Page 158 of Hidden Nature

“You didn’t like her.”

“Not even a little. Not because she had an affair with a married man. That happens, people get caught up. But she had no feelings for him. He’s missing, likely dead, and she’s pouting because she’s not going to the Caymans.

“He was a means to an end,” Sloan sat flatly. “Expensive jewelry and a trip to the Caymans, and now she can get all that from some schmuck named Jerry.”

Blowing out a breath, she rose to wrap the rest of her chicken parm.

“And all that’s irrelevant. None of that helps find Rigsby or what’s left of him.”

“You’re taking this hard.”

“No. Maybe.” On a sigh, she looked back at him. “Yeah, maybe. You deal with hard things. A search and rescue where the rescue’s too late. Hunting accidents, drownings, or assholes like the ones we took down right before I went on medical leave. But this? Someone’s stolen three lives—that we know of—upended the world of three families. And not for gain.”

Since he’d nudged his plate away, Sloan wrapped the portion of the sub he hadn’t finished.

“Not for gain,” she repeated. “But because—and I know it—because those three people were given another chance to live.”

“Like you.”

“I hate you’re not wrong. The Janet Anderson case pulled at me before I knew about that, but at this point? It’s part of it for me, it resonates for me.”

“It has to. Sit down a minute.”

When she turned, he grabbed her hand, pulled her onto his lap.

“Here. Theo almost drowned when he was seven.”

“How?”

“Backyard pool. He liked to pretend he was Aquaman, and he went under. My job was to count off how long he stayed under. Like, one Mississippi, two Mississippi. I can’t remember what I’d gotten to—that’s gone blank—when I realized he was in trouble. I pulled him up. He was just limp, I remember that. I remember he wasn’t moving. Sophia—our nanny—had jumped in. I don’t know if I could’ve gotten him to the side and out if she wasn’t there.”

Saying nothing, nothing yet, she laid a hand on his cheek and just listened.

“For a minute that seemed like hours, I thought he was dead. Ithought I’d just floated and splashed around while my brother died. Then he was coughing up water, and he was fine.

“Nothing before, nothing after has ever scared me like that.”

“You saved him.”

“Actually, it’s more Sophia saved us both. We still send her flowers every Mother’s Day. Anyway, the point. Nobody has the right to decide someone else doesn’t have the right to live. And you’re entitled to take it hard.”

Touched, she brushed his hair back. “You gave me the other side of the coin. Thanks to you and Sophia, my sister’s going to marry the man she loves, start a life with him. And between them, they’ll make new lives. A happy ending, and I needed one today. Thanks.”

Angling her head, she laid her lips on his.

When she started to ease back, he put his hand on the back of her head, took the kiss deeper, spun it out longer.

“It’s Friday night.” Now he ran that hand down her back. “Have another glass of wine.”

“I think I will. I suppose you want another beer.”

“It’s Friday night. We can take them in the bedroom so you can hold up your end of the deal on the jalapeño poppers.”

“I only ate two, but a deal’s a deal. We need to take Tic out first.”

“At home we can just open the door. He stays close, comes back.”

“So we’ll make sure he knows to do that here. Then he gets his after-dinner treat.”

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