was ready.
“Come.” He stood. “We can talk more later.”
I wasn’t going to do that—after dinner I was leaving, but I didn’t say that. I followed him out of the office and down the stairs to a large dining table. Rita and Matteo were there along with Dean and the twins, who I hadn’t seen since the fire.
The little girl’s eyes widened. “Batman,” she whispered.
I glanced at Gideon, who simply shrugged and pulled out a chair for me, which was a nice thing to do.
“Matty tells me you’re the one who saved us…are you Batman?” she asked with wonderment. And I couldn’t help but find humor in her belief that I was a superhero.
“Uh, no, I’m not Batman. My name is Penn.”
Rita started filling everyone’s plates, smacking the hands away of anyone who tried to help.
“I’m Olivia.” She smiled. “This is my brover, Owen.”
I chuckled at “brover.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
