Chapter 41
“Should your case take you to an area with little-to-no cell service, be sure to coordinate with your HR team and schedule regular check-ins. This ensures they are able to stay up-to-date on your case and alerts them to potential dangers should you miss a check-in.”
Entity Employee Handbook: Warden Edition
Mill Creek was probably just shy of being called a river—it was large enough that Alexys felt confident they could follow it up the mountain without losing it beneath the thick kudzu that crawled across its banks.
Waylan followed them for a bit, hopping across rocks and skipping a few that caught his eye, before he finally left them to return home for the night.
Alexys was sad to see him go, and sad for the journey she knew he was doomed to repeat.
But she was relieved that he would be making the trip home alone.
The sun tucked itself behind the thick trees and distant hills.
The world would soon glow in shades of orange and red before fading to the dull gray and lavender of dusk.
The cicada song began to fade and merge with the awakening crickets, and cool evening air rustled the leaves above their heads.
The Appalachians sang a lullaby unlike any Alexys had heard before.
“I’m impressed your plan worked.” Nic’s voice was nearly lost in the noise around them, so he stepped closer to her until they were shoulder-to-shoulder as they walked. “From the way you’d described him, Waylan wasn’t someone I’d consider to be a reliable witness.”
“He was the only witness we had.”
They walked in step, Nic having slowed his pace to match hers.
“Clever idea, asking him for help. I would’ve rather had a map, but it was a clever option.” Alexys looked over at him, but he had his eyes trained firmly on the creek they followed.
“Thank you. I have those sometimes.”
“Human Resources.” Nic nodded as if it was an obvious answer to a question. “It’s a good fit for you.”
She frowned. “Are you feeling alright?”
He glanced at her, mirroring her frown. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
“Because you just complimented me. Twice.” She was half teasing him, but his stare made her feel like she’d said the wrong thing, so she shrugged and looked down at her feet. “Compliments aren’t really normal for us.”
“Friends can compliment each other, can’t they?” Nic asked.
“Yes, although friends don’t call each other by their last names,” she pointed out.
Nic sighed. “You can’t entirely blame me for that one. You always call me Dyre.”
Alexys shot him a look. “Oh, please. You call everyone by their last names. Even your so-called favorite employee, Zach.”
“What?” He laughed. “You know why, don’t you?” The way he said it confirmed that she did not, in fact, know why, and that she was about to feel very stupid. “I have two assistants named Zachary. Calling them Hornsby and Maxwell saves us all the headache.”
Okay, maybe she was that stupid.
It was insanely frustrating how easily Nic managed to flip a conversation back around on her. She tried to swallow her embarrassment just as Nic stopped walking and grabbed her arm, forcing her to do the same. He pulled her toward him, and his gaze was so pointed she felt obligated to meet it.
“I want you to be entirely honest with me, alright?”
Alexys nodded, surprised by the sudden seriousness of his tone.
“Every time the topic of friendship comes up, you either make a sarcastic comment or make a point to emphasize our status as coworkers.” Nic’s brow furrowed, and his expression began to look genuinely hurt. “Does the idea of us being friends make you that uncomfortable?”
Her mouth opened to answer with whatever conversation-dodging comment she could come up with fastest, but he interrupted her first.
“I want you to establish your boundary here and now. Be clear, Alexys, because I’m not willing to ruin our work relationship by putting you in a position to feel uncomfortable.
This trip is going to have enough repercussions as it is, so tell me where you want that line to be drawn, and we’ll draw it. ”
Something deep inside Alexys yawned open as Nic all but forced her to finally address whatever was happening between them these past few days.
It was the topic she’d been wrestling with ever since he’d crash-landed in her work trip.
Perhaps longer, if she was honest with herself.
But his blunt approach made her feel guilty as all hell because the only thing standing between Nic and Alexys having a friendship was her own pride.
She was clinging to the security of that first bad impression, and the way they pushed each other in meetings and always sought the other out for an argument.
So long as they remained combative, everyone was safe.
Alexys wouldn’t have to entertain the idea that maybe she did seek his approval, his admiration, and now, maybe even his attention.
She cringed at the thought. Surely a few days with Nic Dyre couldn’t result in a full-blown crush, right?
