Page 32 of Her Reclusive Beast

Max purses his lips. “So what? Even if she knew it all, it’s nothing more than tabloid fodder at this point, right?”

Javier sneers. “You can say that, now that Jenna is here with you.”

“Ah,” Max replies more kindly. I tug on his arm, demanding an explanation.

“I mentioned Javier has a lady love. It’s coming time that he told her his secrets. Diana is unknowingly forcing his hand. Perhaps not a bad thing.”

The glare from his friend would start wet wool socks on fire. “She’s telling the local police that you’re an alien being that was given plastic surgery to make you fit in.”

Max snorts in amusement. “That kind of story will get them through the long part of winter. And why do I care? You’ve already told me the government isn’t interested in the lab.”

“If she has the names, she’ll have other information. She didn’t get those from you. I’d know if you had left that kind of paper trail.”

Max’s glare is surprisingly mild. “Thanks, I think. No, she didn’t get them from me, mostly because I don’t give a damn.Their damage is done and they’re dead, right? So why rehash any of it?”

“Famous names, sordid past.”

Max shrugs. “Let her talk. They’ll end up sending her to the loony bin first.”

“Well… They did request a psych eval. But they have to wait for an appointment in Portland.”

“See? You’re borrowing trouble. But if you’re so concerned, go to Minnesota and take care of your business. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

For once Javier looks uncertain. Brushing his elegantly disarrayed coif off his forehead, he peers at both of us. “Something is different about you.”

“Yes, I’m happy. I have everything I want. Now go, so you can finally say the same,” Max chides with a slight smile.

Javier stops in his tracks, going very quiet. Then, with a sharp nod, he rushes out of the room. The sound of the front door shutting firmly behind him echoes in the stillness.

“What names was he talking about?” I ask quietly.

“Remember those so-called scientists I mentioned that fled the lab for South America?”

I nod hesitantly.

“Javier is awfully pretty, isn’t he?”

Without waiting for an answer, he guides me over to the dining table in the kitchen and presses on my shoulder until I sit. “Since we’re here, we might as well eat breakfast now,” he comments wryly.

I’m still trying to process the puzzle he laid out for me. Genetic scientists that moved to South America around the time Max was born but somehow tied to Javier, who is clearly several years younger and very aesthetically perfect. Oh. My sad sigh has Max quirking an eyebrow, but I shrug it off. He’s right. There’snothing much more to say on that. At least not for us. Javier probably has plenty of words left.

“You really don’t care what Diana is telling the police?” I ask Max as he takes eggs and the packet of bacon out of the fridge.

He shrugs as he moves to the stove. “Not particularly. The odds that they’ll believe anything she says are slim. Followed by there’s not much to be done about it, regardless.”

I mull that thought while I watch the coffee drip into the pot. It seems like a too big to be believed shift in philosophy.

“Is something going on that you don’t want to tell me about?”

That catches his attention. He turns and regards me with thoughtful eyes. “No. Diana is the architect of her own downfall. Am I enjoying it a little? Yes, I am actually mostly human and therefore subject to such base emotions.”

“I rather like your base emotions,” I murmur.

“Good, because you’ll be seeing a lot of them,” he retorts with a small smirk. “Now eat up, little one. I’m going to let you seduce me in the upstairs lounge once I get a fire going.”

I choke with laughter on a mouthful of eggs. “What exactly does that entail?Exactly,” I emphasize.

Max chews thoughtfully on a strip of bacon. “Whatever you like, I suppose. There I’ll be quietly reading in my favorite chair with a cheerful fire going…” he pauses suggestively, but my mind is drawing a blank. Am I supposed to stroll naked into this fantasy?

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