“Quiet, sweetheart. I want to check something.” Then the light went on.
I blinked at him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. His eyes were on my back.
“That’s a new one,” he muttered to my back.
I looked over my shoulder. I couldn’t see much of anything.
“What is it?” I asked.
His hand came out and his finger traced something that ran across my lower back. “You were movin’ like you were tender last night. Now I know why. The mark hadn’t formed then but now you’ve got another bruise.”
“Oh,” I turned around, snuggled back into the pil ow and explained. “Bil y dropped me when Indy jumped him on the stairs. I landed funny.”
I closed my eyes, thinking that was that and deciding I’d catch a bit more shut-eye.
Hank had different thoughts.
He tagged me at the waist, gently moved me around and then slid me across the bed, pul ing me upright. I was sitting, facing him, the side of my hip against his.
I brought the sheet with me and I pul ed it up to cover my breasts.
“What?” I asked when I looked at him.
“Don’t get used to this shit. This isn’t your life. After this is over, you go back to normal,” he replied.
I watched him and felt my gut twist. It was time to begin to show him what he would not be missing when I went away.
“Hank,” I said quietly. “I don’t have a ‘normal’. I’ve been with Bil y for seven years.”
I thought he’d look at me in disgust, horror or, at the very least, shock. Instead he wrapped his hand around the back of my head, tipped it down and kissed my forehead. Then he let go and looked me in the eyes. “Then I’l show you normal.”
I stopped breathing.
Hank didn’t notice.
He got up and went to his dresser.
“Hate to tel you this Sunshine, but I can’t leave you home so you’re gonna have to walk Shamus with me. Get dressed, we gotta get this done. One of the cases I’m working is heatin’ up and I need to get to the station.” Then he sauntered into the bathroom like he hadn’t just rocked my world.
I stared after him.
I stil wasn’t breathing.
“You have your choice today,” Hank cal ed from the bathroom. “Fortnum’s or Lee’s offices. Both are safe but you can’t leave either.”
Then I heard an electric shaver.
I let go of my breath.
Shamus ambled over and sat down beside the bed and stared at me, tongue lol ing and looking like he was smiling.
I grabbed his head, kissed the top of it and gave him a head rub. He leaned up and licked my cheek.
Hank walked out of the bathroom, stil shaving, and looked at me and Shamus.
“Sunshine,” he said, his voice low with warning, tel ing me to get a move on.
“Al right, al right! I’l get dressed,” I sounded uppity.
I’d think about his complete non-reaction to my dire admission later. I had a decision to make. Crazy Fortnum’s and what might happen there while Lee’s boys were watching or Lee’s offices, meaning Dastardly Dawn, the boring room and Diablo, better known as eight hours of my life sucked away.
I pul ed the sheet with me when I got up and wrapped it around me in a voluminous toga. Then I stomped, with a fair bit of attitude (just to make a point, even though there was no real point to be made), out of the room to the other bathroom.
Shamus fol owed me.
What I didn’t know was, so did Hank’s eyes.
And another thing I didn’t know, he was smiling.
*
I picked Fortnum’s and I regretted it the minute I walked through the door. “Get over here!” Tex boomed at me.
“Shit,” I muttered.
Hank’s hand slid around my waist and his fingers gripped me reassuringly.
“What?” I snapped at Uncle Tex.
“You know what. People are shootin’ at you. A week ago, you were kidnapped! What’s goin’ on in that fuckin’
head of yours?” Tex shouted.
There were over a dozen people in line, waiting for coffee or sitting in the couches and chairs. Duke was behind the espresso counter, so was Jet. Jane was at the book counter.
They al started to stare.
“It wasn’t my fault!” I returned.
“Not your… not your fuckin’…” Tex spluttered. “You have no business goin’ to a goddamned haunted house when you got lunatics chasing you. I’m cal in’ your mother!” My body went stil . Everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“Don’t you dare cal my mother!” I yel ed.
Everyone’s eyes went to Tex.
“I’m cal in’ Trish. No!” Tex’s voice blasted across the room when I opened my mouth to speak. “Shut your pie hole. I don’t want to hear it.”
There was a col ective gasp and everyone’s gaze came to me.
My eyes narrowed and I leaned forward. Hank’s fingers were biting into my waist now, not for assurance but to keep me from launching myself at Uncle Tex.
“You did not just tel me to shut my pie hole!” I shouted.
The eye swivel went to Tex.
“You heard me right, girl,” Tex boomed.
I turned to Hank.