Me: Do these look familiar?
Anders: Fuck. Those are the trackers.
Me: Seems like he really doesn’t want to be found. Does he have a history of disappearing?
Anders: No. Never.
Anders: Shit. Lemme see if we can track his phone.
On a hunch, I peer inside his car.
Me: Don’t bother. His phone and bracelet are in the cup holder.
Me: Also his wallet.
My phone rings, and I answer.
“I’m going to need you to tell me everything that went down with my nephew. Every conversation, every time you made eyes at each other, every little detail. You leave anything out, and I’ll know.”
I’m an officer of the law, trained in weapons handling and hand-to-hand combat, but the threat in Anders’ voice sends a shiver down my spine.
I dare not lie to him.
I tell him about the flirting via contrived misdemeanors and fake arrests. That I was never tempted by fifteen-year-old Maverick, but that adult Maverick has charmed me, despite my best efforts.
I leave out the fact that I can’t get him out of my mind and that I’m falling for him faster than I know what to do with.
“And finally, last night we…got together for the first time.” I let out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel comfortable giving you any other details.”
“I don’t care about those kinds of details, Boone. Just that everything that happened was consensual.”
“It was.”
It very much was, and now I’ve gone and ruined it by jumping off the goddamned diving board. Though…I find it hard to regret letting Hopper know about me.
I wish I could’ve done it without hurting Mav.
“I swear, I wasn’t trying to lie to anyone. I hate lying.” God, I hope he believes me. “I wasn’t expecting…any of this.”
“I hear you. There’s just… There are several complicating factors, and Maverick’s been kept in the dark about some of them, which is why he’s so upset.” Anders lets out a loud exhale. “We don’t track the Wildlings because we don’t trust them. We track them because there are people out there who…”
Anders goes silent, save for a series of deep breaths. Like he’s trying to get a hold of himself.
“There are people who would hurt them if they had even the slightest chance or provocation,” he says, an edge of desperation in his voice. “It’s not an empty threat, Detective. It’s leverage.”
That one word tells me as much as everything that came before it. Maverick has also talked about complicating factors, but I wonder if he’s ever heard the fear in his uncle’s voice.
“Should we just tell Boone everything?”
That’s Hopper’s voice in the background.
Liam responds, “Not yet.”
I decide not to mention it.
“Alright,” Anders says. “You keep doing your grid search, and we’ll talk to the Wildlings. See if they have any ideas.”
I don’t bother asking how he knows I’m searching in a grid pattern.
