Page 62 of Breathe
He sighed. He had to get Azrael to slow down and listen to him explain.
Real snorted. Explain what? That he had been a righteous, self-centered prick?
That would do for starters. What he needed to do was trust that Azrael knew his own mind and feelings. What he also needed to do was stop projecting his own assumptions about them.
The one thing he wouldn’t do, even if they weren’t meant for anything more… was stay away from Azrael.
The following night…
Angeles National Forest, YA house.
“Someone’s outside,” Rebel said from his spot near the window.
The curtains were drawn, but a sliver of light from the floodlight out in the front area could be seen cutting through the darkness.
“Who?” Boston asked, his curly dark-haired head lifted from where his eyes had been glued on his cell phone.
“It’s probably Rip. I overheard Stone and Dave talking about Rip keeping watch,” Azrael murmured and settled in the recliner near the couch. He didn’t use the leg rest, instead, he crisscrossed his legs on the cushion.
“So…they know about YA?” Beck asked, looking up from the laptop he had sitting on the kitchen table.
“It sounds like it?” Azrael frowned. “I also found out that this house is owned by Dave.”
“What?” Beck looked confused. “How did you find that out?”
“Again, I overheard them,” Azrael said with a shrug.
“Of course you did,” Rebel snorted, his eyes still on the small opening of the curtain.
“It’s my specialty,” Azrael smirked, and Beck snorted a laugh.
“Chances are, if Dave rented you this house, then there’s nomaybeabout it. He knows about YA,” Beck said.
“Why are they keeping it secret that they know?” Boston asked. The boy had pulled a throw blanket over his lap, his dark curls in disarray, his hands always moving with that nervous energy.
“That is the question…” Rebel murmured.
“I know why,” Azrael admitted, shaking his long hair back over one shoulder, he shifted in the recliner.
All eyes turned on him.
“I talked about it when I was living at Dave’s place. I talked about Rebel and I starting a group that could help find young assassins in this business,” Azrael admitted.
“So why didn’t they offer to help?” Rebel asked.
“Because I told them when or if it ever happened that I wanted to do it on my own,” he said.
“But you involved us,” Boston pointed out.
“Yeah, because you’re young people. They aren’t. And if anyone can get through to any young assassins we find, it will be us,” Azrael said.
“True…” Rebel nodded. “So what… they have been helping us behind the scenes?”
“It’s more than likely,” Azrael said,
Rebel turned back to his lookout spot.
Beck snorted. “It sounds just like something Dave would do. Let us think we are in control, but we’re not.”
