I drop my gaze. I hate this so, so much. “Any chance you’re leaving and might be able to drop me at my car?”
His smile is the definition of shit-eating. “I’m not leaving. I’ve got another group arriving for an overnight trek in an hour.”
“Right. It’s fine. I’ll call my cousin.”
He smirks and his hazel eyes seem to glow. “You think I’m dumb enough to let you wander around my headquarters on your own?”
He walks past me toward the lot.
I follow because I have no other choice.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Garrick
Blue is silent in the seat next to me as I pull out of the parking lot. She’s staring straight ahead, probably waiting for me to give her shit.
I’m not going to.
She got lost in the woods. It could happen to anyone. It’s happened to me.
Sure, she was only there because she wanted to pull a stupid prank on me, but I barged into her apartment with a chainsaw three days ago. I’m in no position to complain. I was pissed as hell when I left her apartment the other day, but I’ve cooled down and can admit I took things too far.
I’m pretty sure I truly scared her and I feel like shit about it.
“Where’s your car?” I ask.
“Eagle’s Nest trail head.” She leans back in her seat and gives me major side eye. “Just to be clear. We’ve called a truce, right?”
I snort. She can’t be serious. “Hell no. You were in the woods to string me up by my ankle in front of a group of clients. I’m not going to just let that go.”
“But I didn’t do it. This is the second of my pranks that has failed. You’ve won. I won’t retaliate. Can we just move on?”
Move on and let her continue blocking every one of my requests? Move on and let her think I’m okay with her being mayor and changing everything I love about this town?
She’s probably right. We should call a truce. I’m clearly not going to scare her out of town without upping my game to dangerous levels.
Still, letting her off the hook too easily is boring.
“Like I can trust you to stick to a truce. You’re a sneaky little demon, and the only way to keep myself and my business safe is to never declare a truce.”
She huffs in frustration, and I bite back a smile.
“Look, maybe we can call a truce if you do a few things for me,” I say as I park at the trailhead next to her car. Hers is the only one in the lot. It’s after five and getting dark.
I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if she’d been too proud to ask for my help.
I don’t want her to be mayor anymore, but I want her out of office because she’s admitted defeat, not because she froze to death in my forest.
The image that thought conjures, of her lifeless, ice-encrusted body, makes nausea roil in my belly.
“Do a few things for you? Did you hit your head today? I don’t owe you anything, Garrick Evergreen.”
“I’m not talking about you owing me. I’m talking about building trust. You do a few things for me and I can believe you’ll keep your word about the truce.” I’m already imagining all the things I could get her to do under the guise of building trust,most of which would require her to spend more time with me. A scenario I don’t at all hate the idea of.
But only because it would give me more opportunities to prank her, not because I like her. Obviously I don’t like her. I can’t stand her.
She’s the worst. The worst of the worst.
