Page 29 of Stiletto Sins
I was only kidding myself if I thought I could let her go without a fight again. Asa had said he wanted to figure something out, so maybe I should take him up on that conversation for once.
“I wondered when you would show up.”
Sitting forward, I rubbed my sweaty palms on the knees of my jeans. I looked her over, assessing for any sign of injury. It didn’t appear she was hurt, just covered in some substance and she’d never looked cuter. I pushed aside the urge to go to her and wrap her in my arms. I hadn’t earned that privilege yet.
“You didn’t make it easy.”
She snorted, reaching into a bag to pull out some clothes and sniffed them. She cursed, holding up a pair of stretchy pants and a tank top, and I assumed they were dirty. She sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at me.
“I’ve had a shitty night, and I haven’t had time to do laundry, and now I’m out of clothes. So, can we possibly move this interrogation to the laundromat, or even better, wait until morning?”
I was tempted to let her have the time, but I knew if I did, she’d somehow manage to escape me, and it would be another month before I found her.
“No can do, sweetheart. I’ll do you one better. Go take a shower, and I’ll have something for you.” She eyed me, her gaze calculating as she tried to figure out my angle.
“I’m too tired to care. Fine. Don’t touch anything.”
I snorted, like that would stop me. I’d already gone through all of her things anyway. Nothing for me to find now. I didn’t even regret placing a tracker on her laptop while I waited. It would be interesting to see how long she took to find it.
She grabbed the few things she had and went into the bathroom. As soon as the door was shut, I pulled out my phone, needing to send a few messages.
ME: She’s here and in need of some clothes. You got it or want me to send out for something?
ASA: I’ll take care of it. Does she know I’m here?
ME: Not yet. How far out are you?
ASA: I’m in the lobby. I’ll go grab some things and be right up.
ME: She’s in the shower now
ASA: Okay, thanks, Cohen.
I sent the other two I needed to send with that out of the way.
ME: Located the target. In possession. Will update you on progress.
Samson: Good job. I’ll update the others.
ME: Contact made.
Superior: Good. Be discreet.
I snorted at that. I didn’t think we had the same definitions of the word, but I’d be as discreet as possible. The water shut off, and I put my phone away, wondering if she was one of those girls who would take an hour after she got out or be out here in five minutes. With Finley, I never could tell. She was high maintenance without always being high maintenance, leaving me confused about what to expect from her most of the time.
A knock at the door had me standing, so I walked over and peeked out, finding Asa standing with a shopping bag. Letting him in, I took the bag and knocked on the bathroom door while he slipped behind me so she wouldn’t see him yet.
“Fin. I got your clothes.”
The door opened a crack, and her hand reached out. I placed the bag into her grip, and she pulled it back, closing the door. I went back to the chair I’d been sitting in and sat back down, nodding to Asa as he stood by the wall. He looked nervous, and I didn’t blame him. She’d been somewhat receptive to me so far, but I wasn’t sure how she would react to him.
When the door opened a few seconds later, she stepped out in new clothes and a towel on her head. She narrowed her eyes at me, her arms crossed.
“I don’t know if I should be impressed you knew my sizes or weirded out. I’m beginning to think you’re some kind of stalker, Chaos.”
“It’s Cohen. I only go by that online. You know how it is.” I shrugged, wanting her to see me as a person outside of my hacker identity. It was the first time I’d wanted that, and it felt important.
“As for the clothes, I didn’t get them. He did.” I nodded to the corner Asa stood in. At my motion, her head swiveled, the towel swinging with the movement. I heard her gasp, and her body moved a step before she stopped herself.