Part 19 (1/2)
After I took in the colossal mess in the room, it looked like a tornado and hurricane had met and danced for a bit, then gaped at him. ”Seriously?”
”Yeah,” he mumbled from under the covers, ”You got a problem with that?”
”Why don't you let housekeeping do it? That's what they get paid for.”
He flipped the blanket off his head, but still had his eyes closed. He snuggled a pillow to his chest. ”Don't be an idiot. I can't have some maid sniffing around me and my stuff. Who knows what she'd find.”
Exasperated, but truthfully a little relieved that this was all I had to do, I glanced around taking in the dirty clothes on the floor, and the empty beer cans and food wrappers on the tables, and thought it wouldn't be too bad. If this was it, I would do it without complaint.
But I looked back at Thane and his devilish appearance and didn't think it would really be that easy.
His eyelids popped open. ”Don't just stand there. Get to work.”
I eyed the pair of jeans at my foot and toed them with my boot. ”I'm afraid to touch anything in case I catch something.”
He grinned but it was humorless. ”I think you already caught it, sugar pop.”
Disgusted, I turned away from him and started picking up his clothing scattered all over the place. Jeans, t-s.h.i.+rts, socks, briefs strewn on just about every piece of furniture and over every inch of floor. The demon had more clothes then most girls I knew. It was odd. But it somehow made him more human. And that I didn't like to think about.
Had he been human once? Did some demon suck out his soul and make him this way?
I carried his clothes to the closet and dumped them on top of his two duffel bags. It was too bad he was in the room because I wanted to rifle through his stuff to see if there was anything Trevor and I could use against him. He had to have some kind of weakness. Even Superman had kryptonite. That's what I needed to find. Thane's green glowing rock of doom.
”You might as well shove them into that black bag. It'll be a lot easier to carry to the Laundromat that way.”
I swirled around to glare at him. ”I'm not doing your d.a.m.n laundry.”
”Sure you are.” His eyes bled black. ”Or would you rather I rip out your boyfriend's guts and feed them to Devon?”
I stared at him, my stomach churning, and my heart pounding. Fear p.r.i.c.kled its way up my spine. For a moment, I'd forgotten how treacherous Thane really was. He was a killer, plain and simple, and just because he was making me clean his room instead of tearing me apart, didn't make him any less of one.
He grinned then shut his eyes again. ”I thought not. I like fabric softener.”
Slowly, I turned back to his pile of clothes, then feeling under them I found the zipper. I unzipped it. Pus.h.i.+ng his clothes in, I probed inside for anything out of the ordinary. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for, but I was sure I would recognize it when it showed up.
Except there was nothing in the bag but more clothes, some socks, and a pair of runners, which again made the demon seem so normal. I glanced at the green bag. I unzipped it, and pulled it open. Holding my breath that he wasn't watching, I rummaged through it. There were tons of newspapers articles, cut out from various papers around the country. I caught a few bylines-one was over ten years old. Then my hand touched a rectangular wooden box. It was dark mahogany, varnished and inlaid with strange symbols.
Jackpot.
”I said black bag.”
I looked over my shoulder to see Thane standing behind me. I flinched, pulling my hand back. My throat tightened and my mouth went dry. ”Ah, I was just looking for more clothes. Might as well do them all at once.”
He moved toward the green bag, zipped it up, and glared at me. ”You have a lot of work to do. I suggest you get to it.”
Nodding, I backed up, and then turned to go into the living room to pick up the garbage. Thane's gaze was on me the entire time. He suspected something but obviously it wasn't too serious, because if it had been, I wouldn't be walking around still able to toss cans and wrappers into the trash bin. I'd be a pile of blood and guts on the brown s.h.a.g carpet.
About two hours later I dragged my a.s.s and Thane's black duffel bag back to Trevor's room. He'd been playing a.s.sa.s.sin's Creed but tossed the controller onto the table the moment I came through the door. He was on his feet and coming toward me.
”Are you okay? What did he do to you?”
I dumped the bag on the floor. ”Made me clean his room.”
Trevor made a face. ”He did what?”
”Yeah, sick right? I mean I'm not complaining considering what I imagined he'd do to me. I just picked up his garbage, cleaned the bathroom, and now,” I kicked the black bag, ”I have to do his laundry.”
He scratched his cheek, where the bruises from yesterday were almost gone. ”That's kind of strange.”
”I know, right?” I collapsed on the sofa. ”But I think I found something that may be useful.”
He sat beside me. ”What?”
”A box. There's something in it he doesn't want me to see.”
”Like what?”
”I don't' know, but he was p.i.s.sed that I was in his other bag. It's important Trevor. I'm positive.”
”Okay, how do we get it?”
”I think I can snag it when I take back his stupid laundry.”
”Too risky.” He shook his head. ”What if you got caught? You're already on his watch list.”
”What then?”
”I don't know. I'll think of something else.”
I stood and paced, too pumped up to sit still. ”Don't be dumb. This is our chance. This is what you wanted, right? Me to find a way in. That's why you brought me here isn't it? Because you thought he'd take an interest in me because I'm an anomaly.”
He stared at the floor for a few moments then looked up at me. His gaze was fierce. ”It's not the only reason.”
I didn't know what to say then. Something hummed in the room. I could feel the sizzle of electricity over my skin. The little hairs on my arms stood to attention. The b.u.t.terflies in my stomach trembled awake.
Trevor stood and came close. I put my hands behind my back so he wouldn't see them quiver.
”It's not just about revenge. I care about you.”
My mouth went dry and I licked my lips. ”I care about you too.”
He reached for me then, brus.h.i.+ng his fingers across my face and tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I leaned into his touch.
”I was going crazy waiting for you to come back. I was worried that he was going to hurt you.”