Page 202 of Bad Attitude
What proof do I really have that he waseverlying?
Am I wrong? Have I seen lies where there weren’t any?
“I’m sorry,” I mutter.
She doesn’t reply. I don’t blame her for that.
We wait in awkward silence, the sound broken by the kettle hissing, then boiling, then clicking off and fading to quiet. Camilla doesn’t bother to reach for a cup or ask me if I want a goddamn coffee.
I sit waiting, staring at the marble top, my mind racing yet none of my thoughts clear.
The front door opens, and I jump. Was that fifteen minutes already?
Camilla exhales quietly.
Declan strides in, the door closing behind him. He glances at his sister, then walks straight to me. Stopping a few feet away, like he’s suddenly unsure.
“Uh… hi.”
I just stare at him. Black shirt, jeans. Tattoos everywhere. Face more drawn than I remember. Pale blue eyes searching mine.
He clears his throat. “Thank you for… still being here.”
“Whatever.” What the fuck am I supposed to say to this man? The last time I saw him, I was slipping away before he woke up.
The time before that, he tied me up and sexually tortured me forhours.The time beforethat, he stuck a needle in my arm.
That’s not the basis for any kind of relationship.
Relationship?
Why the hell did my mind go there?
“So… uh…” He rubs the back of his neck. “You found my sister’s house.”
Oh, yeah. There is that.
Might be difficult to explain.
“Did you follow me?” he asks. “When I came here for Camilla’s birthday?”
Shit. Not so difficult to explain. “Yes.” Difficult to admit.
“Why?”
He’s askingmewhy? LikeI’mthe bad guy here?
Except I am. I’mtotallythe bad guy here.
But so ishe, damn it. And he doesn’t get to start with that. My anger flares.
“You askmewhy? Did you happen to tell Camilla youdruggedme?Kidnappedme? Drove me twelve hours across three states and kept me in a goddamnbasement?”
Camilla’s sharp intake of breath draws my eyes for a fleeting moment. She’s staring at her brother like she hasn’t seen him before.
“Uh… no.” He glances at her too, then focuses back on me. “We haven’t caught up recently.”
“But you would’ve, right?” I laugh bitterly. “So glad you share that much.”
