I Spy With My Little Eye

Chapter 12

Eli:

I walked into our hotel suite about one-ish feeling happier than I had in a while. Babysitting was surprisingly stressful. It probably didn’t help that the baby I was sitting was apparently the bossiest person in the whole freaking world. I sighed and switched on the lights in the living room area. I ran a hand through my hair as I made my way to the fridge to put my left over’s up. I was planning on having them for breakfast in the morning. I was relieved to have normal food.

We had gone to the Charcoal Broiler in Fort Collins. I realized it was pretty far to go for dinner when you had no car to drive there, but I treat my girls good when I take them out. That and they weren’t used to stuff like taxi cabs. Naturally I had two small steaks some mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms to show for the night. They never brought their left over’s home. They just shoved them in a box and gave it to me.

“Where have you been?” I jumped around pulling a knife out of the inside of my pocket as I did so at the pissed off voice that sounded behind me. I let out a breath when I saw it was only Grace. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stood before me in her pj’s. God, she looked cute when she was pissed. Her lips were pressing in a tight little line and her eyes were narrowed. She was so darn short I kind of wanted to laugh. But I held it in.

“God Grace.” I sighed leaning against the counter as I slipped the knife back into its original place in my jacket, “Don’t sneak up on a man like that!”

“You call yourself a man?” she asked rolling her eyes as she walked into the kitchen and to me. I watched her. Not caring to comment on her snide remark. She reached into my jacket and pulled out the knife with a look of disgust. I quickly grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t.” I warned. She was not taking my knife. I liked my weapons and the knife was one of my favorites. My sisters got it for me about two years ago. She glared up at me.

“And what are you going to do?” she challenged thrusting her chin up in the air in defiance.

“Don’t touch my knife.” I said watching her with cool eyes. I didn’t really want to hurt her, but she needed to learn that she couldn’t just boss me around.

She glanced from my hand to my face with a worried expression. Suddenly her face changed, and she looked confident. She knew she was my boss’s kid and I wasn’t about to do anything to jeopardize my job. What she didn’t know is that she had killed my good mood and I could care less.

“I’ll do what I want.” she spat sneering at me. I narrowed my eyes. I dropped my hand pulling her wrist and my knife with it. Twisting her arm behind her and pressing her up against the counter. I pressed my knee to the inside of her thigh pinning her pajama pants to the counter. With my free hand I removed my knife from her grasp and replaced it in my jacket. I leaned down so my mouth was by her ear.

“No, you won’t.” I said quietly. I let go of her wrist and stepped back. I was still standing really close. She spun around and looked up at me terrified. It was the same look she had given me when she first woke up yesterday. I hated that look. She looked at me like I was going to eat her. I sighed and hung my head quickly turning away from here and walking to my room. I heard her following me. Her room was right next to mine, so I thought nothing of it. I shut my door behind me and pulled off my jacket. I felt sort of bad for freaking her out, but I was sick of her bossing me around all the time.

“Where the hell were you tonight.” she barged into my room. I glanced over my shoulder she looked pissed. I didn’t fully understand why she was so pissed it was my business where I was and who I was with and what I was doing.

“Watch your language.” I said calmly. I really hated people swearing. It had always bugged me. Swearing just wasn’t classy. I didn’t let my own mother swear in front of me, no way was I going to let Grace swear.

“Answer my damn question.” She said through clenched teeth. There she went again with the swearing. How could such a pretty mouth say such an ugly word.

“Stop cursing.” I said calmly, I picked up a pair of sweatpants I had stolen from d**k and laid them on my bed. I didn’t care if she was going to stand there and demand me to tell her what I was doing, I was going to change. Jeans were uncomfortable.

“What are you going to F*cking do about it?” she challenged. I let out a long sigh and pulled off my jeans.

“Grace.” I said grabbing my sweatpants, “I’m warning you.”

“Why aren’t you answering my question?” she asked pointedly looking away.

“It’s really none of your business.” I said turning toward her and crossing my arms over my chest.

