Harry’s gaze got intent.“I know you’ll be alert anyway.I also know Enstrom has cut and run.You’re right.It’d be an act of sheer lunacy for him to get anywhere near here.Especially when this leaks, and I got press outside already.You can’t have fifty units from all over three counties and the Feds descending without those jackals showing up to claim their piece of meat.Not in Misted Pines.”
MP’d had more than its fair share of trouble.
But that probably would happen anywhere.
Harry kept going, “Anyone recognizes them, they’ll be reported.We’ll probably have a hundred sightings by noon called in.Feds have put out the DMV pictures where they’re clean-shaven and got short hair, along with your shots, brother, where they’re not.But first thing I reckon they’ll do is chop that shit off to try to blend.”
“Yup,” Hutch agreed.
“So I guess what I’m saying is, be vigilant.You will be, but it makes me feel better to say it.”
“I will, Harry.You got enough to worry about without taking on me and May.”
“Yeah,” Harry muttered.
“Go.Do your job.Then get home to Lillian.Does Sean want Mabel alone when she makes her statement?Or can I join them if he isn’t done?”
“You can join them.”Harry pushed from his desk.“Thanks for waiting around, brother.”
He offered a hand.
Hutch shook it.
Harry took off.
And Hutch left Polly’s office to get to his woman.
The fullnessof Mabel’s weight finally settled into his body, and Hutch turned his head to look at the alarm clock.
4:07.
Too late, or too early, but at last, she was asleep.
In his mind, he heard her say his name over the phone, her tone dripping in fear, and he shut his eyes tight.
Even though Tonks was on their feet, he rolled into his woman, rounding her with both arms, feeling Moxie not with her bud, but curled at the small of Mabel’s back.
Tonks just sighed and resettled, Moxie twitched and stilled.
Hannibal snored.
Hutch thought.
He’d been cheated on.
He’d tolerated the rasps of a woman who was trying to sculpt him into something he was not.
And he’d been stalked and harassed.
But he’d never lost a woman.
Every one of those women, in the beginning, even Bree, had presented themselves as The One.
They were not the one.
He had to take his part in the ownership of it.Turning a blind eye.Making assumptions.Not reading words or acts when they belied each other.Not taking action when the signs it wasn’t going to work were there.
In the end, somewhere along the way, all three of those women had shown their true selves to Hutch, and he hadn’t seen them.
