Outnumbered

“You’ve got a serious jealous streak, don’t you?”

“Fuck you.” She grabs a book from the table and flips it open.

Solo jumps off the counter and rubs up against my ankles, meowing. He prances over to the kitchen and then back to me, continuing to howl.

“I’m going to feed the cat now,” I call over my shoulder as I head into the kitchen area. “You all right with that? I swear, I’m not interested in his ass!”

“Why in the world would you be interested in Solo’s ass?” Seri’s lighthearted laughter floats up from the other side of the room.

Well, that’s one way for Iris to avoid an argument. I close my eyes and take a deep, centering breath. I can’t exactly continue the argument I was having with Iris now, and I’m ticked off that she would use such an underhanded avoidance tactic. I shake my head and get Solo’s meal ready for him while I remind myself that all this craziness is worth the effort.

At least, I think it is.

“Wow, it got dark quickly.” Seri lights the candle on the table, obviously completely oblivious to what just transpired. “I must have dozed off while I was reading. Did you just get back?”

“Yeah.” What else am I supposed to say?

“I’m glad you’re back,” Seri says. She places the book down on the table and comes over to me, wrapping her arms around me from the back.

I tense slightly, still full of adrenaline.

“Are you all right?” she asks.

“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”

“For me, too,” Seri says. “I’ve felt weird all day.”

I place Solo’s food in front of him and then turn to face Seri, my ire replaced by worry as I take her face in my hands.

“You aren’t getting sick again, are you?” I ask.

“No, not weird like that.” Seri looks up at me, her expression troubled. “Things just felt wrong. I kept looking out the window. I felt like I was in danger the whole time you were gone. There’s no lock on your door, you know.”

“Did you think that guy might show up here?” I ask, wondering how much of Iris’s fears were transferred to Seri.

“Yeah,” Seri says quietly. “I was thinking about that.”

“I’ve never had much reason for locking the door,” I say. “Maybe I do now.”

I regret the words as soon as they’re out of my mouth. I don’t need to make Seri worry about her safety, and I seriously doubt that Kyle McGuire would have any luck finding this place even if he did somehow trace Iris to me.

“Do you think he could find me here?” Seri asks quietly. She tightens her grip around my waist.

I start to tell her that there is no way he could trace her here, but something occurs to me. I need to speak with Netti, and she shows up when Seri is frightened. If Seri is really afraid that Kyle could show up here at the cabin, I might be able to use that to my advantage. If I push her just a little more, maybe the fear would bring Netti to the surface.

I take a deep breath and then lean in close to her ear.

“You’re right to be afraid,” I say in a low voice. “That man is out there looking for you. What if he had shown up here while I was gone? You have no way to protect yourself.”

“Bishop…” Her voice cracks, and she starts shaking.

“You would have been alone and without protection. He could have come right in here and taken you away. What could you have done? Nothing, probably. I would have come back to an empty cabin. I wouldn’t even know where to look for you.”

I squeeze my eyes shut as waves of guilt flow through me. Just as I’m about to apologize for saying such things, I feel all the tension in her body suddenly evaporate. I tighten my grip, fearing she is about to fall, but she abruptly rights herself and looks up at me, her eyes calm and her breathing normal again.

“Netti?”

She doesn’t respond. She closes her eyes for a moment, sways slightly, and then tightens her grip on my forearms.