“Thanks, sweetheart,” Scooby rasped.
“That’s enough,” Wrath growled.
I held Scooby tighter.
“Scooby, seriously,” Wrath warned. “Get your fuckin’ hands off her.”
I rolled my eyes as Scooby released me, but I kept an arm around his waist and glared at Wrath. “Not a good start,” I ground out.
“It’s fine,” Scooby said. “I’ll find you later.”
I smiled up at him. “Want to grab lunch?” I glanced at Wrath. “Alone?”
“Yeah, sweetheart, that’d be great.”
Tango walked in just then and gave me a chin lift. He didn’t smile. He never smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” I said. “How are you?”
“Just here for coffee,” he said, grabbing a cup, then escaping.
I didn’t know much about Tango either, other than he’d been in love with Scooby and Scrappy’s sister who’d died. He was shut off from everyone for obvious reasons and I didn’t feel I could push. Very unlike me, but he was a fortress, and I was denied entry.
“Meet you here at one,” I said to Scooby.
He kissed my temple. “It’s a date.”
Wrath sneered. “Not a fuckin’ date.”
Scooby smirked, gave me a gentle squeeze, then walked out of the room.
“You need to quit.” I jabbed a finger in Wrath’s chest.
“You’re not goin’ to lunch with him.”
“I am,” I countered.
“Sierra,” he breathed out in frustration.
“Stop. Oh my god, Booth. He’s one of my best friends and he just lost his brother. I’m going to lunch with him,” I said. “He’ll keep me safe, and you know he will.”
He crossed his arms. “I’m sending a recruit.”
“Jesus, you’re insane.”
“I’m insane because I want you safe?”
“No, you’re insane because you’re acting all jealous when you know there’s absolutely nothing going on with Scooby.” I wrinkled my nose. “Being with Scooby would be like dating Rabbit.” I shuddered. “Gross.”
Rabbit was my brother. Technically, he was my foster brother, but we’d grown so close during our foster care time, we’d sworn we’d never be apart. So close, in fact, I’d taken his last name the second I’d turned eighteen. We were both gifted with computers, and I’d taught him everything I knew when it came to the art of hacking. In the end, he’d taught me a few things as well.
“Gross?” he asked, sliding his hand around my waist.
“Well, not gross in the sense of gross, gross, because Scooby’s fucking hot, but gross in the sense that it would be like fucking my brother,” I said.
“Jesus, woman, don’t put ‘fucking’ and ‘Scooby’ in the same sentence,” Wrath ground out.
“The only man I’m fucking is you, Wrath, despite having other offers,” I whispered.
“What other offers?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does fuckin’ matter.” He scowled. “What other offers?”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. Just forget about it.”
“We’re not playin’ that goddamn game, Sierra,” he growled.
“Just a guy I work with. He said that if you didn’t recognize my worth, he did. It’s no big deal.”
“Jesus, fuckin’ Christ, woman, you seriously don’t think I recognize your worth?”
“I didn’t say that, Wrath. He did.”
“Who was it?”
“I’m not telling you that.”
“I’m gonna figure it out and when I do—”
“If you do, you’re going to do nothing, because I’m here and in your bed.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Now, are you going to make me bacon, or are we going to stand here and talk about other men all morning?”
He gave my ass a squeeze, then went about cooking me bacon.
* * *
Wrath
I reluctantly left Sierra to go to lunch with Scooby and headed to his mom’s place just outside Monument. Jill had a little bungalow in Colorado Springs, and I’d spent many a night here in my late teens seeking refuge from my shitty life.
“Ma!” I called as I let myself in.
“Back here,” she replied.
I walked into the kitchen where she was elbows-deep in the sink.
“You really should lock your door, Jill,” I admonished, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
“I just unlocked it because I knew you were coming and I wasn’t going to be able to open it for you,” she said with a smile. She nodded to the island behind her. “Fresh batch of cookies, honey. Help yourself.”
I snagged one and bit into it.
“How are you doing?” she asked, setting a chicken into a pan, and washing her hands.
“I should ask that of you.”
“More bad days than good right now.” She bit back tears as she grabbed a towel and faced me. “It hurts worse this time around.”
“I’m so sorry, Jill,” I rasped.
Scooby and Scrappy’s sister, Carina, had died four years ago from a rare form of brain cancer. It had nearly destroyed them, but Carina had made the family promise to figure out a way to find some kind of happy. And she’d roped me in on that promise as well. If we didn’t, she promised she’d haunt us in the worst possible way.
Tango had not been so lucky.
He was ready to marry her. They were a team. Deeper in love than anyone I’d ever known, and she was taken from him. Considering I knew how it felt to lose the only person I’d ever loved, albeit temporarily, I understood that rage at the world.
“I don’t blame you, honey,” Jill said. “Otis made his choice. And when you live by the sword, you die by the sword. But you just have to promise me that you’ll do everything you can to keep Crew safe.”
I dragged a hand down my face. “Scooby’s not really speakin’ to me right now.”
She squeezed my arm. “You are my fifth kid for all intents and purposes, sweetheart. You’ll figure it out.”
I nodded.
She slid the chicken into the oven then faced me again. “I heard your girl is back.”
“Yeah,” I breathed out.
She smiled. “Is she giving you hell?”
I grinned. “Of course she is. She’s actually at lunch with Scooby.”
“I always liked Sierra.” She patted my cut. “Now if we could just find a woman who would stand up to Crew like that.”
“Jilly Bean, why the fuck’s your door unlocked?” Needles bellowed as he walked in the front door.
Needles was our resident medical professional and he’d always been around when we were raising hell as kids. He’d helped to channel our energy and testosterone, standing up for us when we all patched into the Howlers.
“Booth’s here,” she answered. “Otherwise it wouldn’t be.”
Needles set two bags of groceries on the counter and frowned at her. “Don’t give a fuck. Your door should always be locked.”