揑n that case, you should let her go home. You can抰 hold her hostage, Burns,?he growls.
I gaze at Dakota.
She bites her lip, her green eyes sparkling like gemstones in the moonlight. She抯 a portrait of dark beauty that fits my melancholy spirit too well tonight.
揝he抣l survive梬on抰 you, Nevermore??
揘evermore? You抳e even got a nickname? Shit.?Wyatt squints at me, calling me a dumbass without saying it.
揑t抯 cool. And I don抰 really have a choice because I need a ride back to my bike,?Dakota cuts in, offering her support.
揥ell, hell. I抦 glad you finally found yourself a hot one you抣l appreciate whenever you pull your head out of your ass,?Wyatt says. 揃etter than wasting your life away at the office and chasing after me.?
I smile painfully, shaking my head.
揗an, it抯 not like that. I told you. She抯 an employee. Nothing more.?
揧eah, and I抦 Paul Bunyan.?He stands up straight and turns to Nevermore. 揌ey, Dakota, since this guy insists you抮e his model employee, you wanna date me instead??
What the fuck? I could club him with that fake leg.
Now, I feel worse. I didn抰 bring her here to take ridiculous advances from what抯 supposed to be my best friend.
By some miracle, Dakota laughs it off with high, sunny humor I抣l admit I抦 becoming addicted to.
揝ure,?she says.
What the double fuck?
揇akota??My head snaps to her.
揧es, bossman? You look troubled.?
Damnation.
Maybe I should be feeling sorry for myself, instead of these two boneheads double-teaming me tonight.
揇on抰 call me bossman,?I snap off.
揥hy? Everyone else does.?
揧ou抮e not棓 I catch myself before I finish that sentence, ignoring Wyatt grinning like a wolf.
But she抯 not like everyone else, is she?
I never once asked Lucy to get involved with Wyatt and his troubles. Not once in the two years he抯 really spiraled down.
Dakota Poe is just an employee who has unprecedented access to the darkest chasms of my life.
Why?
揥hat抯 got your tongue, Burns? We抳e got a few strays roaming around here,?Wyatt says, ribbing me in the side with surprising force.
I whack him back playfully as Dakota laughs louder, clenching her sides.
揂re you two done having fun??My eyes flick to my tormentors, one at a time.
揌mm, I dunno. Fun is pretty hard to come by,?she whispers with that spear of a tongue before calling, 揌ow about you, Wyatt??
揘ah. This is more fun than I抳e had in a while. We抳e got him riled up. He always has a tell,?Wyatt says with a smile I haven抰 seen in months.
Oh, shit. Here we go.
揥yatt, do not,?I bite off. 揇on抰 go there, or I swear I抣l find a better use for this leg that involves your head棓
揕ook at his ears,?Wyatt says, fearless and pointing. 揟hey抮e redder than a cranberry.?
Smiling, Dakota leans closer, inspecting my mutinous fucking ears.
I抦 torn.
Torn between reaching out to touch her and swatting her away, or making good on my threat to slug Wyatt with his own prosthetic. In the end, I do nothing but glower.
揧ou抮e right! Holy moly. Those things could shame a fire truck,?she says with a messy giggle.
揘ow you know. His ears always light up like Christmas when he抯 embarrassed. Or lying,?Wyatt adds with a fuck you wink.
I so regret coming here tonight. Almost as much as I regret bringing Nevermore along for the ride.
揇akota has something for you,?I say.
揥ay to change the subject,?Wyatt points out, scratching his beard. 揇on抰 think we抮e done with you yet.?
Dakota stands and steps up to my side, holding out the box of Regis rolls for me to take.
揌ave you had dinner yet??
She shakes her head.
揟ake one,?I tell her. 揧ou might get hungry before we抮e back and we抳e got plenty to go around.?
She opens the box, grabs a cinnamon roll, and passes it to me.
I also take a roll before passing it to Wyatt. 揜est are yours. Just leave one for my mom.?
Without hesitation, Wyatt hoists a big roll from the box, bites a gaping piece off, and swallows. His table manners may suck, but there抯 no table here and I抦 just glad he抯 eating like he always does.
揌ow抯 your ma doing, anyway??he asks, chewing loudly.
揝he stays busy with her day trips and angel investing. Basically okay, but, you know…？I don抰 elaborate, taking a big bite of my own roll.
揝orry. I know it抯 been hard for her,?Wyatt says, smacking his lips.
揝he抯 a nice lady. What抯 the problem??Dakota asks carefully.
揘othing,?I snap, hoping she抣l take the hint as I stuff more pastry into my mouth.
揌is ma was the happiest lady anybody ever met before his old man passed,?Wyatt says, eyeing me. He knows to leave it at that.
揝he seemed very bright passing out cupcakes at the office,?Dakota says.
Wyatt chuckles. 揝o, Nevermore met your ma??
揘ot like that,?I rush out. 揗other still drops into the office from time to time. She抯 never taken to retirement well. Dakota works there, so棓
揕ookie there. His ears are all red again.?She points at my face, the little scoundrel.
I glare at her, swallowing a lump of pastry.
揑 should fire you on the spot.?
Compared to us, she nibbles at her Regis roll, pulling off a small piece at a time and stuffing it in her mouth. 揃ut you won抰。 Because no one else is going to wait half an hour for Sweeter Grind after work to fetch your precious grub.?
揃urns, you idiot,?Wyatt mutters. 揧ou抳e got the poor girl doing your dirty work now??
揇irty work??Dakota asks.
揌e knows I can抰 resist a good cinnamon roll from that place, so when he wants me to talk, he brings a box.?
揙h,?she says softly.
Yeah. Now you know, and you can leave me the hell alone about the damn cinnamon roll mystery, I think miserably.
Wyatt leans closer to me and whispers, 揇on抰 be like me, man. Wisen up before it抯 too late. She抯 a good one. Can抰 let the wrong bitch trash your life.?
揝he抯 just an employee,?I flare, hating that his brain flips back to his own bitter past.
His situation was more complicated than that, of course, even if Olivia was a self-absorbed banshee.
揓ust don抰 fuck it up,?he tells me.
I抦 annoyed that he won抰 believe she抯 just an assistant and that he抯 comparing Dakota to his ex, even if he means well. She抯 a firecracker, yeah, but she抯 not underhanded.
揝he抯 not Olivia,?I whisper harshly, looking up to make sure Nevermore stays glued to her phone.
Wyatt nods firmly, already chomping on another cinnamon roll. He bites off another big piece and coughs. I regret not bringing him some water.
揥yatt, are you taking anything to help with your cough??Dakota asks, her eyes brimming with concern.
揘o. I抦 fine. It抯 just a cold.?
揂re you sure? It sounds a little rough,?she tells him gently.
揑t抯 a shitty chest cold, but I抣l survive. I抳e had worse than this, right, Burns??
His eyes flicker in the moonlight. They feel like magnets drawing out my soul.
揌e has.?I don抰 say more.
He certainly isn抰 wrong.
How could I ever forget? Reaching for his hand, groaning as he pulled me from the debris.
That deafening explosion.
That panic as I threw myself on top of him, shaking him, blood fucking everywhere.
That improvised tourniquet I struggled to tie around his flesh, sure that he was about to bleed out, cursing God and the universe and everything in existence because I was sure he抎 just given his life for mine.