As his breathing deepens, I let myself give into the draw of sleep.
Tomorrow it is.
Chapter17
Hugo
I would’ve lovedto stay in bed with Bess, who is still out like a light, but I reluctantly relinquished my spot to Ragnar, who’d been whining at the door ever since I kicked him out last night.
After a quick shower in Carson’s bathroom—one I should remind him to clean when he gets back from Seattle, it’s disgusting—I sneak out the front door, where Roy Battaglia is already waiting for me.He’s got a cardboard tray with carryout coffees and a brown paper bag from the diner.
I’d messaged him before my shower to see if he could swing by the Bread & Butter Diner to pick up some breakfast for us on his way here.I’d planned to pick up some groceries today since my fridge is pretty empty, but I’m obviously not going anywhere in the foreseeable future.
“All quiet,” he informs me.“I just checked in with my guys.No suspicious activity.”
“Good.”
Roy was one of the people I called last night, after what Bess told me emphasized the potential danger she could be in.
I still felt her hold back though, and that itself increased my concerns.Whatever it is her brother blabbed his mouth about, it’s bad enough for her to keep close to her chest.In addition, I suspect whatever it is, Ken Choi had at least some involvement because I can’t see Bess covering for the Lotus Squad, but I believe she’d try to protect her brother.Even against better judgment.
The only reason I didn’t spend the night blocking the front door, armed to the teeth, is because Roy and his crew were there keeping a watchful eye out.
The other call I made was to Rick Althof, filling him in on the additional information.I purposely left Savvy out of the loop.At least for now, until we have a better grip on the situation and can present her with plans already in place.Despite not having known Althof long, I am putting a lot of faith in him to handle the investigative side, because there is no way in hell I’m letting Bess out of my sight.
His first course of order is to locate Ken Choi.There is no guarantee he didn’t beeline it out of Silence after I interrupted their little chat in the alley yesterday afternoon, but my gut tells me he didn’t go far.It’s not likely he’s staying somewhere in Silence—he’d be too visible—but there are plenty of places to hide out in the woods and mountains surrounding us.
“I’ve got two guys in the neighborhood during daylight hours, and the rest of the guys will be back tonight,” Roy continues, breaking into my thoughts.“Unless something changes.”
“I’ll let you know if that is the case,” I comment.
“Fair enough.I’ll just grab my things and get started out here.It might get noisy; I’ll have to do a bit of drilling.”
Roy is here to install my new security system.
I may be law enforcement, but since one of our own—a Silence native I knew and worked with—attacked my son and turned out to be a killer we were looking for, my sense of security took a good hit.Last night, after discovering we might have elements of a violent gang right here in Silence posing a serious threat to Bess, the decision to get a decent system installed was easy.
I head back inside with our breakfast, leaving Roy to his work.Ragnar, who must’ve come down to see where I went, immediately picks up on the paper bag in my hand and circles my legs as I try to head up the stairs.
“Back off, buddy.I’ve got a piece of bacon with your name on it in here, but you’ve gotta be patient.”
As if a five-month-old, food-motivated puppy the size of a bear cub understands the concept of patience.
“Who was at the door?”Bess asks when I walk in.
She’s boosted herself up on an elbow and is squinting one eye at me from under her sleep-tousled hair.A red sleep crease runs down the cheek she had pressed into her pillow earlier.She looks fucking amazing in my bed.
I’d love to keep her here, just like this, but I know before long both our phones will start ringing once Savvy gets to the office and finds out about last night.I really want to make sure I get a proper meal into Bess before the chaos erupts.
“Roy Battaglia.His guys kept an eye out last night, and he’s installing a security system here today.”
Her second eye snaps open and her lips form a thin line, showing me she’s not thrilled about that.
“Before you say anything,” I quickly add.“I’ve been thinking about having one installed since Carson was attacked last year, I just never got around to it.This is a perfect opportunity.”
It’s easy to see she’s not convinced, but at least she’s letting it go.Not that it was negotiable anyway.
“What’s in the bag?”
