Page 60 of Aftershock
“No,” I say instead ofyou.
Her frown is adorable. “You didn’t order anything.”
“Who said I wanted to?” I smirk at her little gasp and head out to the doctors’ lounge.
12
LILITH
Leaving the hospital without Alaric feels strangely empty.
I only saw him a few hours ago, and I already miss the rough way he touches me. The obsession in his eyes. The heat rolling off his body.
And yet I don’t regret telling him to back off.
Because if he’s with me, it means he’s not hurting Harold like he should.
In fact, he hasn’t since he kidnapped the asshole. I know that because last night, when I watched his storage unit through the peephole I drilled into the wall on my lunch break, Harold looked clean. The lines on the monitors moved steadily, signaling he was alive, stable, and taken care of.
Meaning, he wasn’t harmed.
It dawned on me then that Alaric had to have been too exhausted or overworked to stay in the storage unit for more than a few minutes. It might also explain why he hadn’t stopped by the cafeteria until today.
That’s why I told him not to walk me home. I was leaving that time slot open for him, so when I settled in by the peephole later, I’d get to see what he had planned.
True, the mature thing to do would be to pull Alaric into a dark, camera-free corner and ask,Hey, do you kill bad people? Are you a vigilante? I’m kind of into that.
Only problem is, our relationship isn’t there yet.
So, as much as his absence sours my mood, I’m happy about my decision.
Besides, it won’t be long before I see him from the peephole. That is, assuming I’m not wrong about the whole thing.
“—and that’s how I came up with the idea of opening a bakery.”
Hope’s words snap me out of my Alaric daze.
Holy shit, she wants to open a bakery? This is important. More than important, it’s great news. She’s found something she’s passionate about. Something she wants to pursue.
“Wow, Hope.” Blinking the world into focus, I realize we’re a block away from home. I must’ve zoned out for most of the walk. “Are you serious?”
“I… Yes?” She sucks in a deep breath, then lowers her gaze to the sidewalk. “If it’s okay with you, of course. I can afford the ingredients and secondhand baking equipment with the cafeteria paycheck. And Delany’s willing to help. She was so sweet when I told her about this and promised she’d be my first customer. Renting a store, on the other hand, that’d be?—”
“Stop right there.” I take her hands, ignoring the new prickly sensation at the back of my neck that says I’m being watched. Hope needs the reassurance. Worst case, if someone’s after us, we can run and be inside our lobby in no time. “New baking equipment, rent—you’ll have everything you need to chase your dreams.”
“It’s a lot of money.” Moisture wells in her round eyes. “You’ve given me too much already. I wasn’t asking for more.”
“You don’t have to.” I squeeze her hands. “It’s your bank account too. Take what you need from it.”
“Lil.” She lifts her chin in defiance. “I only meant to ask for a loan, not a gift.”
“It’s yours, and—” I start, but one look at her narrowed eyes tells me she won’t budge. So I try something else. “What if we meet somewhere in the middle? You could put together a business plan.” The weight of someone’s attention presses in closer. I brush it off again. The city’s always crowded. Always. “Estimated revenue, costs, your long-term goals, and how you plan to get there.”
“So you can be my investor?” Her entire face shines brighter than the faint glow of the lampposts. “Or we could be partners? Fuck, yeah. That’d be amazing.”
“No, this bakery is yours and yours alone.”
“I said Ididn’t?—”
