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Roxie glanced at Jasper, who eyed her, then looked at Liam and whoever he was talking to—having a quiet lunch with.You don’t care, remember?
Peter chuckled into his glass.
“Blake…” Roxie held out her hand. “I’m Destiny’s new roommate.”
“Onlyroommate.” Destiny grinned. “I don’t want another one. You’ve ruined me. She’s a neat freak. Sheirons.”
“Old habits.”
Blake spun on his stool to Roxie. “Explain.”
Before she could, Destiny said, “Some Marine Corps thing, I guess. Liam can probably tell you.”
Roxie’s stomach clenched.
Jasper said, “You guys knew each other?”
She managed to nod.
“So he’ll vouch for you?” Blake asked.
Roxie wasn’t going to lie. “No, but he’ll tell you the truth.”
Blake stared at her.
“So anyway,” Destiny began, “I was in the produce section ’cause that’s where they put the pico de gallo, and I ran into Rox lookin’ at dips. We got to talking. Boom, bing, bang…she’s my new roommate.”
Blake’s ears reddened. She was surprised steam didn’t start rising out of them.
“It’s been six weeks,” Roxie said. “If I haven’t murdered her in her sleep by now, she’s probably safe.”
Destiny said, “She cleans the bathroom.Andfolds my laundry when she needs to put hers in the dryer.”
Blake frowned at his sister. “You should do that stuff for yourself.”
Destiny waved a hand. Blake geared up for another go at convincing her to be an adult, but she said, “I think I hear another table calling me.” She hurried off.
Roxie grinned after her roommate. No joke, they’d hit it off in about two minutes at the grocery store right after Roxie passed the search and rescue dog handling class she’d taken. She’d come out fully certified but with zero desire to work with a dog when it would only put the dog in danger.
Old wounds, far too exposed to the present.
Jasper watched Destiny leave, which was interesting when added to the way Destiny had glanced at him when her brother wasn’t looking. Was there something going on between the SWAT officer and the server?
If so, neither would want Blake to know, but even though secret relationships could be exciting at first, they could turn dangerous pretty quickly.
Roxie shifted her stance and tucked some flyaway strands behind her ear. She didn’t care enough to hide her scar. Bangs weren’t her thing, they just got in the way. Every time a minute of peace came, all those old emotions snapped back to the surface.
Was she ever going to be able to escape them?
Only if she kept her head down and worked cold cases. Got enough clout with Vanguard that she could pull out the caseshewanted to work. Clare, the CEO, had interviewed her with Bob Davis—the department head. They’d straight up asked her why she wanted the job when she had no skills for investigation. Her job experience consisted of holding a rifle in the beating sun, watching the backs of the people she worked with, and dog handling—which she didn’t want to do now.
Career change, anyone?
She hadn’t been offended at the question. Anyone would want to know why she couldn’t seem to settle. In a moment of weakness, she’d run down the whole story for them. No point keeping it a secret.
An hour later she was done talking.
Clare had wiped away tears. Bob had cleared his throat. They’d both told her to do the work, learn what she needed to know. And when she had solid footing? They would be right there with her.
