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“You’re not getting out of this!” Shooter yelled up the stairs. After Slick disappeared, he turned his gaze on Abby.
Abby held up her hands in mock surrender. “I am not involved.”
Shooter continued to glare at her.
“I need a drink,” Abby announced and headed straight for the kitchen. Tex followed her.
“Panties,” Shooter grumbled.
“Well, she likes panties,” Caleb pointed out. “And that might have been an emergency to her. Who knows with women?”
Tex and Abby returned. She held her signature martini and curled up on the couch next to her man. Tex had nothing to say about anything now that Vegas was here, since most of his attention was on her whenever she was within spitting distance. Hawk remembered not being able to take his eyes off Tildy whenever she was around. He was about to ask what was for dinner since Slick had played hooky, when Easy whistled from across the room. He followed the younger man’s gaze toward the staircase.
“Damn,” Easy declared.
Damn, indeed. Slick was descending the steps half naked, still looking pissed off, wearing only high-riding panties and a corset that gave her more cleavage than the law should allow. She also had a hand behind her back. Hawk remembered the last time he’d seen her do that. Sarah Sullivan had no more secrets to tell though, so she was probably just going to shoot her old man instead.
“Careful, Shooter,” Hawk said. “She’s got one hand behind her back. Might be your .44.”
Caleb mused that getting shot by a beautiful woman was definitely the way to go out.
Easy concurred but with a panty stipulation.
Hawk had to admit that he could forgive a woman almost anything if she was dressed like that. As Slick made it to the bottom step, she was facing Shooter head on, but Hawk’s chair was angled to her side. He saw that she was not holding Shooter’s .44 this time.
“It was an emergency,” Sarah insisted.
Shooter didn’t look convinced.
Hawk felt a sense of relief so strong that it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Shooter and Slick could move out of the shadow of their past now, he realized. She would never be in danger again, and Shooter would never have to feel that infuriating impotence that was so crushing when you couldn’t help the woman you…
He pushed that thought away and lifted the cat back onto his lap.
Slick brought her hand out and showed her old man what she was holding. Apparently she did have one more secret to tell. Hawk had recognized it the moment he’d seen it, having been through this twice before with Raina.
“I lied because I wanted to make sure before I said anything. And it was an emergency because I’ll only get to wear this for a little while before I’m the size of Tex’s Hummer,” she said.
“What’s that?” Hawk asked, feigning ignorance.
“My baby,” Chris announced, looking at Slick’s photos.
Hawk’s grin widened. The night was saved, and things were back to normal. “Sure it’s yours? She’s been spending an awful lot of time with Easy,” he teased.
Slick gasped and Hawk laughed. For as much time as she’d been around them, they could still get her goat every once in a while.
“Might be mine. Better find out first,” Shooter replied, playing along. He ditched the photos and grabbed his wife like a sack of potatoes.
“What are you doing?!”
Shooter smacked her ass. “Interrogation,” he announced, somewhat gleefully and carried her upstairs.
Abby giggled.
“How long have you known?” Tex asked her.
“Just this afternoon,” she said, downing the rest of her martini.
“Oughta spank you for getting the lieutenant so riled up.”
Abby finished her drink and giggled again. “Now you’re just making up reasons.”
Tex grinned at her. “Might be.”
She set her glass down and smiled at the photos on the coffee table. “Do you still have your uniform?” she asked suddenly.
Tex turned to look at her. “Yeah,” he replied. At first he seemed confused, then a slow grin spread on his face. “Why? You want to experience some of my Enhanced Interrogation Techniques?”
Abby laughed. “Maybe.”
“Oh, God,” Easy groaned.
Hawk laughed and went to the kitchen to get another beer. As he set the cat down on the floor, he briefly considered calling Tildy and telling her the news. Tildy had always liked the girls. She’d be glad to hear Sarah’s good news. He fingered the phone in his pocket for a moment before opening another beer instead.
Chapter 40
Tildy stood in front of the mirror. Her mother was behind her, tugging at the dress she’d chosen for her daughter. Tildy flinched a few times, even though there had been no corrections since ‘The Incident,’ as her parents had taken to calling it, when they spoke of it at all.
Deirdre sighed, exasperated. “We should’ve bought a new dress,” she declared. Tildy didn’t think it would matter. Julia Carson had RSVP’d to the Fletcher’s party invitation with barely contained enthusiasm, hinting that Tate was sincerely looking forward to it. He would propose whether Tildy had on a new dress or not.
