“Is this even your jurisdiction?”
Why is Pierce still talking?
And why is Booney out of focus?
I stumble, and Booney’s eyes widen.
“Hey, Rune? Maverick? You okay?”
“I’m superfine,” I answer, giggling again.
Awww.Booney’s so cute when he gets that line between his brows.
“I’ll make sure he gets back to his place,” Pierce says, wrapping his arm around my waist again.
As if.
I push him away. “Stop acting all possesh…pos…poshesive? In front of Booney. He’s my OG crush. My camp counselor crush. My Booney crush.”
I take a deep breath, not sure why the words aren’t wording right now.
“Hey, man. What was in that flask?” Boone asks, holding out his hand.
I smack Pierce’s chest. “Doesn’t he sound sexy when he acts all: ‘I’m…Mr. Cop. I’m a cop. I’m a Booney cop. Gimme your flask.’”
Er. That made more sense in my head.
“I’m out of here, man,” Pierce mutters, disappearing from my back like a magic trick.
His sudden absence throws me off balance, and I splash into the water. I look up at the bronze horses, captured mid-stride, and wonder how anyone could sculpt in metal like that.
Like, do you torch it or…? I should ask Uncle Hopper.
I try to get up, but end up falling again, inhaling half the fountain water while I’m at it. Another, bigger splash startles me, and I inhale the fucking other half. Seconds later, Booney pulls me from the water and holds me upright as I hack up a goddamn lung.
Ugh. Unpleasant.
Worse, all this coughing is making me even dizzier. Booney’s one strong motherfucker, though, and he steers me to the edge of the fountain. Getting out is trickier than it should be—why are my legs so goddamned long?—but we finally make it to solid ground.
“Hey, what are y’all doing here?” An armed officer appears out of the night, like an angry genie on a mission to ban all fun from the known universe.
Ah shit.
“The fountain is closed after sundown.”
“I’m a detective with Austin PD,” Booney says, flashing his badge once again, more of that delecticious authority in his voice. “I’m helping this one find his way home.”
The guy—campus police? —pauses. “We are required to press charges for all trespassers.”
“Just go along with this next part,” Booney whispers in my ear as he pulls a pair of cuffs from his holster. Showing them to the officer, he responds, “I’m already on it.”
The cold steel circles my wrists and, fuck me, I whimper.
God, I love it when he cuffs me.
“Sir, you’re going to need to come with me,” Boone says, adding a little bass to his voice.
It takes me a second to realize that I’m thesirin question.
