Page 41 of Finding Elodie
She didn’t give him a chance to respond, but turned to Aleck, thanked him for the ride, then strode over to the tree to wait for him.
The second she was out of earshot, Aleck turned to him and the easygoing smile he’d had on his face disappeared. “You gonna find out what the fuck is going on?” he asked.
“Yes.” Mustang’s answer was immediate and determined.
“Good. Because I like her.”
When Mustang scowled, Aleck chuckled.
“Not like that. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you guys are into each other. I just like her gumption. I don’t know why she didn’t contact you, but I’m willing to bet she’s got a good reason. Find out what you can, and Pid can use his skills to find out what we’re really dealing with. If he needs to, he’ll contact Tex.”
Mustang held up his hands. “Easy there. I’m thinking we don’t want to invade Elodie’s privacy the day after we meet up with her again.”
“We won’t be. Pid will,” Aleck said, completely serious.
“Just give me some time to talk to her,” Mustang said sternly.
Aleck sighed. “Fine. But you know Slate is gonna want information like, yesterday.”
“I know. But I have a feeling I need to tread carefully. She’s afraid.”
“She is,” Aleck agreed. “She does a good job trying to hide it though. Okay, fine. Find out where she’s been the last two months, why she didn’t call you, where she’s been living, and if she’s been in contact with the other employees from the ship or anyone else. We’ll need to know how well she’s hidden her tracks. If she is on the run, we’ll also need to know when we might expect company.”
Mustang freaking loved that his teammates had no problem wading into whatever was going on with Elodie. It was obvious that he’d been preoccupied the last couple months worrying about her, and now that she was here, they were one hundred percent devoted to solving whatever problem she had.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” he told Aleck.
“Good.”
“But you need to give me today and tomorrow. I’ll talk to everyone at PT on Monday.”
“Well, shit,” Aleck pouted. “We have to wait that long?”
“You do know that you sound like Slate, right?” Mustang said with a grin.
“Damn, I do. Okay, she’s been all right this long, another day and a half probably won’t make a difference,” Aleck said on a sigh.
“Let the others know, would ya?” Mustang asked.
“I will. Mustang?”
“Yeah?”
“I think she’s good for you.”
Mustang blinked in surprise. “You’ve known her for what, twenty minutes?”
“Maybe, but we all know what she did back on that cargo ship. How she didn’t hesitate to save your and Midas’s lives. Not everyone would’ve done that. And she’s funny. And it was obvious she was just as glad to see you as you were her. That kind of connection doesn’t come along every day. My suggestion is that you just go with it. See where it leads you.”
“And if it turns out she’s broken the law and is a black widow or something?” Mustang asked.
Aleck rolled his eyes. “That woman is no criminal. No fucking way.”
Mustang believed that too. If he didn’t, she wouldn’t be standing patiently waiting for him to bring her up to his apartment. He was a pretty good judge of character, and Elodie Winters needed a champion more than anyone he’d ever met. She wouldn’t ask him to be one for her; he instinctively knew that too. But she’d sealed her fate when she’d pulled the trigger on that rifle back on the Asaka Express. When she’d saved his life, she’d earned the thanks and respect of his team. And if they could help her in return, they would.
“I agree,” Mustang said.
“But seriously, if anything is majorly wrong, call before Monday. Okay?”
