Page 5 of Finders Keep Her
“You don’t want to be out there when the sun is fully shining.” I sit up, forcing my eyes open, knowing he’s right. I couldn't have been asleep but a few hours. “Here.” Dad shoves a can into my hand. “Don’t know how you drink that shit.” I take a sip of the energy drink.
“I don’t know how you drink black sludge.” I take a bigger drink, needing it if I’m going to be able to make it through this run. Why do I keep coming back here? Right, I love everyone here, I remind myself. I might not love it as much this early, but still.
"What time did you get back home last night?"
"I don't know." I swing my legs over the side of the bed.
"Are you still not going to tell me what's going on?"
"It's nothing." I shrug it off. I’m not bringing my shit home with me, or at least I’m trying not to. I’m keeping a low profile until I figure out how to deal with everything.
"It's not nothing if you ventured all the way out to the city to do whatever it was you needed to do."
"I don't want anything tracing me here."
"You've never been worried about that before. You cover your tracks." He’s so confident in me. I used to preen at that, but I’m not feeling so confident in myself these days.
"I'm being extra safe." I stand, stretching and yawning at the same time.
"Someone looking for you?"
"Someone is constantly looking for me." I should check in with Bruce, but I know I’ll be getting an ass-chewing.
"Their name is Ronan." I jerk around to face him. Dad is in his normal camo cargo pants and boots with a brown shirt on, looking every inch a drill sergeant. Even down to the short gray hair. Who runs in boots?
"How do you know that name?"
"He connects to Tova?" I try to remember when I might have mentioned "Ronan" to my dad while discussing Tova. My dad knows of Tova. I've talked about her to him, and when I saw the relief he'd get at knowing I had a friend, I kept talking about her, so he knows that name.
"They're connected, but how do you know that?"
"I don't; that's why I asked."
"Then how do you know the name?"
"You said it in your sleep."
"No, I didn't!" I hiss, heat rushing to my face.
"You didn't only say it once either." Oh my God. This is not happening. My dad has creepy good hearing, so if I were talking in my sleep, he'd hear it. I swear he'd hear a field mouse fart. "I'm going to take it from the blush that he's not a threat." Dad cocks his head. "To your safety at least." Then he smirks.
"What the hell, Dad!" He folds his arms over his chest, his smirk turning to a full-on smile. He should be pushing aboutwho Ronan is and wanting to kick his ass. Right? That’s what dads do when their daughters show interest in a man. I think. Then again, we’re not normal. Most people would probably find how open we are with each other weird.
“I suppose it’s time we have the birds and the bees talk.” He did not just say that. Kill me now.
“Oh my God.” I grab the pillow off my bed and throw it at him. He easily bats it away.
“Get dressed. We’re burning daylight.”
“There isn’t daylight yet!” I shout to his retreating form.
“You can run more than your mouth this morning.”
“That’s all I’m good at running,” I mutter, polishing off the rest of my drink before I change and pack my backpack.
When I enter the kitchen, Dad hands me a protein bar. “What about a Snickers?”
“Eat that, and then you can have a Snickers.” He nods to my bag.
