End of Night, page 22
“Not a significant worry?” Boone fumed. “The guy tried to kill you, Hedra. He almost succeeded.”
“They still need proof that it was him,” Hedra said, “and the officer also said…”
“What did he say?” Boone asked.
“He said I was a lower priority because my mate was a shifter, and you worked for a security firm. Because you can protect me.”
“Fucking hell,” Boone said.
She took his hand, squeezing it tight. “I mean, he’s kind of right.”
“That’s not the point,” Boone said. “Your life is still in danger, and they’re not taking it seriously. They could at least talk to the guy and…”
Hedra didn’t like the look on Boone’s face. “Boone? What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking we go ahead with our previous plan. I’ll talk with Mateo.”
“We should let the police handle it,” Hedra said.
“Sure, if they were going to handle it before the next coming of Christ,” Boone said. “I won’t do anything to him. I’ll just make it clear that if he wants to live, he won’t ever go near you again.”
“By hurting him?” she asked, her stomach twisting even tighter until the bagel she’d eaten earlier threatened to reappear.
“No,” Boone said. “I’ll only talk to him, Hedra. I promise.”
There was a small part of her that wanted to say no. Despite everything, she didn’t want to scare Mateo. Not when he’d been so important to Dianne. But that tiny part of her was easily buried under her anger that Mateo had almost killed Boone. The man she loved could have died because of Mateo’s actions, and as much as she loved Dianne, she couldn’t let this go. Not when Boone’s life was put in danger.
“Okay, we’ll talk to him,” Hedra said. “But not today, okay? You have to go back to work, and I need a nap. Do you think Cooper would be all right with you taking tomorrow off on short notice?”
Boone didn’t reply, and Hedra frowned at the look on his face. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Little lamb, you’re not going to talk to Mateo with me.”
“Yes, I am,” Hedra said.
“No,” Boone said simply.
She glared at him. “You do not get to make this decision for me, Boone. You might be my mate, but you’re not my damn boss.”
He pulled her gently into his lap, careful not to jostle her arm. “I’m making this decision because I’m your mate. I won’t allow you to be near the man who tried to kill you. I won’t bend on this, Hedra.”
She swallowed her frustration. Boone was only trying to keep her safe, but she didn’t want him going there alone. Not when Mateo was no longer the man she thought he was. The idea of Boone being hurt or even dying because of her was terrifying.
“I don’t want you going alone,” she whispered.
He pressed her head against his chest, rubbing her back in long, slow strokes. “Mateo isn’t going to hurt me.”
“You don’t know that. You could knock on his door, and he could open it and have a gun pointed at you.”
“Shifters don’t -”
“I know,” she said. “Male shifters don’t use guns or any weapons against each other because it’s a hit to your manly pride.”
Despite the tension between them, Boone laughed, and the sound eased the tightness in her chest. “But Mateo is obviously unhinged now, so who’s to say he’d follow the ‘we only fight with our teeth and claws’ rule?”
“It’s pretty ingrained in us,” Boone said, “but I’ll get one of the guys to go with me.”
She sat up, studying him intently. “Do you promise?”
“Yes,” Boone said. “I won’t go alone, Hedra.”
“I don’t like this,” she said. “It feels… wrong, somehow, for us not to do this together.”
“You don’t need to be there. And not because I’m going to hurt him,” Boone continued before she could say that very thing, “but because you are safest here at home. I almost lost you a week ago, baby, and I will do everything I can to make sure that never happens again.”
He pressed a kiss against her mouth, his big hand squeezing her hip. “Promise me you’ll stay at the house while I’m gone. I need to know you’re safe when I’m not with you.”
“I promise,” she said. “Boone, promise me you’ll be careful.”
He smiled at her and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. “I promise.”
CHAPTER 26
“Is Hedra okay?” Coop glanced at Boone before returning his attention to the road.
“Yes.” Boone tucked his phone into his pocket. “Well, mostly. She and Nan were about to watch The Price is Right, and Hedra hates that show. Oh, and Alfie has already stolen her shoe twice. He can sense her weakness with only one working arm.”