“Look I don’t care if you go out at night and all day, but don’t tell them what hotel you’re staying at got it.” she turned ready to leave. I reached out and grabbed her arm. I felt her tense at my touch.

“Izzi, isn’t going to tell anyone.” I said calmly. Neither of my girls would.

“Oh, so the B*tch has a name?” she scoffed glaring daggers at me. I let her go like she burned me trying not to overreact. Trying not to kill her. I took a deep breath and held it. She glared up at me expectantly. With a grunt I shoved her out of my way as I stormed out of my room, out of the suite, and out of the hotel. Breath Eli. I told myself, just breath, she didn’t mean it. She was mad, she’ll apologize if you just turn around and go back. I didn’t care that I was barefoot, and it was raining. The cool droplets of water felt good on my hot skin. I shook my head trying to calm myself down, but I kept walking. I didn’t care where I went, just as long as I got away from her.

I felt myself calming down with each step. I wasn’t about to forgive her, but I should at least go back and do my job. It’s not like Iz didn’t have her usefulness as my baby sister. I taught her how to do this job after all. So, what if I took an opportunity to see her and Cammi while working at the same time. It’s not like Izzi was employed with anyone yet. She was only seventeen and I was trying to get her to go to college. I paid her with a good dinner and what every else she wanted when she did little jobs for me. I didn’t want her to get as deep into the business as I did but she was resourceful. When the kid hacked into a security system for me from three time zones away, I had to admit that she was a viable asset to my job.

“Eli!” I heard her call my name, but I wasn’t about to turn around and acknowledge her existence just yet. She had insulted my baby sister. My baby sister who I had helped raise from the time I was twelve. Granite she didn’t know she was insulting my sister, but she shouldn’t be so judgmental. “Eli, please wait!” I could hear her getting closer until I felt her hand on my arm. I bumped it off and kept walking. She hurried to keep up with me.

“Eli?” she questioned. I didn’t respond, “Eli please just talk to me.” I dug my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants. “Eli come back to the hotel. You’ll get a cold.” I walked faster. I didn’t care if I got pneumonia at this point. I heard her sniff beside me before she whispered, “Eli.” Her voice was strange. I stopped suddenly and turned to face her. Even through the rain I could tell she was crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and starting to get puffy. She turned her face away from me. I felt my shoulders slump and I closed my eyes.

“Why are you crying?” I asked in a soft voice fighting off the overwhelming urge to pull her into a hug. What can I say? I’m an older brother!

“I’m not.” she sniffled trying to discreetly wipe her eyes. I suppressed a chuckle as I gave into the urge and pulled her into a hug.

“Yes, you are.” I replied softly rubbing my hand up and down her back, “Now what’s wrong.”

“You’re really warm.” her voice was muffled. I started to realize she was shaking in my arms and I felt even worse.

“Grace? Did I make you cry?” I asked not letting her change the subject. She was still except for the shaking, but after a few minutes nodded.

“Why did I make you cry Grace?” I asked holding her at arm’s length and tilting her chin up, so she had to look at me. Her teeth were chattering. I sighed and didn’t even let her answer before I pulled her close to be again. I picked her up because she was barefoot too and started to make my way back to the hotel. I had no idea where I was, but I had a pretty good sense of direction and could see the glowing red letters of the hotel from where I was standing. I quickly made my way back to the hotel and set her down on the couch. I went into the bathroom and grabbed two towels. I handed one to her and started making her some hot chocolate. She sat on the couch shaking. I hadn’t realized how cold she was. I let the milk heat up and made my way over to the couch. I pulled her into my lap and wrapped the blanket around both of us. I rubbed my hands up and down her arms. She was still crying. I could feel her body shake harder when she tried to take even breaths.

“Shhhh you’re fine.” I whispered resting my head on her chin, “you’re okay.”

“I-I’m s-sorr-rr-y.” she chattered her teeth snapping together rapidly as she shook. I was never going to get her warm with both of us wet as dogs. I picked her up, with the blanket still wrapped around us and made my way to her room.

