I glanced at him sharply. "You believed his bullshit?"
"I believe he intends to oust Hunter from the council. I also believe he desires your help to do it."
A chime rang cheerfully as I entered the 7-Eleven. "That doesn't mean I should trust him."
"I never said you should. But it is certainly worthwhile keeping his offer in the back of your mind. Especially since I will not be around once the keys are found."
Him not being around was something I did not want to think about. "I can hardly keep it in the front of my mind, given Hunter's predisposition for picking up all the wrong types of thoughts."
"She will be well aware that you have talked to Stanford."
"Yeah, but I'm not going to rub her nose in it." I plucked a can of Coke from the refrigerator, but there wasn't a whole lot of choice when it came to smaller chocolate bars. After a couple of seconds' deliberation, I grabbed a Mars bar, then paid for them both at the self-service scanners. "And I'm certainly not going to mention the fact that he made me a counteroffer."
"If they are longtime foes, then she will guess what he will or will not have done."
"You know, I really don't want to be talking about Hunter right now."
"Then what do you wish to talk about?" He opened the door and ushered me outside, one hand pressed lightly against my spine.
"Nothing. How about we just walk down to the gardens so I can eat my chocolate and enjoy the quiet?"
"You? Requesting silence? A rare moment indeed."
I snorted and nudged him with an elbow. "No smart remarks from the peanut gallery, thanks."
"And what, precisely, is a peanut gallery?"
I rolled my eyes. "Just escort me down to the park before I die of caffeine withdrawal."