Cooper laughed. “Has Nan forgiven you for not telling her about Mateo and the cow tongue?”
“Christ, she took a strip off me,” Boone said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Said that Hedra was family and Nan deserved to know when a family member was in danger. Then I made the mistake of telling her it wasn’t like she could protect Hedra from Mateo.”
Cooper winced. “Fuck, do you have a death wish?”
“It was a mistake,” Boone admitted. “I’ve never seen her so angry. She almost shifted, and if I’d been sitting closer, she for sure would have torn me open with her claws.”
“Is Hedra pissed that you have Nan babysitting her while you’re gone?” Cooper asked.
“Nan isn’t babysitting her,” Boone said. “When I told Nan last night that I was going to talk to Mateo, she insisted on coming over to stay with Hedra. Said Hedra shouldn’t be alone while I was off proving my pecker was bigger than a cheetah shifter’s.”
Cooper roared laughter, his truck weaving a little on the road.
“Jesus, Coop, don’t get us into an accident,” Boone said.
Still chuckling, Cooper gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “Sorry. Your nan is the best, though. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I do. And Hedra was glad for her company. She won’t admit it, but she’s freaking out about me talking to Mateo today.”
Cooper shrugged. “Not surprising. I’m still not convinced you won’t tear the guy a new asshole the minute he opens the door.”
“I won’t,” Boone said. “I’ll keep my cool, Coop.”
Cooper gave him an assessing gaze. “Make sure you do, buddy. I understand your anger, I wanted to kill Xander after he hurt Daisy, but I also don’t want to be sending fucking care gifts to your goddamn prison cell.”
Boone gave him a grim smile. “I have no intention of doing anything that will land me in prison.”
“We all have good intentions,” Cooper said, “but you can’t tell me your tiger isn’t ready to kill this Mateo guy.”
“He’s pissed,” Boone admitted, “but I can control him.”
“Again, best intentions and all that bullshit, but sometimes our cats are more powerful than we think.”
“Is that why you came with me? Because your lion is the only one who can give my tiger a run for his money if he decides to go after Mateo?”
“There might have been some talk between the three of us who could overpower your tiger easiest,” Cooper said. “It was agreed that I should go.”
“First of all fuck you,” Boone said, making Cooper snort laughter, “and second of all, I know there is no fucking way Wes or Gray conceded that your lion was the toughest.”
“We eventually just rock, scissors, papered that shit,” Cooper said. “I won.”
Boone laughed despite the anxiety sitting in his stomach like a stone. “All of you can suck my fucking dick. My tiger could kick all three of your asses with one paw tied behind his back.”
His tiger growled in agreement as the GPS instructed Cooper to exit the highway. Cooper flicked on his indicator and merged into the exit lane. They’d driven through Rosehaven about half an hour ago, and Boone’s anxiety had grown steadily higher.
Cooper drove down the road, the area becoming increasingly more suburban, from the identical houses with perfectly manicured lawns to the numerous parks and schools they passed.
The GPS announced their destination was ahead on the right, and Boone’s stomach lurched, the coffee he’d drank earlier sloshing around unpleasantly.
Cooper parked on the street in front of Mateo’s home. It looked exactly like the rest of the houses, a cookie-cutter craftsman style with a small porch lined with flower boxes. The front lawn needed mowing, and an Amazon box and a Popeyes Chicken delivery bag were in front of the door.
“You good?” Cooper asked.
“Yeah,” Boone said. “This wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“I hear you.” Cooper studied the street, nodding to an older man walking a Pomeranian wearing a bright pink jacket on the opposite side of the street. The man waved cheerfully, and Cooper unbuckled his seatbelt as Boone did the same.
“Let’s get this the fuck over with,” Boone said.
He slid out of the truck, and he and Cooper walked up the sidewalk, passing by the burgundy-coloured mini-van sitting in the driveway.
