Her father frowned. “But tonight would be better, really, Vi...”
She gave him the sternest look she could manage. “I’ve made up my mind.”
He huffed out a breath. “All right. Tomorrow morning. We’ll get the room ready for you.”
“By we he means me,” her mother said.
“I’m not giving up my airport job, mind you, only my living space and only temporarily.”
After another long moment Zach relaxed. It seemed as though all the cops in the room did, as well. “All right, but I’m still spending the night on your sofa,” Zach said.
Her nerves ignited. “That sofa is as comfortable as sleeping on a sack of potatoes.”
“I’ll survive.”
“I don’t want you to bother.”
“No bother.”
“Zach, you can’t sleep on my sofa.” Exasperation crept into her tone.
“Then I’ll stretch out in your hallway and annoy the neighbors. They can step over me on the way to the elevator. The butcher will love it.”
She glared. He stared. She fisted her hands on her hips. He hooked thumbs in his utility belt and gave her a slow, sassy smile, one that said, “I win and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She could have resisted further, but the smile was edged with something deeper, something soft that played at the edges of his mouth, tangled with the stubbornness.
“The butcher stays awake until three in the morning and plays nonstop polka music,” she said in a last-ditch measure.
“Then I guess I’d better eat a hearty meal before I go off to the torture chamber.” He had the audacity to wink at her.
She shook her head, biting back the retort that would not do any good, she realized.
“How about some lunch?” he said. “All these cops are starving, right, guys?”
They all broke into loud agreement, probably happy the standoff was at an end.
Zach cocked his head. “You see? Starving.” He struck a plaintive expression that made him look all of ten years old. “Please feed us, Vi, before we keel over from hunger.”
Violet looked from Zach to her parents, to all the other cops gathered around the table and she knew that she had lost the battle.
Fine, she resolved. I’ll do what you want, just for a while, but I’m not going to let good guys or bad guys have control over my life.
“Lunch is coming right up,” she said through gritted teeth.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.