“Am I?” she said weakly.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “It’s hot.”
She made a small half laugh of surprise. And then they were kissing, and she was off the force anyway, what was anyone going to do if she and Liam swept everything off the desk—
Her phone buzzed. She had to pull back, out of Liam’s arms to get it out of her pocket. She made a face and held it up. “Text from Grayson.”
Liam sighed as his arms fell to his sides. “I suppose there are other things happening tonight.”
She scanned the message. “He says he’s got Reece, but Stone Solutions’ IT is taking too long recovering the security footage at McFeely’s.” She frowned. “If Grayson is tied up moving Reece somewhere safer, I should check on the club.”
“I can come with you,” Liam started.
She reluctantly shook her head.
“But—”
“Something terrible is going on, so much worse than I ever imagined.” Jamey wanted to wrap her arms around his neck again and tell him all of the truth. She wrapped her arms around herself instead. “Just—lock your door. I’m going to let the Dead Man take my brother to a safe house, so maybe be ready for me to show up at your place in the middle of the night and get—” she waved a hand awkwardly “—feelingsall over you.”
“Oh,” Liam said weakly. “Yeah, okay, you can do that. You can definitely do that.” As she turned away, he caught her hand. “You promise you’ll check in tonight, no matter what happens?”
He looked very serious. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who got to worry about danger. “I promise.”
“I’m holding you to that,” he said, as he let go. He added, wryly, “So is this the part where I saygo get ’em, tiger?”
That made her smile. “What, am I Spider-Man now?”
“You tell me.”
Liam still had his wry smile, his deep brown eyes meeting hers. She reluctantly turned away, blowing him a kiss over her shoulder on her way out of his office.
She was going to get through tonight, and then she was going to tell him everything.
Chapter Twenty-Four
What role do emotions play in attraction? Can it ever be purely feelings—or purely biology? Join us tonight for a virtual panel discussion with a special empath guest from Portland!
—flyer in the psychology building at Rainier University
Reece bit his bare thumb as he perched on the passenger seat of Grayson’s truck, Liam’s damp blazer crumpled in a ball next to him. It wasn’t like he was going to be able to relax, no matter how plush the cab was.
Grayson climbed into the driver’s seat in one graceful move, completely unlike the awkward way Reece had struggled up into the giant truck’s passenger side. He snagged the blazer with a finger, and a moment later it was draped over the headrest behind Reece. “Not everything is a stained hoodie.”
“I already owe Liam new glasses. Might as well rack up that tab.” He sighed. “Yours too. Sorry about the hat.”
“The real shame is nothing’s covering that unwashed hair anymore.”
Reece snorted. A moment later, the engine woke to life with a deep rumble that shook his bones. “Aggressive.”
“It’s got some upgrades.” Grayson fiddled with the buttons on the steering wheel. “That means it’s fast, if you need a translation.”
“Raptor edition with aftermarket tuning? Upgraded twin turbos, cat-back exhaust, cold air intake?”
Grayson did a full head turn in Reece’s direction.
“You think I drive my 1,600-pound death machine around without knowing a few things? Cars are dangerous.” Reece cleared his throat. “You need me totranslatewhat your fancy upgrades do? I bet you don’t even know, you just threw money at mechanics and told them to make your truck fast.”
Grayson drew his head back. “I know how they work.” He paused, and Reece heard him mutter, “Basically.”