“He drives a mini-van?” Cooper said. “What kind of cheetah drives a fucking mini-van?”
Boone just shrugged. He didn’t care what the fuck Mateo drove. All he cared about was making sure the asshole knew if he ever went near Hedra again, Boone would bury him in a grave so fucking deep they’d never find his body.
His tiger growled in agreement, and Boone sucked in a deep breath as they climbed the porch stairs. Keep your cool.
I will, his tiger snarled.
I mean it. You can’t fucking hurt him.
He tried to kill my mate.
We talk to him, nothing more. You want to be separated from Hedra forever? Because that’s what will fucking happen if you go after this guy.
That cooled his tiger’s rage considerably. Like Boone, the idea of never being with Hedra again was enough to pull him into line with the ‘just talking’ plan. Taking another deep breath, Boone knocked hard on the front door.
From deep inside the house, he could hear the wailing of a baby, and Cooper’s lion made a low purr. Cooper turned to him. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
“It’s the address Lusa gave me,” Boone said.
“Maybe she got it wrong. Maybe she -”
The front door opened, and a man with thinning dark hair, olive skin, and bags under his eyes so big Boone could have packed his entire wardrobe into them gave them an impatient look. “Yes?”
A baby wailed, and the man turned and stepped out of view for a moment before returning. He held a screaming infant against his shoulder. “Can I help you?”
His gaze fell to the Popeyes Chicken bag. “Thank fucking God, the food is here. Annabelle! The food is here!”
He bent and grabbed the bag of food, giving Boone and Cooper a distracted nod as he jiggled the wailing baby against his shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
He started to shut the door, frowning when Boone braced his hand against it. “What? I tipped you on the app, dude.”
“I’m not a delivery man,” Boone said.
“Then what can I do for you?” the man asked in exasperation.
“Are you Mateo Waterson?” Boone asked.
“Yes, why?”
The baby screamed, the shrill sound making Boone’s tiger whimper and retreat.
“Shh, buddy, shh,” Mateo dropped the food bag on a small side table just inside the door before patting the baby’s back. “It’s okay, little man. It’s okay.”
He glanced at Boone and Cooper. “What can I do for you?”
Before Boone could say anything, there was the shrill screaming of another baby, and a woman hollered, “Mateo! I need you! We have a poop crisis. I repeat it is a poop crisis!”
“Fuck,” Mateo muttered. He stepped back and motioned for Boone and Cooper to come in. “Get inside and close the door before the neighbours make another fucking noise complaint.”
Cooper and Boone stepped into the house, and Boone closed the door as the woman shouted, “Mateo! I am knee-deep in shit over here!”
Mateo handed the baby to Cooper with a short “Hold him” before turning and darting deeper into the house.
Boone’s tiger chuffed in surprise, and Boone stared wide-eyed at Cooper as the big lion shifter held the baby. Cooper purred loudly and pressed a kiss against the baby’s delicate skull. He jiggled the cub against his chest, holding him carefully, and Boone said, “What the fuck?” when the baby quieted, and Cooper purred even louder, his big body swaying gently back and forth.
“Cooper?” Boone said.
“I like cubs,” Cooper said. “You know I want a bunch.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know you were good with them,” Boone said.
Cooper just shrugged before kissing the infant’s head again and inhaling deeply. “Who’s the sweetest little cub? Is it you? Yes, it is. You’re a sweet little cub.”
“What is happening?” Boone said quietly as Mateo reappeared. He held a second baby, this one wore a pink sleeper, and she was sucking hard on a soother as Mateo held her against his chest.
“What can I do for you?” Mateo asked, making no effort to take back the other baby from Cooper.
He had a smear of poop across one forearm, and Boone’s tiger chuffed again when the wailing of yet another infant started from somewhere behind Mateo.
“How many babies are in this house?” Boone asked.
Mateo ignored him, sighing deeply when the baby he held started to fuss. He held her against his shoulder and patted her back. “It’s okay, Sarah. Shh, don’t cry.”