“Put on some dry cloths okay?” I said leaving her with the blanket as I went to change. I didn’t have anything else comfortable, so I settled with changing into a pair of boxers and went back to her room. I knocked on the door.

“Come in.” her voice was hardly above a whisper.

“You’re hot cocoa is almost ready.” I said softly as she stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. She was sitting on the bed, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was still soaking and made her look like a drown cat. A cute drown cat but still she looked little and pathetic.

“Okay.” she whispered looking down at the ground and blushing. I smirked at her and her shyness, “Do you not have another pair of sweatpants.” she asked softly.

“I’m fine.” I said quietly suddenly feeling self-conscience. I grew up with a house full of girls. I never had any trouble walking around in boxers before. She got up from her bed and walked over to her dresser. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing, I highly doubted anything she had would fit me. She pulled out a pair of red and white plaid pj pants and walked over to me.

“Here.” she said still not looking at me, “They’re my dad’s, I keep them around for when he comes to visit. He hates packing.” I smiled appreciatively and pulled on the pants. They actually fit pretty well. They were a little big around the waist, but they had a draw string. “You said you had hot chocolate?” she asked sheepishly. I smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, everyone loves my hot chocolate.” I said. Without thinking I picked her up and set her on the counter like I used to do with Cammi when she was little or when she was upset. I pulled out two mugs and set them on the counter. I poured the hot cocoa into the mugs from the sauce pan it had been heating in. “When Izzi was little,” I said without thinking, I saw her purse her lips out of the corner of my eye, “She was like six. Well one day she came up to me with this carton of milk like what they serve in schools. And this giant bar of Mexican hot chocolate stuff and demanded that I make her hot chocolate with it. So, I did, but then Cammi, she was like four, she started crying because she wanted some too, but I only had that little bit of milk.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling her this story. I wasn’t usually this open with people. “So, I called my mom and begged her to come home with a gallon of milk because Cam just wouldn’t stop crying. If you knew Cam, you would understand what I meant. She looks so pitiful when she cries. Well anyway to make this story short mom said no and I was forced to make Iz give up the rest of her hot chocolate which is about as hard as pulling teeth from a pit bull while it’s awake.” I smiled fondly at the memory and handed Grace her hot chocolate. Grace watched me as she took her cup and I leaned against the counter. “So?” I said blowing on my very hot beverage, “What did I do to make you cry.”

Grace shook her head, “I was just worried about you that’s all.” she whispered, “You were gone all day and you didn’t call once, and I thought, maybe one of the people that is after me got you and had hurt you.” she looked down at her cup and let a few tears slip down her cheek. I quickly brushed them away with my thumb. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you or tried to take your knife. I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have gotten so mad.” I said giving her a small smile, “But please don’t insult Izzi again?”

“Is she your sister or something?” she asked glancing at me her eyes big with curiosity. I sighed. I really didn’t want her to know I had sisters; it was bad enough that d**k knew I had sisters.

“Yes.” I said after a pause, she might as well know how I got 80% of my information, “Izzi is helping me find the people who are after you, she’s really good at cyber stalking people and hacking into locked information. Cammi wants to go to CSU when she graduates from high school, that’s why they were up here, and I am not about to let my little sister walk around a college campus unsupervised.” Cammi had a tendency to be flirty and I knew what boys were thinking. Grace smiled into her mug and mumbled something that sounded like jealous for nothing.

“Are you close to your sisters?” she asked. I nodded, “I don’t see them much, but I talk to them a lot.” I said, “Sorry I didn’t call you earlier when I get around them, checking in kind of slips my mind.” Grace nodded. We sipped our hot chocolate in silence. I moved away from the counter and onto the couch in the living room. Grace followed me and curled up next to my side wrapping the blanket around both of us as she laid her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her and felt her cold little hands come in contact with my stomach while she tucked her cold toes under my butt. I was used to things like this, so I didn’t even think twice about it. I really hopped she didn’t get sick. My eyelids felt heavy. For the first time in over a year I fell asleep at night.