Page 20 of Tail Me No Lies
He raided a locked jewelry box, the lock flimsy and little more than a suggestion rather than a prevention of theft. How many rings did one male need? None, in Nox’s opinion, so he relieved the male of his glittering possessions.
Nox made a satisfying mess in the kitchen. Canisters were dumped onto the floor. Cartons emptied. Anywhere someone might reasonably hide valuables or credits, he destroyed. He failed to find any valuables—other than the spun glass figurines—but burglary wasn’t his intent. Sometimes inconsequential criminal acts were done for the joy of it.
Thirteen minutes had passed.
Nox climbed back through the window, careful not to cut himself and leave evidence of his identity. He ran back to the vehicle in the rain, staying near the buildings to remain hidden. Once he crossed the bridge out of town, he tossed the rings into the river.
Overall, he was pleased with the day’s work.
Now he needed to find a way to entice Ruth out of her workshop.
Ruth
Hiding in her lab wasn’t her plan, but it was exactly what she did. For days. Waking early to avoid Nox, spending the day in the lab, and returning to the house when he did his nightly patrol. Whatever he did during the day, she didn’t know. So far, her solution was pretty great. The lab had a small cot and shower. She only needed to return to the house for meals and fresh clothes. This was reasonable. Avoidance for the win.
Focusing on work helped clear her head. The current crop of specimens was doing well, but there was always something to tinker with. The environment was harsh on plastic and metals left to the elements. Things broke. Ruth adjusted the humidity in the agripod. The irrigation system in the lower field sprung a leak, so she spent an afternoon in the mud repairing the line. If she ever ran out of chores to do outside, the workshop always needed to be cleaned.
Ruth kept the interior of the lab spotless, unlike how she kept the house. The house was a bit of a disaster. She could be honest. She tended to set items down anywhere and forget about them, allowing the clutter to take over. The professor had been much the same way, absentminded and focused on work. It was chaotic but comfortable. Familiar. Distinction’s—Nox’s—arrival sparked a flurry of tidying and organization. Right now, the house was as good as it had ever been. It wouldn’t last.
Ruth worked up a sweat clearing the workbenches and placing items back on the shelving unit. She had to keep the benches clear. She couldn’t afford spills or damaging equipment by being distracted. Accidents cost money and lives. A broken bottle could release a toxic gas, splash in her face, or any number of bad things. The options were endless. Why toxic substances were kept in breakable bottles was a different issue. Bad choices plagued the world. Ruth did the best with what she had.
Like a stranger showing up instead of the guy the agency matched her to. The hot, mysterious stranger who fixed the water heater and liked to take off his shirt when it got warm…
Ugh. Ruth sprayed the counters with a cleaning solution and scrubbed them with a cloth. She had to stop thinking about Nox. He had so many red flags.
Fake name. Yup. Red flag.
Hiding from bad people. Red flag, unless it was some type of vigilante situation where Nox broke the law for noble reasons. Yeah, she wasn’t holding her breath on that one. Nox didn’t seem to be the noble, self-sacrificing type.
Willing to punch people in the nose for saying mean things about her. Huge red flag, and the fact that she didn’t see it as a negative alarmed her.
So much for being ethical.
Nox was a parade full of red flags and she just couldn’t seem to care because why? He was hot? Big deal.
He listened to her.
Her kryptonite. Looks were fleeting at best. Everyone aged and bodies changed, but a guy who seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say? Yeah, he was some kind of unicorn.
A hot, bedroom-eyed unicorn who purred.
And that’s why she stayed safely hidden away in her lab, occupying her mind with work rather than obsessing over Nox like a creep. That seemed the best option. The ethical, non-creepy option.
That was when Nox entered the workshop wearing nothing but a pair of old-fashioned swim trunks.
ChapterEight
Nox
Ruth had hidden away long enough.The first few days, he allowed her to think that she successfully avoided him. He made his exit from the house obvious, slamming doors and walking noisily so that Ruth could sneak into the house unobserved.
Adorable.
It was clear she didn’t trust him. Fair enough. He was an untrustworthy person. Only a fool would trust him, and Ruth wasn’t a fool.
Absentminded. Yes. Impulsive. Obviously. She offered him a job on the spot. Clever. Driven.
Ruthless.
