She shook her head. "Just home. Just want this day over."
He nodded, then checked the dog's ribs himself, gentle as you please. "You should call the vet in town, get his ribs checked."
I stared at the man. I'd grown up with him, but I'd never seen him so contained, every ounce of anger funneled into the lines on his notepad. Satisfied, he closed up the kit. "I'll send this off to be processed. You two head home. I'll put out an APB for William and his friend. Might as well see if they show up at the clinic. I'll have to hand this case off, though, since we're related, Chance."
I nodded and threw my arm around Tash's shoulders. Tash leaned hard against me, not speaking. Huey trotted at her heels, tail down but determined.
Caden and I agreed. If they came back, we'd finish the job.
Tash
The last sliceof bundt cake had vanished half an hour ago, but nobody wanted to be the first to call it. Holiday music trailed in from the living room, low enough that I couldn't make out the lyrics. Just the hint of bells and nostalgia, looping around the edges of the big Meyer house.
I caught my own reflection in the hallway mirror and nearly laughed. My cheeks were a little too pink, thanks to Maeve's drinks and the cheap wine I hadn't known how to refuse. Not that I'd really wanted to. The dragon-flower brooch Chance gave me for Christmas blazed hot red and gold at my collarbone, more alive than any skin I'd owned in years. I touched it for luck.
The twins and Beth's kids were probably dancingthe night away back at the cabin, but I didn't stress about it. Not with Mere and Fifi in charge, and not with the way my body hummed from the wine and whatever was happening in this room.
Gerty was the first to come up for air. She set her empty glass on the sideboard, smirked, and said, "I'm calling it. If I eat another truffle, I'll explode."
Maeve waved her off with a cookie. "Nonsense. You've only made a dent in the dessert tray."
Beth groaned. "No more. Seriously, you have to roll me to the car."
Chance shrugged from his spot at the window. He looked dangerously calm. "Or you could stay till sunrise. There's enough food to survive a siege."
Beth shot him a "don't you dare" look, but the laughter in her eyes made it clear she was just as gone on the night as I was.
Livia stood nearby, in the dining room archway, immaculate as ever, not a hair out of place. She'd been nursing the same glass of ginger ale since dinner, and if she was bored, the world would never know it. Instead, she pulled out her phone for what had to be the twentieth time tonight.
A name flashed across her phone screen. Amy. She pocketed the phone so fast you'd think it was radioactive.Not that it was any of my business who kept her so busy on her phone, but I was very nosy.
The raw gossip hound in me perked up, but Livia's poker face didn't crack. She just turned to Beth. "Shall I drive you all home? I'm the only one here who won't be pulled over tonight. I don't drink." Dragons' metabolisms made it nearly pointless to drink, unless they downed extremely strong liquors in quick succession.
Beth wobbled upright, arms full of purse, cardigan, and leftover cookies because nobody left the Meyer house empty-handed. She staggered over and hugged me so hard that my brooch nearly stabbed her cheek. "I'm heading back to your place," she whispered. "Those monsters better all be in bed, but I'm not holding my breath."
I grinned. "Make a lot of noise going in, and they'll all scramble to bed to make you think they've been asleep for hours."
She gave a tired, watery laugh. "That's why you're my people."
Gerty sidled up next, pulling me into a one-armed hug. She aimed the look at me, all teeth and warning. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
I raised my brow. "That's a hell of a short list, Gerty."
She wagged her finger. "Yeah, but make him work for it. He's got the endurance, but do you have the stamina, that's the question."
If I could've lit up brighter than the brooch, I would've.
Our motley crew moved toward the door, getting their coats and platters of leftovers as Livia organized everyone and herded them toward her car.
Chance held the door. "Text when you get home," he told them all.
We spilled out onto the porch. The cold slap of air sucked away the last haze of wine, but not my buzz. The world outside was pure mountain New Year's. Dark velvet sky, pinpricks of stars, and Laurel Gap's main strip glowing in the distance like a string of paper lanterns.
Maeve hovered at the top step, arms crossed against the chill. "Xavier said to pass along an update. I completely forgot until now. Still no word on the guys who jumped you. He's gone underground. Hasn't been at any of the SkyArc job sites or anything."
Chance squeezed my arm. "I was going to tell you the same tomorrow. Xavier updated me as well." He gave Maeve a sad smile. "It's all I can do not to go after them myself." Lowering his voice, he added, "All I can do to keep Caden contained."
Livia herded the group down the walk, high heelsdigging into the frosty yard. She didn't bother looking back, just tossed over her shoulder, "I do wish Damon and Evan could've shown. Maybe next year, if the schedules line up and the weather doesn't conspire."
