Page 53 of Deadly Lineage
I raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
Boone chuckled, the low sound slipping through my skin and making me shiver. “It’s difficult to explain and I’m not sure how it works. Pops says everyone’s got a unique signature. I’m not certain what that means. I think it’s hard for him to put into words. Anyway, the point is that Pops says that once his wards come into contact with someone, especially someone who activates them, then he gets a read on that person and can recognize them again.”
Now that sounded useful. “Can he track them?”
Boone shook his head. “No. It doesn’t work that way. We’d need to catch the guys first and then Pops could tell us if we’ve got the right ones.” Boone shrugged. “That might not be too helpful.”
“Maybe not as much as I’d hoped, but it’s something.” I had no doubt Boone’s father would agree to magically check out a suspect or two, especially when it had to do with his son’s safety.
Headlights flashed, sweeping across Boone’s yard and into the street as the crime scene techs left. A couple of lingering officers followed quickly behind, leaving me alone with Boone. Crickets chirped in the background as the sun dropped below the horizon. The sky was hazy with the evening humidity, making the deep magenta of the fading twilight fuzzy.
“It’s peaceful here,” Boone said, his voice barley above a whisper. “It’s one of the reasons I moved here. It was a risk.” Boone swallowed and stared at his hands, his arms still draped over the fence separating his property from Mrs. Hart’s.
“A risk?”
Boone tilted his head toward the street. “Not everyone was thrilled having a necromancer move in next door. There was even a petition trying to keep me out. Some people in the area were afraid my presence would drop their property value.” Boone blew out a deep breath. “I have equal housing opportunity to thank for my current home. Legally, I was in the right. I’m not gonna lie though. When I heard about the petition, I almost backed out. No one wants to live where they’re not wanted.”
My chest ached. Boone’s tone was wistful, as if he were speaking of someone else’s misfortune, not his own.
“What changed your mind?” I asked.
Boone nodded toward Mrs. Hart’s house. “The Harts. I wish you could have met Calista’s husband. Although, having met her, it’s almost like meeting him. They were so like-minded. Mr. Hart told me in no uncertain terms that they’d love for me to move in and not to pay attention to all the busybodies in the neighborhood. According to Mr. and Mrs. Hart, everyone has a few skeletons in their closets, and the people who protested the loudest were just afraid I was going to open those doors and let out all their secrets.” Boone hung his head, a tender smile pulling his lips. “I told them that’s not how my abilities work. Mr. Hart told me he knew that, but his neighbors didn’t—and not to enlighten them. Mr. Hart got a chuckle out of that and said it would be fun watching his neighbors fret and squirm.”
“You’re right. I wish I could have met him.”
“She hides it well, but Calista misses her husband. I don’t know what she’ll do if something happens to Miss Pattycakes. That little ball of white fluff is her lifeline.”
“With you across the yard, Miss Patty’s not her only one.”
Boone raised his head, his deep green eyes all the darker with night settling in. His skin was moonlight-pale and his sweaty hair flopped haphazardly across his forehead. My eyes tracked his tongue as he licked his lips. “Does it bother you?” he asked.
My brain fritzed and it took me an embarrassingly long time to compute Boone’s words. “Does what bother me?”
Boone’s cheeks flushed. “That she thinks we have a more-than-professional relationship.”
My response was immediate. “No. Does it bother you?”
Boone ran his fingers through his hair. “No, but I think our reasons are different.”
Leaning against the fence, I settled in for a conversation I had a sneaking suspicion was overdue. “How so?”
Boone jerked like I’d slapped him. “I think you know the answer.”
“I really don’t, but I can guess what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong.”
This time, when he jerked his head, his eyes were wide and searching. There was a glimmer of something that looked suspiciously like hope, and the very fact Boone didn’t think I could feel the same way he did made my chest hurt.
“I…I’m typically direct, but don’t know how to be about this. I consider us friends, Franklin. I don’t want to change that.”
“So don’t change it,” I answered and realized I’d fucked up and worded that all wrong when Boone pulled away. Reaching out quickly, I grasped his shoulder and held him in place. “I said that wrong. I didn’t mean that I didn’t want anything in our relationship to change, only that no matter what happens, we can still remain friends. I’d like to explore themoreaspect with you, but above all, I don’t wantthisto change.” I oscillated my finger between the two of us. “I don’t wantyouto change. If you hadn’t noticed, I kind of like you the way you are. I kind of like you way more than I should.” The words came easier than I thought they would.
Boone turned his head. “Because I’m a necromancer?”
“No, because you’re someone I work with professionally. You’re not officially on the force, but you are occasionally on the payroll.”
That flicker of hope was cautiously back. “That’s the only reason?”
I shrugged. “It’s the only reason I can think of and I’m damn tired of it cockblocking me.”
