[Quinn 04] - The Silenced

What if he reached out and put an arm around her in his sleep? How would she react to that? Perhaps he should suggest that he sleep on the top of the covers while she slept beneath. That would put a nice, physical barrier between them, and lessen the chance that Quinn would kill him and drop his body in the middle of the ocean later.

When he finished showering, he dried off and pulled on a T-shirt and clean pair of boxer briefs from his backpack.

He was still thinking about the potential pitfalls of who slept where as he opened the door and hopped into the bedroom. “Do you have a side of the bed you prefer?”

Liz was sitting at the end of the mattress, holding a small brush in midair, but she was staring at Nate, a look of confusion on her face.

“What happened?” she stuttered.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your … your leg.”

His brow furrowed momentarily, then he realized he’d never said anything about his missing leg. Like that would have been an easy topic to bring up. “I was … in an …” No lies. “I got hit by a car.”

“Oh, my God. When?”

“A little over a year ago.”

“But you were running today.”

“Prosthetics have come a long way,” Nate said, echoing one of his doctors.

She moved around the bed to get a better look.

“Does it hurt?”

“Just sore. Like anyone would be after the day we had.” Perhaps not like anyone, but it was more the truth stretched than a lie.

“Do you want to sit down?” She moved out of his way so he could get to the bed.

“I’m not an invalid,” he said.

“I didn’t mean to—I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” He pivoted around, then sat on the bed and smiled at her. “Thanks.”

She sat next to him.

“Were you in the car when it happened?”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” he said. “You didn’t answer my question. Which side of the bed do you want?”

She was silent for several seconds. “This happened because you were working for my brother, didn’t it?”

“Liz, please. I don’t want to get into—”

“What is he?” she asked. “An assassin? Is that what it is? He kills people for a living?”

“No,” he said, knowing he was walking a fine line. “That’s not his job.”

“Then, what is it? What could he do that would make those men come after me? That would cause you to lose your leg?”

“I really think this is something you should hear from him.”

“He’s. Not. Here,” she said. “And I need to know. I want to understand.”

He thought for a moment, then took each of her hands in his. She didn’t fight it. “I’m not going to tell you everything,” Nate said. “I don’t think that’s my place.”

She started to pull away, but he held on.

“I will, however, try to tell you what I can. Okay?”

She bit her lower lip, then nodded. “Okay.”

“Your brother doesn’t work for a bank.”

Liz snorted. Then they both laughed.

“He’s also not an assassin. He’s hired by certain agencies and governments to provide a very specific service.”

“He’s a spy?”

Nate tilted his head to the side as he raised his shoulders a few inches. “Not exactly. But I think it would be fair to say that’s the world that he plays in.”

“So he doesn’t kill people,” she said.

“That’s not what he’s hired to do.”

“Then, what does he do?”

Nate hesitated. “That’s where I’m going to have to stop.”

She looked away. “And you? What do you do?”