Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(29)
“And that means I can’t care what happens to you?”
“No, but you’re going to have to ask yourself if this is something you can deal with moving forward. I can’t have you pulling me aside every time we’re on a case to tell me how dangerous it is and how I might get hurt. I already know that. This is what I signed up for. It’s what we both signed up for. I didn’t like you gallivanting off to Europe alone, but this is our life, and it’s not exactly conventional. We’ll look out for each other as partners, but don’t pull the boyfriend maneuver.”
“I loathe that word. It’s humanly juvenile.”
“I agree. So let’s work out a plan and do our job. This guy’s a Vamp. It’s not like he can pull any surprises on us, right?”
Chapter 8
Shepherd added ten giant cans of baked beans to his shopping cart. He was overwhelmed with all the different brands of food on the shelves. Normally Keystone bought groceries in bulk at a facility owned and operated by Shifters, but because so many roads were closed that morning due to ice, they were unable to reach the warehouse. So here they were, in aisle twelve of a grocery store. Wyatt and Blue tagged along to help with a shopping list Viktor had given them after Kira took inventory of their food supplies.
Beans weren’t on the list, but Shepherd enjoyed meals that stuck to his ribs… like the succulent steak Kira had served that morning. He hadn’t had anything that mouthwatering since ever.
Wyatt’s fingers wrapped around the handle of his shopping cart, the LOST SOUL tattoo between his knuckles accurately describing Shepherd’s current mood.
All Shepherd wanted to do was keep his kid safe, but now he was wondering if telling Niko about his secret had been a smart idea. He’d given serious thought to every scenario and all the risks to himself, his child, and his team. What if Niko’s loyalty to Viktor was stronger than the Keystone brotherhood? Viktor was an upstanding guy who had given them all a second chance—even the killers among them. So long as they left their past behind. Even if Shepherd could get his kid back, what then? Viktor’s invitation to work as a mercenary didn’t come with a plus-one.
They veered down another aisle, their carts in a single file. Wyatt suddenly hit the brakes, causing Shepherd to crash into him.
“What the immortal hell is this? Face cream for hair?” Wyatt positioned the pink-and-white box next to his face like an advertiser on the television.
Blue turned around and pushed up the sleeves of her soft brown leather jacket. “That’s bleach.”
His brows remained suspended in two arches.
“It’s for facial hair, like over the lip,” she explained, adjusting her winter knit hat.
“For the lip,” Wyatt repeated flatly.
She snatched the box from his hand and set it on the shelf. “Do you think we’re all smooth and hairless like a dolphin’s ass? Women have body hair. Accept it. We are legion.”
“But that’s deception.”
Blue strutted away, her boot heels knocking against the floor. “File a complaint.”
Wyatt looked over his shoulder at Shepherd. “You think she has a beard?”
Shepherd cracked a smile. Blue had always been one of the guys, but he was damn sure she wasn’t hiding a goatee. She was a pretty girl with olive skin and blue eyes so stunning that it was like looking into the ocean on a clear day. Her strut was fierce, and she had a matter-of-fact way of talking. A tone befitting a queen—graceful and ruthless.
That was Blue.
She paused at the end of the aisle and selected a hairbrush. It occurred to Shepherd that Kira owned nothing but the clothes on her back. The grocery list didn’t have any personal items. No shampoo, no brushes, no scented soap. Blue was a practical woman, so it was a good thing she’d tagged along to think of those things.
Wyatt bumped her behind with his cart. “Shake a tail feather. I need to get outta here pronto. The yammering on the intercom is driving me nuts.”
“We’re almost done,” she ground out.
Wyatt threw his army-green jacket over his groceries and added his hat to the pile. His disheveled hair made it look like he’d just rolled out of bed and gotten dressed. Then again, he wasn’t exactly dressed to impress in a T-shirt that said: EAT RIGHT. EXERCISE. DIE ANYWAY.
Gravewalkers were morbid little bastards.
Wyatt swaggered past Blue.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she shouted.
Wyatt was halfway past the pharmacy. “To wrestle my inner demons in aisle one!”
Shepherd lined up his cart next to Wyatt’s and pulled both of them from the front. “That’s Wyatt-speak for bathroom.”
Blue chose one of the conditioner bottles and tossed it in her cart. All three baskets were loaded with meat and vegetables. Only natural ingredients were on the list since the new girl had no idea that cake came in a box. Whole corn instead of canned. Fresh fish instead of frozen. Flour instead of premade bread or pastries.
Yeah, Shepherd could get used to having a servant after all. But he didn’t like the idea of calling her a servant. None of them did. Maid didn’t begin to cover all her responsibilities. Could one person handle a job this demanding? What kind of life was this for a woman? Never going out, never experiencing the world, and working all day for no money. Money to buy things like music, curtains, or a fucking dress.