Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Yessir,” I repeated.
“And Callahan, who saved your life today, will be reinstated as your partner.”
Saved my life was laying it on a bit thick.
“That’s all,” Kage grumbled and then left us, striding back down the hall with Becker on his right.
“Gee, that was fun,” I groused at Ian.
“Never talk,” he told me. “Really. Whenever Kage says something, just agree. Your life will go so much smoother.”
Once Ian was gone, Bodhi smacked me hard in the gut.
“The fuck,” I whined, bending over a bit because that shit really hurt.
“You never go anywhere without me,” he stated firmly, making sure we were both clear.
“Yeah, well,” I said with a sigh, “I was thinking you might wanna stay with Yamane in case you don’t come back.”
“What?”
In his defense, I hadn’t said everything at an audible level. Everything after the well had been whispered under my breath. “Nothing.”
“Come back from what?”
Unfortunately, the man had ears like a bat.
“Jed?”
I exhaled sharply. “I just thought maybe you might not come back after you got married, and if that were the case, then it wouldn’t make sense to switch back when it was all so close to happening.”
His brows, more ash blond than dirty blond like the rest of his hair, furrowed slowly. What was interesting was that his lashes were gold. Lots of beautiful shades going on with him that always caught the sun.
“Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?” he yelled.
Not exactly what I was expecting.
“You always think for some stupid-ass reason that because I minored in art in college, that somehow, I’m not as invested as you.”
“I—”
“You would think after five years you’d get that being a marshal is my calling and that I’m not giving it up for anything, no matter what anyone says!”
I had a feeling we were no longer talking about just me.
“I need some support from you here, yeah? I need my partner to have my back in all things,” he said firmly. “In. All. Things.”
I grinned at him, I couldn’t help it, and if his surprised gasp was any indication, I’d caught him completely off guard. “I got it,” I soothed him. “I won’t second-guess your commitment ever again, and until you tell me you want out, I’ll just go on believing that you want in.”
His gaze locked with mine, but he was silent.
“Okay?”
“Yes, Jed,” he replied, his voice husky with emotion.
Unsure of the look I was getting, or why his voice was suddenly all low and raspy, I gave him a quick pat on the cheek and then tipped my head down the hall. We jogged to the elevators together.
Minutes later, walking toward the SUVs in the parking lot, Washington gave Bodhi a smile. “I was wondering where the hell you were.”
“Whaddya mean you were wondering where he was?” I groused as I held open the back door of the Chevrolet Suburban so he could get in after my partner.
“Well,” he said, once he was sitting beside Bodhi, “he’s always with you, and when he’s not, I always think, uh-oh, how are we gonna live without him telling you where to go?”
I glanced at Bodhi, who was staring out the window on his side, giving the cement wall all his attention.
Washington shrugged. “I mean, you’re a badass and all, DUSM Redeker, but DUSM Callahan, he’s the brains of the operation, am I right?”
I refused to say a word to anyone on the ride out to the safe house in La Grange. Bodhi swatting my shoulder did nothing for my disposition.
Washington was expecting to see his family, but his mother, sister, and his dog, Greta, were in Skokie. He got a bit panicky, so I called Lopez and Cho, who were the ones there with the people he loved, and once he got to talk to them on the phone, he looked and sounded much better. It made sense. When your mother told you everything would be all right, you believed.
Then he called Rasha, who, apparently, had been trying to reach him since Sunday morning. I told him to put the call on speaker, and when she answered, she was frantic.
“Where have you been? I’m freaking out and—”
“Why’re you freaking out?” he asked in a voice I’d never heard from him, composed and confident, and I was honestly surprised that he was so different with her than he’d ever been with me. I had to wonder if that was the part he played with her, if he was the guy who kept her from going off the deep end. “What happened?”
“My dad came by yesterday and told me he’s going—get this—to Russia for a visit with some friends.”
Crouse did a slow pan to me.
“Russia?” Washington asked her. “What the fuck for?”
“The FBI is investigating him, and he’s got a guy on the inside, ya know, Palmer, Palmeri, Pomeroy, something like that, and so he and my mom were on the first plane for Moscow. He cleaned out the safe, she took all her jewelry…I don’t think they’re coming back.”