real Net-rat.
veritas rex joyrides with blanca , the tag reads. I’m captured at a red light, my arms around Seth, my platinum cuff clearly visible.
“What did you do?” Cal asks Seth. “Did you pay somebody to follow you?”
Seth starts to protest, but I don’t give him the chance.
“You did this?” I say, turning to him. “You tricked me?”
“Blanca, no—”
“What kind of bastard are you?” I shove my helmet into his stomach and then hightail it for the house. There’re about a dozen workers in the great hall, cleaning up after the party. I try not to run over a maid on my way to the stairs.
I slide the deadbolt behind me as soon as I get to my cloister.
Chapter Five
I’ve got this thing I do when somebody yells at me. I keep my eyes open but I try to look behind me, like I can see through the back of my head. I sit up straight and pull my shoulders down. Then I start counting. Usually by the time I get into the thousands, the worst is over.
The trouble with Cal, though, is that he’s not yelling at me when probably he should. He’s still royally pissed about me taking off with Seth last night. Cal saws away at his toast like he’s attacking it, but when he talks to me, his voice is eerily calm.
“I was improvising,” I say again. I must have said that a million times, but Cal still seems disappointed. “I thought you’d be happy.”
“I was worried about you.”
“But I was with your son.”
“Exactly!”
“But the plan—”
“The plan was for you to go for a walk around the estate where I could keep track of you.”
“I was improvising,” I repeat. “You told me to improvise. I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry! You know I’d never disobey you on purpose. I’m not like that.”
Cal looks beyond frustrated.
“You should have realized that going off the estate was a bad idea.”
“But you said I needed to get Seth alone, and I did. You said hook him, and I did that too!”
“But at great risk to yourself.” Cal wrinkles his forehead.
“I made him like me,” I say. “You said to make Seth like me, and you said I could improvise.”
“You risked your safety! I would never ask you to put yourself in harm’s way. I don’t want you to merely improvise, either. I want you to make positive choices about your own welfare. You’ve got good instincts.”
I shake my head. Cal’s being ridiculous. “Good instincts? The one time I try to improvise it gets all messed up!”
“But it didn’t get messed up. Alan was able to find you in time. We still got the picture.” Cal adds sugar to his coffee.
“Just barely,” I say. “I made it hard for Alan, and I didn’t think about what you’d say or how worried you’d be.” The tears are coming now, my training at work.
Cal’s voice softens. “We still got the picture.”
“But I worried you. I made you upset! I disobeyed !”
“It’s okay. People make mistakes. No matter what Seth says about me, I’m not a monster.”
“Of course you aren’t. But I’ve been horrible. I probably ruined everything. Seth might never come back again!”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“How do you know?” I ask.
Cal looks down at his wrist for a second. “Because Alan texted me. Seth is riding up the driveway right now.”
There’s barely enough time to settle this. I need Cal to know that I’m trustworthy. “Please, Cal. Please tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
Cal squeezes my hand. Then he leans over and wipes a tear off my cheek. “No, Blanca. You tell me. What should you have done last night?”
“Stayed home?”
Cal considers this. “Maybe,” he says. “But what should you have done before you left the house? You tell me.”
I’m totally blank for a second, but then I figure out the answer Cal wants. “I should have left a note.”
“Exactly! If you go someplace, leave a note.”
“So what’s the plan now?” I ask. “Seth will be here any minute.”
“Do
veritas rex joyrides with blanca , the tag reads. I’m captured at a red light, my arms around Seth, my platinum cuff clearly visible.
“What did you do?” Cal asks Seth. “Did you pay somebody to follow you?”
Seth starts to protest, but I don’t give him the chance.
“You did this?” I say, turning to him. “You tricked me?”
“Blanca, no—”
“What kind of bastard are you?” I shove my helmet into his stomach and then hightail it for the house. There’re about a dozen workers in the great hall, cleaning up after the party. I try not to run over a maid on my way to the stairs.
I slide the deadbolt behind me as soon as I get to my cloister.
Chapter Five
I’ve got this thing I do when somebody yells at me. I keep my eyes open but I try to look behind me, like I can see through the back of my head. I sit up straight and pull my shoulders down. Then I start counting. Usually by the time I get into the thousands, the worst is over.
The trouble with Cal, though, is that he’s not yelling at me when probably he should. He’s still royally pissed about me taking off with Seth last night. Cal saws away at his toast like he’s attacking it, but when he talks to me, his voice is eerily calm.
“I was improvising,” I say again. I must have said that a million times, but Cal still seems disappointed. “I thought you’d be happy.”
“I was worried about you.”
“But I was with your son.”
“Exactly!”
“But the plan—”
“The plan was for you to go for a walk around the estate where I could keep track of you.”
“I was improvising,” I repeat. “You told me to improvise. I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry! You know I’d never disobey you on purpose. I’m not like that.”
Cal looks beyond frustrated.
“You should have realized that going off the estate was a bad idea.”
“But you said I needed to get Seth alone, and I did. You said hook him, and I did that too!”
“But at great risk to yourself.” Cal wrinkles his forehead.
“I made him like me,” I say. “You said to make Seth like me, and you said I could improvise.”
“You risked your safety! I would never ask you to put yourself in harm’s way. I don’t want you to merely improvise, either. I want you to make positive choices about your own welfare. You’ve got good instincts.”
I shake my head. Cal’s being ridiculous. “Good instincts? The one time I try to improvise it gets all messed up!”
“But it didn’t get messed up. Alan was able to find you in time. We still got the picture.” Cal adds sugar to his coffee.
“Just barely,” I say. “I made it hard for Alan, and I didn’t think about what you’d say or how worried you’d be.” The tears are coming now, my training at work.
Cal’s voice softens. “We still got the picture.”
“But I worried you. I made you upset! I disobeyed !”
“It’s okay. People make mistakes. No matter what Seth says about me, I’m not a monster.”
“Of course you aren’t. But I’ve been horrible. I probably ruined everything. Seth might never come back again!”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“How do you know?” I ask.
Cal looks down at his wrist for a second. “Because Alan texted me. Seth is riding up the driveway right now.”
There’s barely enough time to settle this. I need Cal to know that I’m trustworthy. “Please, Cal. Please tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
Cal squeezes my hand. Then he leans over and wipes a tear off my cheek. “No, Blanca. You tell me. What should you have done last night?”
“Stayed home?”
Cal considers this. “Maybe,” he says. “But what should you have done before you left the house? You tell me.”
I’m totally blank for a second, but then I figure out the answer Cal wants. “I should have left a note.”
“Exactly! If you go someplace, leave a note.”
“So what’s the plan now?” I ask. “Seth will be here any minute.”
“Do
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