Page 116 of Chemistry: The Chemist

“Wait, I didn’t even get to the best part.”

“I get the fucking point, Rather.”

“So serious.”

“That’s not an insult.”

“Anything else on your mind?”

Pops. “Nah, nothing I care to talk about right now.”

“Then maybe next time.”

She stood on her feet and prepared to walk out of the door in front of me. After every session, we indulged in a wind-down. It was time Rather and I spent alone, free of thoughts and conversation relating to topics we’d discussed in her office. With seven sisters and an entire empire to head, time was limited.

Whenever I could, I slid in a few minutes or even a couple of hours with one of them. Dividing my time and attention between seven girls was a struggle I faced graciously and proudly. Luckily, one of them didn’t give a damn about spending time alone or my attention. She lived in a bubble and it was hard for any of us to penetrate it at times.

Rugger was a different breed. Nothing about her was average. Not even her height. She was six feet of chaos. When one saw her coming, it was in their best interest to run in the opposite direction. But even then, she’d hunt you down and complete the assignment. There was no escaping her wrath.

She stopped at the door’s threshold, plaguing me with confusion. The regretful smile on her face said what her lips had yet to.

“Not today?”

She shook her head. “Not today, Teddy. I have to prepare for the night’s assignment.”

I nodded, understanding what she was up against. Altering her capacity and mindset completely for a few hours, sometimes a few minutes, robbed her of precious time.

“Perry?”

“Yes.”

“You won’t be long, baby. They won’t last but a few minutes.”

“It seems that way,” she agreed. “Nevertheless, preparation and decompression.”

“Understood.”

“See you later?”

“Of course.”

“I love you, Chemistry.”

“In this lifetime and the others.”

“How will you find me?” She chuckled, accepting the kiss I placed on her forehead.

“Don’t worry. I will.”

I exited her office and headed straight for the truck, which was right outside the main door of her practice.

“I’ll be waiting,” Rather called out to me.

“You better.” The last two words were tossed over my shoulder before the sunlight threatened to blind me.

Inside the truck, with both palms flat on my slacks, I reconsidered my plans for the evening. On one hand, a brief visit to the warehouse to assist Rugger and Rather weighed in. On the other hand, kidnapping Eden for the night seemed to hold the most weight. The decision was one I wasn’t ready to make, so I didn’t. Instead, I began checking things off my itinerary earlier than planned.

“To my father’s,” I instructed Aden.

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