Page 182 of Chaos has a Name
He shared.
“Ivan, the guy guarding Elizabeth. He named it that kind of in irony. A bunch of Marines who did countless things for the government as freelance devils are now saints as they work for the Blackhawks,” he admitted.
She smiled.
“I get the irony. It’s not lost on me. What do you like to do in your spare time?”
Uh-oh.
This was right about where it went to shit, and he knew it. If he got nervous talking, it was only a matter of time before he babbled like an idiot.
Then, women ran for the hills.
So, he kept it simple.
“Reading.”
That seemed like something harmless, and it was true. He was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear about the flower garden at The Fort, or how he had grown his own windowsill herbs.
That sounded gay as fuck—even to him.
As they walked, Rayna was honest.
“I like a good book. What are you reading now?” she asked, checking to see if he was really a reader, or just bullshitting her.
Again, honesty matters.
“I like the classics. I haven’t started a new book yet since I just finished A Tale of Two Cities last week. We’ve had a wild week at work.”
She was impressed and shared what she was into.
“I read mostly journals on psychology. I like learning about what goes on in a person’s head. You know…like what would make them kill someone, strip them naked, and leave their clothes folded neatly on a stone.”
He was to the point.
“You’ve come to the right place for that,” he admitted. “Elizabeth gets the weird ones.”
It made her laugh.
“Touché,” she said. “This reservation resembles that remark.”
Yes, yes, it did.
As they reached her car, she wasn’t sure he was having a good time or not. He was somewhat difficult to read.
Or shy.
Or just not into her.
As they got into her car, he had to move the seat back because someone had long legs.
Starting the vehicle, she glanced at her watch.
“We have plenty of time to get there,” she said, trying to fill the gap with anything. It wasn’t easy carrying a whole conversation.
ALONE.
So, she tried to learn more so she could keep talking. All Rayna hoped was it didn’t come across like the Spanish Inquisition in her cruiser.
