Page 72 of Mercenary

Who gunned down five men.

Who may or may not be hunting your sister.

Right.

I pause and listen but don’t hear him talking. Maybe he’s just listening to whoever is on the other end? Or . . . he’s done with his conversation. Let’s face it, he’s big in many ways except with talking.

Hurrying over to the water bottles, I twist off a cap, squeeze the powdery content of two blue pills into the bottle, shake, then quickly tighten the cap back into place.

I’m back in the chair and innocently sipping from my own bottle of water when he stalks back inside and slams the door.

He pauses, looks at me, looks at the bottle by the burger, then back at me. And I swear his eyes widen ever so slightly, like he understands what’s up.

But I’m overreacting, right? How could he guess I’ve decided to give him a taste of his own medicine?

“You’re a lot like your sister,” he says, sounding . . . amused.

“In some ways more than others,” I manage to reply. This sudden change in mood sets me on edge. His mild manner makes me like him. It’s similar to liking a pit bull or rottweiler when their tails are tucked between their legs instead of when they’re barring their teeth at you.

He shakes his head as he grabs his meal and water, then comes to sit down on the edge of the bed, straight across from me.

I don’t dare glance at his bottle. Or react when his eyes meet mine as he opens it. The seal’s broken but fortunately, he doesn’t seem to notice.

“You’re right,” I begin.

He bites into his burger and chews. Takes a second bite and chews some more. No water.

But finally, an answer. “About what?”

“I should never have called you.”

Our eyes meet. Something flashes across his, briefly, before it’s gone. “No, you shouldn’t have. Too late now.”

“What do you plan on doing to me? I’m a witness, after all.”

“You’re more than that.” He bites off another mouthful. I want to encourage him to wash it down, better for the digestion and for my escape.

“So?”

“We wait.”

“For what?”

His lips lift slightly. Then he lifts the bottle to his mouth and to my absolute shock, chugs the entire contents. He even goes as far as to lick his lips.

Thank God.

I stare at him, wondering how long the roofie will take to kick in.

“A warning, Madelyn.”

Oh crap. I stiffen.

“Be extremely careful who sees you. And even more careful about who you fuck with.”

“What do you mean?” I gasp. He knows, I think. Of course, he doesn’t. He shot back the entire bottle of water like a dehydrated man trapped out in the Sonora desert.

He stands up and heads into the bathroom.