Page 10

CHAPTER TEN

ST. CLARE

Lars is going to kill me. Which means I’m now in a room with two people who want me dead, so that’s fun for me.

I didn’t stop and think that through when Perry was shot at. Instead, the need to get him out of danger kicked in, and then we were running and …

“I dropped my coffee,” I realize too late.

“It’s okay,” Perry gets out between wheezing breaths. “I made that one shit anyway.”

“You owe me a refund.”

He scoffs. “Think saving your life covers it.”

It takes me a second to follow what he’s implying. “Wait. You think they were after me?”

“Duh.” He finally straightens and paces to one side of my office and back, hands planted on his hips. He’s still wearing his Toasty Roast apron and a shirt that’s ratty, thin, and a touch too tight. Then Perry reaches between his legs and tugs at the crotch of his jeans. “Got myself chafed, thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me ? Would you have preferred that I left you there to get your head blown off?”

“Not my head they were aiming for.”

“It’s exactly your head that they were aiming for.”

“How do you work that out? ”

I glare at him. “Maybe because they yelled out that’s him and shot at you.”

“They were shooting at you.”

“Then why were you the one almost hit? Also, hate to break it to you, but I wasn’t even outside when it all went down. I only came out to help you.”

“Bullshit. I was helping you.”

“No.”

“You stepped outside. Then they yelled out. Then they shot at you.”

“That’s not what happened.”

Perry finally loses some of his bluster, and he sinks into the chair beside my desk. “Are you sure?”

“Very. Unfortunately, I have experience in these situations.” I’m not sure whether to say more or not, but fuck it. “Thanks to you.”

“ Him ?” Lars demands.

“Perry’s the one who tried to kill me.”

Before Perry can react, Lars storms toward him, wraps his hand around Perry’s throat, and lifts him partially out of the chair. “Who are you working for?” He squeezes so tight that Perry lets out a gargle. “Where’s Colin?”

“He doesn’t know where Colin is.”

Lars glances over at me. “How do you know?”

“He told me last night.”

“Last …” Anger flares behind Lars’s eyes. This probably shouldn’t be the first he’s hearing about it, but if I’d told him, there’s no way he would have let me out of his sight this morning. And I needed to see Perry to confirm that I saw what I thought I saw.

Lars releases him, and Perry drops back into the chair with a gasp.

“How about we all just …” Perry starts. “Take a second. It’s been a big morning, we’re tired?—”

“Shut up,” Lars demands before turning his attention on me. “You want to fill me in?”

It’s inconvenient to go back over everything when we’re potentially still being hunted, so I try to condense it as much as I can. “The masked man paid me a warning visit last night. I spotted him wearing Perry’s bracelet, so I went to the cafe this morning to make sure, and then Perry ran off, was shot at in the alley behind the cafe, and we bolted for here. You’re all caught up.”

His shoulders stiffen. “Were you followed?”

“No clue.”

Lars takes a determined step toward the door before pausing. Then, changing his mind, he walks back over to Perry and pulls a set of handcuffs from his belt. “Hands behind you.”

“That isn’t a smart choice for me.”

“It’s not a choice. Hands. Behind your back. Now.”

“What if whoever’s coming for us gets through you and finds us here, and then I’m handcuffed to a chair like sitting prey?”

“If they get through me, I’m dead, so I don’t think I’ll really care what happens to you.”

Perry puffs out a huge exhale. “Fair point.” Then he wraps both hands behind him.

Lars handcuffs him, checks the tightness, and leaves.

It’s so quiet between me and Perry that it’s clear neither of us knows what to say.

He stretches his long legs out in front of himself with a groan. “Fuck, this hurts.”

“Imagine losing your ear.”

“Almost did.” He tries to shrug, but it doesn’t really work with his arms pulled tight. “At least if they come for you, you can get away.”

“They were aiming for you .”

“Debatable. See, I don’t have anyone who wants me killed, but we have proof you do.”

That’s the faultiest logic I’ve ever heard. “We also didn’t have proof anyone wanted me dead until you shot at me. Welcome to the world of being wanted.”

My tone is as dry as fucking possible, but when Perry turns those big brown eyes on me, I’m not prepared to feel … sorry for him. Jesus. This whole thing is a headfuck of epic proportions .

His big white sneaker taps nervously against the floor.

