Page 22 of Rescued

Humans at least didn’t have that problem.

“Probably not,” he said. “But let’s not risk bringing down an attack just for the hell of it, okay? People could still die trying to protect you.”

She looked upset. “Oh. Right. I didn’t mean…” Her face flushed.

Yeah. Civilians never thought about the cost to the people who protected them. She was less selfish than he’d first thought, back in the helo, but it wouldn’t hurt for her to understand that.

Only it upset her, and that made him feel like shit. Which upset him. Why the hell did he care what she thought? He didn’t care what anyone thought.

He said, “Even if you did have a phone, or they’d planted some other kind of tracking device on you, our communications system would pick up a signal from an unauthorized source and flag it. I’ve been redoing it, and I’ll make sure our surveillance covers all channels. They won’t find you here. Just don’t call anyone you know, on any phone.”

That seemed to upset her more. “But what about Kimberly? I’m really worried about her. I know you think she made bad choices and deserves whatever she gets, but she’s still my friend.”

That made him feel like even more of a shit. “Ah, fuck. I didn’t mean it like that, what I said in the helo. Maybe she’s okay.”

Breanna nodded. “Maybe.”

Great. He’d totally fucked this up so far. He definitely needed to stick to machines.

Switch looked around for any kind of distraction—and his gaze landed on the coffee pot. “Oh. Coffee. Great! I need that. And you need it. And you need food, too.”

He got out the bacon and some eggs. And cheese. Then he opened the freezer. “How big a steak do you want?”

She paused in the middle of putting on the boots, staring at him like he had three heads. “Are you serious? I can’t eat any of that stuff. All I ever have for breakfast is cottage cheese.”

She had to be kidding. “Cottage cheese is like packaged barf.”

“It is not.”

It was. “All those lumps? Yecchhh.” He started laying out the bacon in the frying pan. “Why don’t you eat real food?”

Again, the ‘Are you an idiot’ look. “I’m a model. Models have to be skinny. The camera alone adds ten pounds.”

“Good for the camera. You could use ten pounds.” She could use twenty, probably. She barely had any curves at all. Although her ass was pretty nice, for a skinny girl.

She looked shocked. “Do you know how few girls are thin enough and pretty enough, with the right look, to make the grade?”

“I guess it depends on who you’re trying to impress. Steak or no steak?”

She hesitated, and then said, “No steak. Eggs, I guess? Please. No cheese.”

Geez. Who would want to be a fucking model anyway? Or to fuck a model? Most of them looked like walking skeletons. Except her. She just looked… fragile. Like she needed taking care of.

After a few minutes Breanna asked, “You just have bacon and eggs and steak for every meal?”

He flicked her a glance. “Bacon and eggs is only for breakfast.”

“So… for lunch and dinner you just have a steak? No bread or potatoes or vegetables?”

He ate that stuff sometimes, if it was handed to him on a plate, but why bother to make it? Plus, he thought it was funny the way she was staring at him like he was a freak for eating normal-people food.

“Duh. No. For lunch and dinner I have two steaks.”

She narrowed her eyes, as if she knew he was messing with her. “Did you know some people only eat plant-based diets?”

“Yeah. Rabbit shifters.”

That got her. “Are there for real rabbit shifters?” she asked eagerly.