“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “But he’s pretty, so I’m cool with it.”
A sharp laugh broke up the tension in the car until he sat back in the seat again. “He is, indeed. But I’m still confused about your connection. I don’t enjoy being confused.”
“Welcome to the club. He doesn’t tell me shit.” Words just kept falling out of my mouth, more to keep his attention focused on me instead of Fin.
“Zoey,” Fin said. “Not the time.”
I kept my eyes on our unexpected guest. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Helix,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Zoey Sallix. Nothing surprises me much in my old age, but you are definitely something unique.”
He didn’t look two minutes over twenty-five, but I kept that to myself. “Uh, thank you, I think. So how can I meet this person? Is it you and we’re just talking in third person to throw suspicion?”
“It’s not me who you would meet with, but my friend. I can’t guarantee they will help you, nor that they will be able to do anything, but I offer a meeting.”
A lead was a lead in my book. “When? How?”
“I’ll send you the data once I leave the vehicle safely. But I advise you, leave this one at home.” He tipped his head toward Fin.
I shrugged. “Sure. I’ll wait for your info.”
Fin made a sound from beside me. “Really? Just like that, you’ll leave me at home?’
I gritted my teeth and pasted on a sickly-sweet smile. “Aw honey, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find something to do while I’m at work.”
Fin rolled his eyes and I turned to speak to the man again, but he’d disappeared.
“Is he really gone or just like hiding?” I asked Fin.
Fin sheathed his blade and turned to start driving again. He was angry at me, but I didn’t care. I was still pissed at him too, so the car filled up with our unspoken words as we drove back toward the safe house.
It took way longer to get home than to leave because he doubled back on several streets to ensure no one followed us from the market. When he decided it was safe, he pulled the car into the underground garage and we stayed silent on the elevator ride, all the way to our apartment.
Once inside, I took a deep breath and relaxed. “Do you realize this is the first fight in a while where we didn’t walk away with some grievous injury? I’d call that a win.”
He spun toward me, his fists clenched, “Stop being fucking cute. We’re going to talk about this like adults and then you’re going to ensure I can come with you to that damn meeting.”
I took a step toward him, slowly, as anger simmered under my skin. “Firstly, I’m always fucking cute. Secondly, you don’t throw around orders at me in that tone. I’m not fucking Harlan and I won’t be led around on a leash by my feelings for you. Unlike him, I know when something is fucking toxic and when I should walk away.”
I spun toward the bedroom and slammed the door hard enough to shake the walls.
Chapter Eight
I DROPPED MY WEAPONS, old and new, on the bed and stripped out of the hoodie. My anger was riding high, and I needed to vent.
I clenched my fists and took a few deep breaths. That didn’t help much so I continued undressing and headed toward the bathroom. A hot shower sometimes calmed me down when I was about to go bananas on someone. Or at the very least, if I got to the point of frustration crying, I could pretend I wasn’t, that the water on my face was the shower spray.
There were ten showerheads in the small walk-in closet Fin called a shower. Additionally, several handles lined the dark stone walls to operate them individually. Why did someone think this was economical? It would take more time to turn on the damn thing than to actually clean myself.
Once I got all the spickets going with hot water, and the bathroom completely flooded with sticky steam, I stepped inside. The spray hit my sore muscles like a dream. I groaned, the anger and frustration washing away in the stream of water.
Until Fin poked his head into the bathroom. “Zoey?”
“Who the fuck else would be using the shower in our safe house?” I said, as I surveyed the eclectic selection of soap rimming one of the walls.
“Can we talk about this?”
I picked one that looked more fruity than floral and sniffed the scent. Slightly citrus. I could deal with that.