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"It's nice when enemies get in line," Booker agreed, taking a sip of his drink.
"Thanks for taking Arty," Huck said. "We will let you know if we need you to hide our women with Ayanna."
There it was.
The source of him looking so rough.
The reason he was drinking.
There was no denying the pain that sliced across his face.
"You all are going to need to keep her safe too," he said, gaze lowered.
Huck looked to me, at a loss for what to say. I wasn't faring any better, but someone had to say something.
"She won't let you protect her at least?"
"She won't let me even text her," he admitted. "A woman like Ayanna, when she's done, she's done," he said.
We couldn't argue with that.
Anyone who had ever seen Ayanna and Booker knew how deeply they loved each other. But Ayanna was not a woman who would tolerate a man who didn't give her what she needed from him. And she'd clearly been struggling with his workaholic tendencies.
"We will bring her to Teddy's," Huck told him. "She will be as safe as we can keep her there."
"I appreciate it," he said, nodding. "You let me know if I can return the favor."
"You're taking care of Arty."
"That's in my own interest too. No one can do research like he can. Believe me, I know. I employ the best in the area—who are stable enough for my kind of employment," he added, since we all knew Arty could and would make himself sick if he had too many cases going on at once. "And no one touches how good he is. We all need to protect him. I don't think even the Chechens or Ukrainians would put a hand on him, knowing how well-connected he is to some of the local organizations. But better safe than sorry. Don't worry," he added, waving his glass around. "The others are on their way in, so their wasted boss isn't handling security," he said, dropping down on the couch with a sigh.
"We will keep you updated," Huck assured him. "And let you know when we have Ayanna secure."
"Appreciate it," he said, putting his feet up on the couch.
We took that as our dismissal.
"Arty, keep your ass in the building," Huck called.
But Arty wasn't listening. He had his set-up going, his headphones on, and was typing away at his keyboard.
"Ayanna is not going to appreciate being woken up," Huck said, sighing.
She didn't, either.
She came to the door in her "murder robe," which was a silk floor-length black robe with white feathers around the sleeves. A sleep mask was pushed up on her forehead, revealing puffy eyes.
"Why are you upset?" Huck asked, moving inside.
"Men," Ayanna grumbled under her breath, then turned suddenly. "It doesn't matter if you are the one broken up with, or doing the breaking. It hurts, asshole. It hurts to lose someone you love."
"If you love him, why did you break up with him?" Huck asked.
To that, Ayanna let out a sigh, reaching up to rub at her tired eyes.
"Because to stay with him, when I wasn't getting what I needed, would mean I had to love him more than I love myself. I don't care how big my love is for that man—and it is big—no one can mean more to me than I do to myself."
With that, she moved down the hallway toward her bedroom where, we imagined, she was pulling herself together. She wasn't packing. Because she had been Booker's woman up until a day ago. That meant she kept a go-bag sitting near her bedroom door at all times, packed with back-ups of anything she might need for a long weekend at a safe house.
Fifteen minutes later, she was coming down the hall, her bag rolling behind her, wearing a bright orange sweatshirt and a pair of yellow leggings.
"What?" she snapped when she must have picked up on our confusion. Ayanna was, for as long as I'd known her, someone who was always dressed, always put together. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen her in sweats. "It's heartbreak-chic, you assholes. Someone better be taking my bag if you're abducting me in the middle of the morning. I had a hot date with some ice cream and Colonel Brandon."
"Colonel Brandon?" Huck asked.
"A man who would do anything for the woman he loves. Wait, I need to set the alarm," she called when we moved into the hall.
"I imagine Harm and Sass would be game for ice cream and your sappy movie," Huck declared, ignoring the small eyes Ayanna sent him.
"How long is my life on hold this time?" Ayanna asked as we made our way up to Teddy's floor a while later.
"We don't know. Hopefully, not too long. Three, four days, tops. We want it handled," Huck said, voice firm. "Can't have this bullshit hanging over all our heads anymore. I have a kid on the way."
