Page 109 of White Raven (Nevermore Duet #2)
NOT SO GOOD AT GOODBYES
Sarah had helped stuff the last of Wren and Brent’s luggage into the back of her yellow Beatle and tried not to get emotional as they leaned against the car, sharing a well-deserved cigarette.
“What time are you guys heading out tomorrow?” Sarah asked, passing the cigarette to her. Wren took it between her fingers and drew hard on it as she stared across the street.
“I don’t really know. We’re not in a big hurry. It’s gonna take days getting across the country in this piece of shit.”
“And Brent’s car is already in Denver?”
Wren nodded, hitting the cigarette again, and passing it back. “It should be by now. I need to call and check on that. What time is your flight?”
“It’s early. We’ve gotta be at the airport at five in the morning.”
“How are you gonna get his car and shit overseas?” Wren asked, turning towards her.
Sarah shook her head. “We’re not. The car has to stay. It’s not actually his. It belongs to the precinct.” She took one last drag and tossed the butt down to step on it. “Rhaena’s gonna take care of the motorcycle. She promised Athan it would get to London within the month.”
“Where is he, anyway?” Wren asked.
Sarah crossed her arms. “He’s um…cleaning out his desk. He left earlier this morning. I thought it might be a little less daunting if he did that alone.”
They grew quiet, and after a long silence, they finally looked at each other. Wren sniffled and swiped beneath her eye as she reached her arms out for her. Sarah’s lip quivered, and she pulled Wren in close, squeezing the life out of her.
“It’s hard to believe this is goodbye,” Wren croaked over her shoulder.
“It isn’t. I’ll never say goodbye to you, Wren fucking Vintorri. Not ever.”
“You know I love you, right?”
Sarah’s tears rolled down her face, her eyes stinging with mascara as she clutched Wren tighter. “I love you too, bitch. So much.”
“I don’t care what the time difference is…you better call me every fucking day. Don’t make me hop a flight to London and beat your ass.”
Sarah huffed a laugh and cried over Wren’s shoulder. “Leave pretty boy at home if you do.”
They pulled back, and Wren’s face was streaked with dark makeup. “It seems like everything happened so fast, dude. Are we sure we’re ready for all this?”
Sarah deepened her gaze and placed assuring hands on her best friend’s shoulders. “We are. We’ve all been ready for a while. We were all just too pussy to make the jump. Always misfits, remember? Nothing’s ever gonna change that, Wren.”
Wren softly nodded; her face drawn with more tears. “Yeah…you’re right.” She wiped her face with her sleeves and blew out a harsh breath. “Okay. Let’s go get Detective Brood. Rhaena left before we got up this morning. I know she’s trying to tuck her mangey tail, but…she’s not hiding from me.”
“She’s not so good at goodbyes,” Sarah said, cleaning up her face.
“Yeah, well…she doesn’t have a choice,” Wren smirked, opening her driver’s side door as Sarah made her way around the car.
Several people gave them looks as they belted lyrics to every stupid song on the radio the entire way to the 12th.
They made damned sure to sing louder, and jerk invisible microphones in front of their mouths as they hung out of the windows at stoplights. Another core memory unlocked.
The precinct was busy again. The smell of fresh coffee hit her nose as she passed the break room, and Brandon cursed loudly, shaking his hand in Foley’s old office while he tried—and failed—to put a new bookshelf together for Rhaena. Wren and Sarah stood at the open door, smiling down at him.
“Hate to see what you look like trying to screw together a crib,” Wren snorted. He looked up at her from the floor with wide eyes.
“I’m sorry, what? ” Brandon asked, cocking his head.
“I’m not harboring secrets,” Wren corrected, waving her palms in front of her. “I’m just saying that’s gonna be a sight.”
“You joke…but I think Brent would do a far shittier job. Careful what you say,” he smiled, waving the end of a flat-head screwdriver at her. Wren gulped.
“Where is she?” Sarah smiled, thinking of how fucking adorable Wren Vintorri would be with a pregnant belly. Brandon softened and inclined his head toward the corner hallway. “She’s in the training center with Kane. You’ve been warned. She doesn’t do well with shit like this.”
“Uh oh…” Wren grinned, biting her lip.
They meandered down the hall, following the signs for the training center, until they came to a door you could practically smell the sweat pouring out of.
Sarah pushed it open, and the sound of gloves against skin thundered through the room.
A group of cops stood together near the mat, laughing, and it wasn’t until Sarah and Wren stepped around them that she finally spotted Athan and Rhaena squaring off.
“You’re rusty, old man,” Rhaena huffed, smiling as she circled him on sure feet.
