Page 95 of Fractured Allegiance
I glance out the window.
Not angry.
Just calculating.
“I’m not useful.”
“Sure,” he says. “That’s why he keeps using you.”
I don’t answer.
Because I don’t need to.
The engine hums beneath us, too smooth for the roads we’re on.
Dom doesn’t turn on the music. Doesn’t fill the space. He just lets the hush sit there between us like he’s waiting for it to do his dirty work.
I watch the scenery bleed past the window. The warehouse disappears behind a veil of cracked fences and boarded-up storefronts. A dog trots past with no leash and no apparent destination.
The city’s always honest when no one’s looking.
It makes it harder to lie to yourself.
Dom finally speaks. “You didn’t even blink back there.”
“Should I have?”
He shrugs. “Most people do.”
“I’m not most people.”
“No,” he says, “you’re something else. I just haven’t figured out what yet.”
I rest my head against the window and say nothing. Let him circle the question without getting closer.
He’s never been good with silence, though. Not when it makes him feel like he’s not the one holding the leash.
“Silas was at your place briefly last night. Interesting.”
“Are you tracking him now?”
“Drazen is.”
I meet his gaze as I turn my head towards him, he’s been watching me the whole time. Like he’s waiting for a crack.
“He’s not subtle,” Dom adds. “He doesn’t have to be.”
“He’s not stupid either.”
“Maybe not. But he’s predictable.”
I lean forward, voice level. “If Drazen has a problem with Silas, he should say it himself.”
Dom gives a mock gasp. “Oh? Look at you! Protective now?”
“Don’t confuse observation for allegiance,” I remind him flatly.
“Oh, I’m not confused.” He grins. “I just think it’s funny how fast you started watching the watcher.”
