“I am. I’m just a bit sore from the coughing.” That could explain the roughness in my voice, although we both know it’s not the reason for it.
“Okay, I’m sending Axel with the clothes. If you change your mind, he’ll be ready to take over. Talk to you later.”
He ends the call, but I keep the phone to my ear as I stare outside to give myself a minute before Delaney and Duke descend with their questions.
Finally, I pocket my phone and turn around. Duke is now sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. There’s a fresh plate for me. I sit down.
“Thank you for cooking.”
He nods. “You got bad news.”
“I did. You’ve been charged with murder and destruction of property in San Diego. But the good news is they’ve agreed to hold off searching for you until Brian has a chance to talk to you.”
He swallows his bite. “The FBI?”
“Yes.”
Delaney hasn’t touched her food. Her gaze moves from the eggs to me. “They can’t prove he did it because he didn’t do it.”
“I know,” I say.
Duke’s head jerks in my direction. “You believe me?”
I lean back. “I was there. In the parking lot. You weren’t. Nelson was responsible for all of it.”
Duke’s eyes widen. “You’re a witness? Holy shit! This is great. Call the cops in San Diego and tell them.”
I stand up and pour myself a cup of coffee. “Brian is aware of all of this. As soon as the police become aware of this, Nelson might find out and grow more desperate to get me out of the picture. If he starts hunting for me, New York is the first place he’ll look.”
“Why?” Delaney asks.
I sit back down and taste a bit of the egg scramble. It’s actually pretty good. “Mmm, you can cook,” I say to Duke.
“The secret ingredient is butter. It makes everything taste better,” he says.
I turn my attention to Delaney. “I live and work in the city.”
“Are you married?” she asks. Then her hand shoots to her mouth. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
I take another bite. After I swallow, I lean back. “Never married and no kids.”
She blinks a few times, then returns her attention to her food. We eat in silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts.
“I’ll clean up,” Delaney says as she stands up.
That reminds me. I need to send Reed their clothing sizes. “What size do you wear?” I ask her.
Duke glares at me.
Delaney’s mouth falls open. “What?”
“My boss is having someone pick up some clothes for us and bring them by. I need to tell him what sizes you both wear.”
“Oh. Medium.” She takes her plate and Duke’s to the sink.
“Extra-large,” Duke says. “On top. Medium or size thirty-four waist for the bottom.”
I send Reed a message with their information and mine, then carry my plate over. I notice the counter and stovetop are clean. Duke is not only a decent cook but a clean one at that. That is not something I would have expected.
