“Good advice. Night, Rawley.”
“Night, Laramie.”
Rawley walked toward his desk, but heard Dave call his name. He turned around and entered his office.
“What’s up, Dave?”
“Do you think Saunders will be good to work with?”
Rawley folded his arms. “I do. He seems determined to find those men.”
“Alright. Are you okay with the men I chose to work with you?”
He smirked. “Would it matter if I did?”
Dave barked out a laugh. “Absolutely not.”
Rawley chuckled. “I’m fine with all of them. I trust them.”
“They trust you too. When I told them it was for a case you were on, they all jumped on it. I had to turn Kian, Luke, Deke, and Caysen down. Hud, Killian, and Beau got in there first.”
“I appreciate them all. We’ll be a good team.”
Dave slapped him on the shoulder. “Yes, you will be. Now, I’m going home and getting some rest. You do the same. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yes, sir.” Rawley followed him until he reached his desk. He wanted to straighten up before he left for the day. He removed his hat from the rack, placed it on his head, then strode to the door. He touched the brim of his hat as he passed another agent still sitting at his desk on the phone.
Instead of taking the elevator, Rawley opened the door to the stairwell, then jogged down and out into the lobby. The ceiling lights reflected off the floor as he made his way to the doors. He stepped outside and stopped on the top step. The evening air was still oppressive. He ran down the concrete steps, across the parking lot, then climbed into his truck.
He leaned his head back, blew out a breath, then started the truck, and drove home.
“Shit,” he muttered as he realized he had forgotten to turn his notifications back on in his phone. He wasn’t going to look now; he’d wait until he got home.
****
Skylar sank into the sofa, balancing a greasy slice of day-old pepperoni pizza on a paper towel. Her phone vibrated against the cushion, causing Cosmo to leap up with an indignant meow, swat at the buzzing intruder with his paw, then bound to the floor in a huff.
“Sorry I disturbed your beauty sleep, your majesty.” Skylar wiped her fingers on her faded sweatpants before picking upthe phone. Her heart quickened when she saw Rawley’s name illuminating the screen. “About damn time,” she whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she swiped open the message.
Friday sounds good but how about you stay with me, and we can go to the cookout from here.
She bit her lower lip, tasting tomato sauce as she typed,What about dinner?
The three dots pulsed for a moment before his reply appeared,I could have something delivered.
Skylar’s fingers hovered over the screen.Okay. What time should I be there?
Six. If I’m running late, the back door will be unlocked.
The door on the side?
No. You’ll have to go to the fence. You’ve seen the garage, right? Between the house and garage, there’s a walk that leads to the back yard and deck. You’ll see it. The dogs will be in the house. If you don’t mind, please open the pet door.
They won’t bite me, will they?A chill crawled up her spine at the thought of those eyes tracking her every move. She’d seen how obedient they were with Rawley, but to them, she was just an intruder in their territory.
Just talk to them. They know you. Trust me.
I do. Okay. I’ll see you on Friday around six.
