Huffing in irritation Holbrook gave us both a look that clearly said he thought we were being childish.
“Go ahead, Holbrook,” Santos said, running a hand back and forth across the lines in his forehead, the sight of his missing fingers giving me the willies.
“We can put a protective detail on my house. Riley can stay there for a couple days until we figure out something else.”
“Fine,” Santos and I grumbled, though it was obvious that neither one of us was happy with the idea.
Chapter 24
IN THE TIME that it took to gather up a team of agents and make the drive back across town to Holbrook’s house, my anger had cooled from a raging inferno to a mild case of heartburn, which left me short tempered but unlikely to spontaneously rip someone’s head off. The stone-faced entourage of agents ushered me into the safety of the house in a diamond formation, surrounding me with dark sunglasses and too much hair gel. I rolled my eyes and let them carry me along in their wake.
Having skipped out on breakfast that morning, my first priority was fixing myself something to eat while Holbrook and the rest of the agents toured the property’s perimeter, devising the best vantage points to set up surveillance. I wished that I could have taken comfort in the knowledge that they were watching my back, but after the cock-up of the last few days, I didn’t put much stock in their abilities. In an attempt to distract myself from my less than charitable thoughts, I dug a pack of Muenster cheese and some thick slabs of bacon out of Holbrook’s fridge and snagged the bag of thick-cut bread on the counter.
After I’d set a couple slices of bacon to cook in a pan, Loki appeared out of nowhere, twining around my ankles and meowing persistently. I tore off a couple pieces of cheese and tossed them to him, shaking my head when he barely let them hit the floor. I fed him the occasional nuggets of cheese as I finished assembling my grilled cheese and bacon sandwich, adding a thick slice of tomato before cutting it in half and putting it on a plate. Lifting one half of the sandwich I took the first hot and gooey bite as I walked over to the table, Loki trailing along behind me like a hungry shadow.
I’d already demolished half of the sandwich and was making short work of the other half, when Holbrook came in from outside, his cheeks and the end of his nose pink from the cold.
“Something smells good. Any of it left for me?”
Stopping mid-chew, I looked up at him and smiled guiltily. “Um... I only made one,” I mumbled around hot cheese and crispy bacon. At my feet Loki grunted as he devoured a chunk of bacon. Washing down my mouthful with a large gulp of milk, I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth before flashing Holbrook a sheepish smile.
“I just kinda helped myself, sorry,” I said, brushing crumbs off the front of my shirt. “I can’t remember the last time I had something to eat.”
Plucking what was left of my sandwich out of my fingers he said “No worries” before popping it into his mouth.
“So what am I supposed to do while we’re camped out here? Even with my endurance I don’t think I’m quite up for marathon sex sessions yet,” I said, wiping the crumbs off my fingers and grinning at the rush of color in his cheeks.
“This isn’t a vacation,” he replied, his voice a little gruff.
“No shit. If it was, I’d be lying half-naked on a beach somewhere with a bronzed Adonis serving me an endless supply of Mai Tais.”
“What would you be doing if you were at home?”
“Working, running. Any number of things I’m not allowed to do now,” I replied, daring him to come up with a witty comeback.
Rubbing a hand across his face, his fingers rasping over the stubble on his cheeks, he let out a heavy sigh before turning weary eyes on me. The mood was quickly shifting away from affectionate humor to irritated weariness. I’d been so wrapped up in my own shit storm of emotions that I hadn’t realized how taxing the whole situation must be for him too.
“Cut me some slack, will you? I’m doing the best I can, Riley. I kept you from having to go back to the hotel, didn’t I? Don’t I get a little credit?”
Damn him for using logic against me. That’s such an unfair fight. Begrudgingly, I had to agree and wrangle my rising irritation under control.
“Fine. But I want to go see Alyssa.”
“What? Why?” he asked, his voice high and shaky like a pubescent boy going through the change.
“I want to say thank you.”
“Can’t you just send her a card or something?”
“No. I want to go in person,” I replied, getting some sick enjoyment out of seeing him squirm.
What’s the deal with those two anyway?
It was obvious they shared some kind of history, and they both appeared seriously on edge around each other. If Holbrook and I were going to continue whatever it was that was happening between us, I figured I should know what went down.