Page 25 of Grumpy Billionaire Bad Boy

"I don't like rules."

"Do you like staying alive?" Archer's brown eyes stare at me so intensely it sends a chill down my spine.

"I only have cash," I tell him because it's the truth. I couldn't use a credit card if I wanted to. I left all of them behind, and thepackage from Silver only had five thousand dollars in it because he was under the impression I was bringing my own stash, only that plan was foiled when my house was set on fire, everything I owned going up in smoke. It was a small price to pay for my freedom, even though my new circumstances feel nothing of the sort.

Archer leaves the room without a word, disappearing into the openness of the rest of his apartment. "Here," he says on his way back in, something in his hand that's outstretched to me.

"What is it?"I settle my sights on his offering, that familiar black card I knew and loved all too well. "I can't take that."

Archer grabs my hand and shoves it into my grasp. "Don't use that cash anymore. Use this. I'll get you a purse to put it in. Something with a crossbody strap to make it harder for someone to take from you."

"What? No. I can't take this, Archer. Are you out of your mind?"

He meets my gaze again, and this time, something unfamiliar settles between us. "Probably."

Chapter 10

Archer

Three days go by, and I can't tell if it's felt like an eternity or the blink of an eye.

We've fallen into somewhat of a groove. I sleep on the couch, and she takes the bedroom. Not like I've done much sleeping anyway. Most of the nights have been spent catching up on the work I haven't felt comfortable doing during the day and lying there staring at the ceiling wondering what I did for such a fucked-up life.

The days consist of us not speaking to each other much. After I gave London my black American Express card, it seemed to shut her up. She hasn't left the apartment, and hasn't even attempted to. Not that I would have stopped her. I told her if she took the card, it would be acceptable, and considering I was going to track her every move if she did leave, I wasn't too concerned about her leaving. Maybe my warning about the neighborhood being unsafe scared her into staying put, but considering how much she's been sleeping on and off these past few days, it might just be because she needed the rest.

We haven't bickered, not really, we've just sort of coexisted, eating our meals in silence, going about our days together but separately.

Considering how the first twenty-four hours went, I didn't think London could keep her mouth shut, and yet here I am, continuously surprised by every aspect of her showing up in my life.

I left for about forty-five minutes before she woke up this morning, running down to the market and grabbing some more groceries. I'm not sure London even knew I was missing since she was still asleep when I got back.

I've tracked Joe Vito's whereabouts these past few days and nothing indicates he's looking into anything on the East Coast, let alone poking around in Manhattan. Perhaps Silver is keeping him busy from going after London, or he did a good enough job of hiding her that Joe doesn't know where to look. It was smart sending her here because London and I have no connections and nothing to trace her to me.

London closes the cover on my iPad and lays her head on the side of the couch, her attention turned toward me, her stare burning a hole into the side of my head.

"Can I help you with something?" I ask her without taking my eyes off my computer.

"I'm tired."

"Take a nap."

"I don't want to take a nap."

"I can't help you then."

"I want a coffee."

"You know where the kitchen is."

"That coffee is boring."

I peel my gaze from the account I was hacking into and focus on her. "It'sboring?"

"Yeah." London drags her bottom lip into her mouth. "I want a fancy coffee."

"What is a fancy coffee?"

"You know, like a latte or something."

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