“Can we go now?” Sinner sighed. “I thought this was urgent.”
“It is.”
“Who’s this woman?” Derek asked. “And why do we have to get to her?”
“She’s…a woman. And we need to get to her because the men who are after me are after her.”
Derek stared at me, waiting for more information. “That’s all you have to go on? She’s a woman?” His head swiveled to Sinner. “Very informative. I don’t know many women who are women.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I snapped. “She’s just…someone I woke up next to,” I admitted grudgingly.
Sinner barked out a laugh, while Claire smacked him upside the head. “Hey! Why are you hitting me? I’m not the one who woke up next to a random woman!”
“Be nice! She could be the love of his life.”
I highly doubted that, but I wasn’t about to contradict Claire when she was standing up for me.
“Sure, Rob has a love of his life,” Sinner laughed.
“Hey, I could have a great love. There could be someone out there for me. Maybe she’s just not in the United States. Maybe she’s in the jungle.” The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. “Yeah, she’s an Amazon woman and she’s actually got mad skills. Or maybe she’s in danger, just waiting for me to come to the rescue.”
“Hiding behind your computer?”
“I do not hide behind my computer,” I snapped. “That’s my job.”
Derek turned in his seat, shooting me a doubtful look. “When was the last time you volunteered to go anywhere?”
“Hey, I’m supposed to be testifying in a trial?—”
“And you didn’t make it.”
“Because people are trying to kill me!”
“Right,” he scoffed. “These supposed assassins that you’ve been fighting off since you got to California.” He cocked his head at me. “And where’s the evidence of these kills?”
“Stop being a jerk,” Claire chastised her husband. “Do you really think Cap would have sent us out here if he thought Rob was making this up?”
“Yes, and that’s why he said it was alright for you to come along,” Derek snapped without thinking.
Claire’s face went slack and tears formed in her eyes. “You said I was an asset.”
“Well, you stepped in it now,” I muttered under my breath.
Derek’s face went pale as he stared at his wife. “Claire Bear, you are an asset. I just meant?—”
“You don’t think I could take care of myself?”
“Of course you can. I just meant that in really, really dangerous situations, I would never allow you to come with me because I care about you so much, I would never risk your life.”
“But you’re not risking my life. I’ve been training. I’m good with a gun.” She grabbed her bag off the floor and unzipped it, reaching inside. “I brought grenades!”
“Holy hell,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my eyes.
The panic on Derek’s face was morphing into something deeper. He was on the verge of ruining everything in his relationship.
It was time for me to jump in. “But you know how much he loves to play Superman. Right?” I said, widening my eyes at Derek.
“Right! Yes, good! I mean, that’s exactly why…I don’t want you along. If you’resogood that I don’t need to rescue you, then…then, how would I get to play my role?”