“Better,” he grumbled, rubbing the area I hit.
We went round and round. Every so often, I’d glance over to check on Fin who continued stretching as if he were in physical therapy, not the Chief’s basement.
After an hour, the Chief called for a water break. I shoved the staffs onto the rack and grabbed a water bottle off a shelf in the corner of the room.
The shelf contained a neat row of water bottles, some electrolyte drinks, and various protein bars. The Chief didn’t like going back upstairs after he started training unless he’d finished. Said it was too hard to drag himself back down once he’d gotten away.
I handed Fin a water bottle, but kept my distance and joined the Chief on the mats to cool down and stretch after our workout.
“What are you going to do now?” the Chief asked.
I swallowed water in a large gulp. “Uh, eat breakfast probably. Why?”
He snorted. The man never did appreciate my snark. “I mean, what’s next? You can’t stay here forever.”
“I don’t know. The house is compromised so we can’t go there. No doubt my apartment is as well, especially with my landlord handing out keys to every cute boy who flirts with him.”
I cast Fin a glare which earned me a little smile.
“Your boyfriend over there has safe houses all over the world. I’m sure you can sneak off to one of them while you figure out your next moves.”
I eyed Fin. “You have safe houses, and you didn’t tell me?”
Fin shrugged. “What good would it have done after I was injured? You seemed to have a plan, so I was content to follow your lead.”
With a long exhale, I threw myself back onto the mat and stretched my thighs up to my chest. My muscles were sore from our last encounter with Esteban, but also from the spar with the Chief. We needed to leave so we could both heal ourselves and prepare for the next round.
Once I finished stretching, I headed back upstairs to shower and dress. The Chief and Fin were sitting in the kitchen eating when I came out. I grabbed a plate and stood against the kitchen counter while I shoveled eggs into my mouth.
Sufficiently fed, I looked to Fin. “We should think about leaving soon. Both of us need to train with our magic, heal our wounds, and make a new plan. But it just doesn’t feel right to plan without the Captain.”
“I know,” Fin said.
“Do you have a safe house in mind? Somewhere near the city so we can go in if necessary? I don’t want to go back to the house, not for a while. And there’s nothing at my apartment except clothes, which I can get anywhere.”
Fin pressed his shoulders back and nodded. “Yes, I have several that fit that bill. One I think would be best for a defensible position and minimal entrances.”
I clapped my hands. “Great. Then let’s get to it and leave the Chief to his bread making.”
The Chief snorted but kept his comments to himself.
Fin brushed past me to head into the bedroom and I made eye contact with the Chief, letting him know I needed to do this, and then I followed Fin.
Inside the bedroom, I closed the door behind me. “Look. We have some things going on right now, but I’m going to make things even more awkward by declaring myself the unofficial leader of this little duo. If I’m continuing on this oh-so-fun journey, I’m calling the shots.”
He didn’t respond so I crossed the room to where he sat on the edge of the bed. Then I lifted his chin gently to force his gaze to mine. “Did you hear me?”
“You want to make the choices from now on, yes, I heard you, Zoey.” There was an edge to his voice I didn’t appreciate.
“What do you propose then?” I asked. “You and the Captain called the shots for our last several encounters with Esteban and it didn’t work out well for any of us. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of getting my ass handed to me. Especially considering I’m a pretty good fighter. How about you?”
He kept his eyes on me as he threaded his hands around my hips and tightened his grip. Warmth spread through me, threatening to derail my resolve to keep him at arm’s length.
I sounded breathy when I pressed on. “Are we on the same page?”
He kneaded his fingers into my muscles, and I bit my lip to keep the moan stifled. We weren’t doing this, not until the secrets and lies were cleared away for good.
“Don’t think I’m going to cave just because you look pouty and touch me in all the right ways,” I added.