“So, uh, how about those alien sightings?”

And like that, pity’s gone. “Alien sightings?”

“Yeah, there’s been an increase in UFOs entering our airspace.” His tone perks right up. “Do you know that there’s almost one hundred sightings a month on average? And it’s up from that. Plus, about a quarter of people have spotted one that it can’t be?—”

“Wait, wait, wait. You believe in aliens?”

He blinks at me, stunned. “That makes them sound like they’re not real.”

I almost choke. “Because they’re not.”

“Sheesh,” he mutters. “No wonder someone wanted you dead.”

“Excuse me?”

His goofy, lopsided smile comes out. “Too soon to joke about that?”

“It will always be too soon. But I have a good idea of who wants to kill me and why. The question is, who the hell is after you?”

No offense to Perry, but being a barista and newly disastrous hitman doesn’t exactly scream primary target to me.

“Ah.” He shifts in the chair, shoulders obviously getting uncomfortable. “I have a sneaky widdle feeling that it might be the same people.”

My face falls into a frown. “I’d say no offense, but your feelings aren’t high on the list of things I care about, so why the hell would some drug lord nightclub owners give a shit about you?”

If I didn’t know any better, instead of looking offended, he seems amused. “It’s only a hunch, but I don’t think they liked paying me for a job I didn’t do.”

“A job … me?”

“Yup.”

“They paid you?”

“What?” he asks, this time sounding offended. “You were supposed to be dead. We pinky swore.”

“Who’s stupid enough to take some crime lord’s money? ”

“In my defense, I didn’t know they were a crime lord.”

The fact he thinks that’s a defense at all proves that he’s stupid enough. “They organized a hit on someone. That didn’t raise red flags with you?”

He tries for another shrug. “Hey, man, we’re all just trying to get by out here. What’s one person’s red flag is another’s ideal quality.”

“Again: organized hit. Crime lord. Those are not ideal qualities.”

“Yeah, but don’t we all wish we could find someone who would kill for us?”

“I’ve literally never wanted that a day in my life.”

“Ah. Well. I am a romantic at heart, so …”

I raise my hands, giving my head a little shake. “How did we get here?”

“Well, your name came up for a job?—”

“I mean this conversation.”

“That’s anyone’s guess, but I’m enjoying myself.”

He’s … enjoying himself. We have him handcuffed to a chair because he tried to kill me, fucked up, and is now the one people are after, and he’s enjoying himself. I’m struggling to work out if Perry is the most laid-back person on Earth or is completely oblivious to the danger.

He makes a smacking sound with his lips. “Any chance of some water? I’m parched.”

“You’re handcuffed.”

“Sippy cup, maybe?”

Not for the first time in the last few weeks, I’m struggling to believe this is real and not an elaborate dream. And considering it’s a choice between talking to him some more or getting him the water to make him shut up, I go for the second option.

Without a word, I cross to my wet bar, fill a cup with water and ice, and then after a second add a straw.

Then I carry it back to him.

I’m about to hand it over when I realize that without hands, there’s only one option. I heave a sigh and lift the glass until the straw is right by his lips. “Drink.”

I try to sound snappish and fucking fail because at that moment, Perry wraps his lips around the straw. He’s so close, so suddenly, and his presence overrides every other thought in my head. His face is dusted with stubble, his large eyes are framed by dark lashes, and the thick black hair that flops over his head looks like it would be soft to touch.

Being attracted to the guy who tried to kill me feels like one more fuck you from the universe, so instead, I try to focus on his flaws.

Like the messy eyebrows. His too-big nose. The way he apparently fumbles through life, which is not at all endearing and would get annoying after a while. That he wears a child’s bracelet …

Shit. I can’t make myself hate any of those things.

Perry’s eyes flick up to meet mine, and between that and the way he’s sucking on the straw, a burning starts deep in my gut. All I can picture is those lips stretching wider as they sucked on something else.

“That’s enough.”

I yank the drink away and set it back on the table. If Colin could see me lusting after this guy, he’d force me to get a full medical checkup and take a week’s break. Lack of sleep really does lead to shitty choices.

“Thanks,” he says like none of this is anything out of the ordinary.

I don’t answer him.

“No chance you have snacks up here? Only, it’s supposed to be my break time?—”

“No snacks.”

“I’ll take a chocolate bar. Salted nuts …”

“I said there’s no snacks.”

