Why do I care?
She will know if she has them and will not eat the peanuts.
But what if she’s hungry, stranded, and can’t resist?
I hit my head with the base of my hand. STOP. STOP OVERTHINKING.
What if I kill her?
“Stop,” I say out loud and put the peanuts in my pocket. I can’t risk it.
Why not?!
I keep the jerky in the diaper bag and cover it with baby clothes, lay the wrong-for-her gun on top of it, then add the diapers. The formula and other stuff was on the side. Oh, there’s a tiny pocket here.
I stick my hand into it and take out a stack of pictures and a piece of paper with a phone number on it. The stack of pictures comes from the red picture booth near Selnoa’s pier, where tourists mostly go. The baby looks much smaller in it. Ekatia looks happy.
They’re cute together. Harmless. Like baby bunnies.
I pocket the pictures, memorize the number, and place the burner phone in the bag, which I then slide in its storage space between the couch and the wall on my right.
When I leave Ekatia’s apartment, I’m more curious about her than I was before I entered. I must find out everything there is to know about this woman who has unrestricted access to my brother and his fiancée.
Randoms don’t get access to those two unless they’ve got clearance. I grant clearance or I don’t. I’ve researched people and places for clearance in my uncles’ organization, and nowI do the same with my brother since my uncles and us have branched off into separate family businesses.
My uncles traffic weapons.
We handle private military recruitment. I also do security on the side. It’s just a gig. A hobby of mine. My brain needs to keep busy. Luckily, Ekatia gives me plenty to do and think about. A puzzle to solve. A cute bunny puzzle.
Chapter 7
Renne
Because of my lateness, my boss barely spoke to me the entire shift. We worked on two patients together, so it hasn’t been fun. Just the opposite, actually. My boss giving me the silent treatment is nerve-racking, since I need the job and good nursing jobs are scarce.
I hope that picking up shifts whenever she asks will offset my lateness. I’m trying to find a more reliable day care, and I’ve suggested in-house day care for the hospital staff. All of it went into the “suggestion box,” and we all know nobody prioritizes that.
My shift over, I walk out of the hospital and rub my shoulders. Nights get chilly, and I forgot to bring my zip-up hoodie. The big digital clock near the parking lot reads almost midnight. Pete should’ve been out of surgery by now, unless something went wrong in the operating room. I hope not.
I shoot a quick message to Dina, telling her I’m running late.
She replies right away.
No worries. Hanna is down for the night.
I bite my lip. At Dina’s, I have a portable crib set up, but over at the Crossbows’, there’s nothing.
Where did you put her?
In the crib in the spare bedroom.
She sends me an image of a wooden crib with soft lilac sheets that my baby is sleeping on.
You’re amazing, you know that?
Connor picked it up on the way back from when he dropped you off. He thinks of everything.
That’s nice. Hey, do you know if he’s smart, as in super bright?