Page 32 of The Darkest Chase
“Nice folks aren’t always good, Talia,” Micah replies. His strange, intense eyes lock me in place. “You truly are innocent, aren’t you?”
I don’t know how to answer that.
I don’t know if I want to answer, when I’ve never really thought of myself as innocent.
Just sheltered.
But now, I feel naïve.
I push on, trying to keep my composure.
“I guess I don’t get it. What do you want me to do with this information? How am I supposed to help you?”
“Easy. Just do your job for Xavier, and if you can, keep your eyes open.”
“For what?”
His face hardens, all cold-eyed hunger again. “Anything that might interest a man who wants to destroy everything Xavier Arrendell stands for.”
Holy crap.
It’s so quiet, yet so forceful it takes my breath away.
And why does it feel personal?
Like there’s something more driving him to go poking around.
I wonder what Rolf senses radiating from his master that I don’t know when the German Shepherd finally moves again. He thrusts his head under Micah’s trusting hand with a low, comforting whine.
Micah answers with his fingers, scratching through mottled brown and black fur.
Shivering, I wrap my coat tighter.
“Wouldn’t the other guys on the force be better for this? Why aren’t you asking them for help?”
“They’re not insiders, for one. Even in a town this small, we’re stretched thin. Plus, the Arrendells know them—and me—on sight. They keep things tighter than a drum when we show up at the big house. They’d never let their guard down or let anything incriminating slip. A pretty girl, though, one so innocent she’s disarming, and who’s already there on legitimate business… They’d never see it coming.”
Whoa.
Hearing him describe me like that makes my ears burn.
I sputter and pinch the cuffs of my sleeves.
“That’s just it!” I protest. “Innocent. As in, I have no guile, no game, and no idea how to hide anything from someone like Xavier, much less an ulterior motive. How can I get away with snooping around? He's pretty smart. He’d see right through me.”
“Would he?” His eyes narrow. Skewering. Incisive. “You were so nervous with him that it triggered a panic attack. If he’s used to you being nervous and thinks that’s just how you are, he won’t notice if you’re a little on edge.”
No.
He might actually enjoy it, judging from the way he acted when we met.
The thought makes me feel slimy. It also makes me feel like a terrible person.
Whatever else he’s up to, Xavier Arrendell is busy grieving two huge losses. I was probably misreading his behavior when people tend to get weird with grief.
When I don’t say anything, caught up in inner turmoil, Micah steps closer.
“You can always say no,” he says gently.