Page 66 of Bend

That doesn’t mean she gets to do it too.

“And?” I ask. “What’d you decide?”

Her gaze flicks over my face. My mouth. Back to my eyes.

The look lingers long enough to make my pulse turn ugly.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

I should step back. I should shut this down before it slips into the territory I’ve been trying to keep us out of. But I’m standing too close and she smells too good and I’m still mad enough that every breath feels sharp in my lungs.

“You should’ve told me,” I say.

She nods once. “Probably.”

I stare at her. “Probably?”

Her temper flares. “Yes, probably. What do you want from me? A formal apology? A handwritten statement? You came out here already ready to hate me, so what exactly would satisfy you?”

“An answer.”

“I’m giving you one.”

“No. You’re giving me pieces.”

“Because you’re coming at me like I’m some threat to your precious fucking empire.”

My expression hardens. “Careful.”

“No, you be careful,” she snaps. “You don’t get to talk to me like I’m some calculated little snake just because I didn’t hand you a neat explanation on day one.”

I take one more step, and now we’re close enough that if either of us moved wrong we’d touch.

“Then tell me I’m wrong,” I say.

Her breathing shifts. So does mine.

“That depends,” she says.

“On what?”

“On whether you’re actually asking... or whether you already decided.”

There’s a beat where neither of us moves.

The evening air feels thicker out here now, warm and close and threaded with gasoline and dust. The chain-link fence rattles softly when the wind moves through it. Somewhere inside the garage, a wrench hits concrete and someone curses. It all feels distant. Muted. Like the world’s backing up to let this play out.

I drag a hand over my jaw, trying to keep my temper in check. “You know what? Fine. I’ll be direct.”

“That would be a refreshing change.”

I ignore that.

“If you’re here for something,” I say, “say it now.”

Her brows pull together. “For something?”

“For information. Access. A way in. Whatever angle you thought getting close to us would give you.”