The baby made another short wail, spitting out the soother, and Boone winced when she threw up with a loud wet splat. The scent of sour milk assaulted Boone’s nostrils as Mateo, weariness etched into every line in his face, made another deep sigh. “Feel better, baby girl?”
He held the baby out to Boone. “Take her.”
“No way,” Boone said.
Mateo glared at him as Cooper shifted Sarah’s brother to one massive arm. “I’ll take her.”
Mateo handed her off, and Cooper grinned delightedly at the two babies in his arms as Mateo, the back of his shirt covered in baby puke, stomped away and disappeared into another room.
The wailing from a mystery part of the house grew louder as Cooper cooed to the babies. “Hi, baby cubs. You’re so cute. Yes, you are.”
Feeling like he’d stepped into an alternate universe, Boone took his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture of Cooper with the babies. He and Cooper might be in some weird fucking alternate universe, but the urge to take a picture of the giant lion shifter holding two tiny babies was undeniable. Daisy would be all over this shit.
Mateo returned, wearing a fresh shirt but with the poop smear still on his forearm and a warm cloth in his hand. He gently wiped Sarah’s mouth and chin before saying, “What can I do for you?”
He didn’t take back either of the babies from Cooper, but what did it matter? Cooper and his lion were completely smitten with the cubs and would be of zero help if Boone’s tiger decided to try to kill Mateo.
Like that’s gonna fucking happen.
His inner voice had a point. His tiger had retreated, completely disarmed by the crying babies, the smell of vomit and poop, and Cooper’s purring and cooing to the two babies in his arms.
“Hello?” Mateo said impatiently.
“I’m here because of what you did to Hedra Miller,” Boone said.
Mateo blinked at him, and Boone could smell the confusion rolling off of him, even with the sour scent of baby vomit that still covered him. “Hedra? I haven’t seen her in years.”
“We know what you did,” Boone said. “The threatening texts, the cow tongue, cutting the brakes in her car.”
“What the actual fuck are you talking about?” Mateo said.
“Don’t play fucking stupid,” Boone said. “I know you blame Hedra for what happened to Dianne.”
Mateo’s face paled, but he scowled at Boone. “I don’t know who the fuck you are or what the fuck you think I’ve done, but you’re wrong.”
“I’m Hedra’s mate, and I’m telling you to stay the fuck away from her,” Boone said.
“And I’m telling you, I haven’t been anywhere near her. I don’t even know where the hell she is,” Mateo said. “And I don’t fucking care.”
“Bullshit,” Mateo said. “You hate her for what happened to Dianne.”
“I did,” Mateo said, “but that was a long time ago. I’ve moved on.” He pointed to the babies. “Obviously, I’ve moved on.”
Boone growled at him. “Do you think I’m a fucking idiot? I know you -”
“Honey? What’s going on?” The wailing grew deafening, and a blonde leopard shifter, her face just as exhausted as Mateo’s, joined them in the hallway. She held a third baby in a pink sleeper and patted the crying baby’s back. “Shh, baby. Husha, baby. It’s okay.”
She stared at Cooper, who was holding the other two babies. They had fallen asleep, and moving like a ninja, she exchanged the two sleeping babies for the crying one with a dizzying skill of swiftly moving hands that defied gravity. “Work your magic on this one, big guy.”
With a huge grin, Cooper held the tiny baby to his massive chest, rubbing her back lightly as he purred to her. The cub continued to wail, and Boone watched in disbelief when Cooper walked her back and forth in the wide hallway, purring to her and acting like he had seventeen infants at home.
As the baby settled against his chest and her wailing quieted to the occasional sob, Annabelle studied Mateo’s arm. “You have poop on your arm, honey.”
“You have poop in your hair,” he said.
They grinned at each other, small, intimate smiles that made Boone feel awkward and third-wheelish just watching them. Even if he couldn’t see the love for each other written clearly on their faces, he could smell it coming off them in clear, thick waves.
