Page 124 of Eyes in the Shadows

I texted him as soon as I was allowed, and after some invented explanation and apologies, he forgave my radio silence and revealed that he hasn’t been spendingmuch time in his apartment either since he got together with Stacey. We both expressed happiness for the other, and promised to get together soon for lunch.

Melissa wasn’t so easily mollified, but I found out that Wesley had sent her an additional two emails during my time offline to keep her calm. Apparently, she’d called the police in Ulysses for a wellness check on me (that McCloskey apparently blocked) and bought a plane ticket to come out and see for herself that my apartment was empty. If nothing else, it’s nice knowing she cares that much, though I feel awful for making her worry.

It’s going to take a few more trips to get the rest of my stuff to the car and I don’t look forward to the weighted treks down the stairs, but I like taking an active part in the ending of something like this. Because that’s what it is—the end of a phase. The start of a new one, sure, but this apartment served me for a long time and it feels like saying goodbye to a friend.

Suddenly, I realize exactly why I’m so emotional.

Mac is instantly at my side again, running his hands over my upper arms. I’m so grateful for him—he’s been such a rock. “Are you crying, darlin’? Why?”

“Because it’s sad. I can’t believe it’s over. This is the real end, right? Everyone goes their separate ways? Except us, obviously.”

Mac’s lips twitch. “Obviously.”

“But like, Wesley and Dimitri… they’re never coming back, right? They have no reason to. And I just…” I sniffle. “I like them. I liked cooking for them. I liked this weird little life we had.”

He brings me in close and kisses the top of my head. “Me, too.”

I like that he doesn’t try to console me, or fix it, or change the subject. He sits with me in my small moment of mourning and lets us both feel it. When I pull away, he gives my arms another rub and goes to grab the top box off the stack he created. I follow.

“Come on, let’s go home. I’ve got something I want to try with you.”

“Oh?” I ask curiously.

“I bought a pair of handcuffs, just for the occasion.”

I inhale sharply and look at him with wide eyes. I swear all the blood in my body is currently pounding an urgent morse code message in my clit.

His grin is nothing short of salacious. “You like that, huh?”

To distract myself, I grab a box and follow him out the door, kicking it closed behind me. “How… how do you always know exactly what I want?”

“I had your phone, remember? I looked at your incognito tabs.”

I stop dead, nearly dropping the box on my toes. I scowl at him. “Well, that explains why it’s kind of felt like you had cheat codes to my deepest fantasies.”

He grins. “Forgive me?”

“On one condition. I want to see what kind of stuff you watch.”

“Told you I’d make you worse,” he laughs.

I shake my head and turn towards him as he holds the door at the top of the stairs open for me. “Oh, I don’t think that makes me worse. It just makes me… more like you. You know, the creepy, obsessive type. Now you go first, I want to watch you walk away.”

45

Mac

Why don't we stay?

At 7 PM sharp, I’m the first to the kitchen table, and I crack my beer while I wait for the other two. Wes pings us that he’ll be right in, and Dimitri reads it but doesn’t offer the same courtesy. I know he’s just getting dressed after his shower.

A few minutes later, Dimitri greets me with a curt nod and heads to the freezer, where his prized bottle of flavorless booze chills on its side. He grabs a lowball glass and joins me. His pour is heavy-handed; the only time I see him drink more than a few shots is when we celebrate finishing a job, but I’ve never seen him drunk. I’m pretty sure at his size he can put it away.

Wesley enters seconds later and crosses right to the drink fridge.

“Why did Eleanor burst into tears when she came into my office earlier?” Wes asks.

“Obviously it was something you said,” Dimitri assumes, taking a gulp and turning his head to the side slightly as the only indication of the burning liquid traveling down his throat.

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