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“Will do.” I nudge Lexi. “See? She’s protected.”
“Are you good with this, Vi?” Lexi asks.
“I’m great,” Violet says, eyeing Razor with an interest that might be attraction but also an interest one might take in a science experiment.
“Come on. Let’s go find Grey,” I say. “I have an idea I want to run by you both.”
“Don’t grill Razor,” Lexi warns her friend.
“I would never,” Violet says, though her weak indignation says otherwise.
I bite back another smile. This girl is fun.
I catch Lexi’s expression as we turn back toward the house, and it’s the particular mixture of exasperated and fondness that people reserve for the ones they love most. I understand it completely.
“She’s something else,” I say when we’re out of earshot.
“She’s terrifying,” Lexi says. “In a good way.” She glances at me sideways. “I missed her so much when I first came here, but now… I wish she’d never come. Not under these circumstances. Don’t tell her I said that.”
“Your secret is safe with me. And for what it’s worth, I understand.” I pretend I’m not thinking about Nash when I say the last part.
We walk for a moment through the stone paths, the fountain fading behind us.
“How’s Crow?” Lexi asks.
“The dumbass ran a patrol shift last night.” Lexi and I share a look, but neither of us is surprised or willing to put up a fight. “He’s still nursing a few burns on his arm, but they’ll heal wolf-fast. Claire’s the one I'm more worried about.” I pause. “She tried to go back for Bobby. She was devastated that she couldn’t save him.”
Lexi nods sadly. “I know. Donahue told me.” She looks at the path ahead in a way that suggests she’s not really seeing it. “Bobby might have worked for Franco, but he wasn’t like those guys. And he didn’t deserve to die.”
“No.”
We reach the archway that leads back into the east wing corridor. Lexi slows slightly, the kind of slow that means she wants to say something and is deciding how.
“Nash drove you to the scene,” she says.
Not a question.
“He was with me when the call came in,” I say. Even. Informational.
“Mm.” Lexi looks straight ahead. “And after?”
“We went over patrol logistics.”
“At your apartment.”
“We worked late. It made sense.”
Another hmm. This one does a considerable amount of work.
“Lexi,” I say.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You’re saying a lot without saying anything.”
She glances at me with a smile that she’s clearly trying to keep small and failing at. “I just think it’s interesting. That’s all. He’s—” She appears to choose her words carefully. “He's very focused on you. In meetings. When you’re talking. When you’re not talking.”
“He’s an ally in a professional capacity.”
