Page 40 of Don't Make Me Beg
Do they know the truth about what happened? Do they still hate me?
I wouldn’t blame them if they did. Hell, it’s not like I don’t hate myself for letting Luka take the fall for me. Why is it that when I need help, Luka’s the one who steps up to the plate, consequences be damned? And why now? After all this time? Was it really just a coincidence, or is this all a bigger plan to leverage something from me? What is he hiding?
I bite my lip, considering my options. I have the house to myself for a few more hours. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to do a little investigating, just to cover my bases. Besides, if he didn’t want me to snoop, then he shouldn’t have left me alone.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I’m already out the door, making a beeline for the stairs.
“Good afternoon, Miss Scout. Is there something I can help you with?”
The AI’s voice cuts through the silence, and I freeze mid-step.
Damn. How could I forget about the stupid house being alive?
I try to think of a convincing lie. “Oh, um… Luka texted and asked me to look for something for him.”
There. That’s believable enough. A logical, entirely probable explanation.
A few moments pass, and I feel myself begin to relax. I can’t believe it was that easy.
“Hmm… One second… I just need to ask Mr. Luka to veri?—”
“Wait!” I blurt, panicking. “You don’t need to do that. I wouldn’t want to bother him.”
The last thing I need is for Luka to trust me even less than he already does. He’s already leveraging his power over me by making me paint this mural in town. I don’t need to add any more fuel to the fire.
“Mr. Luka has given me strict instructions that he has made himself available for anything you should need. I’ll just call him really quick.”
“Name your price!” I plead, but then I hear a loud ringing fill the silence. “What’ll it take to get you to let me go up there?”
“Are you bribing me to compromise my orders in exchange for a favor?” L.O.K.I. asks as soon as the ringing stops, and Luka picks up.
“What’s up, L.O.K.I.?” he asks, his voice barely distinguishable amid the background chatter.
Eyes wide, I make a pleading gesture with my hands.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Luka…” L.O.K.I. pauses for a moment, and I’m sure he’s about to rat me out, but then he says, “I just wanted to let you know that the squirrels have infiltrated the attic again.”
“Seriously, L.O.K.I. You interrupted me just now to update me about squirrels getting into the attic?” Luka sounds annoyed, and I don’t know where he is, but it sounds like he’s in the middle of something.
“Yes. It’s important to stay on top of these things. The threat of rabies isn’t something that should be taken lightly.”
Luka huffs out a sigh. “Well, thanks for staying on top of that.” From the sounds of it, this isn’t the first time L.O.K.I.’s called him during the day with a similar update. “Why don’t you call an exterminator and take care of that for me?”
“Great idea, Mr. Luka.” L.O.K.I. agrees.
“Yeah… Well, if there’s not anything else you need…”
“That’s it. Sorry to bother you,” L.O.K.I. says, and then the line goes silent.
“Thank you, L.O.K.I.—"
“I want you to watch the Avengers movies with me. All of them,” he says before I can finish.
I don’t know what I was expecting him to say but watching TV with him seems like a pretty reasonable request. I’m not exactly sure how that works, but I love watching movies, and if that’s what it takes for him to let me go upstairs… “Um… yeah… I can do that.” I say as confidently as I can muster.
“Wonderful. Consider this our little secret. I’ll see you for the Iron Man showing tonight.”
With L.O.K.I’s permission, I take off upstairs. My feet thud against the hardwood floors as I charge down the hall, pausing when I’m met with the door of my childhood bedroom.
