She sighed. At least River knew what her new clients were looking for now. That was one lie out of the way.
Even when Henry had come home, he’d gone straight to his computer because he was certain there was an Agency “plant”—as he’d put it—somewhere in Bliss.
So here she was sitting alone and thinking. Had she made a terrible mistake? Should she have told him to get out and stay out?
It kind of hurt to see him so content when she was so…restless.
She’d spent the last two weeks doing exactly what she’d promised. She’d welcomed Henry into their bed. They’d made love most nights, and the nights they didn’t, he’d told her stories about his time with the Agency. He’d prompted her to talk about her mom more. He’d give her an Agency story if she told him one from her childhood.
Yeah, that made her restless, too.
Off in the distance she heard the sound of shouting, but that wasn’t surprising these days. Those men who’d been experimented on seemed determined to play out some sort of second adolescence. They played pranks on each other most days, and they were far too invested in their own bodily functions.
“Hey, sorry. I looked for you on the back porch.” Henry stepped out and had a mug of tea in his hand.
“I wanted to change it up a bit.” She kept her eyes on the lawn.
He sighed as he sank into the chair beside her. “I’m sorry I worked all day.”
She had to be patient with him. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I worked all day, too.”
“But we usually work together. We have a routine to our days, and I’ve screwed that up. I’m not trying to. I can tell Ian that I need to be here.”
Ian Taggart was an overly large man who’d apparently been Henry’s student at one point. He’d obviously learned how to kill people, how to run a mission, and how to speak sarcasm. Though she would admit the man had a certain amount of charm, and he’d managed to choke down the black bean burger she’d served him the night he and Henry had sat up and talked about the old days.
“I know you’re trying to help those men. I get it. I’m fine.”
“It won’t be long now. They’re going to go into the woods soon, and then I’m out of it,” Henry promised.
There was more shouting from somewhere beyond the cabin.
Would he truly be out of it? “I thought you were going to have to talk to the Agency at some point.”
“I think if they were going to arrest me, they would have done it by now,” he said with a confidence she didn’t feel. He turned her way. “What do you think of Heather Turner? She moves well, right?”
He’d been watching how the gorgeous blonde moved? “Well, I suppose she could be a model.”
He frowned her way. “Or an Agency plant. Love, I wasn’t talking about her level of sex appeal. I was talking about the fact that she moves very fluidly. And she doesn’t make a lot of sound. Have you ever noticed that? And she’s weirdly absent whenever Ian or Ezra are around. Not the boys. She’s cool around them, but then the boys wouldn’t know her even if they’d met her before. I haven’t said anything yet, but I think I’ll talk to Ian about it tomorrow.”
“Okay.” What was going on over at Seth’s? Was that smoke?
“How about we watch a movie tonight? There’s a new documentary about water pollution,” he offered.
“Sure.” So she would know that her daughter or son wouldn’t be able to find clean water.
“I’m trying here, Nell,” he said with a sigh.
“I know.”
She gasped as a man ran by, sprinting as fast as he could. Tucker. She thought that man was Tucker.
Henry was on his feet in a second and down off the steps. “Get inside, Nell.”
Her heart started to race because something bad was about to happen. Had the Agency come for them all? Was it the cartel Henry thought he’d gotten out from under? All she knew was Tucker was terrified.
And then she saw the small creature racing across the yard. A badger chased after Tucker, all claws and teeth. That small animal was the definition of irritation.
Outrage sparked through her as Tucker managed to turn and run the other way.
“Did you smoke that badger out of her hole?” Nell asked, her hands on her hips.
“I’m sorry. It was a prank,” Tucker yelled. “I didn’t think it would chase me. Sasha said it would be okay.”
Sasha was standing at the edge of the property line, laughing his ass off.
Yeah, she wasn’t happy with Sasha either. “Okay to smoke a poor animal out of its home?”
“How long will it chase me?” Tucker asked, still running.
She expected Henry to go to the young man’s aid.
Instead, he shook his head. “At least a mile or so. If she catches you, she’ll probably take a toe or two. You should keep running. And take another way to come back because she will remember you. She’ll lie in wait for you. You know what they say.”
“No, I don’t,” Tucker said with a little cry as he tried to avoid the badger’s claws. “I don’t know anything.”
“Badger never forgets,” Henry said. “Good luck.”
“Come on, Henry,” Tucker pleaded.
“Nope. You poked the badger. You get the badger. I’ve been that badger and I would bite your ass, too.” Henry settled back into his chair.
“You’re really not going to help him?” It was surprising.
“I’ll help the badger,” Henry admitted. “Poor thing was probably taking a nap and that asshole thought it would be fun to smoke him out. Well,
