Page 35 of Edge of Secrets

“Wait,” Nell said. “My place, first.”

I rounded on her, ready for battle. She put her fingers over my mouth. “Shhh. Don’t start. I need to touch base. I need fresh clothes.”

“I’ll buy you clothes.”

“Not at one in the morning, you won’t,” she said. “And I need to check my answering machine. And pick up my laptop.”

“Those guys know where you live,” I growled. “I don’t want to come across like I’ve got no balls, but I wouldn’t mind avoiding any more mortal combat this evening. If it’s not too fucking much to ask.”

She tapped my lips again, gently. “Don’t be sarcastic. I am very aware of your big balls. But I doubt very much they’ll be lying in wait for me there tonight. We’ll park right outside the door, we’ll see if anyone’s there, we’ll only be inside for a few minutes. Please, Duncan.”

I settled back against the seat, defeated but disapproving. Her hand was no longer on my mouth. I missed it. It was almost worth it to me to goad her, just to see if she would try to silence me again. I could feel that soft, silky pressure again.

Then another possibility occurred to me. I reached down and took her hand. A long and cautious minute later, her fingers curled around mine. The city slipped by, but we were fixed in space. We were the hub—the unmoving center of the universe—and the rest of the world was a shifting illusion swirling around us. But she was so warm, so soft.

“Thank you,” she said. “For saving my life.”

“Any fucking time.” I punctuated that statement by sliding my thumb into the warm recesses of her hand. I thought about the conference room table, and blood pounded in my ears. I fought it down. “I was, ah, wondering something.”

Her fingers tightened around mine. “Yes? What?”

“If that earns me enough points to cancel out whatever the hell it was I did to piss you off before.”

I braced myself, but she didn’t freak out. She just made an impatient gesture with her free hand. “That’s it, Duncan. That’s exactly the problem—this reductionist idea that you have, that everything can be reduced to an economic exchange. Human emotions don’t run on a point system.”

I sighed. “It’s a goddamn figure of speech, Nell,” I ground out.

“No, it’s not. Not with you. And not with me.” Her voice was soft but stubborn.

Aw, fuck. I drew comfort from the fact that she was still squeezing my hand.

“It’s been a hard night,” I said wearily. “This shit is complicated. Show me some fucking mercy, already.”

She grabbed me and gave me a quick, awkward hug. “Okay,” she whispered. “I can be merciful. I hereby grant you points—lots of points. Are you happy now?”

“Very,” I said. And I was. Hard, too. Like a diamond. I wanted to roll her onto the cushy leather seat and just have at her.

“One question,” she said. “How did you happen to conveniently be there when they attacked? Were you following me?”

Tension gripped me. Here was where I tiptoed over blown glass.

“Yeah, I was,” I admitted. “I, uh, wanted to apologize. But I’m not great at it. And you were crying, and that intimidated me. I didn’t even know what the hell I was apologizing for. So I stalled—until I saw that asshole in the gray sweatshirt.”

“And then I got attacked,” she said.

“You have to admit, it was a great opening,” I offered. “Works like electroshock therapy. The woman just forgets what she’s mad about.”

She snorted with laughter. “Uh, yeah. Right.”

“No, really,” I said. “If not for those guys, you’d still be pissed as hell, and I’d still be as confused as ever.” I paused. “I’m still confused,” I admitted. “And you’re probably still pissed. But at least you’re talking to me. That’s progress.”

She harrumphed. “Talk about looking on the bright side.”

“I might as well,” I said.

The car stopped outside her door. I told the driver to wait and got out, peering around the street before I let her out. I blocked her body with mine as she unlocked the door, then scanned every twist of the echoing stairwell before letting her proceed.

Her apartment was crammed with books, leaving barely any space to move. The bathtub in the kitchen was covered with a wooden top. A tiny water closet sat in the corner, and a half-sized refrigerator was tucked beneath the counter. A two-burner gas range and a toaster oven completed the picture. I’d never seen a place so small.

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