He closes the door behind us, locking it, before he scrubs his hands over his face with both hands. "I promise, I'll tell you everything, but you have to listen. You have to know that I'm going to fix it."
"Fix it? Fix what?" That hysterical edge in my voice? Yeah, I totally can't help it.
Ben takes my laptop bag and purse off my shoulder and sets them on the counter, pulling everything out of them. I'm frozen in place, wondering what the hell he thinks he's doing until he grabs the bottom of both bags, holding them upside down and shaking them out. A pencil, a tampon, two lipsticks and a couple paper clips skitter across the counter before hitting the floor.
"What the fu-"
"SHH!" He says sharply.
I'm so angry I'm shaking. "Don't shush m- Hey!" I exclaim as he pops the battery out of my laptop. He picks up my phone, making sure it's turned off. I watch, mouth agape, as he takes my laptop and phone and shoves them both in his fridge.
"What are you doing?!" I yell.
Ben holds his hands up, his voice placating. "Relax, I'll make sure they're clean in a minute, but until I know what we're dealing with, that's the safest place for them. It's reasonably soundproof and should block any signals."
"Oh... Okaaay. Are we talking about the CIA, little green men?" I ask. He's lost his damn mind. I briefly wonder if he's pretty enough to stay with, even if he's low-key totally nuts. No. Probably not. Right? I mean… maybe.
But then he turns back to me, rolling his chocolate brown eyes. "Don't be sarcastic, Princess."
My heart and my head are at war, but he's earned a little trust, right? "Start talking, Ben."