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“I’m fine.” I force a smile, trying to reassure her. “I need a shower then I’m . . . going out with Allison.” I walk out, looking up the stairs as I pass through the hallway, heading for the TV room. I find Daniel sandwiched between the Vikings, Fury watching while Daniel and Tank wave around their controllers. “Okay?” I ask all three of them, getting three different pitched grunts in return.
Tank and Daniel are engrossed in the TV, so I jerk my head for Fury to join me. He struggles to get his body up off the low couch. “Everything okay, Boss?” he asks.
“You brought Pearl back.”
“Yeah, I watched them while they hung out at the café. You didn’t say anything about staying with Nolan so when Tank called me to watch them, I assumed it was okay.”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine,” I assure him. “Watch them?”
“Pearl and Anya. You want me to go get Nolan?”
“Yeah, please.” Fuck, how do I get to what I need to know without raising questions? “All good today?”
“All good.” Fury passes me, leaving the room. “I’ve got to talk to Beau. Is she still in the kitchen?”
“Yeah.” I frown at his back, following him back that way, curious.
“Can I have a word with Beau?” Fury asks James, who has his wife firmly wedged between his thighs with no sign of letting her go.
“Sure,” he says, turning Beau to face him. “Go ahead.”
Yes, no chance of letting her go. Fury looks uncomfortable for a moment, and my curiosity goes through the roof. “Sorry to bring this up,” he says, taking a seat.
“Tea, Fury?” Esther asks from the crib, checking on Maggie.
“No, thanks.” He gets straight back to Beau, and in an attempt to look like I’m not hanging around to listen in, I step outside again, pulling out my cigarettes. Close enough to hear but just out of sight.
“Sorry to bring what up?” James prompts.
“Your panic attacks,” Fury says. “What were they like?”
“Why the hell are you asking that?” James asks, sounding annoyed.
“It’s fine,” Beau says, placating him. “Why do you ask, Fury?” I can hear the worry in Beau’s voice. Worry for Fury. I know how close they’ve become since James first appointed him chief guard of Beau.
“I think Pearl had one earlier.”
I still, smoke billowing up into my face, my lighter hovering at the end of my Marlboro. What? I pull it from my lips and exhale, moving closer to the door.
“You do?” Beau asks. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I was walking her and Anya back to the car to take Anya to the club before bringing Pearl home, and everything was fine, they were chatting, but Pearl went quiet, froze up, like she’d been stunned.”
I move closer to the door, looking in, seeing Fury circling a hand in front of his chest.
“She started breathing heavily, shaking, and her eyes were a little . . . I don’t know. Wild.”
“Yeah,” Beau says quietly, thoughtfully. “Is she okay?”
I move back, my mind racing.
“A bit quiet.”
“I’ll go check on her.”
“No,” Fury says, rushed. “She didn’t want me to say anything and cause a fuss.” I hear the legs of the stool scrape the floor, Fury getting up. “I’ll tell her to see Doc, but just letting you know to keep an eye on her.”
“Thanks, Fury.”
