Page 19 of Vas

He frowned down at his phone.Go on.

His instincts had been right. Her admission all but stated she hadn’t gone to lunch with her mom. He could think of only one reason why she would lie. The sandwich in his gut churned as his temper flared as he sat, watching the little dots on the screen as she typed. He might not want to get involved with Anya and bring a good girl into his criminal life, but that didn’t mean he wanted anyone else to have her either. Fucked-up logic? Yes. But then again, he was a fucked-up guy.

Finally her response showed up on his screen.I lied about texting you accidentally. You see, I hate lying and avoid it at all costs because I’m not very good at it. Had I kept up the charade, I would’ve had to make up the whole lunch date with my mom and somewhere down the road I would’ve screwed up and told you the truth that she’s vacationing in Colorado and then you would figure out I lied. So it’s best if I just confess now that the text really was meant for you. Well sort of.

The burning in his gut cooled as he read her text, the knot of jealousy unfurling. It also left him very confused.Why did you lie?

More dots appeared, longer this time.Well, the answer to that is a little embarrassing. As you know, yesterday was Valentine’s Day and I may have had—okay to keep from lying again, I definitely did have—too much to drink. You know the story of the drunk text? Well that happened to me only I didn’t mean to actually send it. I was curious about you. About where you go when you disappear. So I typed out the question with the intention to delete it. As you know from the end of the story, that didn’t work out exactly as planned.

Vas reread her text twice, one thing clearly popping out at him.You think about me when I’m gone?

It was almost a full minute before he got a response. I’m curious by nature.

Why did he get the feeling she wasn’t telling the truth?You said you don’t lie.

I didn’t lie. I am curious by nature.

But?

Fine. I will admit, I’m extra curious about you.

That admission shouldn’t have made him happy, but it did, and that was reason enough to put a stop to their discussion. For his sake but more so for Anya’s, he needed to keep his distance. But before he could take action, another text came through.

So, while we’re on the subject, where do you go when you disappear?

And against his better judgment, he found himself replying,My job calls for a lot of traveling.

That’s what I assumed. What do you do?

Vas took a sip of his coffee before he typed.Ever hear the term hatchet man?

That’s a person who fires people, right?

Yes. At least that’s one of the definitions for it.People hire me to terminate unwanted individuals so they don’t get their hands dirty or become the bad guy. One hundred percent accurate, if a bit misleading.

That sounds like a terrible job. Do you enjoy it?

Enjoy it? No. But I make good money so… What’s that saying? It’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it.

I suppose, but I don’t think I could do something like that for a living, no matter the money.

Which proved the vast difference between them. Yet another reason for him to put an end to things.What’s your dream job?

Not waitressing LOL. But seriously, I want to be a teacher. I just need to finish school.

That piqued his interest.I didn’t know you go to school. Vas didn’t stalk her obsessively, so he supposed it was possible he didn’t know that fact about her. Though with the long hours she worked, he hated to think she had that on her plate too.

Well, technically, I’m not in school at the moment. I didn’t want to take out a loan, so I’m saving up for the rest of the classes I need.

His brain started spinning, trying to come up with a way he could help her without her shooting him down. Maybe he could set up some kind of bogus scholarship. He was thinking up how to make that happen, when his phone dinged, pulling him from his thoughts. He wasn’t sure how long his mind had wandered for, but long enough that Anya had sent another text.

You never told me where you were. I’ll admit, I’m a little envious you get to travel for work. I’ve never left California.

I’m in New York. Currently at the airport waiting on my flight home.

Oh, that’s exciting. Did you see the Statue of Liberty? What about the Empire State Building or the Brooklyn Bridge? No wait! How about Central Park?

Vas’s abrupt laughter turned a few heads, and he was still chuckling when he typed.You know a lot about New York.

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