Page 33 of Dead to Rights
“Maybe.” Finn squeezed the back of his neck and traced his thumb back and forth across the sensitive skin. “As long as we can come here every day, I don’t really care where we live.”
“It really is beautiful here,” he agreed. “I wonder if we’ll see anyone we know.” The only people in his life who had passed on before him had been his grandparents. He’d been a baby when they’d died, and he didn’t remember them, but he wouldn’t mind the chance to get to know them. “Do you have anyone waiting for you?”
Finn considered the question for a long time before eventually shaking his head.
“I know that look,” Noah accused, but he kept his tone gentle. “That’s not the whole truth, is it? Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I was just wondering if Debrah will be here.”
Noah stiffened as the heat of jealousy washed over him. “Who the fuck is Debrah?”
To his immense irritation, Finn smirked. “She’s gorgeous. You’re going to love her.”
He highly doubted that. “Old girlfriend?” he guessed. “The one that got away?”
His mate barked out a sharp laugh. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
“Finn!”
“Debrah was a pretty little cocker spaniel, and the best damn bird dog I ever had.”
Noah instantly deflated, but instead of being embarrassed, he had to smile. Of course, Finn missed his dog. It was so damn on brand it kind of hurt.
“You named your dog Debrah?”
Finn shrugged. “She looked like a Debrah.”
He tried to picture it, but he just couldn’t do it. “If you say so.”
“Finn? Noah?” An older gentleman with silver hair and a kind smile appeared in front of them. “My name is Walter, and I’m here to escort you to your new home.”
He spoke with a polished British accent, and honestly, he looked kind of like every grandfather he’d ever seen in a BBC movie. Tweed suit. Polished loafers. Sweater vest. A walking cane. He even wore one of those newsboy caps.
“Hi, Walter. Uh, can you tell us where we’re going?”
“Home,” he repeated, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Yeah, but like what kind of home?”
“Now, why would I ruin the surprise?”
His warm laughter was utterly infectious, and though Noah hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted, he couldn’t help but chuckle along. “I guess you’ve got me there.”
“Shall we?”
Noah held his hand out, palm up, and looked at his mate. “Ready?”
Finn laced their fingers together without hesitation and gave him a gentle squeeze. “Ready.”
“Very good, then,” Walter said, turning to lead them toward the same opening in the hedge. “Because there is someone quite eager to see you.”
Epilogue
Six Months Later...
“Debrah!Getyourassback here, you little shit!”
Shovel buried in the wet earth, Finn paused and looked up just as Debrah shot out of the screen door of their little cabin like a furry rocket. She bolted across the back deck and leapt off the stairs, coming to heel at his side with a mischievous grin and a wiggling butt.
