Page 36 of Murder & Mayhem
Ari hummed in agreement. “Smart. I’m going to stay here for longer since I have everything going on, but once we get something solid, I can get there too.”
“Thanks, A. I’m starving, and Jamie should eat too. I’m going to stop at the diner on the way.”
“Oh, yay. Making more decisions without asking me first,” Jamie cut in dryly. Ari managed to hold back a laugh.“Alright,well, I’m going to let you handle that. Good luck.”He hung up before I could tell him to go fuck himself.
I glanced at Jamie from the corner of my eye. “Jamie?—”
“Just don’t.”
I ground my jaw. “Can you talk to me please? I understand you’re pissed, but I was trying to get us out of there alive. If he’s willing to make a deal for Bailey, it was smart to take it. We’ll handle it later if it comes to that.”
“Yeah? And what does that mean for me? You cover my debt to Flame, and then what the fuck do I owe you?”
I slammed on the brakes so hard, Jamie nearly crashed into the dashboard.
“Fuck, sorry.”
Jamie glared, and the car behind me laid on the horn. “Fuck,” I muttered, more to myself this time, before driving again.
“What the hell, Jamie? I thought I told you, you don’t owe me anything.”
At some point, he’d pulled out the switchblade and was flicking it open and closed . . . which honestly was very unnerving.
“No one does something for free. You don’t take on someone’s debt like that, not with someone like Flame, unless you have a motive.”
I chewed on my lip, trying to come up with the words to explain my thought process. “First, it’s not a guarantee. If we hand O’Malley over to him, I’m in the clear. But even if it turns out that way, I swear to fuck, I have no intention of holding it over your head. I have no idea why I agreed to it so easily. It makes no fucking sense. I get that, but the idea of walking away from you . . . is not pleasant. You don’t have to understand it, hell knows I don’t. I didn’t even think before I agreed, I just did, and honestly,I’d do it again. Having the Wraiths cooperating rather than stopping us as we left? It was the right call. I swear that no matter what, I’m not going to ask for anything from you that you’re not willing to give.”
Jamie was quiet for a while, the only sound the snick of the blade opening and closing. When he shifted to stare at my profile, I could see that some of the anger had disappeared, even if he was still very doubtful. “Do you always risk it all for strangers?”
That had me smiling despite everything. “No, not usually. Though, if you asked Ari and Gid, they’d tell you I have a hero complex. I’ve never done this before. You’re special, beautiful.”
Jamie snorted. “I’m not special. You’re delusional and gonna get yourself killed, and as you’re dying, you’ll be lying there and thinking, ‘Oh damn, Jamie was right. He wasn’t special at all, and now I’m dead.’”
I flicked my eyes to him. His were still serious, but there was a slight curve to his lips. I matched it with my own. “We’ll see about that. Only one of us is right, and beautiful? I’m rarely fucking wrong.”
We pulled up to the diner a little over an hour later. I had been there a time or two, and it was a good place to stop and regroup. It was right off the highway, so they were used to all kinds of people passing through. Nobody would look twice at us.
Jamie didn’t wait for me to get out, but he didn’t start walking until I reached him. Right before we got to the door, Jamie’s fingers curled around my hand. I nearly tripped right on my ass in shock, but he wasn’t even looking at me. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I also was smart enough to know not to bring attention to it. The boy was prickly, and that could easily get him to change his mind.
It felt like a peace offering, and I took it as that. There wasstill so much tension in his lithe body, and I didn’t think he trusted me all the way yet, but his hand felt so good in mine that I would happily take the small victory, even if I didn’t understand it. His hand really fit perfectly in mine, and it was a little terrifying to realize how much I wanted to keep it there permanently.
It wasn’t a practical wish. Jamie and I were like fire and gasoline. Two broken people forced into close proximity under shitty circumstances. It made sense there’d be a spark there. But this would end once his brother was safely in his care again. Oh, I’d make sure they were taken care of and that no one would go after them, but beyond that, I needed to be out of his life. These feelings, the overbearing protectiveness and need I felt for Jamie weren’t healthy. My brothers and I had survived because we stayed under the radar. There was nothing under the radar about Jamie. I’d make sure they were safe, and then I’d go back to nice and easy hookups. That was all I needed.
The diner was mostly empty, a few truckers taking their breaks and a couple of guys at the bar counter. The waitress waved and told us to take a seat anywhere. We found one toward the back of the restaurant, where I could sit with my back to the wall and still have a clear view of the door.
A few minutes later, she came over with menus and smiled. “Can I get you anything to drink to start with?”
“I’ll have a coffee, please, black.”
Jamie’s nose wrinkled. “Of course you drink it black.” I smirked and the waitress laughed before looking at him.
“Do you have chocolate milk?”
“Sure thing, honey. I’ll be right back with your drinks and to take your orders.”
Once she left, Jamie settled into hisseat, looking around. “So, where are we going exactly, since you made all the decisions?” he whispered.
I winced. I guessed I wasn’t completely out of the doghouse. “I’m sorry. My brother did warn you that I could be an overbearing asshole.” I shrugged apologetically. “I’m used to only working with them. I’m not purposely trying to force you anywhere.”
