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“Okay.” He waited until she left the room before releasing his breath. He checked his phone, purring happily when he saw the message from Hedra. It wasn’t anything important, just her saying hi and sending him a funny meme, but it made both Boone and his tiger ridiculously happy.
He typed a quick reply and hit send before leaving the library and heading outside to his vehicle. Life was perfect, and for the first time since Derek died, Boone felt truly happy.
* * *
“Hedra? I’m home.” Boone stuck his head into the living room, but it was empty.
He walked to the kitchen, smiling when he saw Hedra standing at the counter with her back to him. “Hello, little lamb. Where’s Nan?”
“She went out for dinner with Jerry,” Hedra said.
He grabbed a beer from the fridge and cracked it open. “How did her physio today go?”
“Good.”
He drank a few swallows of beer. “Did you hear back about the private nurse job you applied for on the west side?”
“Not yet.”
He studied the plain cardboard box on the table as his tiger made a soft, worried growl. Boone inhaled deeply, the sour tang of Hedra’s fear hitting him like a brick wall. “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t reply, and he quickly crossed to her, turning her and tipping her chin up with one finger. He’d never seen Hedra look this afraid before, and his tiger growled again, surging forward, ready to defend his mate from whatever had frightened her. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
She swallowed hard, her gaze skittering from his face to the box on the table. Boone released her and walked to the table. He studied the box. “What is this?”
Hedra’s voice trembled. “It was on the porch when Michael and Jerry arrived to pick up Althea for dinner.”
Hedra’s name was typed on a small white label on the top. Boone’s stomach clenched. “What’s in it?”
“Something bad,” Hedra whispered. “Boone, I…”
She trailed off, her lips pale and her eyes huge.
Boone carefully opened the top flaps, trying to minimize how much he touched the box and peered into it. Pretty pink tissue paper filled the box, and he pushed it aside, sucking in his breath when the contents were revealed.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered.
He stared at Hedra, who looked like she might throw up. She rubbed compulsively at her arms. “It’s from an animal, right? Tell me it’s from an animal.”
“It is,” he said. “Pretty sure it’s a cow tongue.”
She shuddered all over. “That doesn’t make it any better, but…”
“I know,” he said before peering into the box again. The typed note beside the tongue was short and to the point.
You ruined everything.
He closed the box as Hedra said quickly, “I didn’t open it in front of your nan. She was already gone when I opened it. She didn’t see it, Boone. You don’t have to worry about her.”
He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms. “Baby, it’s not my nan I’m worried about.”
She hugged him hard, burying her face in his throat while he purred softly and rubbed her back. When her body finally stopped trembling, he kissed her temple and said, “Tell me his name, little lamb.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “Mateo Waterson.”
He kissed her temple again, and she leaned back. “Don’t call the police, Boone.”
“Baby, I -”
