Page 26 of Caged

Tyler groans. “I thought you weren’t going to kill him?”

“Ha. Ha. Funny. I’ll contact you tomorrow.” I end the call and find a place in the house where I can hide the phone.

I’ve pretty much decided that this is a safe house.

There are zero personal belongings here. Nikolai even has a duffel he brought over that first day and has been living out of it.

How am I supposed to learn anything about him?

By the time I get the noodles cooking and the sauce simmering, the kitchen looks like a war zone.

People do this every day?

It’s a disaster.

“Smells good.” Nikolai pauses as he comes in the door and tosses his bag on the couch.

It has a pistol in it.

I caught sight of it yesterday.

“I’m trying a new recipe.” More like my only one.

This isn’t as easy as I thought it was.

The pasta is overcooked when I mix it.

Shit.

Maybe he won’t notice?

There aren’t exactly fancy dishes to serve it on, just some paper plates I found in the cupboard.

Another sign that this is just a crash house.

With a flourish and a wide smile, I slide the flimsy dish in front of him, then slip into the opposite chair with my own portion.

His face is expressionless as he takes the first bite.

He pauses in chewing to take a long drink of water before swallowing.

“Well?” I’m curious. Picking up my fork, I hold it in front of my lips while I watch him.

“It is a very good—” He takes another sip. “—attempt.” His blue eyes crinkle in the corners and he finishes the entire glass.

What does that mean?

I seductively stick out my tongue and pull one of the strands into my mouth, followed by the piece of meat.

Oh, fuck.

Way too much salt.

It’s like my throat is shutting down. I can’t force it, so I spit it back up on my plate.

Nikolai laughs. A deep, hearty, room filling sound.

I join him. Might as well. The food is awful.

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