Blood Pact

she ever get angry when your father left?”

    Vicki came to a dead stop and stared at him. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

    "Your father walked out on your mother. And you.”

    "My father, at least, had the minimal decency not to hide what he was doing.”

    "And your mother had to support the two of you. Probably never had time to get angry.”

    Her eyes narrowed as she glared across the apartment at him. "What the fuck are you talking about?”

    He recognized the danger signs but couldn't let the opportunity pass. Things had been working toward this for a long time and with her anger for Mrs. Simmons leaving her so emotionally open he knew he might never get a better chance. What the hell, if it comes to it, I'm armed. "I'm talking, whether you like it or not, about you and me.”

    "You're talking bullshit.”

    "I'm talking about how you're so afraid of commitment that you'll barely admit we're anything more than friends. I understand where it's coming from. I understand that because of the way your father left and because of what happened afterward with your mother that you think you need to put tight little parameters on a relationship . . .”

    She snorted. "Did the force just send you to another sensitivity seminar?”

    He tightened his grip on his own temper and ignored her. ". . .but all that happened over twenty years ago and, Vicki, it has to stop.”

    Her lip curled. "Or else?”

    "Or else nothing, God damn it. I'm not making threats here.”

    "This is about Henry, isn't it? You are jealous.”

    No point in forcing her to face the truth if he didn't. "You're god-damned right I'm jealous of Henry! I don't want to share that much of you with anyone else. Especially not with someone who . . . who . . .” Mike Celluci didn't have the words to explain how he felt about Henry Fitzroy and even if he had, it was none of Vicki's business. The edge of his hand chopped off the thought. "We're not talking about Henry, we're talking about us.”

    "There's nothing wrong with us ." She looked everywhere but at the man standing across the room. "Why can't we just go on the way we have been?”

    "Because we're not going anywhere!”

    She jerked at each staccato word.

    "Vicki, I'm tired of being nothing more than your buddy. You've got to realize that I . . .”

    "Shut up!" Her hands had curled into fists.

    "Oh, no." He shook his head. "You're going to hear it this time.”

    "This is my apartment. I don't have to hear anything .”

    "Oh, yes you do." He crossed to stand directly in front of her, balancing on the balls of his feet, his hands a careful distance away.
    As much as he wanted to grab her and shake her, he didn't want to deal with the return violence he knew would follow. A quick game of Who's more macho? would add nothing to the situation. "This isn't going to be the last time I say this, Vicki, so you'd better get used to it. I love you. I want a future with you. Why is it so hard for you to accept that?”

    "Why can't you just accept me, us, the way I am. We are." The words were forced out through clenched teeth.

    He shoved the lock of hair back off his forehead and unsuccessfully tried to calm his breathing. "I've spent five fucking years accepting you and us . It's time you met me halfway.”

    "Get out.”

    "What?”

    "Get out of my apartment! NOW!”

    Trembling with the need to hold himself in check, he pushed past her and grabbed his coat off the hook by the door. Jabbing his arms into the sleeves, he turned. His own anger made it impossible for him to read her expression. "Just one more thing, Vicki. I am not your fucking father.”

    The door closed behind him with enough force to shake the building.

    A heartbeat later it opened again.

    "And don't forget to call your mother!”

    The coffee mug exploded into a thousand pieces against the wood.

    "And did you?”

    "Did I what?" Vicki snapped. Giving Henry the gist of the fight had put her in nearly as bad a mood as the fight had. It didn't help that she knew she should've kept her mouth shut but when Henry had asked what was bothering her, she couldn't seem to stop a repeat of the whole infuriating conversation from pouring out.

    "Did you call your mother?"

    "No. I didn't." She turned to face the window, jabbed at her glasses, and glared out at the darkness. "I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to my mother. I went down to Missing Persons and nailed Mr. Simmons/O'Conner to the wall instead."

    "Did