An apprehensive twang ran through my nerves. It didn’t feel right. And my instincts were honed by years upon years of experience with dangerous situations.
“If you’re having trouble finding something, I’m happy to lend a hand,” Blaze said in the same light tone. “Not to brag, but I can track down just about anything on the internet. And it’d be a pleasure to be of service.” He winked at me.
Another unwelcome shiver shot down my spine. Where was he trying to take this?
“That’s all right,” I said. “I can manage.”
I’d braced for another overture, but he just shrugged, still smiling and got out his phone. He might have liked attempting to flirt, but he didn’t seem to be all that committed. My pulse stopped thumping quite so fast.
It was fine. He wasn’t like—like the one who’d—
I shoved that thought aside before my gut could completely clench up and studied the screen again. Maybe if I modified by region? Tried a different word like “killings” or “slaughter”? I even added “household” to the string, as if the people who’d trained me were likely to use that term with anyone outside our home.
Nothing relevant popped up for any of that. I sucked my lower lip under my teeth, just barely restraining myself from giving in to the urge to nibble at it—a bad habit Noelle had badgered me about for years. I hadn’t hidden my reaction quite well enough, though.
Garrison sauntered over to the sofa, stopping behind Blaze but watching me. “You look awfully bothered by what you’re seeing, Dess.”
He had more snark in his tone than concern. I contemplated him as my fingers moved over the keys through the processes I’d learned to clear my search history. As perfect as his kindness earlier had been, it’d vanished in the time I’d been asleep, so I had to assume he’d been faking that reassuring persona. I couldn’t tell if this was the real him or some other front he was putting on, though.
Well, if he liked to snark, let’s see how he reacted to having it thrown right back at him.
“What, your face?” I retorted, looking him over. “I imagine you get that reaction a lot.”
That couldn’t be less of the truth, and he probably knew it. The sandy blond hair that fell in tousled waves gave him a beachboy vibe, and the rest of him—broad shoulders with an understated strength that wasn’t as spectacular as Julius’s brawn or Talon’s sculpted form but more impressive than the average guy—wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes either.
And when his lips curled with a hint of a smirk, a flicker of adrenaline shot through my system that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
“You’ll be comforted knowing that my face has never been called bothersome before,” he said.
I raised my eyebrows as if in disbelief. “I guess your company hasn’t been very honest with you, then.”
Blaze cut into our conversation, leaning forward and reaching for the laptop. “What are you looking up?”
“Nothing now.” I tossed it back to him and got up, stretching my arms as if I was bored with the conversation but taking the opportunity to meander a little closer to the door.
The second Blaze flipped open the laptop, my gaze darted to him. He aimed one of those bright grins at me as if he was enjoying showing off. “Easy enough to find out for myself.”
Wait. He couldn’t—
But he was tapping away on the keys, his gaze sharpening into an intentness I’d only witnessed briefly before. Cold fingers clamped around my stomach. All at once, I was sure he could dig up my searches no matter how thoroughly I thought I’d erased them.
If he found them, he’d know where I’d really been last night. Or at least that I’d been involved in something much more horrifying than a spat with a cruel boyfriend.
Whether these men knew more about the massacre than they’d let on or not, I was screwed. If they did know about them, I was super screwed.
I backed up a step, my pulse racing twice as fast as before. This wasn’t how I’d meant things to go.
“Here we are,” Blaze said cheerfully, and then his eyebrows drew together. His gaze leapt to me with a look that was unmistakably startled—and far too knowing.
Shit.
Pure instinct, driven by panic and self-preservation, sent me bolting toward the front door. A shout went up behind me. Talon charged after me. He reached me before I made it there, snatching my arm and spinning me around.
Thankfully, he’d grabbed my injured side, leaving my fully functional arm free. My well-honed body leaned into the momentum and jabbed my opposite elbow into his face. He dodged that blow only to step straight into the path of my ramming knee.
I caught him in just the right spot that pain spasmed in his expression and his grip on my arm loosened. Not much, but enough that I could yank free.
Julius had already moved to block my way to the door. With a fresh burst of adrenaline thrumming through my veins, my gaze locked on the nearest window, in the kitchen area. I hurtled toward it, ignoring the throbbing that was already spreading through my bruised ribs at the exertion.