God, Athan looked good. He had a cut, loose white tank that was sticking to every bit of carved muscle on his body, and some gym shorts that had seen better days.
Sweat dripped down in rivulets from them both as he grinned behind his gloves at his partner.
“Rawr,” he teased, mocking Rhaena’s secret maw, and gesturing for her to come closer. “Come get you some, Northwood.”
Rhaena laughed and cocked her head. “Oh, I’ve had it. You weren’t that good then, either.”
Wren snorted loudly, distracting Athan, and Rhaena took a cheap shot to the side of his jaw. Spit flew from his mouth, and Sarah covered hers with her hand, trying not to laugh her ass off. “Whoops,” Wren shrugged.
Athan recovered quickly, and landed a couple jabs to Rhaena’s ribs, before knocking gloves with her a few times as she blocked his next moves. He giggled under his breath, and Rhaena popped him in his collar bone, grinning. “Had enough yet, partner?”
“Not until my back’s on the mat!” he laughed, whirling around her as she swung, and knocking his glove into her kidney. She winced, but it was almost non-existent as she turned sharp and pounded into the same spot on his jaw—that time without distraction.
“Kick his ass, Rhaena!” Wren shouted through her cupped hands. Sarah couldn’t help but follow suit. She cheered Rhaena on right beside Wren, and Athan looked thoroughly amused.
“What’s the matter, Kane?” Rhaena laughed, not at all out of breath as she danced a little closer. “Come on back over here.”
Athan charged at her, tackling her to the mat, and Rhaena flipped around, winding her arm around his neck, and pressing down on his back with a knee.
It seemed her handsome detective had forgotten that Rhae-Rhae was a hell of a lot stronger than him right now, as she was still adjusting to her hybrid changes.
“Tap out, and admit you suck,” Rhaena laughed, pulling tighter around his neck. Athan struggled, smiling.
“Your mom,” he grit through his teeth. Rhaena broke into hard laughter and let him go when he tapped a glove to the floor.
“Low blow, you idiot,” she chuckled, collapsing next to him on the mat. Athan cackled exhaustedly and wiped the sweat from his brow on the back of his forearm. Rhaena rolled her head to the side and glanced between Wren and Sarah as their colleagues dispersed. “You two wanna taste?” she smiled.
“Hell no!” Wren said, backing away.
“Here, Wren,” Athan offered, biting down on the strap to his gloves, and peeling one out.
“Why don’t you come see if your ass can cash those checks that big gob is writing from the side of the mat!
” All his pretty white teeth were showing as he tossed a glove across the floor.
Wren made haste out the gym door, throwing up a middle finger on her way out.
Athan and Rhaena chuckled as they stretched out.
“I’ll wait at your desk,” Sarah grinned, returning the wink he gave her as she turned away. This was gonna be uncomfortable enough without her being here to witness it.
The mat felt cool against her exposed skin from her sports bra as Rhaena stared at the ceiling and caught her breath. Athan’s head lay next to hers, their feet extended to opposite sides of the mat. Neither one of them had said a word since all of their spectators had excused themselves.
“You’re gonna be in here every day, aren’t you?” he asked, smoothing his tattooed hands down his abdomen and staring at the ceiling.
“Probably. Brandon’s gonna have to find better reasons not to train.” Rhaena’s throat tightened, and she fought back the growing knot in it as she swallowed.
“Remind me to send the poor fucker a fat suit made of bubble wrap.”
She smiled to herself, but couldn’t laugh…her welling tears were building, and she rolled her head away from him. Athan raised up and propped himself on his elbow.
“Don’t,” she warned, refusing to look at him. She could feel his eyes on her. “I’ll choke you out again.”
“I threw that fight.” She could hear his shit-eating grin, and Rhaena scoffed as she swiped at her eye with the back of her glove.
“Can’t you just take the ‘L’ like a good boy?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” he asked, nudging her shoulder.
Rhaena reluctantly turned her head, and a rogue tear betrayed her as it shot towards her temple.
Athan looked down at her, and she knew he’d never admit it, but he looked like he was about to break too.
“We’re always gonna be partners. I told you I’d always have your six, Rhaena.
It might be time for me to go back where I came from…
but I’ll never forget where I came from. ”
“Athan Kane, if you’re making a dirty joke right now, I’ll fucking—”
He broke into laughs and dropped himself back onto the mat as she punched him in the arm. “You know what I was trying to say.”
“For somebody that writes as good as Poe himself, you really have a way with words…idiot.” They quieted, and Rhaena sighed. “This would be a really bad time to tell you I’m pregnant, wouldn’t it?” His head shot up, and his expression exploded. Rhaena chuckled and held her lower belly.