Page 45 of Duty Compromised
“That seems inequitable.”
“Not everything needs to be balanced like an equation, remember.” He sat up, creating necessary distance. “Besides, you need real food.”
I didn’t want to move. Wanted to stay in this warm cocoon where the outside world and all its dangers couldn’t reach us. But my stomach growled, betraying me, and Ty chuckled.
“Come on,” he said, tugging gently at my hand. “Let me feed you.”
We got out of bed eventually, though my legs felt unsteady. I pulled on a robe while Ty headed to the kitchen, and I could hear him moving around, opening cabinets, finding pans. The domesticity of it made something warm unfurl in my chest. When I joined him, he was already whisking eggs, the coffeemaker gurgling to life.
“Omelet?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at me.
“You’re spoiling me,” I said, perching on a stool at the counter.
“You deserve to be spoiled.” He said it matter-of-factly, like it was just truth, not flattery. The simple statement made my throat tight.
I watched him work, his movements efficient but relaxed. The morning sun caught the highlights in his brown hair, and I found myself memorizing this moment—Ty Hughes making breakfast in my kitchen like he belonged there.
“I should probably go to the lab today,” I said, though every part of me protested the idea.
“You don’t want to?”
“No,” I admitted. “Normally, I love getting lost in my work there, but it’s been hard lately. Having you there has been distracting—everyone watches us. They like the drama.” I pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them. “But even beyond that, I feel like everyone’s constantly waiting for updates from me, needing things. I’m drowning.”
“So, work from home.” He flipped the omelet expertly. “You’ve still got the countermeasure drive and what you need, so work from here.”
“You really think I should?”
“I think you’ll get more done. But there’s another reason I think you should work from home. Beyond just the interruptions.”
Something in his tone made my chest tighten. “What do you mean?”
He set the plate in front of me but didn’t let go of it yet, meeting my eyes. “Yesterday’s accident. I need to show you something.”
My appetite vanished. “What about it?”
“I had a friend pull the traffic camera footage last night while you were sleeping.” He took out his phone, setting it on the counter between us. “You need to see this. Watch the black truck.”
The truck waited at the side of the intersection for a long time, over thirty minutes, according to the time stamp zooming by. Ty turned it to real speed just before the accident when the truck accelerated directly into my driver’s side door at the perfect moment.
“You were definitely targeted,” Ty said quietly.
My hands shook. “But the police said it might not?—”
“The police don’t have all the information.” He set the phone down. “That vehicle sat there and waited for you to come through. They knew you were coming, even though you normally wouldn’t leave work for hours. Eat your omelet.”
I took a bite. “Why were they there so early?”
“I think someone at the lab fed them the information. Someone told them you left early.”
My omelet turned to ash in my mouth. “Someone from my team?”
“Maybe, but not definitely. I’m going to keep narrowing things down. What’s important now is that you get the stabilizer code done before the deadline. If working from here makes that quicker, then that’s what we do.”
We both finished our breakfast in silence. I touched my sore cheek, the thought that someone I worked with had caused this, hadn’t cared that I might have been really injured, making me a little queasy. Outside of Darcy, I wasn’t actual friends with any of them, but we were all friendly.
At least, I’d thought we’d been friendly enough that none of them wanted to almost kill me.
“Hey.” He brushed a hand down the back of my head. “It’s going to be okay, beautiful.”
