“I’d appreciate that.”
I slip in, and he closes the door for me. He goes around the back of the SUV, pausing for a long moment. I almost ask if everything is okay, but he rounds it and gets into the driver’s seat. “Your phone.” I take it from his hand.
“Oh, right.” I lick my lips, getting an even better look at him now. His hair is short and buzzed down, and I can see a scar along his skull. “What happened to your head?” Holy hell. “Sorry, I’m not great with people, and I talk a lot. I mean, just ask Minnie.” I laugh. “She can never get a word in edgewise.”
He cocks his head toward me, and the side of his mouth twitches.
"You can smile. I won't tell anyone,” I tease.
"Let's get out of here, and then we'll see about me smiling for you."
"Okie dokie, artichokie.” I give him an air gun. "Just as effective."
A small bark of laughter comes from him, and he shakes his head before taking off. I did it! I made it out. I'm in the homestretch now.
Chapter Four
KILLIAN
Not sure what the hell is happening, but there is no turning back at this point.
“May I?” She points to the screen on the dashboard.
“It’s all yours,” I tell her because I want to see what she’ll do next. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. She piqued my curiosity, which I didn’t even know could happen.
What music will she put on? Will she sing? Will it be terrible? I don't care if it's terrible or not. I'm adapting swiftly to the situation. It's one of my better skill sets.
I pulled up her messages, texted back the person who was supposed to pick her up, and then blocked them before deleting the conversation. Then I scrolled through the rest of her messages. There weren’t many, but the name Lily Pad told me all I needed to know. Teddy is the mystery person who’s been in contact with Tristan’s girl.
I'll need to check why her name wasn't showing up on the property, but right now, all I want to know is what the hell this tiny, curvy girl is up to. She takes to the screen, flipping through a few selections before landing on a station labeled "Retro Hip-Hop," and Coolio's “Gangsta's Paradise” fills the inside of the vehicle.
"Seat belt," I order her as she starts to sing along, knowing all the words. This girl gets more and more intriguing.
"Ope, sorry." She quickly clicks it into place as snowflakes start to fall. The road back down the mountain has a lot of twists and turns.
It's hard to keep my attention on the road when I want to simply watch this fascinating creature. People say that nowadays you can’t identify a fake diamond with the naked eye, but I would bet my left nut, which is currently aching along with the other one and my dick, that the crown on her head is real.
"The airport is an hour away, right? I have a flight, and I can't miss it. I need to get to my best friend," she starts to tell me, and I slightly turn down the music from my steering wheel, not wanting to miss a word. "Can I tell you a secret?" She gives a small bounce in her seat, not waiting for me to answer. "I'm on a mission." Her tone becomes serious for the first time.
"That explains the lightsaber." She snorts a laugh. Did I just try to crack a joke? What is happening to me? I don’t make jokes. I kill people for money.
"I don't think it will be much help in the city. I'm going to break my friend out."
"Really?” I say so that she keeps going.
“Yeppers. Grumpy Tristan is in for a rude awakening.” She rubs her hands together over what she believes to be an evil plot. "He's going to come home and—" She makes an explosion with her hand. "Poof! Gone. Sucker."
"Interesting." I didn't know Tristan had resorted to kidnapping. He's a lot more ethical than I am. I'd definitely kidnap Teddy to keep her for myself. My hands are tight on the steering wheel. I'm not taking her to the airport. I need to come up with another plan. One hits me as I put together Tristan's and my last conversation.
"Then she'll come live with me." Teddy's place might be secluded, but it's easy to access. There is no way it would keep Tristan out, and it wouldn't keep me out either.
"And she's ready for you?" I ask. To my understanding, Lily has been taken out of the country. Guess Tristan was losing it over believing someone was after his girl. I just don't think he knows it's a tiny girl named Teddy. None of us saw that coming.
"Ope, I need to text her." That was easier than I thought it would be. "Oh no." Her shoulders drop; I can see the hint of a frown pull at her plump lips. I bet they're soft. They fucking look it. I can’t help but wonder how they would feel against mine. Did I really just think that?
"What's wrong?" I have the urge to fix it even though this was part of my plan of keeping her away from the airport for the time being. The disappointment that has taken over her doesn't settle well inside of me. "Maybe I can help," I offer.
"You're really nice, you know that?" No, neither I nor anyone else on this planet thinks that. It’s not a word that has ever been used to describe me. Cold-hearted, asshole, grumpy, and moody are more along the adjectives that people use when my name is mentioned. Of course, they never say them to my face.
