Page 16 of A Labor of Hate
I squeezed my eyes shut, emptying my lungs with a puff.“Hopefully not.As long as everything goes according to plan, no.And, like I said, I’ll have backup.Another agent will be with me the whole time.”
“Hmm.”She paused for a beat.“Which one?”
“What do you meanwhich one?I’ve only told you about, like, two of them.”Plus, how much could I actually tell her?As it was, I was probably already pushing it.
“Holy cannoli, it’s that Colt guy, isn’t it?”Dekker laughed, oblivious to my growing discomfort.How could she have guessed that?“Please tell me it’s Colt.”
“I knew I never should’ve told you about him,” I grumbled.
As it was, I’d made a concerted effort to only allow myself to complain about him once a week to her ever since her first oh-so-helpful observation.And even then, I never mentioned him by name again.Gill-bert was the poor sap subjected to the entirety of my rantings now.Him and my shampoo bottle, that is.
“Oh, please.Who else would you vent to about how perfect he is?”
Nobody human, that was for sure.
I recoiled, indignation burning up my sternum.“Ineversaid he was perfect!That was all you.In fact, he’s so far from perfect it’s stupid.He’s, like, perfect’s cousin so distantly removed that he lives on the moon.”
“Mhmm.”
I sputtered at her disbelief.How else could I accurately convey how intolerable, aggravating, and altogether high-maintenance Colt was?
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” she taunted, adopting a horrible British accent.
“Oh, no.No.It is physically impossible to protest too much about him, Dekker.You don’t understand what I have to go through every day.”
“You know, you’re right.I don’t.”Her voice took on a conspiratorial tone.“Looking at those soulful eyes and Eddie Redmayne-esque cheekbones must behorrible.”
I froze.“What—how do you know what he looks like?”
“Uh, social media, duh.”Colt had social media?Honestly, I’d figured he’d be too refined for something so trivial.“And, might I say, the fact you didn’t dispute my description is very telling.”
I rolled my eyes, my cheeks flushing for no good reason.Stupid cheeks.“You and I both know there’s more to a man than his looks.And in this case, the rest of his qualities overshadow any looks he might have.And,” I added, holding a finger aloft, “the feeling is mutual.I don’t just hate him, he hates me back.”
She hummed noncommittally.
I grunted in frustration, willing the heat to ebb out of my face.Even thinking about him got me all riled up.Stupid Colt with his stupid pressed shirts and stupid apple juice.The fact anyone had this effect on me only served to irritate me more.
“Well, if you’re so sure he hates you, do you feel safe going undercover with him?”
I paused at the note of concern in her voice, my heart clenching.Being this far from her was already hard enough without the reminder of how much she looked out for me.It hadn’t always been her responsibility, but she’d stepped into it with vigor when the mantle fell on her shoulders.
Wrestling past the lump in my throat, I finally ground out, “Yeah, I do.He may be a pretentious butthead, but he’ll have my back.”
Everyone in the squad had each other’s backs.I knew it without a doubt.Just like how, if it came down to it, I’d have Colt’s, too.
Not wanting to dwell on the fact I’d almost paid him a compliment, I infused a note of cheer into my voice.“Anyway, since I won’t talk to you for up to two months, what’s up with you?”
Dekker laughed, though without mirth.“Nothing exciting, I’m afraid.The bakery is doing really well, but I just” —she sighed heavily, and I could picture her tousling her curls— “I don’t feel…content, I guess.Without Mom or Dad here and with you transferring to Michigan, I don’t feel like I have anything really tying me to Pittsburgh anymore.”
“But your bakery?—”
“I know, I know.I’ve still got that, at least.But I’d much rather have you nearby.It’s not so fun trying out new recipes by myself.”
My heart sank.Yet another reminder of the loss our family had suffered.“Yeah, I suppose not.”
“So” —her voice lilted with forced cheerfulness— “you don’t happen to need anyone to come watch your apartment while you’re undercover, do you?”
I laughed lightly, though my stomach flipped at the thought of seeing her again.“I’m pretty sure that would cause some complications, seeing as how most of our teachers could barely tell us apart growing up.”
