Mac didn’t say anything; he just continued to stare.
She kept going in the face of his reticence. “Jason said—”
“You talked to Jason about me?” His tone was clipped; low.
Surprised, she looked up, her cheeks heating. “Not like… I mean, Mac, Iheardyou, and, and…” And what? Yes. She’d talked about him.
Leaning forward, he slammed the beer down on the counter. “You don’t talk to Jason about me.” His eyes boring into hers, he demanded, “You don’t talk toanybodyabout me.”
The demand chilled her, nearly stopping her heart. She was pretty sure she wasn’t breathing. “I won’t.”
“We aren’t bonding here; that’s not what this is,” he insisted.
Cassidy was at a loss. “Okay.” She wanted to ask what it was but didn’t want to push him. She tried to remember what Jason had told her about polytrauma. Did it involve mood swings?
Mac scrutinized at the mostly eaten food in front of her. “Good girl.”
She glared.
“Now, I can get back to what I was doing.” He headed around the counter.
Incensed, she reminded him, “This was all your idea, don’t put this on me. You chose to come back.”
“I didn’t choose to starve you and send you jogging only to have you nearly pass out on the road,” he shot back. “But you won’t be doing that again, will you?”
Swiveling on the barstool to watch him go, she said, “No, because I don’t want to give you an excuse to lord it over me.”
“Perfect.” At her door, he turned toward her. “And Day?”
“What?” she snapped.
“Lock your fucking door!”
Cassidy watched him storm out. His steady strides made the anger in them more menacing as he headed toward his truck. As he slid behind the wheel, his dark eyes penetrated straight through to her. She supposed she was meant to feel intimidated, but she didn’t.
Okay, she was a little. But she recognized the defensive lashing out of someone wounded. And he only had himself to blame because now she wanted to know aboutpolytrauma.
He backed up the vehicle and roared out of the drive.
Glancing at Fred, calm in the middle of the floor, she turned her gaze to the hall, thinking of Elijah’s computer beyond. Jason had told her to leave it alone.Machad ordered to leave it alone, but she didn’t think she could.
Slipping off her stool, she walked to the glass door, flipping the latch; there was no way she wanted him to return and surprise her in researching what he’d warned her away from.
“The fucking door is locked.”
Chapter twenty-four
Cassidy
ATTENTION AND AFFECTION
Cassidypulledherhoodieoff, tossing it on the bench. “Hi, Silas.” She accepted his hand as she climbed out of the boat. Fred bounded out behind her.
“Afternoon, kid.” He jerked his head in the direction of the store. “Mac Boyer is in there, just to forewarn you.”
“It’s okay, Silas; we’re in truce territory.”
He scratched his gray beard as he regarded her, giving Fred a pet. “You two are going to give me whiplash.”