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She made a ‘get out of my house’ motion, and feeling like he’d been run over by a hurtling out-of-control train, Boone opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Cooper followed him and gave the tiny babies she held a final soft stroke across their heads before the woman shut the door in their faces.
Boone stared at Cooper. “What the fuck just happened?”
CHAPTER 27
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come over?” Shay asked, her face earnest and sincere on Hedra’s camera screen. “I can blow off work.”
“No, you can’t,” Hedra said. “You have a big meeting this afternoon.”
“Fuck, did I tell you about that?” Shay made a face as she shifted her phone a little higher.
“You did,” Hedra said.
“I’m just worried about you being alone while Boone’s off tearing this Mateo guy a new butthole,” Shay said.
“One, Boone is only talking to him, and two, Althea is here with me,” Hedra said.
“Ooh, tell her I said hi,” Shay said. “She fascinates and terrifies me.”
Hedra laughed. “I’ll tell her when she gets up from her nap. She had a bad headache, so I made her lie down.”
“So, you are alone,” Shay said.
“I’m fine, I promise,” Hedra said. “Besides, if I need company while Althea naps, I’ll text Chase to hang out with me. He’s sitting outside on security detail right now. It is kind of ridiculous for Boone to be paying for security after he installed, like, a dozen cameras outside his house this week, and it’s not like Mateo is going to do anything while Boone is at his place.”
“Unless Mateo isn’t there. He could still be here in the city,” Shay said. “Have you heard from Boone yet?”
“No, not yet. But Boone said he would call me as soon as he’d talked to him.”
“And if Mateo isn’t there?” Shay asked.
“I don’t know,” Hedra sighed. “The cops are taking forever even to contact Mateo, and I honestly don’t know what Boone’s next move will be if he doesn’t find him today.”
Shay gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“Thanks, Shay. It sucks, but I keep reminding myself how much more it would suck if I didn’t have Boone, you know?”
“I do,” Shay said. There was a muffled knocking sound, and Shay glanced away before returning to the camera. “Shit, I gotta go, babe. Text me later?”
“I will,” Hedra said.
She ended the call and set her phone on the couch. She was tempted to call Boone but resisted. They’d already texted a couple of times during his drive, and he said he would call her once he’d talked to Mateo. Her bugging him wouldn’t be helpful. He didn’t need to hear the worry in her voice.
She rubbed her arm above the cast before standing up. She’d make herself a cup of tea and -
Her phone buzzed, and she grabbed it, worry and relief washing over her when she saw Boone’s number. “Hi, you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Boone said. “Are you?”
“Yes,” Hedra said. “Was Mateo there?”
“He was, and I’ve got some bad fucking news.”
“Shit, tell me you’re not calling from a jail cell,” Hedra said.
Boone laughed. “They don’t let you keep your phone in jail. It’s not Mateo behind this, baby. He’s remarried, and they just had fucking triplets, and he hasn’t left the house in, like, two months. His new wife was there to back him up.”
“You’re kidding me.” Hedra sat up straight on the couch as Alfie trotted into the living room. He stared at her before jumping up and curling next to her thigh. She reached to pet him, and he bared his teeth at her in a silent growl.
