Free Touching Darkness by Jaime Rush

making me one.”
    Nanny? Well, of course, now that he knew she came from Darkwell money.
    â€œThis doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you,” she said, nodding toward the sandwich she was devouring.
    â€œIt’s probably better if you don’t.” After starting to grill another sandwich, he pulled out the blender and dumped in the ingredients he’d set aside earlier: pistachio pudding mix, peppermint extract, milk, an egg, and a scoop of spirulina, which turned everything green when he blended it.
    â€œWhat are you making?” she asked.
    â€œA protein shake. I have one every day.”
    She wrinkled her nose as he poured the green mixture into a glass.
    He held up the blender container. “Want some?”
    â€œNo, I’ll stick to the sandwich, thanks.”
    â€œJust keep remembering the terrible guy who forced you to eat it. I’m pushy, too.”
    Her mouth twisted in a wry grin. “You’re not pushyenough.” She quickly changed the subject. “What’s the green stuff?”
    â€œSpirulina. It’s the cyanobacterium that gives stagnant ponds the green color.”
    â€œOh, yum.”
    He took a swig of the shake. “Did you know that in India, it’s considered healthy to drink your own urine? One of the guys I worked with is a bodybuilder, and he swears by it. He’s failed to convince me.”
    â€œOh, now that’s just yuck.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re just trying to distract me from being angry at you.” She nodded to the sandwich. “Maybe soften me up so I won’t tell Darkwell.”
    He grabbed another plate and flipped his sandwich onto it. “So you didn’t?”
    â€œNo, but don’t go in there again. If he knows you’re snooping, he’ll fire you. I won’t cover for you next time.”
    Nicholas lowered his voice. “Would he do more than fire me?”
    â€œMy father can be hard. Dogmatic. Tough. He’s fought in wars, and, though I don’t like to think about it, I’m sure he’s killed people. But he’s a good man. He loves his country. I trust that what he’s doing here is for the good. I hope you will, too.”
    His mouth opened to say no way in hell but held his words. Sometimes neither a lie nor the truth worked.
    He finished his sandwich as she popped the last bite of hers into her mouth and licked the butter off her fingers like a child. Oh, but she wasn’t a child. As he looked at her mouth, which he was doing too much, he couldn’t help but remember how soft her lips were, how adventurous her tongue.
    She took the plates and set them in the sink, where the kitchen fairies would come and clean them, or at least it seemed that way.
    â€œThanks for the sandwich,” she said, as they walked out of the kitchen.
    â€œThanks for not saying anything.”
    Did Darkwell kill curious mice? At this point, Nicholas didn’t care about losing the job. The question was, would he die because of leaving or staying?
    They turned the corner to the hallway where his suite and the offices were. Sam Robbins was picking up some papers on the floor, looking more uptight than he usually did. No wonder, with Darkwell hovering over him.
    That eagle-eyed gaze turned toward them. At that moment the cell phone the Rogues had given him vibrated in his pocket. His chest tightened. Time to make a decision. He had thirty minutes.
    Darkwell stalked toward him and Olivia. For a disconcerting moment, Nicholas thought he might know about the phone. His gaze riveted on Olivia, and he forced the polite phrasing: “Olivia, can we speak in private, please?”
    Without a glance back at Nicholas, she followed. The man had her under his thumb, no doubt. He thought about poor Uncle Gus.
    Sam Robbins hurried down the stairs like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.
    Nicholas exited the house, needing a drive for the fresh air as much as the real