Page 43 of Deadly Deception
Tompkins’s grin turned into a full-blown smile. “How we do everything, by the seat of our pants with nothing more than a few prayers to the Almighty to shore up our wings and put out our fires.”
Chapter
Fourteen
Franklin
I was shitty company and had barely spoken a word since Boone and I climbed back into our perfectly pristine rental SUV. Sheriff Henson offered an escort back to the hotel. Boone and I declined the offer. Considering none of us was sure if one or more of his officers was working for the enemy, it didn’t seem a hell of a lot safer.
Boone took my silence in stride. He was currently on the phone with his momma. I couldn’t hear Lydia’s side of the conversation, but from Boone’s answers, she’d already spoken with Warlock Holland. The military needed to take a hard look at the united front Boone’s parents made when it came to their son. I was convinced they could learn a thing or two.
Momma Boone was a force of nature when it came to protecting her son. Lydia might beonlyhuman, but God help the individual who threatened her son. That woman would move heaven, hell, and Earth to protect her child. Adulthood hadn’t dimmed that protective streak one iota.
“I promise, we’re fine, Momma,” Boone consoled his momma for the fifth, maybe sixth time. I’d honestly lost count. “I don’t know. Our plane ticket home is an open one. I washoping we could head back in the next day or two, but I think we might be needed here a little longer.” Boone went silent, only an occasional hum interjecting until he said, “Yeah, I’m worried about him. I don’t want to leave until we get Navarre taken care of.”
We’d also left the station without bringing back a single other soul. Boone offered, but Henson had his hands full and after the day Boone and I’d already had, it was decided regrouping tomorrow would be best. I’d thought about calling Nana and stopping by again this afternoon but squashed the idea. While Nana and Boone had gotten along well, spending time with her again would undoubtedly stress Boone more than he needed. Nana would understand.
“Love you too,” Boone said, ending the call. He lowered his hand, tucking his phone back into his pocket.
“I swear, those two have a psychic connection,” Boone lamented.
“Your parents?” I guessed.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think it’s psychic. I just think they’re on the same page when it comes to you. Neither one hesitates to contact the other if they think you might be in trouble. That’s not a bad thing.”
“I know,” Boone huffed. “And I love them both, but sometimes it’s a lot.”
I reached over and grasped his hand. “Love can be a difficult burden to bear, but it’s worth it.”
“Definitely worth it.” Boone squeezed my fingers in agreement. “Are we headed back to the hotel?” Boone asked.
“I thought we might stop and get something to eat first, but the hotel is the end destination. You good with that? I thought it might be a good idea to switch hotels also. We don’t know if we were followed this morning from our hotel or not.” Hell, I wasn’teven sure if we were being followed right now. I kept checking the rearview and side mirrors. So far, I hadn’t noticed anything to increase my already high threat level alert.
“It’s up to you,” Boone answered. “I’m good either way. Neither one of us knows if it will help or not.” Boone shrugged, or at least I think he shrugged. The winter coat he’d purchased nearly swallowed him whole. It was ridiculously puffy, and Boone was distractingly charming wearing the damn thing.
“I don’t suppose you have any more of those shield charms hidden in one of your pockets.”
“Why, yes. As a matter of fact, I do,” Boone grinned. “And not just those, but I have one we can set up when we decide where we’re laying our heads tonight. It’s an alarm charm. If someone tries to breach our mini sanctuary, either physically or magically, the thing will scream loud enough to wake the dead.” Boone giggled. “Pops made it extra annoying. He’s quite proud of it.”
I couldn’t imagine much Warlock Holland didn’t take pride in when it came to his creations, including the necromancer sitting beside me.
The SUV grew quiet again as Boone slid down into his seat, resting his head and eyes slipping closed. You’d think, given what happened this morning, that Boone would be more anxious. God knew I was. But that was who Boone was. He wasn’t stupid or careless, but Boone was practical. He rolled with the punches life threw at him, and came back swinging. In this case,swingingmeant relaxing and possibly taking a much-needed nap.
I thought he might actually fall asleep, but Boone surprised me by asking, “Did you realize the reason your former captain asked us to get involved in this case?”
I’d been ruminating on that and shook my head. “No, although I thought it might have a little to do with it. I just never realized how impactful that incident was for him.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure what to think. I hate what happened to the necromancer that died, but if his death helps save Navarre, then perhaps it won’t be completely in vain.” My brief glance Boone’s way showed he wasn’t as relaxed as I’d previously thought. “Something needs to be done, Franklin.”
“About?” I asked, not completely certain where Boone’s thoughts strayed.
“Necromancers. There’s too little known about us. No one even knows how many are out there.” Boone gave a disgusted huff. “The shame of being born a necromancer should not negate our lives. We aren’t worthless. We aren’t trash to be disposed of, to be swept under the rug because we make other species uncomfortable.”
I couldn’t agree more. “You’ll get no argument from me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Boone was quiet for a beat before he answered “Honestly, I’m not sure. At the very least, necromancers could be counted and a registry created. From there, maybe we could form a network of some kind. There must be more stable necromancers out there—some might even be like me. We could help guide the others. We could try and figure out what their abilities are and how to twist them into something less mentally damaging.”
