“Want anything from the deli?” Knight asks before he leaves the room. “Rogue? Sofia?”
I make ano thanksgesture. “Thanks, but I think we’ll just head home. Get something to eat there.”
On the heels of Knight, Jester stops and does a double take. “Rogue leaving work early? Are my ears playing tricks on me?”
“No.” I shoot him a quelling look. “I’ll work from home this afternoon.”
Jester holds my gaze for a second. Then he smirks. “Ah. I see.” A beat later, his smile expands. “See you later, Sofia. It was nice to meet you.”
Then it’s just me and Sofia, alone in the conference room. She scowls at her laptop before looking back at me. “Nico. I didn’t need?—”
“Soph. Youdoneed a break.” I gently close her laptop. “You’ve already looked at this far too long considering you’re still recovering from a concussion. You don’t want to do more damage, do you?”
She hesitates. Sighs. “I guess not. I just thought I’d find something…”
“And you will.Wewill. Just not today.” Rising from my chair, I take her arm and help her to her feet. “We can go back to the condo, order some food, you can take a nap?—”
Her chin lifts. “I don’t need a nap.”
“Fine. You can work on a puzzle. Or listen to one of those audiobooks you picked out.” As I pack up our laptops and sling both bags over my shoulder, I add, “Maybe a little later, we can put on a movie. Once you’ve rested your eyes a bit.”
“We?” Her eyebrows arch up. “I thought you had to work?”
I should. I have expense reports to finalize, emails to send, clients to call, plus another twenty things on my daily schedule I can’t even think of right now.
But I don’t want to. I want to go back to my condo and spend time with Sofia. I want to work on one of those boring puzzles, intentionally sticking mismatched pieces together to make her laugh. I want to make sure she’s rested. That she’s eaten. That she’s really okay.
“I thought I’d take the afternoon off,” I finally reply. “Maybe send a few emails, but the rest can wait.”
Sofia stops. Her brow furrows. “Nico?—”
“It doesn’t have to bewe,” I amend. “If you’d rather spend the afternoon by yourself, that’s fine. I can work in my office.”
She goes quiet as we approach the side exit. As we get close to the door, I pull out my phone to text Kurt that we’re ready to leave. He messages me back immediately, letting me know he’ll meet us right away.
“Just waiting for Kurt,” I explain once I slide my phone back into my pocket. “He’ll be here shortly.”
“Do you think it’s necessary?” she asks. “Having a driver and all that?”
“It’s safer. Having someone at our six?—”
“At our six?”
“Yeah. It’s something we’d say in the Army. If someone has your back, you say they have your six.”
“Oh.” Her teeth dig into her lower lip. “I guess that’s nice. Knowing you have someone like that.”
Her reaction gives me pause.
Does Sofia have someone at her six? Or has she been doing it all on her own since her mom passed away and her boss slash mentor left?
It hurts my heart to think of her trying to do everything by herself. Not that she isn’t capable—it’s clear she is—but it’s a lonely way to live.
At the end of the hallway, Kurt appears. He gives me a quick wave as he hurries towards us.
And even though I know it might not be appropriate, given the wholemy dad is a liar and a terrible person and he fucked up Sofia’s lifething, I can’t help saying, “I’ve got your six, Soph. You might not want it, but you’ve got it, anyway.”
Her face jolts.
