“Sure, but you’ll have to undo these cuffs first.”

“Not you.” He jabs a thumb at St. Clare. “Him.”

“There’s that divide again,” I mutter. “Do what you need to, but hurry back, okay?”

Lars doesn’t even bother to answer me as he stands and heads for the door. St. Clare takes a little bit longer, attention still on me. “I don’t know what to make of you.”

“I have that thought about myself at least three times a day.” I shift again, trying to find a more comfortable position. “I think my butt is numb.”

“I’ll sort out your butt once I’m back.”

The words are heavy with innuendo that make my ears perk up. St. Clare was flirting with me. I’m sure he was. I’ve thought it before when I was just Perry, and that sort of made sense since I’m not terrible to look at and I’m pretty sure he’s gay, but now that he knows who I really am and has had to evade death twice, thanks to me, I would have thought that would dull the shine. Dim the attraction. Wrangle the peen. Whatever. The point is that who the fuck is self-destructive enough to flirt with a guy who could kill them?

As he walks out, my eyes stay pinned to his broad back, and then, very slowly, they dip toward his ass.

I mean … I don’t hate it?

Fuck.

What I should be asking is who the fuck is self-destructive enough to flirt with the guy he was supposed to kill?

Me, apparently.

Maybe I really do need that gag.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ST. CLARE

Today has taken a wild goddamn turn, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Could it actually be possible that Perry wants to team up? He was fast to suggest it, which makes me think it could be a plan of his to get close to me and finish the job, but if that was the case … why didn’t he finish it last night?

Apparently, it’s not hard to get access to me, so would an elaborate plan be necessary?

It’s a stretch.

“What do you think?” Lars asks the second we’re in the hall alone.

“Does it matter? You’ve basically already agreed.”

“I think it could work.”

“Why?” Out of the two of us, I thought he’d be the one who needed the most convincing. “You were ready to kill the guy a few moments ago, and now you want to team up with him?”

“Because if they really are after him, we can use that.”

“How?”

“By offering him in a trade. Perry in exchange for information on your brother.”

Well, that’s an angle I hadn’t thought of. “And how do I make this trade when they also want me dead?”