Page 86 of Broken Mercy
“Yeah, you look terrifying.” I drag her back inside and make her put the knife back into the block. There’s dinner waiting, which warms my heart in ways I don’t fully understand. We sit together on the couch, even though it’s late and we should head to bed.
“Talk to me.” She leans her side against mine, crossing her legs under her.
“Aren’t your feet going to fall asleep?” I poke at her knee.
“Don’t change the subject. You were out there for an entire day. What did you find?”
I’m tempted to keep it to myself. I don’t want her getting any closer to this than she has to be. But things are different now—I’m different now—and I don’t want to repeat the same old mistakes and patterns that keep on ruining my life.
I need her, and I have to accept that.
“Sam was dead on about the Davises. I’m pretty sure he’s friendlier with the grandsons than he’s letting on.”
“I mean, the Davis family is rich as sin, so?—“
“Makes sense Sam would hang around.” I run my hand down her thigh, touching her compulsively. “But the bad news is, Arsen’s watching them too.”
“Oh, shit,” she groans, leaning her head back against the couch. “Are you kidding me?”
“There’s a gap in surveillance though. Whoever Arsen’s using, they aren’t perfect. We’ll have a window, but it’ll be narrow.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ll watch them for a few more days to be sure, but you’ll have to play a part.” I force the words out like I’m dragging a hairball from my throat. I feel grimy and all wrong. “I need you, Tallie… in the house…”
“I’ll do anything, you know that.”
“I know.” I close my eyes to help steady myself. “I hate it.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Yes, I really do, and if there were any other way I’d do that instead, but I can’t get in there in the middle of the day without a distraction.”
“I’m your distraction?”
“That’s the idea.”
She pouts. “I doubt Mrs. Davis is going to be into me. Although Mr. Davis?—“
“Don’t be disgusting. You’re perfectly charming without using your feminine wiles.”
“True, but my feminine wiles are extremely potent.”
“As I well know.” I bend down to kiss her. “Seriously Tallie. You don’t have to do this. Maybe Sam?—“
“He’s not possible and you know it.”
I grunt because she’s right. Sam’s being followed. If he goes to the Davis house, that’ll tip off Arsen and he’ll suspect something is up. Better for Sam to stay away.
There’s nobody else, as much as I hate to admit it.
“For the record, I want you to know how hard this is for me. I’ve worked in teams before over my thieving career, but always with other professionals, men and women who took the risk as part of their life. But you…” I trail off, not sure how I can explain it. If a getaway driver got nabbed, that happened, it was all a part of the game. But Tallie? She’s more. She’s everything to me now.
“I know, and it means a lot to me, you being open like this. It’s not easy for you.”
“No, it really isn’t. Most of my adult relationships have been defined by some measure of lying. There’s always a layer between me and other people, always a cover story or a game I’m playing, but with you, it’s just…”
“It’s just life.” She tilts my chin up and kisses me. “And just life is scary.”
