Page 35 of Seer

“Close up! Head home and prepare.” Cowboy calls out to them as he takes out his phone and calls Glitch, if I had to guess.

“Call Church. We’re going on lockdown, Sugar.”

I sit at the bar and stare at the TV, thinking about the past.

Am I happy?

It’s an emotion I didn’t think I would ever feel again. Contentment, for sure. Giddy even, absolutely. But happy?

It’s something that feels like a betrayal to Sam.

They’d want me to be happy. Hell, they’d be pissed if I wasn’t. Their words float through my mind, making me smile.

A life without joy and happiness is lonely. This world would be worthless without them in it. So live it your way, my little devil. Only you make the rules for your life.

Chapter

Eighteen

SEER

The rain beats down on the windshield, making the wipers groan as I work to navigate the flooded streets of New Orleans on our way to the police station.

“This is crazy,” Leah says, looking out her window.

“Baby, this is nothing. Just a regular rainstorm. Wait until the first bands of that hurricane hit. Then you’ll see some epic flooding.

I pull into the parking lot and shut the car off.

“Ready to make a run for it?” I grab the handle of the door and look over at Leah.

She’s biting her lip as she watches the sky.

“Sure, let’s go.” She flings open her door and slams it shut, with me following behind her.

We rush inside and shake off the rain as we approach the desk. The police officer manning it has seen one too many beignets. His middle is fat and round, making it impossible to lean against the counter we’re standing at.

“We’re here for Kai Thorton.” I try not to sneer at him, but powdered sugar is all over the front of his uniform, making me think of other bad habits he might be involved in.

It wouldn’t be the first time Parrish police had dipped into the evidence room to have fun with cocaine.

“You are?” I bite the inside of my cheek to remind me of what Ma always said.

Sugar, not Vinegar, Baby.

“Fabien Fukuma, sir.” I tack that on at the end and swallow the bitter taste of showing him any respect.

He rolls his eyes at my tone as he walks away without a single word to us.

“Rude,” Leah hisses under her breath, and I nod.

“Are they even here yet?” I tuck her hair beyond her ear and shrug.

“No telling. I’m sorry about our evening.” Her smile tells me it’s ok, but honestly, it’s not.

None of us have been able to get a single moment of alone time with her in the last few weeks. It’s like the worst case of bad luck, and I’m sick of it. First, her date with Phoebe was ruined when a trolly hit the coffee cart. Kai hasn’t been able to take a day off since one of the beer stills sprang a leak, and we can’t get the parts in to fix it for another week. That has left me short-handed at the bar, meaning we only see each other at work or before we pass out at home.

How can you live with someone and never have time alone with them?

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