Page 8 of Raven's Curse
Greer looked up at her. “I don’t know what to do. It’s getting to the point I can’t focus when he’s around. Can barely breathe. But I don’t know how…”
Mac let go of her hands, inched closer. “Whatever’s holding you back, I promise it isn’t the deal breaker you’ve concocted in your head. We all have demons — Chase included.”
“I just can’t be wrong, again. Not like my last few assignments with the bureau. With Thompson.”
“First, Thompson’s not on you. In fact, if you hadn’t been willing to dig deeper, despite knowing he’d have your badge if he found out, we’d still be under his rule. Still have him running his drugs through town.” Mac inched closer. “But more importantly, I don’t think you’re afraid of being wrong about Chase. I think you’re afraid of being right.”
“You read that in a fortune cookie?”
Mac merely smiled, then walked over to the door. “C’mon. Before Foster sends out a search and rescue team.”
Greer sighed, took one last glance in the mirror, then headed out, following Mac over to the table. Chase and his teammates looked up, the lively conversation cutting off as the two of them approached the table.
Foster stood, holding out Mac’s chair. “I thought I’d have to send Jordan in to do a recon. Find out if you’d somehow gotten trapped.”
Mac rolled her eyes. “Men. Besides, look who I found.”
Chase copied Foster’s approach, grabbing the empty chair beside him and offering it to Greer. “Your shift should’ve ended an hour ago. You need to take better care of yourself.” He leaned in as he helped her scoot the seat forward. “You look exhausted.”
Greer smiled. “Aren’t you the charmer.”
“If you don’t want me to call you out, then don’t start working before five.”
She arched a brow. “Are you stalking me?”
“Will you arrest me if I say yes?”
“Might give me an excuse to use my handcuffs.”
Chase coughed, glanced at his buddies. “We got called in early, and we pass your office. You were already there.”
Greer ignored the smug smiles staring back at her. “It’s the start of Hell Week. Things should settle down once it’s over.”
Kash frowned, popping a fry in his mouth. “I thought all that fraternity hazing crap was outlawed?”
Greer glanced at Chase when he shoved some nachos her way. “Most universities and colleges claim they’ve cracked down on it, and it tends to be more stupid pranks than anything, but the fraternities really just shifted the stunts to smaller communities where they think local law won’t care.”
Zain motioned to her head. “Is that how you got that cut?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Chase muttered something under his breath, shaking his head as the conversation drifted to safer topics, mainly their buddy Rhett Oliver. How he’d roused for the first time in a year. A sign they hoped meant he was finally rejoining the living.
Greer settled in, their combined buzz more than a bit infectious. The way they laughed, teasing each other and looking as if a weight had been lifted, drew her in. And just like that, all her reasons for keeping Chase at arm’s length slowly crumbled amidst the press of his thigh against hers. The way he smiled whenever she risked a glance. Her heart rate had already tripled when Saylor leaned back in her chair.
She took a sip of pop. “Zain says you’ve got a new deputy starting tomorrow. Some guy they knew back in the service.”
Greer nodded. “Elijah James. He did a few years as an Army Ranger until an injury pulled him from the field. He shifted to military police, then decided to go civilian. And the entire team swears the guy’s solid?—”
Zain groaned. “Trust me. Eli’s solid. Guy was a beast until that IED pulverized his leg. He’s lucky he didn’t lose it.”
Kash shifted forward as he rested his elbows on the table. “And he worked like hell to get most of the mobility back.” He glanced at Chase. “Chase wouldn’t let us recommend anyone we wouldn’t trust with our lives let alone yours, right buddy?”
Chase sighed. “Eli’s good people. We all did a number of joint task forces with the guy.” He leaned in close to Greer, sucking out all the available oxygen with his smile. The way his gaze swept the length of her. “And yeah, I wouldn’t let anyone back you up I wouldn’t go into battle with. Period.”
Greer swallowed, coughing when it didn’t quite go down right. “Good to know. Besides, it’s painfully evident my resources are already spread too thin across the county.”
Saylor arched a brow. “Does this mean you might actually take a day off?”
