Lies(66)

“Yet you kept it to yourself.”

“Actually, I thought it was just them being overly cautious and watching me at first. The baseball caps and sunglasses and all the rest you wore threw me for a while. But then I started to wonder. Your shoulders aren’t quite as broad as Bear’s. Yet you seemed to have short hair, unlike Crow.”

His lips form the expected unimpressed fine line. “I needed to see you, to be close to you. Even if down the street was the closest I could get. Thought I could stay away, that I’d be able to do it, but I couldn’t.”

Jen and Henry, meanwhile, stand nearby, hanging on every word. Guess we’re quite the dramatic spectacle. And they played their roles admirably. Can’t blame them for wanting to see things through to the end.

“Lucky for me that you didn’t,” I say, crossing my legs. “It got me thinking. Those last words you said to me back at the wedding, about blaming yourself for putting me in danger. They kept running through my mind. Then there was the way Bear held on to me when we saw your body. Something about that always felt odd. How he wouldn’t let me touch you at all. A little later I find out through a bit of internet research that there are drugs that can slow the breathing and heart rate down so far they’re almost undetectable.”

Thom nodded. “It’s risky, though. That’s why we couldn’t let you get too close. I had a pulse monitor on my ankle and an anesthetist in the next room. After Scorpion had tracked us down like that, tried to kill you…I couldn’t risk anyone else coming after me. I had to protect you.”

I ignore his excuses. Typical male. Of course he believes he did the right thing, but I know he’s wrong. And right now, it’s only my opinion that matters. So there.

“I didn’t know you were alive for sure, however, until I had Henry go over the house looking for your weapons. I gave him strict instructions not to look like he saw any surveillance gear, especially if it looked recently installed. But to tell me everything he found.”

“You found out about the cameras I installed?”

“It’s you, Thom,” I snap. “Of course there would be cameras. No respect whatsoever for a person’s privacy.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

“I almost didn’t spot them either,” Henry says. “But whoever did the install was too perfect. I just had to work out where exactly I’d want the fiber-optic cameras for best viewing and minimum chance of detection, and there they were. Down to the inch.”

“Great. I’ll have a word to Fox about her technique.”

“Right then, time to be going.” Henry eases into a sitting position, pulling off the thick black sweater to reveal the bulletproof vest beneath. “We’re all square then, Betty?”

“Absolutely, Henry. You were brilliant.”

“I want my weapons back,” says Thom.

Henry just laughs. “You’re not getting ’em back.”

“You think he did all of this for free?” I ask, head cocked. Henry moans and groans, stretching out his doubtless bruised back. “I’m afraid I found your two extra weapons caches too.”

“Just the two? Well, that’s a relief.”

“Wait, what?” Henry stopped short. “There was a third? Where?”

“See you, Henry.”

Henry scowls and stomps off, offering me a brief wave before heading for the still-open front door.

“Thanks again, Henry.”

“Guess that’s my cue to leave too,” says Jen, climbing to her feet. She grabs a tea towel off the counter to wipe off the fake blood. It’s a hell of a mess. “Not to be judgey, but I think you two might need couples counseling or something. Normal people don’t tend to pull this sort of shit, just F.Y.I.”

“True. And I owe you a new T-shirt.”

“It wasn’t a favorite.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I mean that. You know, the drama summer camp when you were fourteen really paid off.”

“Right?” She grins. “Should have gone into acting. I have a gift. You, on the other hand, sucked. Why did you have to kill Jen? Honestly, B. The worst.”

“I didn’t think I was that bad.”

“The actual worst. Later.” Jen wanders out of the house, still dabbing at the fake blood on her chest with a tea towel.

“Bye.” The smile falls off my face as soon as she’s gone.

Thom closes the door after her, flicking the lock and turning on the security system. When he wanders back my way, he’s reverted to his blank-face special, giving nothing away. In silence, he starts picking up the spilled fruit from the floor.

Whatever. I caught him. I win. He’s mine. After I kick his ass, of course.

“You tricked me,” he says.

“You tricked me.”

He shakes his head. “This was a dangerous stunt to pull, babe.”

“Do you have any idea how angry I am at you right now?”

“What if something went wrong and someone actually got hurt?” He piles the fruit into a big bowl on the table. “And your cheek is red.”

“He had my permission to do that.”

Thom’s jaw is set. “If he ever does something like that again we’ll be having words.”