“Back off!” I shouted, beyond pissed that I couldn’t win a physical fight with him. At least not afairfight.
“Not until I get what I want,” he whispered directly into my ear. My next breath seemed to hinge on how he finished that thought. “My gun. I want my gun back.”
I exhaled, oddly disappointed. “Not a chance.” Although I was starting to wonder if he even needed it.
Murphy pulled back until he could see my eyes, and he was smiling again. An easy grin. Completely confident. “What would you say to a truce?”
“Will it get you off me?”
“For the moment.” His smile widened, and I couldn’t drag my gaze from his chin dimple. “Will you promise not to shoot me?”
“For the moment.”
He laughed, and suddenly I was free. Andpissed. And more than a little impressed. I hadn’t been pinned in a while. Not by force, anyway.
Murphy stepped back, gesturing toward the center of the fuselage with one out-swept hand.
I plucked my flashlight from the ground and glanced around for the backpack I’d left in the middle of the floor. “You thirsty?” I asked crossing the cargo hold in several long strides. “I’ve only got bottled water, but I’ll share.” Though a steaming mug of coffee would’ve been just the thing at that moment. Each breath I exhaled hung on the air in a tiny white cloud.
“Please.”
Bending, I set the flashlight down and unzipped the bag one-handed, without taking my gaze or my gun from him. I couldn’t trust Murphy now, knowing what he was capable of. Not that I’d trusted him in the first place.
“Here.” I pulled two water bottles from my bag. He clearly had information I needed, and since beating it out of him was looking a little more complicated than I’d planned, I was running out of options. Fortunately, I could play nice when I had to.
Murphy caught the water I tossed him and settled onto a large metal toolbox lying on its side. “So, what does a guy have to do get his guns back?”
I leaned against the nearest wall, watching him. I had no intention of giving him back his weapons, but I knew better than to admit that before I had what I needed from him. “For now, how ‘bout a trade—answer for answer.”
He thought for a moment, then nodded. “Ladies first.”
Perfect. I cracked open my bottle and took a long drink, contemplating my first question. “Why did you think I came here looking for you?”
Murphy shrugged, as if the answer should have been obvious. He drained a quarter of his bottle in just a couple of gulps. “It’s a little complicated. The goblins who took my sister were actually hired to find me, and when they couldn’t, they took her to draw me out. When I saw you here, I assumed you were Devich’s new henchman. Er…henchwoman.” Another shrug. “I figured once he found out you bested his goons, he wanted you on his payroll.”
“Devich?” I froze, the water bottle halfway to my mouth. “TroyDevich, the billionaire?” I asked, and he nodded. “Are yousurethe goblins were working for Devich?”
“Yeah. And you must be too, if you’re here. Everyone who knows about this crash site, other than Troy Devich, is dead.”
I’d had a very similar thought.
“Which means he either sent you after me or after his cargo.”
“Well, I’m not here for you.” I slid my pistol back into the holster beneath my coat. If he’d wanted to kill me, he’d had ample opportunity to try it already. “Why areyouhere?”
“It’s my turn. You’ve already asked two questions.”
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes.
“What kind of music do you like?”
I blinked in the dark, sure he was kidding. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, I take back the truce. Ask a real question.”
“Thisisa real question. I want to know what kind of music you listen to.”
“Why?”
“So I can take you to a concert. You look like you need a night off.”
