Clay snorts. “But it’s gone.”
“Then I want replacement bacon.”
He stands up, taking my coffee cup and going to the stove. He comes back moments later and drops two pieces onto my plate, then sits back down, his leg finding mine again. I eat my bacon and don’t say anything else.
As I look around the kitchen, I know I should run. Yet for the first time in forever, I am in control of my life, making my own choices and doing what I think is right. It may bite me in the ass, but I am sick of being scared to make the wrong choice. If this all goes to shit, then so be it. But right now, being here doesn’t feel wrong; it feels like a step in the right direction. Not an action of manipulation. And although Ares is questionable, he is no real threat at this point in time.
Brawley
It has been a few days since Kayla returned, and I am waiting for her to leave again. If she did it once, she could do it again, and Vero isn’t strong enough to handle that happening. I don’t mention it to anyone, because saying it out loud would mean admitting that I care whether she stays, and I don’t know how I feel. Do I care because of Vero, or is she someone I might have feelings for as well? Logically, I know it’s not possible. I haven’t known her long enough, and unlike Vero, I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve.
Right now, they are on the couch, and she is teaching Vero how to crochet. It is the single most boring thing I have witnessed in my entire life. He has yarn wrapped around both hands and is frowning at the hook, while she sits beside him with her legs crossed, trying to talk him through it.
I stand in the doorway for a moment and watch them. Kayla says something, and he laughs as he untangles his hands, then tries again. Yarn is on the couch, floor, andeven on the lamp. She takes his hands and repositions them as he looks at her the same way he looks at me. My heart squeezes in my chest, and I can’t watch them any longer, so I decide to go for my nightly run. I love the island at this time of the evening; it’s peaceful and everyone has shut down from the day’s activities, but it’s still way too early for the nightlife. While violence is the best thing to help me stay calm, running also helps. I follow the perimeter of the island, and I’m coming past the freak museum when I see Banks sitting outside on an upturned crate. I slow down as I get closer, and he looks up when he hears me.
“Brawley.”
I stop. I have wanted to do this for four days, but I’ve talked myself out of it every time. “Banks.”
He doesn’t say anything else as I approach him, waiting for my next words.
“The microchip,” I spit out.
“Was wondering when I would see you.”
“I told him no, but he came to you anyway.” I fight to keep my aggression at bay. I don’t want to be pissed at Banks.
“He did,” Banks says, since he isn’t the type of man to apologize when he believes he did nothing wrong.
“I need to know what you put in him.”
“Just a tiny GPS tracker. He wants you to be able to find him so he doesn’t hurt anyone again.”
I don’t reply. I hate this, unable to imagine what it feels like to be him.
“It also acts as a microchip, and he listed you as his emergency contact. Only you.”
I drag my hand across my face.
“While I have you here, I have a new batch of face cream. The formulation has improved, and I think you?—”
“I will put you in the ocean and make you fish food,” I interrupt with a growl.
“Fair enough,” he concedes.
“The girl,” I say. “Kayla.”
He looks at me as if he is getting bored with me being here.
“She came to you?”
“Shedidn’t come to me,” he says. “She came with Vero. Then she sat in my museum for two hours, while he went on about capturing her tattoos right, and she looked at everything. She didn’t ask questions or touch anything. The woman is fascinating—I can see why he likes her.”
I snap my head around to glare at him, and he laughs at the look on my face. Even with my conflicted feelings, I find myself protective of her.
“Whatever she came from, it was not great,” he adds. “You can see it in her whole demeanor. She moves with caution, maps exits in every room, and I don’t think she even knows she is doing it. For Vero to call to her, she has some demons of her own.”
I don’t respond, just start running again. He has given me a lot to think about.