Run to Ground(52)

After regarding her for another few seconds, he lowered his chin in the smallest of nods. Not quite satisfied, but knowing that was all she was going to get, she turned back around and continued down the hall.

Everyone stared at them when they entered the kitchen. Dee was standing, leaning against Sam, who had an arm around her and his other hand resting on Viggy’s head. The dog was pressed against his side. The twins were still sitting, but there was a similar tension in both, as if they were ready to bolt out of their chairs at any second.

“Theo’s here to pick up Viggy,” she announced, her voice sounding too loud in the otherwise silent kitchen. Still wrapped up in the relief that it was Theo and not someone else—a PI or a different cop or even her stepmother—that she hadn’t considered the kids’ reaction to losing their houseguest. After an extended argument about where Viggy would sleep the previous night, he’d ended up taking over two-thirds of Dee’s bed. Now, she braced herself for a tearful good-bye—on Dee’s part, at least.

Jules had underestimated her sister, though. Her words brought the tiniest of quivers to Dee’s bottom lip before she brought herself back under control, forcing a pageant-like smile that looked eerily real, even to Jules. Seeing that mask of a smile, Jules decided at that moment that they were getting a dog. Sure, they were on the run, but how much harder could it be to hide five people and a dog, rather than just five people?

Theo looked around the kitchen with the same cautious attention he’d given the entry and the hall, as if he was expecting enemy forces to jump out of the fridge. To Jules’s surprise, he didn’t make any move to hook up Viggy’s leash.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, unable to help it. Ignoring the burning lasers of Sam’s gaze cutting into her, she smiled at Theo. “I’m not working this morning, so we’re eating breakfast together for once. You’re welcome to join us.”

Seeing the scowl on Theo’s face, Jules braced herself for his rejection, but he gave one of his habitual, small, downward tilts of his chin—a nod. Her smile was huge. She could feel it, and she sort of regretted how happy his being there made her, but a part of her didn’t care about anything except that she’d get to have Theo for the next hour or so.

Theo’s company, that is, her mind quickly corrected, and she could feel the heat returning to her cheeks as the other ways she could have Theo rushed through her brain in an uncontrollable wave. Caught up in her mental mortification, she forgot about avoiding Sam’s eyes and met his gaze full-on. His huge frown told her exactly what he thought of her excitement.

“Can we have bacon, please?” Dee’s careful request brought Jules out of her thoughts.

She frowned at her sister. “Bacon? Since when do you like bacon?”

Dee shot a quick side-glance at Viggy. “I love bacon. I’ve always loved bacon.”

Jules let the complete and utter falsehood go, turning to the ancient refrigerator that they’d learned made alarming whining noises on a semiconstant basis. Today, the usual sounds were joined by a few loud thumps.

“It’s going to explode,” Ty warned.

Tio sighed. “It won’t explode.”

“It sounds like it’s going to explode.”

“It might break,” Tio said, “but it most likely won’t explode.”

Pausing with her hand outstretched, reaching for the handle, Jules gave her brother a look. “Most likely?” she echoed.

His head tilted to the side, and his eyes got that slightly unfocused look that meant he was doing math in his head. “About an 88 percent certainty.”

Her hand still frozen in midair, Jules did some math of her own. “That means there’s a 12 percent chance that a refrigerator will take us all out.”

Tio waved a hand as if brushing off her concern. “But it’s more probable it’ll just break. And if it were to explode, it would be minor.”

“A minor explosion. That’s…good.”

“You need new appliances.” Theo’s gruff voice startled her a little, since the explosion discussion had distracted her. “Call your landlord.”

“I will.” Dennis was definitely going to hear about this. He’d promised her a safe place to live, and to her, “safe” included having appliances that wouldn’t explode. Glaring at the avocado-colored surface, she yanked open the door and retrieved the bacon.

Sam silently accepted the package from her, taking the opportunity to give her a look when his back was to Theo. Since Jules was facing him—and Theo behind him—she kept what she hoped was a bland expression. Sam didn’t have to tell her she was being an idiot. Jules was perfectly aware of that fact.