Midnight pulled her sister into her arms “No, Junie-bug. We don’t have to move. This is our home. We’re safe. If we go out, we’ll just have to use the emergency exit, that’s all. Don’t you worry about anything. I’ll have a talk with Junayd. He’ll send the men away and everything will be like it was before,” she promised.
“You really like him, don’t you?” Junebug asked softly.
Midnight held her sister away from her. “No! No, there is nothing to like. He’s a prince, Junebug. I’m… this,” she said, waving a hand at her face and rolling her eyes.
“You’re beautiful, Mid. He would be lucky to have you in his life,” Junebug declared.
She released a strained laugh and shook her head. “I’m nothing like who he usually dates, remember? I’m just an oddity to him—a curiosity because I’m different,” she said.
“The toy on the shelf that he can’t have,” Junebug added sagely.
She nodded. “Yeah. The toy on the shelf that he can't have."
“Well... he sucks, and you're still beautiful. By the way, I was going to make hot chocolate, but we don’t have any marshmallows,” Junebug said, rubbing her hands together and rocking back and forth.
“I’ll go get some,” Midnight promised.
“The ones with the chocolate inside?” Junebug asked with a hopeful expression.
“The chocolate ones if they have them. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Will you be okay while I’m gone?”
Junebug smiled brightly and nodded. “Yes. I’m supposed to meet up with Jam-man. There is a new game that came out and we were going to test it for the gaming company. We're getting paid big bucks just to play… and see if we can hack through the programming, but mostly to play it and give our feedback on it.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few hours. Remember to keep the security system on once I’m gone.”
“I know,” Junebug replied, her eyes straying to her computer console.
Midnight knew her sister was already off into her own little world. She gathered her tote so she could carry the groceries they needed and an extra scarf. A glance at the clock told her it was after eight. The Yangs’ market store closed at nine.
She slipped through the narrow exit in the bathroom and went down into the tunnels. She came up a block from their home. From there, she stealthily got close enough to see their front entrance. Sure enough, there was a guy sitting in a black SUV. She strolled over to it and knocked on the passenger window.
The man inside didn’t jump. This was no sleepy-eyed detective sitting on a sting operation. He had a military alertness to danger. Her eyes flashed to the pistol he held pressed to his leg. She motioned for him to roll down the window.
“Which one are you? Issa, Hyder, Yahya, or Ziya?” she inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“You don’t know?” he dryly replied.
She shook her head and leaned her arms on the door. “Haven’t read the file on you guys yet. All I can tell you is Yahya is the best tracker and all of you are Special Forces. I'm guessing you are not Yahya.”
He looked impressed. “I’m Issa,” he grudgingly said.
“Go home, Issa. Tell your boss to go home, too,” she said, glancing at the bridge.
“I was ordered to find you and protect you. That is what I will do.”
Midnight pursed her lips in disapproval, though Issa wouldn’t be able to see it due to her scarf. She looked out over the landscape, and then sighed as she reached through the window, unlocked the door, and slid into the passenger seat. Issa's only sign of surprise was the slight widening of his eyes.
“I need to get some marshmallows for hot chocolate before the Yangs close. We’ll stop there before you take me to your boss,” she said.
Issa’s lips faintly curved in an incredulous smile. She put her seat belt on and gave him directions to the Yangs' store. He glanced at her curiously a few times as he drove. It grated on her nerves.
If Junayd had just minded his own business, she wouldn't currently be the freak-show amusement for one of his pet gargoyles, now would she?
“You are about to be fired from watching over me or unemployed altogether,” she snarked.
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
“Because if he doesn’t fire you, I’m going to have to kill him and then you won’t have a boss anymore.”