He puffs his cheeks up with air and lets it all out again. “Bummer.”

“Bummer?” I lean against my desk, still looking down at him, less shocked at how his brain works and more curious. “Maybe it’s me, but you don’t appear worried at all.”

“Why would I be worried?”

“Because someone wants you dead.”

“We don’t know for sure it was me they were after.”

“We do know it’s you they were after.”

“Potato, pot-ah-to.”

“That doesn’t apply here when you were the only one there and you were the one the bullet almost hit.”

To my surprise, Perry’s lips twitch higher, and he lets out a soft laugh. “Can’t say that’s not comforting.”

“Not the word I’d use.”

He tries to move his arm, and when that doesn’t work, he shakes his head instead. “Comforting that they missed. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who does that.”

“Th-that’s what you’re thinking about right now?”

“Well, I’m handcuffed to a chair. I’ve gotta find my silver linings somewhere.”

“Most people would be worried.”

He thinks that over for a second. “Yeah, sure, I can see it. But really, what does being worried accomplish? As of right now, we’re safe. It’s all good. Whatever comes next will happen whether we worry about it or not.”

“There’s no we ,” I point out on reflex, but I’m struggling to hold on to being annoyed with him. Which is ridiculous because if you can’t be annoyed with the guy who tried to kill you, who can you be annoyed with? When Colin kissed my ex-girlfriend behind my back in high school, I held on to my grudge longer than that. I mean, we broke up because I’m gay, but still. Not cool.

On a scale of least to most fucked-up in life, shooting off my ear should definitely rank higher than that.

Perry gives me a sympathetic smile. “You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?”

“About what?”

“You know the …” He tugs his arm again, like he’s somehow forgotten again that he’s handcuffed. “ Pew pew . ”

“Pew pew?”

“Don’t make me say it.”

“Oh. So that’s your line, is it? Not doing it, but saying it.”

“It’s possible I may have some regrets.”

Instead of the anger I’m expecting at that, a secret little part of me is relieved. “Some, huh?”

“Well, let’s face it. If my aim had been a smidge to the left, none of this would be happening right now.”

My eyes almost fall out of my skull. “Wait.” I have to remind myself not to laugh because this whole fucking thing is so absurd I think my brain is done. “Your regret is that you didn’t kill me? Not that you tried to?”

“It’s a natural feeling. Nothing personal, of course.”

“Right. Because how could I possibly take that personally?”

“Not you taking it personally. It wasn’t personal, to me . I have nothing against you. When I said you were my favorite customer, I wasn’t lying. You’re a, umm, cool guy.”

Something about the way he fumbles over that gets my attention. Am I pissed? I should be. He just said he wishes I was dead right now, but apparently, I’m dumber than he is because the feeling is nowhere to be found. Instead, a smirk crosses my face. “A cool guy with a pretty mouth?”

“I-I panicked.”

“Like you did with dood gay?”

The way he squirms in his seat shouldn’t be so appealing. “I get flustered easily,” he says, voice squeaking that bit higher than usual.

“Flustered?”

“My mouth is stupid. A big idiot. Don’t trust a word that comes out of it.”

“Like our pinky swear?”

He hurries to shake his head. “No, no, that was sacred.”

“But I don’t have a pretty mouth?”

For the first time since he got here, Perry looks torn and uncertain. If I’d known it was this easy to knock him out of that chill persona, I probably would have teased him sooner. “I dunno, man. They’re … very … umm … pink.”

“Pink?”

“And I didn’t know that little bow thing was a real thing you could have without makeup.”

“Bow?”

“So, sure. Some people might, like, think that’s pretty. Handsome? Sexy? I don’t know, but I can see the appeal is all I’m saying.”

Sexy?

I’m about to cross all fuck it lines and ask him if he’s ever been with a man before, but my door opens suddenly before I get the chance.

Lars slams it behind him, and he looks pissed.

It takes me a second to remember why.

Right.

Potential murder.

Guys with guns.

Perry being a dangerous assassin and not at all the adorable puppy my libido is trying to turn him into.

I clear my throat and quickly straighten, subtly putting more distance between us.

“All clear,” Lars tells me. “Now, what the fuck do we do about this guy?”

Before I can answer, Perry speaks up, back to sounding like he’s a guest and not our captive. “I have an idea.”