The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 13 [a friend of his is a friend of mine | dizelde]

"What do you want to do?" he asked, leaning his hip on the side of the counter, brows raised, awaiting my response.

My spine stiffened. He was definitely trying to make me uncomfortable. Hell, it was working. What to do? I had no idea. Though it would probably be a good idea to avoid being in the same room as him.

"I think I'll just go to bed," I squeaked out, pushing myself away from the table to stand up.

"Are you tired?" The question wasn't at all concerned. He was trying to catch me in a lie.

I wasn't easily trapped. I nodded silently. He smirked.

"You sure you don't want to let all of the food digest?"

I shook my head.

He pouted, obviously outplayed... then his lips crept up triumphantly.

"You should wait up so I can introduce you to Fiachra. He's my teammate for the club team. He might stay here too late and, if I forget to speak up, he might just stumble into the guest room and drop dead on top of you."

That infuriating, proud grin near covered his face. I wish I had the same lie detection he did, or at least knew him well enough to figure out his tells. He had to be lying through his teeth. Wasn't he supposed to treat his guest politely and hospitably? He was like a demon with this subtle torture.

"I'm really tired," I said, remembering too late that he'd know it wasn't true. This time he had caught me. I was built for 3 - 4 hours of sleep per night and could survive without it for days. I could even go through one of Morse's more rigorous trainings right now without tiring.

The grin impossibly spread further, showing his teeth wolfishly. "It won't take long."

My shoulders slumped in defeat and I prayed that he wouldn't ask me what I wanted to do once more. I was about to crack.

"Come on," he beckoned me towards him like I was a child. "I've got a new Virtual Reality game we can play to pass time. It's low intensity so even someone who was actually tired could play it."

I glowered at him but he was already heading out of the room. I followed him reluctantly down the hallway. He stopped halfway and I wrenched myself back to stop myself from thudding into him.

"Just remembered." He turned and patted my shoulder. My heart jolted in my chest from even that simple contact. "You haven't been given a tour yet. Let's go."

It looked like he was going to place his wide palm on my lower back so I quickly sidestepped causing him to give me a confused but amused look. He enjoyed teasing me too much. I had to think of a way to get him back.

I barely listened as he led me through the different rooms. The games room, lower floor study, dining room - which was apparently rarely used - and even the laundry. He went through the instructions of using the washer-dryer, obviously sending the message that if I wanted my clothes cleaned I was to do it myself.

Then he made his way up the staircase and I trudged after him. There really was no point in this. I would be sticking to my room as much as possible. On the upper floor there was a room directly to the left and then the hall turned a corner, to other rooms.

He pointed to the door on the left which was slightly ajar. The smell of sweat, dirt and another unknown scent came from the room.

"That's my room. Serious consequences will incur if you go in there. And don't think I won't know if you sneak in." He tapped his nose, grabbed my shoulder and leant towards my neck. I jerked uncomfortably in his grip but it was too firm for me to get anywhere. He inhaled deeply and lifted his head to reveal his indolent grin.

"Kind of like cinnamon, tree-bark and seafood. I don't know how but the mixture works." His warming gaze studied my face for a moment.

I couldn't help it, I blushed, ducking my head so that he wouldn't catch on... hopefully. He released my shoulder and walked around the corner.

"Next is Garth's room. I'd recommend you don't go in there either. Not because he'll eat you but because it's hazardous for your health." He pushed open the door gingerly and it only got halfway before hitting an object with a thump. I shifted closer to Larkin so that I could peek in.

To use the word 'mess' to describe the state of his bedroom would have been a huge understatement. There was no visible floor, it was covered with clothes, notes, books, sheets, towels, and so many other things. There were PILES of junk in random areas and the only space that wasn't cluttered was his bed. The blankets were shoved down one end, one pillow on the floor, the other in the middle of the bed, wrapped within his creased sheets. Garth had seemed meticulous but I had definitely misjudged.

"Wow," I said inadvertently.

Larkin chuckled. "You should see his study." He pointed to the room at the end of the hall but didn't lead me over there. "I think I hear Mac's car in the drive."

I couldn't hear a thing. I looked up to him to see if he was serious and our eyes caught. For some reason I had the sensation that he'd been watching me for a while, and I mean days not minutes. I glanced away quickly, feeling the urge to hammer my head against the wall for nearly blushing again.

He all but galloped down the stairs and I followed slowly, not quite sure what I should do or where I should be. I was halfway down the steps when I heard the door open and Larkin shout out a greeting. I turned into the hallway and saw a tall blonde punching Larkin on the arm, not entirely playfully, and then saying something in muted tones with a scowl. Larkin, who was actually shorter than this guy, laughed loudly and ruffled the guy's hair before stepping quickly out of reach. He sighted me down the hall and jerked his head in a 'get-over-here' expression. I walked forward, still not sure what I should do.

"Fiachra, this is Garth's cousin, Diz, from the country. She's staying with us for a while."

Dark brown eyes assessed me curiously. Strangely, even though this guy was the tallest I'd met today, he seemed like the most approachable. Perhaps it was the sparkle of humour in his eyes, or the boyish face, but he seemed like someone I wouldn't have to be completely wary of... though not someone I could trust. I couldn't trust anyone. His features could hide a bad personality... though he seemed like a good friend of Larkin's.

"Dude, you never told me you had a chic over." He made a show of fussing with his hair and winked at me before turning toward Larkin and punching him again. I winced at the force he put behind it. Surely a friendly punch wouldn't look like it would knock out a smaller man... But weren't these two friends?

Larkin rubbed his arm and wandered towards the lounge room. "Didn't know til this morning. Apparently she ran away from home."

Fiachra's eyes snapped over to me, narrowed and appraising, before he followed. I stepped after him tentatively.

"Her parents are probably worried..."

I entered the room to see Larkin turn to pin his friend with an unyielding gaze. "Her father is abusive and her mother turns a blind eye." His eyes flicked to me and I saw something harden in them. He seemed like he was trying to send me a message. "Her running away isn't something you can 'fix'."

I expected Fiachra to get angry or defensive at being confronted as such but he just nodded his head and took Larkin's outburst in his stride. This was something they had in common. Surely they didn't learn it on the football field?

When Fiachra turned to look at me again, his face was clear of any seriousness. He was grinning, revealing very straight, white teeth.

"So, any guy waiting for you back home or is it my lucky day?" He chuckled good-naturedly but I rolled my shoulders uncomfortably.

Great, there were two of them.