HARLOW
"Toby's death was ruled accidental," Cass said, looking up from his laptop to give me an apologetic look.
"Good," Jules said, scowling at both of us over the top of his cornflakes. "They might not come after any of us."
"That's rude," Boner said, scraping a heap of peanut butter over a slice of toast. "All that effort Archer went to so they’d notice Harlow and give her a nickname, and they put it down to what? Death by sardine can?"
Archer sighed softly.
"It doesn't say," Cass said. "Just that shelves fell on him and he died. Along with a warning to make sure shelves are put up correctly."
"Good, some practical advice." Boner stabbed the knife into the toast at an angle, cutting it into two rough triangles.
"You comprehend none of that is as important as the fact they aren't looking for a murderer or two?" Jules said. Where once he would have looked around at us in disbelief, this morning he looked resigned. Like he was starting to understand our collective sense of humor, even when it seemed our priorities were inside out.
"That's a good thing," Archer said. He didn't seem convinced.
"We can find someone else to go after," I assured him. "There's plenty more bad apples where Toby came from."
"I know." He paused for a moment before nodding to himself. "I'll find someone. We can do it better this time. Make sure to take their heart out. Or…something."
"You definitely need an ‘or something,’" Boner said. "Otherwise they'll think it's you, not her."
"What about you?" Jules asked, pointing his spoon at Boner. "Don't you want some nickname they'll put in serial killer documentaries in a few years?"
Boner shrugged. "Of course I do. But not before Harlow gets one. She's been working her cute little ass off for years. She deserves to be recognized. And by recognized, I mean given a cute nickname. Notliterallyrecognized."
"We figured you meant that," I told him.
"Speak for yourself," Jules said. "Who knows when it comes to this guy?" He prodded the air in Boner’s direction before finishing his cereal.
Boner made kissy faces at Jules before chomping down on his toast and chewing.
Jules responded with an eye roll.
"As much fun as this is," I said finishing the last of my coffee, "I need to get to work."
"Me too," Cass said. He closed his laptop and rose to his feet. "I wouldn't want to be late. I might get in trouble with the boss." He gave me a grin that made my stomach flip.
"Your boss might enjoy that," I teased.
He shoved hair back off his face as his cheeks turned pink. For a moment he looked like he was going to order me onto my knees and punish my mouth with his cock. Then he glanced at his watch and saw we really would be late if we didn't get out the door soon.
"Later," I told him.
I placed my cup in the dishwasher, brushed my teeth and grabbed my things. By the time I was ready to head out the door, so was everyone else, including Archer, who looked like he hadn't slept at all.
"I don't need a big escort," I told them all.
"I’m leaving now anyway," Jules said. He picked up his tools that were in a box by the door and stomped out ahead of us.
"I like escorting you," Boner said. He hooked his elbow around mine.
"Me too," Archer agreed. "It's a nice morning for a walk."
"It's raining," I pointed out.
"A little bit of moisture never hurt anyone," Boner said. "Unless it's acid. Or a bunch of other shit that actually would hurt. A whole lot of water can hurt you too." He chuckled.
