Rogue Descendant (Nikki Glass) - By Jenna Black Page 0,52
a lot better job of it if you get whatever’s bothering you out in the open.”
“Haven’t you interfered enough with my life already?” he snapped.
His attitude might have pissed me off if that weren’t so clearly the reaction he was hoping for. “You think if you’re a big enough asshole I’ll flounce off in a huff and leave you alone? I’m way more stubborn than that.”
He snorted, but the hostility faded and his shoulders slumped. “I’ve noticed.”
Maybe what I needed to do was pull back a bit and stop trying to make him talk. Every emotional guard he had was up and running, and the chances of me slipping past them were low. I wished I could get him to spill whatever his problem was with me, but I didn’t have to get him to do it now.
“All right,” I said. “You don’t have to tell me about your feelings. I wish you would, but I understand that it’s hard for you.” A little condescending, maybe, and I saw the spark of annoyance in Jamaal’s eyes before I hurried on. “But please come with me to the museum. It would do you good to spend some time around people for a change, even if one of those people is me.”
“Remember what I said about trying to fix me?”
What an exasperating man. But I hadn’t expected any less. “My parents’ house was burned down, and my condo was burned down with people inside, all because some nutcase has decided I’m responsible for all his or her problems. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I’m the one who could use some fixing right now? That maybe I want to go out to the museum as much for my sake as for yours?”
He flashed me a dry smile. “No, it never occurred to me. If you were just looking for a way to forget your troubles for a few hours, I doubt you’d do it by going to a museum.”
He had a point. Maybe that argument had been a bit thin. “That’s the opportunity that fell in my lap, thanks to Steph. Look, she’s already arranged a meeting for us with Dr. Prakash, the curator. We’re supposed to meet her at seven tonight.”
Jamaal glared at me. “You didn’t think it might be a good idea to ask me about it before setting something up?”
“If Steph had given me any warning, I’d have asked first. I only brought this up to her yesterday. I never dreamed she’d work this fast.”
He looked at me suspiciously.
“She said Dr. Prakash had already rearranged her schedule to fit us in. Surely it won’t kill you to spend a couple of hours in my presence, and I know you want to see the exhibit.”
I could see from the look on his face that he was torn. He really, really didn’t want to spend that much time with me. But he also really, really wanted that private look at the exhibit. I decided it was time to rest my case, so I clamped my lips shut and gave him some time to think. If this didn’t work, I was going to have to have a talk with Anderson, see if there was something he or his other Liberi could do to persuade Jamaal to engage in some more human interaction. They were all glad not to have to tiptoe around his temper anymore, and they might not want to risk making him change back into the powder keg he’d been. His temper had been so volatile he’d almost been kicked out of the house, and he’d had to undergo a tribunal and a brutal punishment to prove how committed he was to trying to control himself.
Thankfully, Jamaal made such a drastic action unnecessary.
“All right,” he said softly. “We’ll go to the exhibit. But this isn’t a date, and it isn’t the start of a beautiful friendship. It’s best for everybody involved if you and I stay at a safe distance.”
“Why?” I asked.
But I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t answer.
TWELVE
I had no idea what to wear for a private visit with a museum curator, so I decided to dress for comfort and warmth on this wet, gloomy winter night. I paired a teal cowl-neck sweater with soft black cords and water-resistant ankle boots, then examined myself in the mirror. I decided the outfit was dressy enough to be classy, but not so dressy as to look like I’d dressed up for a special occasion.