Page 42 of Wicked Duty
A long, uneasy silence unfurls between us.
Then the strangest thing happens. Callum’s expression transforms into one of actual…sincerity? “Look, I’m your bodyguard. I can’t protect you if I’m twenty floors down.”
I frown. How dare he whip out logic at a time like this.
He shifts his weight as a slightly less-guarded expression stares back at me. “How about we start over? I know things between us aren’t great right now.”
Things between us aren’t great right now?Like we’re a struggling married couple.
Like my after-shower freak-out meant something.
“Oh, you think?” I drop the useless phone in its cradle. “Did you come to that conclusion yourself, or did you use a calculator?”
He casts his eyes toward the ceiling as if praying for patience. “Whether we like it or not, we’re stuck together for the time being. This situation will be easier on us both if we can try to reach some kind of accord.”
I pick at one of my nails. “Really? How?Please, do explain.”
His arms sweep wide open as if to say,What do you want from me?
“You’re the only one trying to pick a fight here, Lucy.” He sets his jaw. “Though I know I’m not always the easiest person to get along with.”
Understatement of the millennium.“I bet we’d get along a lot better if you didn’t say such dickhead things. Or destroy my property.”
His intense stare bores into me. If his eyes were lasers, they’d have burned holes straight into my brain. “I agree.”
The concession startles me. “You what?”
Callum blows out another breath. “I’m sorry about what happened with your phone.”
“Says the man who dropped it in boiling water.”
Well, that’s not the most eloquent apology ever, but beggars can’t be choosers. Brownie points for effort.
I chew on this new development for a moment, which gives him the opportunity to stride over to his duffel bag and extract a small object.
He stalks toward me, open-palmed…revealing a sleek new smartphone. A red one too. My favorite color.
Not only that, but the latest model.
My forehead wrinkles as I meet his expectant gaze. “What’s this supposed to be?”
“Consider it a peace offering.”
I cock my head. “And the catch is?”
“No catch.” When I make no move to accept the phone, he drops his outstretched hand. “An entirely new phone is the safest way to ensure Viktor Roguilin isn’t tracking you somehow. That’s why I got rid of your old one.”
Hold up.I narrow my eyes. “Yes, because obviously everyone knows that chucking a phone into boiling water without informing the owner as to why is a totally normal and non-dysfunctional way to behave. You couldn’t explain that part to me earlier because…?”
He shrugs again. “I’m not in the habit of explaining myself to others.”
I scoff. “You’re not in the habit of normal human interaction?”
“Maybe not, but I promise to try to be less…”
He trails off, so I happily jump in to assist. “Cold? Conniving? Stone-faced and standoffish? Completely and utterly dickish?”
“Right.” He brandishes the phone again, his lips quirking. “So, how about that truce?”
