Page 109 of Even Robots Die
“Not a fan of orange juice?”
“I don’t mind. But I would have appreciated alcohol with it right now,” I tell him.
“Are you serious?” he asks, dumbfounded. “You lost more blood than you should have today and you want alcohol?”
I turn my head in the direction of the room that we just left.
“Can you blame me?”
Brice doesn’t cast a glance at the doomed bedroom and drops the tumbler on the low table that’s between the couch and the holo screen.
Now that it touched something in this cursed apartment, I’m not drinking from it anymore.
I didn’t want it in the first place, anyway.
Brice walks up to me and catches my arm just above my elbows.
“At least he’s alright,” he tells me and I release a deep breath.
“More than alright from what I’ve seen,” I tell him and drop my head on the top of his chest.
I’m tired, and knowing that my sisters were worried, that I got shot so I could search for him and that he was here having a sex marathon completely oblivious makes me want to tear him another asshole.
No.
Wrong choice of words. If I ever see my dad’s asshole again, I think I’ll cut my eyes out.
Brice wraps his arms around me and tugs me to him and this feels … good.
“What do you want to do now?” he asks me, rubbing my back in a soothing way.
I like that he’s not trying to push me to go back to Blois to fix his brain. This is the second time he asks for what Iwant and I'm so used to people telling me whattheywant that I can’t help but notice the repetition.
I know he wants to go back to Blois the sooner the better, so he doesn’t have to stay there any longer, but he doesn’t seem to be in any kind of rush, or none that he’s making me feel.
“Let’s wait another five minutes so I can force him back home,” I pause. “Well, back to Notre Dame. And then we can go back to Blois so we can finally fry that brain of yours some more.”
Brice chuckles before taking a step back and suddenly I feel cold.
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Florentine
Asecond later, dad enters the room wrapped in what looks like a dark red robe two sizes too small. At least it’s hiding everything, because I’m pretty sure he didn’t bother getting dressed under that thing.
I half expect Isabella to join us, but she doesn’t even leave the bedroom. That’s probably for the best.
“You need to go back to the girls. They’ve been trying to reach you for three days. They’re worried sick,” I tell him without waiting for him to say anything.
I have a feeling he isn’t even sorry. I don’t even think he will try to apologize.
Brice comes to my side, still keeping his distance but showing me that he’s here if I need him.
“I’m busy,” Dad answers, and I’m so shocked by what he just said that my mouth hangs open for a second before I school my expression.
“They need you,” I tell him with a sigh.
“It’s just for a few days,” he answers. “I have a plan and then I can come home. They have you anyway. It’s going to be okay.”
