“Anyways, your fiancé doesn’t have anything to worry about,” Gage said, beginning to walk again, his steps coming down hard and fast on the pavement beneath their feet, outpacing Fiona so that she trailed behind him. She sped up to match his pace, turning to look at him and seeing that he was chewing on his bottom lip. Evidently, he wasn’t as confident as he was trying to sound, and that gave Fiona a little more confidence. Maybe she could talk him out of it and manage to stay in the motel.
But…he did make good points, right? The case was what mattered, above all else, and what was the point in even coming here if she wasn’t going to maximize the amount of effort she spent trying to get into the mind of the killer? If she stayed in a motel, she’d have to spend at least an hour each day on the subway, to and from Gage’s office, and that was a waste of time that the kidnapped girl couldn’t afford.
She was just about to voice her agreement when Gage spoke again. “I mean, your fiancé isn’t that insecure, right? We’re just friends now, right?” He flashed a smile as he looked over at her, bright and brilliant, almost blinding. He always used to do that when he was trying to get what he wanted out of her. In the past she was usually so charmed by it, thinking it was adorable, like he was a naughty schoolboy talking his way out of the principal’s office. But now, it only infuriated her, making her ball her hands up into fists, swinging her arms harder at her sides.
Fiona was tempted to stay at the motel just out of spite now. But Gage had backed her into a corner. No matter what she said or did, he was going to get what he wanted, in one form or another. If she told him that she wasn’t going to stay with him now, after he’d said that, it’d be like she was admitting that her new relationship was flawed, and that was entirely unacceptable.
“Fine,” she spat out, feeling about as annoyed as she’d ever felt before in her life. But whatever. She’d deal with this just like she’d dealt with everything else. She wished she’d sounded a bit more casual about it. Gage probably knew how irritated she was, which only annoyed her even more. But she just sped up, walking faster, heading in the vague direction of downtown and turning whenever Gage instructed her to.
She’d just have to avoid letting Carl know about this. He acted unbothered by the entire situation, but men were men, after all. They were possessive and protective and often very unwilling to understand nuance. She had no intention of doing anything inappropriate with Gage, but that didn’t mean that Carl would trust her. Better to just keep things under wraps until the case was over.
“This is the place,” Gage announced after about fifteen minutes of brisk, silent walking. “I’m on the bottom floor,” he said as they stepped into the building. He unlocked the front door of his apartment and swung it open for Fiona, who hesitated for a second before walking in, looking around at her surroundings. It was a lot more depressing than their old home together, that was for sure. She figured it must be cheaper. It wasn’t easy for a single person to live in the city on their own. Gage flicked on the lights, and Fiona could see a thick layer of dust over almost every surface in the living room, practically filling the air like smoke. Jesus, this place needed a woman’s touch. “You been staying in the office at night or something?” she asked without thinking. She’d wanted to maintain a certain degree of distance with Gage, act professional the whole time. But she was just so curious. She couldn’t help herself from asking about his life now.
“Um, yeah, pretty much,” Gage admitted as he locked the front door behind them, stepping past Fiona into the kitchen. “You want something to drink? Water?”
“I’ll have some whiskey if you still have it,” Fiona said, again her tongue moving of its own accord while her brain took a vacation. But whatever. The words were out there, and there was no sense taking them back now. Fiona resigned herself to the fact that she was going to regress a little bit while she was in the city. It was only natural. For her to be as healthy and normal as possible, she needed to stay out in the country, where things were safe and simple. As long as she was in the city again, she’d need to drink just to hold on. It helped her think; it focused her thoughts by burying her emotions deep inside of her. That was what she needed.
In any case, Gage didn’t look surprised. “I got some, sure,” he said casually, going into one of his cabinets to take out an almost-empty bottle and pouring out the rest of its contents into a wide shot glass for Fiona.