Chapter 6 #2
“Just like that? You gave it all up?”
I shrugged. “People change.”
Lifting my glass to keep from saying anything else, I drained it.
“I find that hard to believe.” He stared at me like he was suddenly desperate to peel back all the layers. I didn’t like it.
There was a long stretch of silence, during which I poured myself another glass. After a small sip, I looked up at him. My chest tightened with my next words, “I didn’t know that she had died until tonight. I saw it on the news, right before I left for the club.”
My eyes started to burn. I forced the tears back. The last thing I wanted was to cry in front of a stranger. Especially a sexy stranger who was sort of an asshole.
“I…” Swallowing, I forced my emotions down. “All I could think was that I’d never reconnected with her. I let things go between us. And then she just—died. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
Damn this fucking alcohol. It was making me emotional. I grumbled and set my glass down. “If I have any more of that, I’ll turn into a mess. You should probably take it away from me.”
He ran a hand over the shaved side of his scalp. “Any idea who could have done this? Did she have enemies? Was there anyone who might have wanted her dead?”
My first instinct was to deny the possibility.
Professor Miller was loved by everyone. She was strict with her students, but fair, and she always encouraged them to excel.
Her work was her passion. Which was probably why she wasn’t very close with the rest of her family.
I knew she had at least one sibling, a couple of nieces and nephews.
After her husband died, she threw herself deeper into her work and didn’t bother with much else. She’d never had kids, opting to focus entirely on her career. I was a part of her work, which was probably why she spared me the time.
A cold knot formed in the pit of my stomach.
A nagging feeling that I couldn’t quite form into a coherent theory.
I’d left the university because of Luke.
He’d known about my closeness with Professor Miller.
What if he’d found out what she’d done? How she’d hidden me from him?
What if this was his way of taking revenge. What if he’d killed her to get to me—?
“Well?”
“I… I don’t know.” I wasn’t ready to talk about Luke.
There was no way in hell I’d share vulnerable parts of my past with him.
Not even my friends knew, except Vivi. “I haven’t spoken to Jane for years, Bastian.
I don’t feel qualified to make any assumptions.
She could have met any number of people since then. ”
Assuming it was Luke did feel like a stretch.
“Fine. Perhaps you should sleep on it. See if any new theories come to you.”
“Sleep?” I frowned. “Where?”
“I’ve got a guest bedroom you can use. Come on, I’ll get you settled.”
“I’m not comfortable with that,” I managed.
“Well, sugar, that’s too fucking bad.”
“Is this because you still don’t trust me?” I demanded, rising to my feet. Because the feeling was mutual.
“You’re the best lead I have. So I think I’ll keep that cotton candy head of yours around a little longer, hmm? Come on.”
I clenched my teeth. My feet stayed planted where I stood. I glanced at the windows again. It’s not like I was getting out.
“I want to go home.”
“Tomorrow, perhaps. I’ve got some thinking to do first.”
“Your thinking is what got us into this mess,” I called after him as he disappeared through the arch. One second of silence ticked into two, into three—
“Damnit, Eleanor, get that cute ass over here. I’d like to get some sleep sometime tonight.”
I was tired too, and trapped. Despite every instinct screaming at me to keep fighting, I recognized defeat when I saw it. I wouldn't be going home tonight—and maybe that scared me less than it should have. Still, I needed to set boundaries. I wasn’t some lap dog who jumped on command.
So I planted my feet and crossed my arms, not moving an inch.
Bastian’s dumb face reappeared in the doorway. “Looks like we’re doing this the hard way, then.”
I was fully prepared for him to wave his hand, do some fancy magic, and put me into some kind of invisible binding like he’d done before.
Prepared to hate him all the more for his manhandling.
What I wasn’t prepared for, was for him to sling me over his shoulder and march out of the room.
Waving a hand to dim the lights as he went.
“What the fuck?!” I screeched, hammering him with my fists. “Put me down, asshole.”
His palm came down on my ass—hard. Accompanied by a loud slap and a sting that made my stomach flip. Heat rushed through me—not from anger. "Behave," he growled.
“You did not just—”
“I did. Now then.” Suddenly, everything heaved upright and I was placed back on my feet. I stumbled and he reached out an arm to steady me, wrapping it around my waist until we were chest to chest.
My breaths came faster, eyes locked on his. They were so green. So… pretty.
For a moment, it was like before, back in the alley, where everything else disappeared and time seemed to stretch around us. Then my brain snapped back into reality and I gave his chest a hard shove, putting as much distance between us as possible.
Because I was not attracted to a goblin bounty hunter. Especially one who thought I was a useful tool for his latest case. And certainly not one who trapped me inside his house.