The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 17 [physical attraction? -|- dizelde]

"Obviously you didn't find anything or you would have said something by now!" I huffed. I really didn't understand him. Was this a normal twenty year old manner?

He took a deep breath. "Three thick scars across your stomach. Dizelde, why weren't they healed properly? Why didn't you get a doctor to seal it or at least stitch it closed. It healed naturally. So close to your internal organs, that could have been extremely dangerous, near fatal."

I sputtered. He had managed to see those scars? I felt slightly violated. He had looked through my body, right through it!

"Sorry," he said slowly, unconvincingly. "You put your trust in me to fix you and I went too far." His fingers tapped his thigh and he tightened his jaw. "But you need to realise that you don't need to worry about being a burden. I will not be happy til I hear you say something to benefit yourself. I mean, Garth and I are quick to say what's on our minds and what we want without considering other's feelings most of the time."

"I really don't understand you," I admitted. "Why do you care? Why does it even matter?"

He bared his teeth in a wild smile. "You should be happy here. I don't want you to look back later in life and not know whether you preferred staying here or back where you trained as an assassin."

"But WHY DO you CARE?!" I felt like pulling my hair out. It would surely be less painful than this conversation.

He shrugged and turned around, making his way out of the room. "Maybe those clothes and 'just-got-out-of-bed' hairstyle are making my blood heat and my brain is determined to see you smile." He paused at the door and glanced back with a smug look. "I think you'd look pretty sexy if you were always smiling."

My mouth was open and I wasn't going to be able to shut it any time soon. I'd need to hit my head against something to reacquire the ability to shut it. Hit my head REAL hard.

"Oh and I'll get that story about those scars out of you, don't think I'll forget. Someone needs to pay for that. Such a sick person doesn't deserve to live."

He yanked the door shut behind him and I listened to his light tread down the hallway. Involuntarily, my right hand came up to brush over my stomach, the scars that went from near hip to hip seemed to tingle as I thought of how they came to be. Larkin didn't know the irony of his statement. Those scars were a reminder of the torturous and trialling way to train me into keeping silent when in excruciating pain, so that I wouldn't reveal anything if I were ever caught mid assassination attempt.

** **

"I'm really sorry, Garth. I really didn't...I wasn't thinking. I could have hurt you. I could have hurt Luke." I wish that I was standing so that I could pace or do something other than just sitting here, my stomach churning. I'd found Garth in the living room, typing something down on his lap-screen. He'd gestured for me to sit and wait. When he'd finished whatever he'd been doing, he'd turned to me and given me a look that said I should speak. Now he was watching me silently. My intestines were tying up into knots.

"I'm so sorry," I repeated myself, something to fill the silence. I wiped my sweaty palms onto my pants and then linked my fingers together. And then twisted them around each other. And then pulled them apart.

"There's nothing more annoying than an apology for something so minimal it would have been forgotten if it weren't for the apology." He shook his head with an amused huff and thrust the screen towards me. "You still want to do some work for me?"

I was a little befuddled by the sudden change of topic. Was I forgiven or not? Or had I made it worse by apologising? Was he angry at me? He looked a little grumpy. He shook the screen and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, um, yeah. Sorry."

He grumbled something under his breath and dropped the screen on my lap. "There are several documents in that folder on the screen that need editing. A lot of it is in my shorthand so if you don't understand something, ask me. When you're done, let me know and I'll show you how and who to email them."

"Uh-huh." I knew computers, hacking, finding any important information that's hidden. I even knew how to fix most problems, as well as make them. Editing wasn't something I'd done before. I just hoped that I had the attention span to do it properly. Especially now.

Was it weird that I could still feel Larkin's touch? That even now it made my cheeks warm? And his words... I couldn't tell if he was serious or not and that really got to me. Was he teasing me or... Or what? No, he had to be teasing me. I'd never been teased before but I'd seen it happen. It was kind of like flirting but... not? Did it mean anything? Should I really be thinking it over?

"Hey! Oi, sun-shine!" Garth was snapping his fingers in front of my face. "I need this done before the end of the day. You CAN do it, can't you?"

I squirmed on the couch and straightened my back. "Yeah, yeah."

He blew out his cheeks. "Go on then. You'll have time to think over your little crush later."

I snapped my head up to look at him, eyes wide with shock, but he was already facing away, leaving the room. I could hear him chuckling drily.