“I don’t grunt,” he defended, annoyed by the accusation.
“You do…” she said, full of calm.
“I…” Luke threw his hands up, realizing he was engaging in juvenile banter a moment away from him tugging her pigtail and her stomping on his foot. He grunted in frustration. How she got such a rise out of him so easily was beyond him – and he dealt with terrorists on a regular basis. Another grunt, and he shook his head.
“Two grunts in a row,” she sing-songed.
They ordered their drinks and were waiting at the pick-up counter when his phone rang. He stepped just out of earshot, keeping his eye on her the entire time he spoke to Liam on the other end. When the drinks were done, he hung up and returned to her side before he walked her back to Watermark.
“That was Liam. Carter called. He’s in DC now. All the usual players are where they’re supposed to be and there’s nothing out of the ordinary between Nashville and DC. A few follows along the way, but he expected that.”
“Follows?”
“He was tailed. A few people from Nashville followed him back to DC, and it doesn’t look like a coincidence. He’s following up with his team out there.”
“Is this a good thing? Because it sounds incredibly frightening.”
Luke heard the trepidation in her voice, and it bothered him that she felt the way she did. It was a serious situation, and scary, he imagined, to her, but this was what they did. “Daisy, he knows what he’s doing. Those guys did exactly what he’d hoped they would do. This is a good thing. We’re a step closer to nailing this thing down.”
“Did he say if…if anyone came here?”
“It was a clean run.”
“Do I get a lesson on how to speak Luke? I have no idea what a run is, or why it’s clean.”
Luke chuckled – something new for him that only she seemed to provoke. “It means you weren’t followed. You were on the run, it was clean. If anyone caught on that there was a witness, it was long after you were gone. This is a good thing.”
“Oh! So, I can go out more? I mean, I get that I have to stay here, but—”
“No.” Luke’s tone was firm, not his usual monotone, but more threatening. “You still don’t leave the building – we don’t know enough yet. And you certainly don’t do it without me or one of my brothers. And even then, it’s for coffee at Wired or the pub only, got it?”
“But nobody followed us.”
“That doesn’t mean they won’t find you.”
“What about exercise?”
“You don’t need to exercise. You’re plenty thin,” he said, looking her up and down. “But there’s a gym in the building.”
He had an answer for everything. “Fresh air. Everyone needs fresh air and a little sunlight. It’s healthy.”
With an eyeroll to beat all eyerolls, he fired back, “Balcony, rooftop, walks to get coffee or the pub. That’s it – no exceptions. You take me or one of my brothers, or you’ll really feel trapped.”
She gasped. “Fine. What about Ronan and Ryker?”
“What about them?”
“Am I allowed out of the house with them, Dad?”
“Dad? Jesus, Daisy. Fine, Ronan and Ryker too, but that’s it. Don’t even ask about Eva, City, or Sheridan. I don’t care how trained they are…it’s a hard no.”
“Because they’re women?”
“Yes! Because they’re women. Is that what you want me to say? They’re women, and we protect them, then we beat our chests and piss all over everything. How about that? Was that better?”
“Chauvinist,” she said under her breath.
“Pest,” he rebutted.
“Pest! You’re impossible. I’m a…a…prisoner, and I didn’t even do anything wrong.”
Luke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to face her. “You are a prisoner, you’re right.”
She crossed her arms in defiance. “I’ve been kidnapped and held hostage for my own safety. How does that even make sense? Prisoners have rights. They get so many hours of daylight and social time if they behave. This is too much.”
“Right on all counts, but remember, being a prisoner is what’s keeping you alive. Once they figure out you’re out in the world, they will be looking for you, no doubt. And they won’t stop until they find you. They’ll want to kill you like all the witnesses before you. Keep that in mind the next time you want some fresh air.”
Luke didn’t have anything more to say to that, because she was right. She was a prisoner simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn’t fair, she didn’t deserve it, but it was the hand she was dealt, and they had to make due.
She was stunned, eyes filled with uncontrollable emotion. She knew he was right, and that was the worst part. Plus, these people – these strangers – were putting their own lives on the line to protect her and getting nothing from it. She felt spoiled and selfish, and she was neither of those things. There were no words to fire back, so she waved her white flag.
He felt bad when he saw the emotion building because she didn’t ask for this. It wasn’t like her to behave this way. She was feeling trapped, like a caged animal. Just as Sheridan had said.
Luke turned and started to walk toward Watermark again, and Daisy followed. “What do you want for dinner? I’ll cook.”
Daisy shrugged. “What are my options?”
“Whatever you want. Anything,” he replied, hoping the gesture would be seen for what it was.
“I could go for a fat steak and a beer.”
He smiled. Again, something he didn’t do often, unless she was around. It was starting to feel familiar – feel good. Steak and beer, he thought. Dream girl. His own internal admission startled him. What was he thinking? But if he were entirely honest, despite their spat…or many spats, he didn’t hate that she was stuck there. In fact, it had only been a handful of days and he didn’t remember what it had been like without her.
He was in trouble.
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