Ugh.
Baby steps. She had to figure out her current issues first. If she could find Elliot, get home and not lose her job, then get rid of her nightmares, maybe then she could explore whatever was happening between them.
Nic sighed and released her arm.
“Wait, Dyre,” she started. It was now her turn to grab his arm and pull him back to her.
“I don’t hate you.” Not the question he had asked, but it felt like a good place to start.
Her emotions were all rushing together and made her words come out in a jumbled mess.
“I’ve never hated you, not really. I actually wanted to be friends when we first met, but I thought you never liked me.
” It sounded so pathetic when she said it aloud.
Alexys wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole.
“I never disliked you,” he said, surprised. “You’re one of the few people at Entity I find capable of intellectually stimulating conversation.”
A questionable compliment, but she’d take it. “Then why are you always rude to me?”
Nic puffed his cheeks. He looked sheepish and fished around for an answer before muttering, “Because people are hard.”
If Alexys didn’t think it would undo all of their tentative progress, she’d have called him a moron. Instead, she bit her lip.
“You know, for the smartest person in the world, your people skills are incredibly bad.”
“Maybe, but you like it.” Nic quirked a smile at her, that sunny, toothy grin she was beginning to really enjoy seeing. “That’s why you haven’t given up on me yet.”
“Yeah, well.” She could feel a heated blush creeping up her neck as he continued to smile down at her. “Somebody’s got to teach you how to navigate basic human interactions.”
His hand reached up, and he bumped the back of his knuckles against her chin. His voice was soft and almost tender. “I’m glad you’re the one to do it.”
Alexys’s eyes, those traitorous bastards, slipped down to his lips, and she considered what it would be like to shut him up in a different way. How high would she need to go up on her toes in order to kiss him?
Baby steps, remember, her poor ego whispered. They agreed on baby steps. Friendship first. Elliot first. Getting out of here alive, first.
She forced herself to look away, but everywhere she looked was dangerous. His tousled curls that she wanted to comb her fingers through, the white t-shirt, and his broad chest that she wanted to run her hands down and …
“I’m sorry for making you feel that I disliked you.” He drew her attention back to his face and her stomach flipped.
“You don’t need to apologize,” Alexys said, their faces stupidly close for absolutely no reason. “I was just as rude to you as you were to me.”
Silence. Alexys spun on her heel, before she could do something foolish like grab his face, and hurried along the creek bed. Nic trudged after her.
“Reckon you owe me a coffee when we get back then, you know, to make it up to me?”
She glared playfully back at him. “Absolutely not. I still owe Natalie at least three coffees as it is. I can’t add you to my bill.”
Nic’s long strides easily brought him alongside her.
“Sounds like I’ll need to buy you coffee. I’m sure those double shot, sugary chai abominations are anything but cheap.” He snorted a laugh.
She tucked her hands into the sleeves of the too-big sweater, feeling ridiculously bashful given the circumstances.
“And how exactly do you know my coffee order?”
For the first time since she’d met him, Nic looked embarrassed. Color crept down from his ears before spreading down his neck.
“They write the order on the cup,” he said matter-of-factly. “You’ve always got one.”
Alexys smiled, pleased to finally have one over him. “Uh huh.”
“We should, um …” He gestured toward the creek. “We’re losing light. We should keep going.”
“Should we?” She teased him. She was enjoying watching him squirm. “Are you sure you don’t want to keep discussing our new friendship status?” He rolled his eyes, but the blush didn’t fade. It was so deep, she was willing to bet his skin was hot to the touch. She was almost tempted to check.
“No, I don’t,” he grumbled.
“Are you sure, best boy friend?”
He huffed and finally looked at her. His attempted glare fell short and only made her smile broader. “Don’t we have an employee to recover?”
“Yes, of course we do,” Alexys said. “I can’t help that you’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”
She hadn’t thought it possible, but Nic’s blush actually intensified. He muttered something that sounded an awful lot like “insufferable” under his breath and increased his speed. It really … was cute.
She followed after him, suppressing a giggle. It was a nice respite, their flirting, this feeling. It’d distracted her from the inevitable: night was coming, and they were no closer to finding Elliot.