Everything is pulsing: my hips slowly up and down as I finish coming, our bodies with deep breaths, our silhouetted, connected shadow that low lights cast on the wall. She tucks her elbows into herself and curls up on my chest. My arms surround her, one fastening her head in the crook of my neck and the other around her waist. I drift, still deep inside her and holding her close.
I’m awoken by a burning in the left side of my body where the bullets are buried. Cataline is still wilted against me. Last night she looked up from her hands and knees with pure, authentic fear in her eyes, but hours ago, she gave herself to me.
She sighs deeply, blinking at me with confusion in the new morning. I search her eyes for that fear, but I get an enormous, blinding smile instead. It’s like a hammer to the chest. I’ve seen her from afar smiling that way for other people, but never for me.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Fine,” she rasps and touches her throat. “I’m a little sore, but that’s all. I guess there was no fever after all.”
I smile and run my palm over her hair. “Good.”
“You slept with me.”
“You were shivering.”
Her eyebrows rise slowly, and she giggles. “I warmed up quickly.”
“Yes, you did.”
Her laughter fades. “You’re hurt. They shot you.”
“I was wearing a bulletproof vest.”
“But—”
“See for yourself,” I say.
She draws back to examine my chest with a feather-light touch. There’s minimal bruising and marring where the wound is mostly closed. She lowers her cheek to my pec and rubs against it. “I guess I was a little delirious.”
“A little? Your screams cleared the forest of wildlife.”
“I thought I’d escaped,” she says after a moment of silence. “I have so many questions, Calvin . . .”
Tension tightens my muscles. She removes her cheek, but I quickly blink away before she can make eye contact. “Don’t mistake my lack of punishment for yesterday’s mess as letting it go. You defied me, and like I warned, almost got yourself killed. Once again, I was there, coming to your rescue.”
Fuck. Before I can cover my statement, her eyebrows meet in the middle. “Once again? When have you ever come to my—”
“Cataline,” I say, heavy with caution. “What have I told you about questions?”
“But, last night—”
“No,” I cut her off. “Our arrangement remains the same. You behave, and we can keep things civil. Where in that do you think you get to do as you please?”
She’s forced to peel herself from me as I rise off the bed. “I’ll send Norman up to check your temperature.”
“Where are you going?” she asks as I pull on my pants.
“Where do you think? Work. If you’re going to risk a question, at least make sure it’s worth it.”
I just catch her surprised expression before I leave the room.
The adrenaline current she’s inspired serves to dull the pain in my shoulder. Norman is waiting for me outside the office with his toolbox of medical supplies. “Master Parish, we must remove those bullets.”
“Why do you think I’m here? And get Carter.”
“Yes, sir.”
I focus on my anger as Norman makes the call and then as he prepares his supplies.
“How is she?”
I glance at him from the corner of my eye. “Fine.”
“I trust she had a good night’s sleep? Rest is crucial for her full recovery.”
“You’ve made your concerns clear, Norman, but let me remind you of your place. You can help by checking on her when you’re finished here, and reporting her condition to me every few hours until I return tonight. That’s it.”
“Yes, sir. Anesthesia?”
“No. It only slows me down.” I recline against the back of the chair while he coats my shoulder with iodine.
“The reward for information has gone up. Police Chief Strong is once again calling for your surrender.”
“Over my dead body.”
“So you keep reminding me. Just please be careful. The reward is considerable, and these are desperate times. Perhaps consider lying low for a bit.”
“You know I can’t. Come in,” I call when there’s a knock at the door.
The only man in the house bigger than me enters and comes directly to the middle of the room. I’ve considered sharing my injections with Carter because together, we’d make a powerful duo. But I’ve never truly entertained the thought. “Carter,” I say with a nod. “What happened?”
“There’s no excuse.”
“You have one job. Secure the premises. Nobody comes, nobody goes, without my permission. How the fuck did the girl walk right off the property? And on top of that,” I glance up at Norman, “she’s gone for hours without anyone noticing?”
“This is a big property, sir. I could use a second pair of eyes.”
“I’ve told you before, there’s no one else. As it is, too many people know too much. Everyone on this staff is paid handsomely for their services and their discretion.” I pause, gritting my teeth as Norman makes his incision, slicing the scalpel deeply and quickly. “I can’t bring anyone else on board without knowing their allegiances are impenetrable.”
“You’re right. It won’t happen again.”
I push myself out of the chair with some effort.
“Sir, your wound—”
The burning in my shoulder is acute, but I ignore Norman and walk to meet Carter so we’re standing face to face. “When I hired you, you were at the top of your field. Is that no longer the case?”
“No, sir.”
“Because replacing you is a project I don’t have time to take on. And you know too much for me to just let you go. Understand?”
He swallows but holds my gaze. “Yes, sir.”
“If I can’t trust you, we have a problem.”
“You can, sir.”
“Don’t let this happen again. You’re dismissed.”
I turn my back to him and by the time I’m reseated, he’s gone. I grip the arms of the chair as Norman tears the skin open wider to extract the bullets.
35
I’m much calmer by dinner, and maybe even slightly remorseful for snapping at Cataline earlier. I find her in the dining room, seated and patiently waiting per Norman’s instructions. “Good evening,” I say.
She glances up from her lap. Her bottom lip is between her teeth, but then she smiles. “Good evening.”
I take my spot at the head of the table and gesture next to me. “You can sit here tonight.”
Her eyes dart between the chair and me. “Really?”
I sigh. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
She stands slowly.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, noting her limp.
“Better.”
Once she’s beside me, Norman arrives to recite the evening’s meal. She watches him with the same attention somebody would give a blockbuster show while her hands remain folded in her lap. When he finishes, dishes are set in front of us and wine is poured.
As I eat, I notice Cataline seems distant, her eyes far off, and her lips curled at the edges as though she meant to smile but forgot. She looks open, innocent, and beautiful, and I can’t resist. “What are you thinking about?”
“You.”
I attempt to hide my surprise. “What about me?”
“I was thinking about the first time I saw you at the office. You looked so serious, but also very . . . handsome.”
I grin. “You thought I was hot.”
She laughs and pushes my shoulder. I’m thankful my pain is completely gone, because I like when she does that. “Yes, I thought you were hot.” She sets down her fork soundlessly, and her smile falters. “I still do, Calvin.”
I inhale deeply and shake my head. “That’s a dangerous admission.”