Page 126 of Traitor

His bored gaze meets mine, and he raises an eyebrow like he's been expecting me.

"Does Temper know you're inside?" I ask, stepping closer.

"She's the one who invited me in." His lips twitch, something resembling amusement flickering in his usually dead eyes. "Didn't want me to freeze my balls off outside. Might need them in the future."

I blink. The fuck?

"That's... fucking surprising."

"No shit." He stands, rolling his shoulders like he's been stiff for too long. "I guess I'll be taking my leave now. Have fun." His tone is dry, laced with sarcasm.

I shoot him a half-smile. "See you later, smartass."

He just shakes his head and strolls out, leaving me standing there, staring at the closed door to her office.

For a second, I hesitate. Just a second.

And for the first time in probably ever, I knock.

A deep sigh drifts through the door. A second later, I hear her voice.

"Come in."

I push the door open and step inside, closing it softly behind me.

She's hunched over her desk, the glow of three monitors casting an eerie light over her features. The dark circles under her eyes stand out against her pale skin. She looks worn down. Like she hasn't had a full night's sleep in weeks.

And when her gaze lifts to meet mine, my chest fucking aches.

Her eyes are red. Tired.

"I guess vacation time for me is over. What are you doing here, Bones?"

She leans back in her chair, eyes rimmed with exhaustion, her body tense but her voice resigned. She's running on fumes.

I take a seat across from her, resting my forearms on my knees. "Just wanted to let you know the Luca problem is taken care of," I say evenly.

She folds her arms, narrowing her eyes. "You could've told me that tomorrow. Or better yet, told one of your minions to pass the message along to me."

I sigh. Of course she's going to make this difficult. "I heard you're not sleeping," I say, watching her carefully. "Thought I might help."

Her eyes widen, then narrow again in suspicion. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Not like that," I wink. "At least not yet."

She huffs, crossing her arms tighter over her chest. "I don't know why your audacity still surprises me."

I shrug. "I do what I can to keep you on your toes." My gaze flickers behind me. "Saw you took pity on Ghost."

Her lips curve into something that might've been amusement if she wasn't so damn exhausted. "Yeah, well, I'm trying to walk a new path. A less bloody one. New me and all that. See if this works to calm my raging anger whenever I see your stupid faces."

Her words are sharp, but the heat isn't there. She's too fucking tired to fight me the way she usually does.

If I was a good man, I'd leave her alone. Let her rest, let her rebuild herself in peace.

But I'm not a good man. And I need her like air.

So I'm not above using the cracks in her armor to wedge myself in deeper.

---