Page 24 of The Allure of Ruins

I squinted at him. “I refuse to have an entire conversation about what you’re better at than me simply because I missed whatever convoluted point you were trying to make.”

“It was not convoluted.”

I crossed my arms.

“It wasn’t,” he muttered belligerently.

“Sometimes,” I began, “not all the time, but on occasion, you have the psychological maturity of a five-year-old.”

“What?” he groused at me. “Nuh-uh.”

I rolled my eyes.

“So what? Who cares?”

“Could we start walking again? I’m freezing.”

Grabbing my arm, he steered me into the falling snow that was coming down quite a bit harder. “All I was trying to say was that I can take care of myself and you. Think about it. Have I or have I not been doing that for the past five years now?”

He had. He’d hired me and then assumed I would leave the state’s attorney’s office with him. Along the way, all my many breakdowns had been met with unconditional support and understanding.

All that was amazing, but it did not negate the fact that due to his heroic nature, he sometimes rushed into the fray when it wasn’t necessary. A lot of the time, taking a step back and looking at the situation, it was easy to see what was needed.

“This, right now, is a different thing,” I pointed out. “This is actual physical jeopardy you could be in.”

“Could be. We don’t know yet.”

“But you have to admit, if I’m not standing right next to you, you probably won’t get hurt. You understand that, right?”

“Maybe don’t start imagining what could be the issue before you know.”

“I will not have Genrikh Antonov, or anyone who works for him, anywhere near you,” I said firmly, yanking my arm out of his grip. “That will not happen.”

Grabbing me again, he pushed up the sleeve of his coat that I was wearing, took hold of my hand with his gloved one, and resumed walking.

“Why?” I said after a few moments, not minding the handholding as much as being steered around by my arm like I was ten.

“So you don’t run away.”

“As if you’re not faster than me.”

He grunted smugly.

“I will wait and see what they say, but seriously, I can’t have Gen⁠—”

“I have to tell you, that name does not inspire any kind of fear.”

“If you knew him, it would.”

“Yeah, really big man abusing people younger than him who don’t have his same resources and are basically at his mercy.”

I cleared my throat. “If he’s out, I’m sure there’s new ones, but⁠—”

“I wish I had a Xanax or an edible to give you.”

I smiled then.

“We’ll both have a shot of bourbon at the pub.”