Page 34 of Liar
I bite my lip, the small movement reflected back at me. With a small grunt of annoyance, I draw forward, slowly reaching up and slipping the sunglasses from his face.
His eyes glimmer down at me.
I stare into them, a few seconds longer than I should. “Are you connected back home?”
He doesn’t answer.
So, I ask another question. “Should I be afraid of you?”
“Yes.” His response is curt.
I shrug my uninjured shoulder. “Too late.”
Something flashes within his eyes but is gone in seconds, like it was never really there. Without warning, he plucks his sunglasses from my hand and slides them back on.
Back to hiding. Back to avoiding me.
“Fuck!” I hear Diego behind me say. “This is going to be fun.”
I groan when I catch sight of his armful of explosives.
Hayden addresses my brother, and the moment between us is gone. “You’re experienced with digging tunnels.”
Statement, not a question.
“You’re well-informed.”
Hayden gestures out into the desert. “Several structures are hidden out there. I’ve had tunnels dug beneath them. I need a man skilled at imploding structures from the ground up.”
Diego grins, and I roll my eyes.
“Use this opportunity to perfect your craft. Training, if you will. Focus your attention on where you place the explosives and how to achieve the best controlled outcome. There’s a safety switch on the side of the detonator. You’ll need to disengage it once the explosives are in place.”
“Is this safe?” I demand.
“They’re explosives, Luciana. Of course it isn’t safe,” Diego replies with great relish, excited by the danger.
“Use the detonator, and it’s relatively safe,” the man beside me murmurs, more for my benefit than Diego’s.
Something in Hayden’s tone causes my brother to stiffen. And then, in that exact moment, he notices the ice pack.
“Where the fuck did you get that?”
It’s a question that requires no answer. Not that Hayden gives him one. I hold my tongue and allow the silence to do the explaining.
He narrows eyes at Hayden then gives me his infamous “what the fuck?” look.
“Remember what I said earlier?”
“You said a lot of things—”
“Luciana,” he hisses.
“I could repeat it, if you want.” That shuts him up. I lift the ice pack off the bruise forming beneath it and gesture at it. “It soothes the swelling.”
Diego’s suspicion fades. “I’ve got Vick’s Vaporub at home that will help.”
“My fault. I was given good advice and ignored it.” I steal a glance at Hayden, but he’s turned away from us.
