Page 74 of Forced Into Your Arms
“Then why you worried about what I’m asking?”
“Because normal people don’t ask half this shit.”
I let out a laugh.
“You called me the Head of Atlanta Apartment Security. I’m just taking my position serious.”
She tried to hold her expression together, but I caught the smile fighting its way through.
“Don’t make me laugh. I’m irritated right now.”
“You can be irritated at me and still laugh.”
She just shook her head as I looked around one last time before giving an approval head nod. I then told her, “The place is decent.”
She frowned.
“Decent? That’s all I get after you damn near ran a background check on the building?”
“You want a certificate?”
“I want you to admit it’s secure.”
I put my hands in my pockets as I ran my tongue over my lips. “I guess it’s more secure than the last one.”
I wasn’t about to tell her that no place was ever going to feel secure enough to me again after somebody had walked into her apartment and left a bullet behind.
Milan wandered toward the kitchen, taking another slow look around. “I can see myself living here.”
I watched her for a second before looking around the apartment one more time. The only thing left was making sure she’d actually be safe here.
I studied her. She had been back in Atlanta for less than a month and had already moved out of one apartment, started a new job, witnessed a murder and been forced into a hotel. Finding a place she could picture as home probably meant more to her than she was saying.
“You should take it,” I told her.
She turned toward me. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not going to tell me the front desk is too far from the elevator, or somebody could climb down from the roof?”
“That second one is still possible.”
Her mouth dropped open before she realized I was joking. “You play entirely too much for somebody who acts serious all the time.”
“I’m serious when I need to be.”
“And when you don’t?”
“I mind my business.”
She laughed. “That’s a lie.”
I couldn’t argue with her there.
Angela returned and started going over the application process. Milan asked whether she could move in quickly, and the woman assured her the apartment was available as soon as the paperwork and background check were completed.
While they talked, my phone vibrated with a message from Mace.
