Page 36 of Dark Reasons

With a final stare-down at me, Rory backs up into his apartment. He makes room for Jamison to go by, and I take the hint and follow. As I pass Rory inside the door, he stabs me in the stomach.

"Oh!" I gasp, stumbling into the wall in the tight entryway. I clutch at my belly, pulling away to find something sticky. It's not blood—it's bits of candy from the red lollipop Rory has in his other hand. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I ask angrily.

"Okay, so you're too slow to be a hit man in training," he huffs. "Not family. Doubt a friend, he doesn't do those. Fuck buddy?"

My eyes bulge. "No!"

Jamison shakes his head like he's annoyed. "Quit agitating her, Rory."

"I'm just figuring out what's happening." Rory pops the lollipop into his mouth. "Can't be... no way he'd bring a client here."

"That's right," I reply.

He gawks at me, then shuts the door, locking it tight. "Give me your phone."

I lean away, clutching my purse. "Why?"

"Just do it, Selena," Jamison says.

Reluctantly I pass Rory my phone. He drops it in a metal box sitting on an empty shoe rack in the hall, shutting the lid. The entire time he doesn't stop looking at me. Even with his tinted glasses I can see the shock plain as day.

"What is it?" I ask, squinting at the container. "A lock box?"

"A Faraday cage," Rory explains. "Makes it hard for anyone to track your location."

"Nobody is doing that," I snort.

Rory clacks his lollipop against his teeth. "You're always being tracked. Don't you know that?" He doesn't wait for my answer, looking over at Jamison. "You just take money from any idiot now, or?"

"Hey, fuck you," I snap. "If people are always tracking me then don't they know I'm here? I carried my phone all the way from the street to your door."

Rory cups his forehead, starting to laugh. "You're comparing wearing a life preserver on a dock to when you're out in the open sea." He gestures with his hands wildly. "There's no signal in the parking structure below here or in the stairwell. But if you stay long enough, your phone will ping off of the cell towers nearby. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, why didn't you say that first?" I ask.

"Stop arguing," Jamison grunts. "I came here to ask for your help finding someone, Rory."

With a final scowl at me, Rory walks down the suffocating hallway, until he and Jamison turn the corner. I chase after cautiously, not sure I want to get close to Rory again.

The apartment interior is as dark as everywhere else; the blinds are drawn down, covered with black drapes. The only light comes from the computer monitors against the wall. There are three of them, all as big as kites. Their sheer size is enough to make the apartment feel like it's lit by proper lamps, though the glare that bounces off everything gives the space an eerie feel... like a room in a cheap haunted house.

Rory settles into the single, wheeled chair in front of the computer. He kicks the chair into a spin, drawing his knees to his chest. I've never seen such a tall man squeeze into such an awkward position, but he seems comfortable. "I already figured that's why you came. You only visit for work." He slows the spinning, watching me across the room. "Tell me what's going on withher."

"I can tell you," I say, moving closer. "I'm trying to find a man who's responsible for my friend's death."

Rory drums his fingers on his knees with a yawn. "No, I want to know howyouare here withhim.See? That's not supposed to happen. We have a very distinctno clientsunder the same roof rule."

"That's not the rule," Jamison says tightly. He looks uneasy with his arms crossed over his chest. He glances at me, then away again. "Selena hired me in an unorthodox manner. It's fine, there won't be any problems."

"Suuure," Rory chuckles. "No problem at all having a person who could turn us all in to the cops waltzing around at your side."

"You can trust me," I insist. "I mean, I had a chance to call the cops on Jamison last night when he was in my home, and I didn't."

"He was in your home?" Rory drops his jaw, catching the lollipop at the last second. I read what he's hinting at... or what I think he is... and I start to blush.

"I trust her," Jamison says firmly. I give him a double-take. He dares to meet my eyes, showing me a faint smile, before nodding at Rory. "The usual pay rate?"

"Extra, because you trusting her doesn't mean I do. My life is in danger with her here seeing my face," Rory says.

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