“Be careful, okay?” he murmured. “And if you need to talk to someone when you get back, call me. Hell, you already have my address in your file, so you can even stop by my apartment if you want. No matter how late it is.”
She seemed a little surprised at the offer, but then she nodded. “I might just do that.”
CHAPTER SIX
“I didn’t get a chance to say it when everyone else was here, but it’s really good to see you again,” Karissa said as their server brought them coffee.
“You, too,” Hadley said with a smile, taking a sip of the dark brew. Years of intense schooling, followed by endless late nights reading patient files and criminal records had given her an appreciation for high levels of caffeine. In her opinion, cream and sugar just got in the way. “What’s it been, a year since we saw each other at that ritual murder case in Atlanta? If it wasn’t for Zoom, I’d have forgotten what you looked like.”
Karissa laughed, making Hadley do the same. “Well, now that I’m living in Dallas, we can actually see each other all the time.”
“Sounds good to me,” Hadley said, then teased, “Even if I am a little hurt you didn’t let me know you moved.”
Her friend gave her a chagrined look. “Everything happened so fast. I was down here on a job, then ran into Hale, and the next thing I know, I’m moving in with him. It’s a long, wild story.”
“One I definitely want to hear.” Hadley set down her cup. “But first, maybe we should talk about why you never told me about the supernatural world.”
“You know that you sound like a shrink when you say things like that.”
Hadley smiled sweetly. “That’s because I am a shrink. So, spill.”
Karissa shrugged and sipped her coffee thoughtfully. “I didn’t think you’d believe me. I had no way of knowing you already knew about werewolves, and I didn’t want to risk our friendship by revealing secrets I wasn’t sure you were ready to handle. Plus, I didn’t want my best friend thinking I needed a therapy session on her couch.”
“I’m so sorry you lost your brother,” Karissa said, reaching across the table to squeeze Hadley’s hand. “He sounds amazing.”
“He was,” Hadley whispered, pushing aside the worst of the memories, and doing her best to remember the good ones from before Gideon went through his change. She waited for the server to refill their cups before asking about the one thing she’d been curious about since Carter and the other guys had left. “Earlier, Knox mentioned something about you having Paladin instincts. What did he mean by that?”
Karissa snorted. “You heard that? I didn’t know Knox would let that slip in front of you, but since he did, I guess I might as well tell you.”
Hadley sat there with her mouth hanging open as Karissa told her what it meant to be a filia palladis, also known as a daughter of Athena—or a Paladin—and how she’d traveled the world since she was sixteen protecting the innocent with a supernatural sword. She finished up the story by telling Hadley about coming to Dallas and reconnecting with Hale, her high school sweetheart.
“I did not see any of that coming,” Hadley murmured, trying to wrap her head around the whole thing. “I’m glad Knox let your secret slip. It’s not every day you find out your best friend is a superhero. You and Hale definitely win the award for power couple of the century.”
Her friend laughed. “Speaking of hunky werewolves, did I see a little something between you and Carter?”
“Karissa,” she protested. “He’s my patient!”
“One that you let take you to lunch,” Karissa pointed out. “Unless you make a habit of going to lunch with all your patients.”
“You know I don’t.” Hadley sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Everything is.”
Hadley’s first instinct was to change the subject, but this was Karissa that she was talking to, the only person she’d ever considered a true friend. If she couldn’t confide in her, who could she confide in?
From an experienced psychiatrist’s perspective, Hadley knew she was something of a mess. Understandably, she supposed, considering the trauma of her brother’s death when she was a teen, and then a good portion of her adult life spent around the worst people in the American judicial system. If she wasn’t afraid of what it would do to her reputation, she’d get help. Liar. No, even if she wasn’t concerned about that, she wouldn’t go to therapy. She didn’t trust anyone enough to open up about her issues.
Someone else’s problems? She could talk about them all day.
Her own? Not so much.
“I know this is going to sound unprofessional as hell since Carter is my patient, but I think I’m starting to develop feelings for him,” she said softly.
She held her breath, waiting for Karissa to tell her to stop, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars, do not jeopardize her career, but instead, her friend smiled and pointed a finger at her.
“I knew it! I could tell you were into him the moment I saw the two of you together,” Karissa said.
Hadley groaned. “It’s that obvious?”
