Page 17 of Troubled Water
“I tracked you.” Blunt, open.
Her head turns to the side to avoid spraying my suit. “Are you for real right now?”
I shrug. “Why lie? I wanted to see you again, but Cal and Libs were no help.”
“That’s borderline stalkerish, Thorn.”
“I didn’t use some crazy app, B. I typed your name into a computer and it spit out a whole plethora of data.”
Her brows furrow as her gaze roams my face.
“You’re a mystery, you know that?” she says, her voice low.
I raise an eyebrow. “Am I?”
She nods. “You’re not a businessman, are you?”
“No.”
“Nor are you a politician.”
“Not even close.” My voice catches at the end. I’m not certain with the noise in the alley she’d notice but surprisingly, her hand comes to rest on top of mine.
“I’m truly sorry to have read about your parents, Parker.” The organ in the center of my chest flips around at her use of my first name for the first time as blood rushes back to it. Her fingers squeeze mine before she begins to withdraw. “I know what it feels like to lose one parent. Hell, for five years, I knew what it was like to lose both of them.”
I flip my hand around so I prevent her from pulling away. “I want to get something out between us. Something I need for you to understand.”
“O-okay?”
“I didn’t leave that day because you’re Bethany McCalister,” I inform her bluntly, sizing up her reaction.
It doesn’t take long for her to have one. Her expression closes down, and all empathy washes away by a mask of protection. “Then why did you leave?”
“I received a message. I had to go.”
She scoffs. “Right.”
“B, I’m not lying to you. Ihadto go.”
“How did you receive the message?”
I lift my wrist and show her my Rolex. “There’s a transmitter inside that emits a pulse. I had to leavethenso things didn’t FUBAR.”
“Thorn?”
“Yes?”
“What do you even do, really?”
I hesitate, my heart thudding in my chest. This is it. The moment to be honest. But how much can I say? “I work in…troubleshooting,” I say carefully, which is true enough. “It’s complicated.”
“Troubleshooting?” she repeats, clearly not buying it.
I exhale. “It’s hard to explain, but I’ll tell you more when we’re in the right location.”
Her eyes narrow slightly. “Right.”
I can’t blame her for being suspicious. I am asking her to trust me without giving her the full story. But I want to earn that trust, even if it takes time.
