“I would appreciate it, if you wouldbothrefrain from provoking the other.” Despite the way she phrased it, there was steel under the velvet and lace of her tone. “Also, you need to stop getting hit.”
Wait—he hadn’t hit me. Then it dawned on me, she was talking to Fletcher.
“After that last beating, you don’t want to risk a brain injury.”
Last beating? He’d had some bruises when we went to meet him. I scowled and then focused on Vienna. The moment her gaze collided with mine, I stopped frowning. “He took a beating?”
“Yes,” she told me simply. “You could say that was how we met.” Her gaze cut back to Fletcher briefly then to me. “Too many blows to the head can cause a traumatic brain injury and I rather need his brain at the moment.”
I nodded once.
“Don’t give the big guy a hard time,” Fletcher almost drawled the words but I really didn’t need his help. “I kind of needed the wake-up call. My brain is already a little fuzzy from today.”
“Does that mean you decrypted his server?”
Fletcher let out a grunt of a groan. “No. That’s gonna take more than an afternoon. I do have it set up to start working on breaking through his encryption. But I have to go slow so I don’t trigger any bot programs that might erase the drives.”
“Oh.” A wealth of disappointment filled that single syllable.
“Drew, look,” Fletcher said, his voice deepening. “I get it. I’ll stay on it, I just don’t want you to think I could have it solved by midnight. I’d like to think I can. Dion might have been a traitorous, cock-sucking liar, but he knew how to do his job.”
“No, it’s fine.” It didn’t sound fine. In fact, it sounded anything but fine. “I want the work done right and if it takes time, it takes time.”
Glancing away from the meal, I flexed my fingers and then focused on Fletcher. “What do you need, to make sure it gets done? Food, clearly.” I gave him a once over. “Have you even showered today?”
The guy lifted his arm and sniffed at his pit and then shot me a grin. “No, but I don’t smell that bad, do I?”
Not the point. “Showers, as a general rule, improve your outlook and mindset by about two percent. Psychologically, they can also offer a boost to self-esteem and to your endorphins, which in turn improve your mood. You have fifteen minutes until dinner will be ready, go take a shower, change your clothes and then come back for food. After that, we’ll go over your meal requirements.”
The other man stared at me, almost slack-jawed. I frowned and pointed out of the kitchen.
“Move it.”
“Holy shit,” Fletcher muttered. “You’re serious. Dude, I didn’t mean to call you a house husband. You’re more like the butler in Hell.”
“That’s rude,” Vienna castigated him. “Rick’s essential.”
Yep, my pride enjoyed that little buff.
“Don’t push your luck, Fletcher.”
I grinned a little wider and he shot me a middle finger where she couldn’t see it. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Drew my love, but since we’re all about being supportive, I’ll go shower and after dinner, I can walk you through the decryption process so you can follow along with my progress.”
Oh, hell no. He was not stepping on my evening plans…
“I’m afraid I’ll be busy tonight. I have errands to run. I trust I can leave the two of you here and have you not kill each other?”
Shit.
As much as I wanted to go with her on the errands, she also needed me here to keep an eye on Fletcher. The weird thing about all of this though, was Fletcher’s expression. He didn’t seem any happier with her leaving than I was, but all he said was, “I solemnly swear I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“I won’t,” I muttered because I refused to lie. “But if he behaves, I won’t hit him again.”
“Thank you.”
After that, Fletcher vanished upstairs and Vienna returned to the living room with her wine. I missed having her sitting at the counter chatting with me while I cooked. But I wanted her to rest. By the time food was ready, Fletcher had rejoined us—freshly showered and his wet hair combed back from his face. His shirt declared, “No, you’re right. Let’s do it the dumbest way possible because it’s easier for you.”
I snorted a laugh as I set the loaded plate down in front of Vienna, then him, before I returned to the kitchen to get my own.