Page 121 of Swept for Forever
Trust her to notice.
“She’s…a forensic unicorn,” I said. “She doesn’t just sketch. She builds faces from fractured memories and raw data. She helped me crack more cases than I can count.”
Autumn waited with a single brow raised.
I stared at the ceiling for strength. “Fine, we had a thing. A one-off. It wasn’t serious.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Autumn, I mean it.”
Her arms crossed. “Sure. Then call her. Speaker.”
I sighed. “Why stop there? Let’s go full show-and-tell.” I dropped the phone on the table and hit video.
She gave a small roll of her shoulders, full of anticipation.
Susan answered immediately.
“Powell,” she said. “Tell me, are you a full cowboy now? How many bones have you broken?”
Autumn scooted just out of frame, watching and gloating.
“Good to see you, Susan.”
Her smirk deepened. “Are you asking for an encore?” She tapped her red lips with a perfectly manicured fingernail. “With motive, or just because you miss me?”
I could feel Autumn’s stare drilling into me. A silent order that was loud as hell:Don’t you dare cut her off. Let her roast you.
Susan leaned in, as if she could see the damage from there. “Wow, you’re blushing. That’s adorable.”
I sighed. “Susan?—”
“Come on! Don’t kill the vibe. Let me enjoy this. I mean, you did leave L.A. in a hurry. Then never texted back.”
“I didn’t text because I wasn’t obligated to.”
She clutched her chest. “Wow, so I really did wear you out.”
I closed my eyes while my lungs almost emptied themselves. “Susan?—”
“Oh, come on. You had stamina, Powell, I’ll give you that. But even you had to tap out eventually.”
“That’s not?—”
Beside me, Autumn let out a choked snort.
Susan’s eyes narrowed. “Wait. Was that—do you have company?”
I jabbed a finger at the screen. “Susan. Focus.”
Too late. Autumn’s shoulders shook with laughter.
Susan grinned like a cat spotting a cornered mouse. “Ohhh, tell me she heard that.”
“Autumn,” I muttered, “don’t encourage her.”
Autumn doubled over, her hand clamped over her mouth.
