Page 26 of Roses Are Dead
Distraction time. “You find anything you like?”
She slammed the book down on a workstation table and strode over to where Skinner had her shit strewn all over the place. “That’s my stuff!” She tugged the empty bag from his hands and began shoving things back into pockets.
“We were checking for trackers,” I admitted.
“You have no right to do that,” she shot back.
“But Carl did?” I tilted my head and glared at her.
Her movement halted for all of two seconds before she went into double-time mode. “What is between Carl and I is none of your damn business.”
“It is my damn business if you’re dragging trackers into my house.”
Skinner released a sound that was somewhere between a gag and a squeak.
“Shut up.” I didn’t need his commentary right now.
Roishin reached for her computer.
Skinner slapped a hand on it. “No fucking way.” He even went as far as to put his hand on his gun.
Rose stared at his gun hand. “I need it to find work.” Her tone was almost defeated.
“You can use mine for now,” I offered.
Her eyes met mine. “You’re going to let me work?”
Apparently, Carl didn’t. That was pretty plain to read on her face. “Maybe?”
She braced herself visibly.
“Listen, think of this as a vacation,” I started.
“Bear,” Skinner warned.
“I told you to shut up.”
Funny how both Roishin and Skinner had similar expressions on their faces. Skinner was pissed at me—I could easily read that. And Roishin was angry, too. Nice to see I was batting a thousand.
“Listen up, both of you.”
They waited for me to come up with something better than barking orders at them both. As the seconds ticked by, their faces fell into scowls. I was losing them.
“Okay. Back at Carl’s was weird, right?” I looked to Roishin for verification that it wasn’t just me.
“Carl is always weird. He was born that way.”
Skinner’s eyebrow rose with that revelation. She had his attention, at least.
“Okay, now that we got that established, I’ve been charged with taking care of you for one month. Maybe not to the letter of what Carl requested, but nevertheless, for one month you’re mine.”
Skinner went from open-mouthed to shaking his head. And I couldn’t let that lie.
“What?”
“Jackson is going to have your balls for this.”
Ah shit. I hadn’t thought that part of my responsibility through. His wife, Kate, was a real sweetheart, unless you treated women like shit. Owning one for a month, no matter how well-intended, or weird, was going to get her screaming mad. And that would go straight to her husband.
