“It’s not like that.”
“Bullshit, it’s not. It’d be like that for any man who let you go. You think he’s not dying to have you back, have another shot?”
“So this isn’t about my safety. It’s because you’re jealous.”
I open my mouth to say something else, but I snap it shut. I can’t say I’m not jealous. I’ve never been jealous before, so this is my first experience with the emotion.
Either way, it doesn’t matter. Only one thing does—keeping Temperance safe.
I stay quiet, but one question eats at me.
Will I be able to let her go?
Maybe Elijah is the better man, because I can’t see how that’s possible.
26
Temperance
Kane and I part ways in silence when we return to the warehouse. I’m still raging about the pissing contest he got into with Elijah as I shower, change into another pair of clean ripped jeans, and get sucked into all the emails that piled up while we were out chasing ghosts. I shoot Valentina a note telling her that I have another finished piece.
How dare he tell me I can’t go back to the scrap yard? He doesn’t get to make that call.
I wolf down food from the fridge when Kane doesn’t reappear for hours. I assume he’s in the heart of the bat cave, trying to track down Rafe or the people who want him dead.
Rafe is smart, I remind myself.No one will find him unless he wants them to.
Except he was stupid enough to get himself into this mess, which makes me want to slap him upside the head.
I hop off the stool I’ve been on and pace the floor, racking my brain about how the hell to get us out of this clusterfuck, and where I’m going to get more scrap metal and a torch to make more sculptures for Valentina if I can’t go to Elijah’s. I don’t realize I’m stomping loud enough to imitate a herd of elephants until Kane finally appears behind me, scaring the ever-loving hell out of me.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“You still pissed?”
“Yes.” I don’t even try to lie. I also try not to notice that he showered and changed and smells ridiculously good.
“Come on. We’re leaving.”
I let go of my anger for a hot second. “Did you find something? A lead?”
He doesn’t answer, just heads for the elevator.
“But—”
He opens the gate. “You coming or not?”
Am I going to put my blind trust in a hit man who thinks he can order me around?I spin on my heel and follow him. Apparently, I am.
“Where are we going?” I ask a short while later.
He tugged the beanie off my head when we hit the outskirts of town. It’s dark now, and I probably should be wondering if I made a mistake trusting him, but I don’t.
“You’ll see.”
“What does that mean?”
He grunts and takes an unlit road. It’s another ten minutes before I realize where we’re going and my mouth drops open. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We can’t be here!”