Page 15 of Leif

“I’m easy. Want me to pitch in?” I glanced at Leif.

He shook his head. “Just go for it, kid. You’re smart. I trust you can handle this.”

“So come back with chocolate pudding and skittles. Got it.”

At Leif’s stare, Hitch burst out laughing. “I’m kidding! It’ll be fine. Trust me. I’ll call you when I get there and when I leave to come back. I’ll be smart and safe.”

With that, he hurried out of the room. In the living room, I heard the jingle of keys before the door closed behind him.

“Are you sure he’ll be okay?” I couldn’t help but worry.

“He’ll be fine. There’s not really any danger out here.”

We both stared after Hitch, and I asked him the same question again.

“So, how did you carry me?”

He picked up the bag. “I’m going to put this away. You’re welcome to help yourself to anything here.” With that, he left the room, leaving my question unanswered.

I followed him, annoyed at his deflection. If he thought I would just back down or forget about it, he was bound for a rude awakening.

“You didn’t answer me.” I followed him into the room he was clearly using, and he dropped the bag on the dresser and opened a drawer.

“I know.” He began to rifle through things before shoving his whole bag into the empty space he’d made.

“Why not? It’s a simple question. How did you carry me?”

“I don’t know. It’s all a bit of a blur. Why does it matter so much?” He didn’t turn to face me, but he didn’t need to; I knew he was lying to me.

I crossed my arms, struggling to hold back my anger. “You’re lying. You remember. Why not just answer the damn question?”

He closed the drawer none-too-gently but still didn’t turn to face me. Instead, he planted both palms on the top of the drawer more than shoulder-width apart. His hands looked huge on the wooden surface, and I suddenly wondered how those hands would feel on my skin.

I shook my head as if I could rid myself of the thought that way. “My gut is telling me something isn’t right. You’re proving it by acting like this. Can I trust you, or can’t I?”

He finally turned to face me, and I almost stepped back at the fire in his golden eyes. “And what is your gut telling you now?” Hegrowledthe words.

“You’re holding something back.” I lifted my chin. “And I’m going to find out what it is.”

8

Leif

“That sounds like a threat.” I planted my hands behind me on the dresser, and her eyes darted to the front of my pants before sweeping up to meet mine again. A slightly snide smile curled the corners of her lips.

“Only if you’ve got something to hide.” She came a step closer, turning a bit to the side and eyeing me carefully before facing me head-on. “Are you hiding something?”

“Everyone hides things.”

She arched an eyebrow and inched closer. “Sure. But are you hiding something you should be telling me?”

I stared down at her, both amused by her tough girl attitude and that spark about her that burned bright despite the roller coaster ride she’d been on over the course of the day. She’d been in a massive car wreck, taken hostage, tried to escape, failed, and been taken hostage again, and so far, she’s been strong, resilient, and quick-witted every step of the way.

Even now, staring me down while thinking I might be a threat, she was being tougher than I expected from anyone, let alone a young woman who’d been through an entire personal hell over the course of hours.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She tilted her head, watching me closely as I admired her.

“Just thinking. What’s your plan to bring your friend back in?” I was referring to the guy who’d taken her hostage. I knew he wasn’t really her friend, but he had some attachment to her I still didn’t understand.

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