Page 179 of Smoke and Mirrors
Time to call in the team for another round of finders keepers.
Atticus lay on the bed, staring upat the ceiling.The room had grown dark with the setting sun, but he hadn’t bothered to turn on a lamp.He didn’t care.This was the extent of his plans for the evening.To lie there, wide awake, staring into the darkness.
As long as he kept his eyes open, he didn’t see that mangled body in the field.
He’d spent the past few days trying to force that image from his brain, to no avail.He had worked, compiling notes and details on what happened.He had chilled, watching TV in the main room at the B and B.The only thing he hadn’t done was sleep.When he tried, the nightmares came.
He had no idea how long it would take for him to stop seeing that, but he hoped it was soon.He was exhausted.
A thump sounded from the room next door.He knew that was Archer moving around.Every now and then, another thump would sound, but then it would be quiet.
More than once, he had considered going over there, knocking on the door, and asking Archer to replace that mental image with something else, something salacious.The only thing that kept him from doing so was the principle of the matter.He had told Archer that they couldn’t act on the attraction.They were partners, and because of that, they couldn’t cross that line.
Atticus wanted to cross that line.Hell, he wanted to decimate that line.
That wouldn’t be fair to Archer.
But would it really be so wrong?Just one night.The two of them.
Before he knew what he was doing, Atticus was sitting up.Then he was standing.A few seconds later, he was opening the door and stepping out into the hall.
One night.It would curb the craving and eliminate that horrific image.
He pulled his door closed behind him, committed.
Taking a deep breath, Atticus squared his shoulders and turned.Before he could take a single step, he heard footsteps bounding up the stairs.A moment later, Spencer Elliott appeared, looking as cocky as ever.
“Hey, man,” Spencer greeted with a grin.“I didn’t realize you were stayin’ here.”
Atticus nodded.“Just for a little while.”
“Well.”Spencer flashed a grin, stopping in front of the door to Archer’s room and knocking lightly.“Wish me luck.”
Atticus didn’t wish him anything, but he did slip back into his room and hunt for his headphones.
No way could he sit there in the dark and listen to Archer and Spencer.If he was subjected to that torture, he wasn’t sure he would survive it.
