Page 12 of GAF Factor

“Why would she go to him?”

“That’s what I’m asking,” I said, frustrated that he wasn’t listening to me.

“Maybe she stopped by to see IKE.”

I stormed over to him and grabbed the remote, turning off the TV.

“Hey! I was watching that.”

“And you weren’t listening to me.”

He groaned, flopping his head on the back of the couch. “Why do I have to listen? This doesn’t affect me in any way.”

“Because you’re a guy and this is what we do for each other.”

“I don’t do this for anyone,” he retorted. “Maybe Duke, but that’s different. I served with him.”

“You live with me,” I argued.

“For the time being. I was tricked into coming here. It wasn’t like I could turn Riley down. She practically begged me to come home with her. She’s desperate to repay my heroic act by taking care of me. And between you and me, I think she needs me here to protect her. She’s still a little freaked out.”

“Riley doesn’t need anyone.”

“Neither does your girl,” he pointed out. When I didn’t say anything, he sighed. “Alright, tell me what you were saying earlier.”

I sat down on the couch, leaning forward. “What if she went to him?”

“IKE? What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal? That she would go to a man she spent four days with alone in the dark? That she thought she was going to die with? You wonder why that would bother me?”

“Yeah,” he retorted. “That’s why I said,What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that he saved her when the bomb went off in her fridge. He kept her safe when I couldn’t. And he was there in New York.”

“Wait, didn’t you ask him to be there?”

“Not to interfere with her,” I growled.

“You should have expected that when you asked for help.”

I pushed to my feet, pacing once again. “I had no choice. Cash fucking fired me. I had no one to help me.”

“So, you sent in the blue-eyed devil,” he grinned. “And now you’re worried that she’s falling for him.”

I spun and glared at him. “I’m worried that she’s been manipulated by him.”

He burst out laughing. “Yeah, while in the dark, freezing in a shipping container, he manipulated her just in case they survived. Whew! I bet he’s glad he put in the effort since you saved their lives!”

“Really fucking funny,” I snarled.

“I thought so. Dude, I’m telling you, she’s not with him.”

“She might be.”

“If she’s with him, it’s because they went through something together. And if you bring it up, you’re an ass.”

“Because I want to know if she’s sleeping with him?”

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