Reckoning by Jo Leigh Page B

small room for hours at a time.
    He held them all on his shoulders.
    Just as the fizz of her soda was dying down there was a knock on her door. It frightened her as it always did, but she let her training take over. She went to the bedside table and took her weapon out from the drawer. She released the safety as she crossed the room, and only then did she look through the peephole. It was Seth.
    “You busy?”
    “Just pouring myself a soda. Want one?”
    He nodded as he entered and didn’t blink when she put her gun back in the drawer. “I’ve had so much coffee my eyes have turned brown.”
    She laughed, having noticed his striking green-gold eyes the first time they’d met. “What’s up?” she asked as she poured his soda.
    “Not much. Can’t sleep, of course, and I’m annoying the crap out of Harper so I thought I’d come here.”
    “And annoy the crap out of me?”
    “Yep.”
    “Thanks. I could use a little distraction.”
    He sat down in the chair by the table and she took her drink and sank to the floor in front of the bed. “How are you two doing?”
    “Fine,” she said. “Why?”
    He studied the plastic glass. “Just thought I’d check in. Nate’s about the best man I know, but…”
    “Go on.”
    “He’s never been too keen on the whole relationship thing.”
    “Ah. Well, I know that about him. Kate warned me.”
    “So you know that you guys are probably not going to, uh—”
    “You mean he hasn’t told you?”
    Seth looked at her. “What?”
    “That we’re getting married.”
    His claw opened and shut, which Tam figured was an involuntary muscle spasm, although she wasn’t all that familiar with the way the prosthesis worked. “You are?”
    “I suppose I should have waited for him to tell you,” she said, keeping a straight face. “It won’t be a big wedding, but you guys will all be invited.”
    “Shit. Really? He never said anything. Does Christie know?”
    “Seth, I appreciate the talk, I do, but please don’t worry. We’re not getting married or even going steady. We’re taking each day as it comes.”
    He frowned, and she could see why Harper was always touching him. He was a good looking guy, almost as handsome as Nate. “That wasn’t nice.”
    “No, I suppose it wasn’t, but I warned you I was bored.”
    He drank some soda and made a little face. “What is this?”
    “Lime.”
    “Oh, okay.”
    “Seth?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Was that it? Just a general warning not to fall head over heels for the sergeant?”
    “Pretty much. You know the girls. They just—”
    “The girls? So it’s not just Harper, but Kate and Christie, too?”
    He nodded a little guiltily.
    “Why are they worried about me?”
    “I don’t know. I told them you weren’t a kid, but they wanted to make sure no one would get hurt.”
    “No one,” she said, under her breath, “meaning me. You’re right, I’m not a kid.”
    “Hey, we didn’t want to upset you, either. This is difficult enough without hurt feelings.”
    “I’m curious,” she said. “Did you draw the short straw?”
    “No. I volunteered. I’ve been with Nate through a lot. I’ve never seen him intentionally mislead anyone. But he always kept things short and sweet, you know?”
    She studied him, sure he was telling her the truth, not just about Nate but about his motives. “Tell me about him.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “What’s he like when it isn’t the end of the world?”
    Seth leaned back in his chair, his claw resting in his lap, his other hand around the glass. He was in the uniform they’d all adopted—jeans, boots, T-shirts. It was still cold as hell out, but his jacket wasn’t built for warmth. She knew he had a weapon on him, probably at the small of his back. They were always wary and always prepared. “Well, he was good for a laugh.”
    “Nate?”
    Seth nodded. “Everyone wanted to hang out with him. Even senior officers. I won’t lie to you, he liked to party. There’s not a mission