Page 66 of Lulu
“Why? You got a date down there?”
I rolled toward Brody, and his arm automatically curled around me to pull me close. We made eye contact. “I may have stretched the truth a little about that date,” I admitted, beaming up at him. “But I did come with Crow.”
He grunted. “You off tomorrow?”
I nodded. “It’s Sunday, so yeah. But if you’re thinking about me staying tonight, I can’t. I have Buttercup to take care of.”
“You’re staying. We have to make new arrangements.” He sounded final.
Somehow, I got the feeling that by “we” he meant “him.” I frowned, not liking where this was going. “Like what kind of arrangements?” I had an idea, but didn’t want to jump to conclusions.
“To keep you safe.” He pulled me on top of him so that we were facing each other. “Sanford—”
“Who’s Sanford?”
“The man I work for. He’s spread the word that I was taken out. We think the bastard who shot me is the same one who’s been picking us off, and that he’s one of us. If he thinks I’m dead he won’t expect me to show up and take him out.”
Well, if I’d had any doubts as to what Brody did for a living, his last comment had just erased them.
“This Bruce asshole who showed up throws a monkey wrench in the whole fucking thing.”
“How so?”
“There haven’t been any more killings since I was shot. That tells me that the killer knows he didn’t kill me, and he’s sticking around to finish the job. It also means that if he is one of us he knows I’m alive, and that blows away the element of surprise I’d had when I go after him.”
Damn, that didn’t sound good. I considered Brody’s words for a minute, trying to make sense of it all. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel pleased that he was trusting me with this information.
“So what are you going to do?”
He leaned forward and kissed me on the nose. “You don’t need to worry about that, babe.”
“You can’t stop sharing now!” I protested in mock anger. I sensed that he was shutting this particular conversation down. “Maybe I can help you. I mean, if Bruce is the one you’re after, I’ve at least seen him.”
“You’re cute, baby. But we’re experts at disguise. Chances are, he’s walking around as a fucking woman right now.”
A snort escaped me. “I could still help.”
“Absolutely not, Hellcat, and I mean it. Oz is looking into the men who’ve been killed. Sanford is working on it at his end. I’ve got my own shit going on. We’ll find out who the bastard is.”
Hopefully before he kills again,I couldn’t help thinking. I wondered if Brody had any ideas about who it could be.
“Now, getting back to you.”
“What about me?” Why did I get the feeling that I was getting ready for a battle? “I’m not going on lockdown, Brody. I’ve had too many years of that shit. I’ve accepted having a prospect follow me around. If you think I’ll be safer and it will make you feel better, he can sleep in my bed—”
“Fuck no on that idea,” he barked with a scowl.
I’d been kidding and laughed out loud, getting a hard slap on my naked ass. “Ouch!” I cried out, more out of surprise than pain.
“You’ll do what I need you to do to stay safe.”
There was no compromise in his firm tone, and that told me a lot. His protective instincts were out, and I was secretly thrilled. He cared. My heart swelled because I cared about him, too, but I needed to make some things clear to him.
“I’m not a stupid woman, Brody.” I rested my chin on his chest and stared up into his eyes. “Surely my past has proved that to you. I survived a serial killer. I survived years of hiding in plain sight. Thanks to the Desert Rebels, I’ve been taught to take care of myself, and how to handle a gun. I don’t take chances, baby.”
His expression softened slightly as I’d known it would.
“I’ll compromise.”