Page 64 of No Headlines Please

Shit.

I took my time stacking the rent money – one orange five-hundred-dollar bill and five beige hundreds. As I straightened the new cash onto the appropriate piles, I carefully replied, "Not long in this place. But in Chicago, most of my life."

As I said it, it wasn't lost on me that this was the perfect opening to come clean.

Maybe thirty minutes ago, I'd busted out a bottle of chardonnay to keep us relaxed while acquiring fake properties. Now, Delaney's glass was nearly empty even if mine was mostly full – a good thing, considering I couldn't afford to lose my wits.

Then again, it would take a lot more than a single glass to put me under the table.

Instead of confessing, I asked, "How about you?"

She rolled the dice. "What do you mean?"

I knew plenty about where she'd been living. But I knew nothing of where she planned to go next.

From Cal's report, it was fairly obvious that Delaney was currently between homes – not technically homeless, but definitely not settled. And now, she was here in Chicago for a visit. Or at least that's what she'd called it yesterday, which implied that soon, she'd be moving on.

The thought of her leaving hit harder than it should've, and I heard myself say, "I just mean, where do you call home?"

She'd been moving her playing piece – a tiny pewter cat – seven spaces. But her counting faltered, and she looked up. "Actually, I'm not quite sure."

Without Cal's report, I would've been confused. Everyone called someplace home, right?

But not Delaney. At least not now.

But then, as if realizing her statement was unusual, she said with obvious reluctance, "I just moved out of my apartment – only a couple of days ago, actually." She finished counting, moving her piece to Kentucky Avenue and making no comment about the fact she already owned it.

It was my turn to roll, but I made no move to pick up the dice. "So you don't have a new place yet?"

"Not really." She hesitated. "I mean…I can work from anywhere, so I guess I've got lots of options, huh?"

She'd said it lightly, but underneath, I'd caught something else, something that made me sit up straighter. "So, why'd you move? You didn't like your place?"

"Actually, I loved it." She bit her lip. "But it was getting a little crowded."

I wasn't sure what she meant. Cal's report said she lived alone. Unless…did she mean the city itself? "Crowded how?"

"I just felt like I needed a little breathing room, that's all." She was no longer smiling.

I searched her face for clues. "What kind of breathing room?"

She scooped up the dice and started to hand them over so I could roll. But then, she drew back her hand and said with an unconvincing laugh, "You know that's not fair, right?"

26

Temporary Truce

Delaney

My turn was finished, but I was still holding the dice. I hadn't even realized I was clutching them until Maddox glanced at my hand.

It was his turn to roll, but apparently, I was holding his dice hostage until he responded to my comment about this not being fair.

I'd meant it to come out as a joke.

But I now realized something.

I wasn't joking.