Page 69 of Tainted Love

“Wow…” Elijah murmurs as he steps into the dining room.

I look up from the filthy crutches laid out on the table. “In the garage, just like you said. Will probably take a few wipes to get the shit off, but they seem fine otherwise.”

Lilah hands me a wet rag and takes the seat next to me. “What’s she like?” she asks Elijah with wide eyes.

“She’s… nice,” he answers.

“And…?”

She grabs her own cloth and snatches one of the crutches off the table to wipe it clean.

“And…” Elijah drags out the nearest chair and sits down across from us, his eyes burrowing a hole in my skull. “She’s a ballet dancer. Just like Mom.”

I feel Lilah tense up beside me. “Don’t read into that.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asks.

I meet his burning, judgmental eyes. “I’m cleaning the crutches.”

“You know what I mean, Dante. What’s your game with her?”

“My game?”

“What’s going on with her?”

“Nothing is going on, Elijah,” I say, wiping the dirty pole clean. “She needed my help. I brought her here.”

“And you immediately tied her up?”

“She tried to take off back to Chicago.”

“So?”

I sigh and toss the cloth down on the table. “Did she tell you who did that to her?”

“No, but she seemed to know an awful lot about Snake Eyes which is a serious breach of protocol.”

Lilah’s jaw drops in anger. “You told her about us?”

“With Snake Eyes gone, there is no protocol anymore,” I argue.

Elijah blinks and his eyes fall on Lilah. “Well, okay then.”

“Eli, don’t you dare touch her.” I turn to Lilah. “Either of you.”

Lilah looks away from me, her eyes locking on Elijah’s and he throws up his hands.

“We’re not threatening anyone here, Dante,” he says.

“But…” she adds, pausing. “This whole situation is a tad uncharacteristic for you.”

I pick up the cloth again. “Things change.”

Elijah sits back and runs an impatient hand through his thick hair. “Who bashed in her knee?”

“Marty Zappia,” I answer.

“Never heard of him.”

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