Page 182 of White Raven
He only smiled like the Devil, and Brandon chuckled under his breath as he darted for Rhaena’s chair and moved it from behind her desk. Kane quickly replaced it, and Sarah took Foley’s old chair and started rolling it to its new home. Athan plopped down into it, wiggling around for good measure, and the awful creak scraped at Brandon’s teeth.
“Perfect,” Kane grinned.
“I hope I’m thirty miles from here when she gets back.”
Athan stood, and carefully slid the chair in as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Great deal less than the miles I’m about to put in,” he sighed.
“Still shaking in your boots over this plane ride?”
“Christ…I don’t even wanna think about it. At this point, I’ll take the coffin.”
Brandon smiled and couldn’t place the look on his colleague’s face as Kane stared proudly at him. “You good, man?”
He was quiet for a second, and Sarah poked her head back into the door. “Yeah, I’m perfect. Hold down the fort, alright?”
“I’ve got this,” Brandon smirked. Sarah stepped to his side, and reached over, hugging him and patting his back. Kaneextended his hand. It didn’t seem right…letting him leave this way. Brandon gripped it, and pulled him in, slapping the leather on Athan’s back before pulling away. “Take care of yourself, brother. Our captain’s safe.”
Their tender bro-moment came crashing down with a loud bang, and Sarah nearly jumped out of her immortal skin next to them as they all turned towards the back wall. No…it wasn’t the moment. It was the fucking bookshelf.
“Oh, my God…” Sarah laughed, covering her mouth as the entire precinct went silent and stared into the office. She doubled over in giggles, and Athan rubbed the back of his neck.
“That um…that wasn’t supposed to happen. The fucking thing is missing a piece.”
“Uh huh…” Athan chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. “That’s our cue. Let’s go.” Brandon stared, eyes wide, at the rubble that should have been…a damn masterpiece…as Sarah and Athan made their way to the elevator.
“Kane!” he called, leaning halfway out the office door. “Dude! Come on, man…you just gonna leave me here with this?”
The detective grinned as the doors closed, and he tossed up two fingers while Sarah continued to cackle beside him.
It was late. Wren had made the decision to leave early, and drive through the night after parting ways with Rhaena at the precinct, and he didn’t have the heart to argue with her about it. A dim light was on in Sarah’s apartment as Brent parked Wren’s car in front of the art gallery. It’d likely be the last time he’d ever see the inside of this little apartment that he used to feel so reluctant to be in. Now it seemed harder to say goodbye to it than when he walked out of his penthouse for the last time.
“I’m staying in the car,” Wren sniffled, wiping her nose on her blanket she’d draped over her legs. “Me and Sarah left shit the way we wanted to earlier tonight. I’m not leaving Denver out here by himself.”
“Okay,” he smirked, leaning over to press a kiss to her head. “I’ll be back.”
He didn’t announce himself as he trudged up the narrow steps to Sarah’s door. He swallowed as he raised his hand to knock on it, freezing when Athan swung it open, and pointed a gun at him.
“Shit…Stratford. You learn nothing.”
Brent tried to reel in his small heart attack as Athan lowered his pistol and turned to let him in. Sarah clutched that old blanket up to her chest from a small pallet on the floor of their empty apartment. She was naked as hell. Nothing he hadn’t seen every inch of before, no…but…she wasn’t his anymore.
“Brent?!” she squealed, reaching for her t-shirt. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He covered his eyes, and Athan closed the door behind him as Sarah shuffled, getting dressed. “Yeah, sorry…I—I should have called first.”
“Everything okay?” Athan asked.
He continued to shield his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, we’re good…just…Wren wants to leave tonight. I didn’t wanna start the trek out west until I came to say goodbye.” Brent fixed his eyes on the familiar luggage by the door. Sarah’s tattooed legs came into view beneath his hand, and she moved it away from his face.
She stood next to Athan in an old band shirt, and some really short nightshorts, and they both seemed so…completelynormal. Effortless. Nobody would ever guess what they were behind the glamour of that huge secret, and it really set in at that moment just how wrong they’d been for each other. He wasso happy for her. And so sorry for everything he’d done. It was like Athan Kane could hear his every thought as his striking eyes softened at him, and Sarah brought her arms around Brent’s neck. He blew out a deep breath and closed his eyes as he squeezed around her.
“This is still joint custody, Brent…” Sarah choked out over his shoulder. “You’re to bring my big, ginger smokestack back here. Every other weekend and bank holidays.” Brent laughed into her long black hair.
“I’ll take care of her, Sarah. I promise.”
“You better. Or I’ll drive the bus myself.”
Athan chuckled at that one, and Brent couldn’t help but join him. Sarah pulled back and looked him over. He dressed for comfort for this ride. Gray sweatpants, and a new hoodie Wren had bought him with blown out piano keys. His new favorite.
