I grin. “Okay, then I’ll be there. Do you know who you’re fighting yet?”
Beckham laughs. “Oh, it’s Bear again. The big fight is almost always Bear taking on some poor sucker who’s bound to get his face pounded in.”
Royal simply rolls his eyes. “I did well in my fight. He’s just really fucking good.”
Wilder shoves Beckham as we walk up to the house. “And I’m not some poor sucker. I’m actually excited to finally have a fucking shot at taking him down.”
The front door pops open and Kara steps out. “Hey.” She searches my eyes first, and I nod. I’m fine. “I’m a little scared to ask, but how’d it go?” I step into her embrace and hug her tightly without speaking. “That good, huh?” she mumbles, patting my back. “Let’s get you all inside. Chase is napping.”
Beckham salutes her as he passes. “Yes, ma’am. Quiet voices and all that shit. Got it.”
We pile onto the couches and chairs in the den. I end up tucked between Wilder and Royal on a love seat while Beckham lounges sideways on the armchair across from us. I don’t know about the guys, but the exhaustion from dealing with everything is hitting me hard. I should probably take a nap myself.
Kara eyes each of us as she perches on the arm of one of the empty chairs. “So, you have to wait for permission to go back to the houses?”
I lift both hands in a classic I-don’t-know gesture. “I imagine they’ll be all over both SIN and TZE. The scene has to be cleared—and to be fair, it’s huge. It happened during a party, you know? And obviously since the one victim lives right next door, they wanted to go look over there, too.”
Beckham nods. “Right. Not technically the crime scene, but related. They have to be certain they have whatever evidence they need before allowing us to enter again. Because once we go back, everything is kinda contaminated. Even then… I don’t think I’ll go back into my bedroom at all. The thought of it makes me ill.” He lets out a disturbed sigh. “On one hand, people die everywhere. There’s probably not a square inch on earth where someone hasn’t passed to the hereafter. But this is different. It was murder. And even though I’m studying this fucking shit, I never expected to see something like that in person. In my own room, you know?”
“Understandable.” Royal shakes his head, eyeing him.
Kara visibly shudders. “I can’t imagine. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll be okay. All of us.” Wilder’s body has gone tense beside me, and I gently put a hand on his thigh. He covers it with his hand. “They’ll probably have your room taped off so no one goes in. Sorry, Beck.”
He shrugs. “No big deal. I guess it’s time to start thinking about what I need to replace.”
We’re all off in our heads for several beats when I hear Chase’s awkward steps coming down the stairs. I’m about to get up when Royal pats my leg. “No, sit. I’ve got him.”
The squeal that comes out of Chase when Royal comes around the corner is something I won’t soon forget. “Woyal!”
Royal lets out a soft grunt. “Whoa, there. I’ve got you, but maybe next time warn a guy when you’re going to jump.”
I slap a hand over my mouth and am still laughing behind it when Royal reappears with Chase in his arms. Dying. The sight of the two of them together has my heart stuttering and jumping around in a new, chaotic rhythm. “Chase,” I admonish gently, “did you play Superman again?”
He nods, grinning his toothy toddler smile. “I fly.”
Wilder rubs a hand over the back of his head. “Oh, shit,” he murmurs under his breath before huffing out a laugh. “That’s my kinda kid,” he says more loudly.
Kara gets my attention with a jut of her chin. “Were you still going to the P-A-R-K with him? Get rid of some of that energy?”
“Yeah, if he wants to.” I aim an excited face at my son. “You wanna go run around at the park?”
“Yeah!” He practically leaps in Royal’s arms. It has my heart tugging in my chest the way he handles our son with a smile, then spins around with him.Oh, god.My insides flutter around. Royal is exhibiting typical dad behavior, winding the kid up when he’s already acting crazy.
“Who do you want to come to the park with you?” Royal wriggles his brows at his son.
“Woyal!”
“And?”
“Mama!”
I tilt my head to the side as I get up, joining the pair of them. I lightly tickle Chase’s sides, making him squirm. “Anyone else?”
He gives a shy grin and ducks his head against Royal’s chest. “Becky?”
Wilder snorts at the appalled look on Beckham’s face but hides his amusement when Chase wriggles around to look at him, pointing a finger. “And Widah.”
