Page 14 of A Breath of Life (Shadowy Solutions #4)

She hummed and nodded. “I got your letter, Boone.”

“Did you?”

“Yes, I did. The girls were jealous.”

“I bet.”

Nana reached out and touched my hair. I’d grown it for her sake. “You’re so handsome. I forgot to tell you about Maurice. He’s the new nurse. He had to step out for a while. When do you think you’ll be home, sweetie?”

My eyes burned, and I focused on the metronomic rhythm of the knitting needles. “Might be late tonight,” I choked out, acting the role in whatever play she saw in her mind.

“I understand. You stay safe.”

“I’ll do my best.”

An announcement came over the speaker system in the hallway. Visiting hours were ending. Someone would be around shortly to tell me I had to leave, so I handed Nana back the knitting and folded her fingers around the needles so they sat correctly in her hands. “Can you finish this for me?”

“Oh, yes. I love knitting.”

“I know. Make your grandson something special.”

“He’s a lovely boy. I wish you could meet him.” She puzzled the project and moved the yarn the wrong way, circling the needle three too many times before dropping a stitch .

She didn’t acknowledge me again, too focused on a task that was far beyond her capability. I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Nana. Sorry I couldn’t stay long.”

She glanced up, confusion marring her face.

I brushed a hand over her soft curls. “Have a good night.”

“I’ll listen to Maurice, okay?”

I didn’t know who Maurice was or if he was truly a new nurse at the home, but I agreed.

Before I got to the door, Nana’s attention returned to the window, but whatever world she saw beyond the glass had expired decades ago.

Outside, I collapsed on a memorial bench beside a mulched garden path that weaved around the property. Echo nuzzled my hand, encouraging me to pet her. Every inhale ached. My lungs refused to allow proper airflow. My stomach coiled tighter and tighter until I thought I might be sick.

I petted Echo, scratching her ear as I forced myself not to lose control.

God, it hurt. Nana’s years were running out.

She was far older than she had any right to be.

Most people weren’t granted long lives, but hers had extended into her mid-nineties already.

She was long overdue for a reunion with Boone.

I didn’t want to lose her, but seeing her so lost and absent was a kick to the solar plexus every time I visited.

I lowered my face to Echo’s, bracing my forehead on the top of her furry crown, soaking up her calming essence. She licked the tears that slid silently down my cheeks. I had to get a grip. I couldn’t go home like this. If I was going to deal with a feisty, hotheaded Tallus, I needed to decompress.

I’d shamefully called him a brat, and I hated myself for it. I would go home, apologize, and take him to bed. We were good at fighting, but we were also good at putting arguments behind us and making up once we both cooled off .

“Want to go for a long walk, girl?” I asked.

Echo huffed and licked me again.

“Me too. Then, we’ll go home and make things right with Tallus, okay?”

We walked, weaving along random streets and blending with the busy city.

The anonymity suited me. I could disappear in the bustling crowd.

Echo remained attentive and alert to my unstable mood, bumping my leg at times and insisting on head scratches.

If my mind drifted, she brought me back with a soft woof.

Echo had become my anchor, keeping me from drifting away on the tumultuous current of life.

As my stress regulated, my thoughts returned to Tallus. To his insistence on taking harder jobs. To the stupid fucking card. We needed to get rid of it before it drew a bigger wedge between us.

I touched my pocket to ensure it was still safely tucked inside.

Was I being stubborn and hardheaded?

About the cases he wanted to work? Maybe. About the card? No. The thing was nothing more than a headache. It wasn’t worth it, no matter what its value.

As I passed the mouth of a parking structure for a high-rise, I paused. A row of dumpsters lined the far wall on the inside. Again, I located the card in my pocket and debated.

“Fuck it.”

I aimed for the dumpsters, Echo trailing close behind.

If I got rid of the card, Tallus would be angry—furious.

I would need to ride out the storm, and I had no doubt he would make me suffer, but it would be finished.

The decision would be made, and he wouldn’t be able to get it back.

The problem would be solved. We could go about our lives as usual.

Maybe I could placate him by giving him the new case .

Something told me a vengeful Tallus wouldn’t forgive and forget so easily. Not when the card was worth upwards of fifteen grand.

I halted. Fucking fifteen grand. Jesus. Was I really about to throw away fifteen grand?

Into a dumpster? The thought made me dizzy and nauseous.

I plucked the card from my pocket, examined the leather pouch, and considered the weight of the item inside, recalling its construction.

Gold, titanium, platinum, and onyx stones.

“Jesus.”

Echo barked at my inactivity.

“Hang on. I’m thinking.”

She barked again and tugged her leash.

“Hold on,” I said more sharply than I intended.

Fifteen fucking grand.

I eyed the dumpster before unexpectedly stumbling as Echo barked and wrenched the leash hard enough to knock me off balance. “What the hell is wrong with—”

An explosion of pain radiated across the back of my head. Blinding white light momentarily filled my vision. My teeth connected with a sickening crack, and the ground rushed up and kissed me in the face before I had time to react or put my hands out to break my fall.

Echo barked, and it was the last thing I heard before everything went dark.