Page 63 of Anarchy Missing

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - CASE

I might’ve said too much because Lulu gives me a long, hard look that lasts for several seconds. I shift my weight as I wait out her gaze.

“What are you up to?” she finally says.

“Why are you so interested in me?”

She huffs out a laugh. “I’m asking myself the same question.”

Well, that’s a loaded answer. It implies so many things, I snap into Molly-mode and start a list.

One. She likes me. She’s been thinking about me ever since she left town and now she’s back to… I don’t know, rekindle something. This is the best-case scenario.

Two. She knows something about me, or Linc, or Thomas. And she’s digging for information to try to link us to the robbery and the blackouts. This is the worst-case scenario.

Three. All of it—the chance meeting last night at the cathedral, the impromptu sex, the fact that the city was sabotaged shortly after she came back to town—is a coincidence. This could go either way because it doesn’t imply anything positive or negative.

Four. Someone is controlling everything and we’re both innocent. This would lead to big, big problems.

Two and four are what I think is happening, and neither of them are good. I frown, unable to stop myself from feeling the loss, though she’s not even something I currently have.

“What?” Lulu asks. “What are you thinking so hard about?”

I have several ways to respond. I could lie about everything and just try to get through this night. Then drop her off tomorrow and pretend we don’t have a past history.

I do want to lie, but I don’t want to walk away from her. Not yet. She’s just… what I always wanted, right? And now she’s here and things are going badly. But it’s not past the point of no return. Yet. We could work on it. Maybe put a little more effort into rekindling things.

Or I could tell her the whole truth and take my chances that she will see things our way.

That’s a really bad idea. I think she has some very deep-rooted opinions about justice and the law. She’s kind of naive.

Or give her a little bit of both. Not enough to make her want to hunt us down and lock us up. But just enough to keep her by my side for a little longer until Linc or Thomas can figure out what’s really going on.

I opt for option three. But what can I say?

“Case?”

“I’m thinking, dammit.”

“About?”

“How much I can trust you.” I sigh.

She shakes her head. “You’ve got it all backwards, Toy Man. I’m not doing anything wrong here.”

“Neither am I.” We stare at each other for another handful of seconds. “I don’t have anything to do with that bank robbery. And neither does Lincoln.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we’re already rich, Lulu. We have more money than we need. Why the fuck would we steal money? If I was going to steal something, I’d make it something I didn’t already have.”

“Like what?”

I shrug. “Like you.”

“You’d steal me?” She laughs. “Like kidnap me? Why would you say something like that?”

“Because… you’re the only thing I want that I don’t already have. I don’t need more money, Lulu. I need things money can’t buy.”