He came up behind me, set his hands on my shoulders, and squeezed until my knuckles went white on the keyboard.
“Take a break,” he said. “Eat something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to keep your head clear.” He bent down, mouth at my ear. “I’ll make lunch.”
I wanted to argue, but the caffeine and the adrenaline were making my vision double. I closed the laptop and slumped in the chair, watching him move around my kitchen with the clumsy precision of a bear pretending to be a chef.
He made eggs. Not just eggs—eggs and thick-cut bacon and toast so buttery it was almost yellow. He plated it for me, then set the plate in front of me and waited until I picked up a fork.
“You’ll make someone an outstanding wife,” I said, laughing.
“I’m gonna tan your ass as soon as I get you back in my playroom, and ‘he who must not be named’ won’t even be able to help you.”
I swallowed hard around my bite of toast. A small grin on my face.
He poured himself a glass of water, downed it in two gulps, then came back to the table and watched me.
“You always eat this fast?” he asked.
“We’re wolves. You know how we do?”
He smirked. “You ever miss it?”
“You mean eating with my family? Yeah, I suppose I do.” I wiped my mouth with a paper towel. “But I’ve always eaten alone since they died.”
He went quiet. Not the awkward kind, just the kind that said, I understand, and I’ll sit here as long as you need.
We finished in silence. Rocket snuffled at my feet, licking my toes.
When I went back to the laptop, the camera feed was still dead. I rerouted through three proxies, then finally got a ping on an external mic I’d planted in the main hallway. It was a live channel, but the only thing I could hear was a low hum. Maybe a vent, maybe a refrigerator.
“I’m getting nothing,” I muttered.
“You’ll get it,” Wrecker said. “You always do.”
He’d just hung up the phone. “That was Bronc. They moved the toy drive prep,” he said. “There were just too many toys for the basement, so they’re at the civic center now. Whole crew will be there for the next few days, packing toys.”
I loved that. “So, the clubhouse is empty?”
He nodded. “For the first time in forever.”
He looked at me, then at the clock, then back at me. “Bronc’s coming by to get me. You wanna come with? Might help you get your mind off things.”
I wanted to say yes. But the terror of missing something on the feeds had my insides twisted up like a rope.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” I said. “I want to keep an eye on the transfers and maybe catch wind of what they’re up to.”
He studied me for a long second. “Don’t go anywhere alone, Parker.”
I snorted. “I have a guard dog.”
Rocket farted, then rolled onto his back, paws in the air.
Wrecker shook his head. “Some guard dog.”
There was a knock at the door. Not the kind that asks permission, but the kind that says, I’m coming in whether you like it or not.
