As long as he helped now, I’d considerussquare. Mileswas a different issue, and I’d respect whatever his decision was.
First, though, we needed tostart untangling this mess, and putting Miles’ mind at ease in the process.
I realized belatedly that I’d left him alonethis morning without leaving a note. He had no idea where the hell I was, andhe was probably awake by now.
He’d be glad to know what thehell was going on and that he wasn’t in any immediate danger after all. Thesooner he found out, the better.
TWENTY-FIVE
MILES
HEADING INTO WORK hadn’t exactly brought me thepeace I’d been hoping for, but at least I didn’t have to sit around in my emptyapartment feeling abandoned. Here, the faint hum of people going about theirworkday kept me company, which was about as much contact with other humans as Icould take right now.
A knock on the door made melook up.
“Make an appointment,” Icalled out, not in the mood to deal with whatever problem was waiting for me onthe other side. Normally I had an open-door policy, anyone could come to me atany time.
Not today. Today, the lesspeople I had to talk to, the better.
“It’s me,” Gray’s familiarvoice called through the door. “I need to talk to you.”
Ofallthe people Ididn’twant to see…
But then, on the other hand,I did want to see Gray. I always wanted to see Gray. At every possibleopportunity.
Even if I was sure I’d made an idiotof myself last night, clinging to him like some kind of baby possum.
“Come in,” I said after aslightly-too-long pause, guts twisting as the door creaked open.
Maintenance really needed toget onto oiling that hinge.
That’s right, Miles.Think about anything except how stupid you feel.
Gray was coming to tell mehe couldn’twork for me anymore. That was what he was here to do. Every atom I was made upof knew it, and I would have preferred to sink into the floor than listen, butI had to be a grownup about this.
I’d screwed up.
And now I was going to paythe price for it.
“How’re you holding up?”Gray asked, approaching the desk and setting the files he was holding on it.
The files that had beenstolen.
Behind him, Jimmy slippedinto the room, eyes downcast, trailing after Gray like a lost puppy.
What the hell?
I hadn’t even lookedfor the files this morning. I still wasn’t ready to look at them.
“Uh,” I said, staring downat the desk. Why did he have them? Why would he havetakenthem?
“So… I’m guessing you didn’tget my text. I have to explain myself,” Gray said, and I looked up just in timeto see him scratching the back of his neck.
Was henervous?
Not about dumping me as aclient, surely. I’d put him in an awkward position from the beginning. This hadbeen coming the entire time.
At least we’d had some greatsex.
