Page 58

“Hmm.” She tugged at her dirty outfit that she had changed back into. “Can I borrow a T-shirt or something?”

“Sure.” I was already on my feet. I was done anyway. I’d spent the entire day trying to chase one lead after lead, only to arrive at a dead end. With that, I had to reassure my father and make sure everyone was safe. That was enough to make me exhausted beyond reason.

Fifteen minutes later, both Bella and I emerged from our rooms, freshly showered. Separately, of course. The same scene as yesterday, only now we were wide awake, and she was wearing my shirt. The sight of it was enough to make me lose all my inhibition, but I forced myself to keep my eyes on hers.

This time, her glazed eyes took in every inch of me, almost in a new light. Good to know she was at least interested in my body.

I smirked when she noticed me watching her and averted her gaze, faint redness in her cheeks. Sometimes she was so easy to read. “Let’s head downstairs,” I said, leading her to the elevator.

“You mean your man cave?” she chirped, smiling widely. “So this is how you usually get there.” She eyed me as I entered the code.

I gave her a look. I had never brought a soul to this place, but she had already been here, so the entire point of hiding the real entryway seemed moot.

“Yes, please feel free to use it anytime.” My tone leaked with sarcasm.

A slight laugh bubbled out of her lips just as the elevator landed. “Let’s sit on the floor.” Bella walked inside like it was her home and dropped down by the couch.

“The floor?” I raised a brow. No one had ever asked me to sit on the floor with them.

“Yes.” She smiled. My traitorous dog curled up on her lap like it was his new favorite place, and she patted his head softly. “What’s his name?”

“Buddy.” I frowned at her, getting on the floor as she’d commanded. It was a bit uncomfortable but weirdly nice. Even the view outside looked different, almost as if the wide ocean wasn’t below my feet anymore—instead, I was floating with it. Funny how a different perception could change everything.

She chuckled. “You named your dog Buddy?”

I shrugged.

“Aren’t you like a nerd?” she asked. “You studied big things. I thought you’d name him Proton or Einstein or something.”

I stared straight into her wide brown eyes. “Want to let me in on how you were able to figure out the building was going to collapse yesterday?” The sudden change in my tone robbed the air of its lightness. Even Buddy noticed it and sent a low growl my way, but my eyes never left hers. It wasn’t like I wanted to doubt her, but it all felt too good to be true.

Bella smiled instead. “I know you doubt me, but like I told your brother, I’d rather die than work for the man who murdered my family.”

I nodded. “Fine, but it still doesn’t explain everything. Either you’re brilliant, or someone told you something.” I kept the same intensity in my voice, but it didn’t seem to faze her. “Was it your Valerian people?”

“No. I’m not actually very intelligent. I didn’t even finish school. I just have an eidetic memory,” she muttered, leaning her head against the seat of the couch. Her long lashes fanned over her eyes as she studied my face. “I just don’t ever forget what I see. Both a curse and a gift.” Her tone contained a slight sadness.

It all made sense. Her uncanny ability to connect everything. Her wild perception. And her keen eye for detail. Only someone like that could’ve saved us yesterday. Even then, I wasn’t sold, so I quietly listened to her explanation. At the end of it, doubt was the last thing on my mind, only unexpected admiration.

“I thank you, then,” I said despite every bit of common sense in my body asking me not to trust her. “For saving my family.”

“It’s what any decent human would do,” she said softly. “I didn’t want you to die.”

“Yeah?” My neck rolled back on the couch, matching her posture as I leaned closer. “Why is that?” I rasped. I had to fight a smile when her eyes widened at our nearness. From her, we were simply a breath away from a kiss. A kiss I knew without a doubt I could never recover from.

She bit her bottom lip. “I just didn’t want to,” she whispered.

I nodded and didn’t say another word as I shifted upright, averting my eyes like that moment didn’t happen between us. Something sick filled my chest at the thought that she found me attractive. Any real man with eyes would appreciate what a gorgeous being she was. But something about her, about us, was different. Like an undeniable fascination that kept pulling me in for no reason. Only crossing that would be the doom of me.

“I’ll get going then,” she said after a beat. “I haven’t been home in a while.”

“It’s late. Stay the night,” I said before I could stop myself. “We’ve plenty to discuss—it’s better to do it now that you’re well rested, and I don’t know when we’ll find the time again,” I overexplained when I wasn’t the one to. I didn’t know if I’d lied then or what the truth was, but I didn’t want her to leave.

“Okay.” She nodded with a smile. “But first, can we eat something? I don’t know when the last time I ate was.”

“Of course.”

After polishing off two plates of spaghetti, we were still in the same spot, only this time among a bunch of papers, with my laptop playing the footage from yesterday. Bella wanted to see every coverage of Timothy Walters in the Twins, though I was not sure why.