Page 24 of Last First Kiss
Himself?
“Wait.” She shook her head as he stood and put their plates into the sink. “What?”
“What what? I’m going to go to the shed out back and see if I have plywood. I’m sure I do from the last hurricane scare.” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, looking confused about her question. A rational normal question, unlike the irrational man who was about to go outside and board up a window.
“No. Back up. You don’t think that’s it, right? Like, all the threats are now gone? That the studio’s going to say you’re good to go without a bodyguard? Do you?”
“No. Probably not. They do like the overkill. Sells tickets. Make it this highly controversial movie or whatever. But yeah, that’s about as crazy as it’s gonna get.” He washed the plates and she took them from his hands and wiped them dry.
“You know you could’ve been in that room. If that brick would’ve hit your head, you’d be dead right now or, at the very least, really hurt.”
“But I’m not. So, it’s all good.”
She was shocked. How dense was this guy?
He turned to her and leaned his hip against the counter. “Look, you’re in military mode. I get it. But not everything is all-out war, Tiger. Sometimes, it’s just . . .” He shrugged. “I dunno, people wanting attention.”
“Argh, you’re so exasperating. How jaded are you?” She dried her hands and threw the wet dishrag into the sink.
“Pretty jaded, actually. It’s rare that I’m in a situation that hasn’t somehow been manipulated by the studio or my PR people.”
“Are you saying this is a PR stunt? And you call me crazy?”
“No, I’m not saying that, necessarily. Although I bet it’s all over the news already, which is free press for El Traficante. Maybe those kids thought this would be their fifteen minutes of fame. Who knows?” He shrugged.
“Or maybe they wanted to kill you.”
He pushed himself off the counter and said, “You’re cute when you get all worried.” Then he walked away.
She shouted incoherently, her hands in tight fists by her sides.
“Loosen up. Today was a win. We caught your bad guys.”
“We caught two idiots, that’s all we did.” She said, jogging after him.
“I know you want to be the badass warrior, but enjoy this downtime. Tomorrow we’ll go shopping for some clothes for the events coming up.”
Annie groaned in frustration when he smiled that stupid dimpled, no-worry smile and turned. “You are such a sexist pig. You think you can calm me down by offering to take me shopping?”
“Relax. That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying tomorrow is a new day. There’s no need to think the sky’s falling right now.”
He was so thick-skulled she wondered if a dent from that brick would’ve done him some good. “Wait . . . and what did you mean you’re going to fix the window? You have a bazillion dollars. Can’t you like, I don’t know, call someone to do that.”
“I guess I could,” he said over his shoulder.
“But you’re going to do it yourself, aren’t you?”
“You’re quick, Tiger.” It was dark out as he walked over to a large shed he had out back, and she was following behind him. He opened the lock and opened the doors and fumbled around. “You don’t have to help. It’s late, go to bed.”
“After you were attacked? I don’t think so. You’re so far removed from reality you think there’s no real threat. I, on the other hand, am still treating this as real and present danger so just get whatever you need and let’s go.”
He turned back around and handed her a hammer and some nails. “Hold this.” Then he found a big piece of plywood and walked out with it.
“Do you even have a ladder tall enough? What if you break a leg or something? The studio’s going to have a heart attack. This can’t be a good idea. I mean, have you ever—”
He stopped and turned around. “She’s chatty when she’s worried about me. Noted.” He smiled and walked back inside as she glared at his back.
“I’m not worried. I just don’t want you to break something on my watch.”
