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She smiled at him. “You’re welcome, Boone.”
CHAPTER 9
“Hey, Boone, how’s the babysitting gig going?” Chase popped up in his cubicle and grinned teasingly at him. “I heard you were at some charity event today with a bunch of celebrities over sixty. That must have been exciting.”
Boone tossed his phone and keys on his desk and loosened his tie. “Why are you here? I thought you were out of town on the Miller job?”
“Finished it this weekend,” Chase said. “Did Coop tell you that Thomas Bidler got another death threat?”
Boone scratched at the stubble on his jaw. “He gets a death threat every fucking week.”
“Yeah, well, this one came with a bullet in his car. Someone shot at him when he was leaving the office.”
“Holy fuck,” Boone said.
“I know.” Chase was nearly vibrating with excitement. “Coop assigned me and Grayson to him. It’s my first death threat assignment.”
“Why wouldn’t he assign Wes? He has more experience than you,” Boone said.
Chase’s face fell, and Boone immediately felt like an asshole. “Shit, sorry, Chase. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I get it,” Chase said. “I still have to prove myself.”
“No, you fucking don’t,” Boone said. “You’re good at your job and one of us, no questions asked. I’m just being an asshole because the anniversary of Derek’s…”
He stopped. Even four years later, and after a shitload of therapy, he couldn’t say the words ‘Derek’s death’ without feeling like he was being hollowed out with a dull spoon.
Understanding crossed Chase’s face. “I get it. Don’t worry about it, Boone.”
He nodded, hating how tight his throat was and how close the tears were to the surface. Derek’s death anniversary was still almost two weeks away, but, like always, the depression and the sorrow were already starting to weigh on Boone. Would he ever get through this without feeling like his heart was being ripped into shreds?
His tiger made a mournful cry. He felt the loss as bone deep and painful as Boone. Hell, maybe even more, and Boone tried to soothe the beast as best he could.
I want Hedra. Please.
His tiger was begging like a little cub, and Boone couldn’t deny him what he wanted. Fuck, he didn’t want to deny him. He wanted Hedra, too. She had a way of making him feel better, with just her scent, her smile, even the cute way she repeatedly tucked her hair behind her ear when she was concentrating. She was a balm to his bruised and battered heart, and he needed to be with her. Right the fuck now.
“You okay, Boone?” Chase asked.
“Yeah.” Boone grabbed his phone and keys. “Have a good one, Chase.”
* * *
“Alfie, you little asshole, if you rip those pants, I’ll pull out every single tooth in your head with my bare hands,” Hedra said.
She chased the poodle out of the living room and down the hallway as Althea cackled laughter from the couch. “I told you those pants make your ass look big, and Alfie agrees with me. He’s saving you from - ”
“Those pants make my ass look amazing, and if you tell me one more time he’s saving me from bad fashion choices, I’ll activate the parental controls on the television and block The Price is Right,” Hedra threatened.
“You’re a vindictive little human, aren’t you,” Althea said.
“Your dog was wearing my underwear on his head this morning, Althea!”
Althea laughed again. “Don’t leave your underpants on the floor then. He’s teaching you to clean up after yourself.”
“They were in the laundry hamper.” Hedra took a deep breath as Alfie dodged her flailing hands and, growling like a hyena, took off toward Althea’s bedroom. “You rotten dog.”
The front door opened and shut behind her, signaling Boone’s return from work, and she straightened with her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what you were planning for dinner tonight, Boone, but can I suggest poodle shish kabobs?”
