Page 82 of Burn Like An Angel

Avoiding her stare, I resume pulling items out. “For you.”

I lay out more bandages and gauze. Pain relief. The phones and charger. A few clean shirts and miniature toiletries. Sanitary towels. And as much food as I could feasibly carry.

“Wait.” Raine holds up his hand. “It’s… Hmm, I smell sugar. Fresh dough. Maybe icing? Oh, I know! I know!”

“Cream-filled doughnuts,” she tells him. “Good guess.”

“Good nose,” he corrects.

Ripley pulls out a golden doughnut, casting me a very suspicious look. “Apparently, Xander is an excellent guesser too.”

I clear my throat, organising the packs of dried ramen. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

Lennox leans against the bright-orange cabinets, looking between us both. “What am I missing?”

“Apart from the fact that this man has made it his mission to stalk me relentlessly ever since he arrived at Harrowdean? And probably months in Priory Lane before that?”

My mouth tugs up in a satisfied smile. I wasn’t sure she’d realise my choice of flavour was deliberate.

“I hate doughnuts,” Ripley explains. “Apart from one kind.”

“Cream-filled?” Lennox guesses.

With everything laid out on the table, I finally level her with a look. “Your choice of doughnut flavour is relevant information to me. And I dislike the unknown.”

“Is that the stalker’s manifesto?” Raine smothers a laugh.

“I’d say so.” Lennox rolls his eyes.

Ripley sighs. “I suppose I’ve heard worse justifications.”

Her voice is laced with sarcasm, but the tiny, reluctant smile tugging at her mouth screams of amusement. It makes my thundering pulse do all kinds of strange things.

“There weren't even any doughnuts in either institute.” Raine frowns at the bag placed in his hands. “So how did you find that stupidly specific information out?”

“Trade secret,” I deadpan. “Check themanifesto.I’m sure it’s in there.”

They all burst out laughing. Unable to stop myself, I join in. It’s an odd feeling—one that pulls at my belly and abdominal muscles in an unfamiliar way. I haven’t used those muscles for this purpose much.

“Xander’s worrying tendency to overstep every boundary known to man aside.” Raine pulls out a doughnut. “Did you find anything out?”

I take a seat at the kitchen table. “It’s as we thought. The story’s all under wraps. Whispers about the investigation but nothing solid. Bancroft’s still preening for the cameras and spouting shit.”

“You lifted these?” Lennox gestures to the phones.

“Yeah, wiped and ready to go. There are more SIM cards in the bag. Cash too.”

Nodding, Lennox takes one of the phones to start fiddling with. “Good.”

I removed the thick bandages around his hand yesterday, applying a lighter pad with gauze instead. The dressing on his face is gone too, leaving a fresh, pink slash across his cheek behind.

“I called Sabre Security.”

My words cause Raine to drop his doughnut. He curses to himself while Lennox sets the phone down so he can give me his full attention.

“Why?” he growls.

“Testing the waters. We need to know what our options are.”

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