Page 69 of Zalis
“Maybe this time we’ll listen to each other,” she said. “We also talked about honesty, right? Youarebig, a little… grrr… in the face, but that’s not what I saw at the warehouse. You were calm, got right to work, and that made all of us calm. Five minutesbefore you showed up? We were freaking out. It was a long hot day with no water, no food, and no toilet breaks.”
Something gentle and almost forgiving shifted in her chest. Enough time had passed that Gemma was able to reflect on her time in the warehouse without an immediate panic attack. It felt like progress. She wasn’t completely herself, but she knew that.
“Then the cavalry showed up. You could have barked orders. You could have not told us what was happening, but you took the time to talk us through it. That’s why I picked you, Zalis, and I’ll always keep picking you.”
Her words seemed to placate him, but he was tense for the rest of the ride.
When they arrived back at the station, little more than an hour had passed. It felt unreal to have done so much, to have her emotions swing so wildly, in such a short span of time.
“I can’t believe all the shady places you take me. You’re a shady man, Zalis Layneno,” she teased.
“Shady.” Zalis looked up at the ceiling, as if confused. “We are inside a building. There is no shade.”
“Not literal shade. You know, dodgy. Fishy.”
“Your examples are more confusing.”
“Suspicious. Spurious.” Then she saw the twinkle in his eye. It was a small detail, easy to miss, but it betrayed him. “Oh, is this you being funny? You know exactly what I mean.”
“Yes. It is distressing how long it takes you to notice my robust sense of humor.”
She laughed, and the weight of their very long day vanished.
“I will also add that my family name is Lay-ne-no,” he said, stressing the middle syllable.
“Shit, have I been saying it wrong?”
“Yes, your words are correct, but the pronunciation is like a fretti chewing a ball.”
“Still don’t know what a fretti is,” she said, not sure if she should be offended.
“Adorable and energetic. That is what a fretti is.”
How could anyone be offended by that?
The crowd flowed around them. He pulled her against him. She rested her hands to his chest. Under the station’s overhead lighting, the blood splatter gleamed against the dark blue jacket. She ran her fingers over it, like she could smooth it away.
“You must think I’m a monster,” he said.
There it was, the thing in the car, the thing he refused to talk about.
“I told you what I thought. My opinion hasn’t changed.”
“I mean today, with Niklas. I was cruel.”
She adjusted the cowl of his jacket before looking up to meet his gaze. He watched her so intently, his expression solemn, as if expecting rejection.
“I think you did exactly what needed to be done,” she said.
“Yes? You are not horrified? Appalled?”
“No. I told you, it was hot.” She stretched up on her toes for a kiss. “Once we get home, I think you should verify the status of my melted panties.”
“Yes?”
“Absolutely yes.”
A silence rippled through the crowd. A sensation like static washed over Gemma, prompting her to step back and get her bearings.
