Page 49 of Hart's Redemption

He can’t know.It’ll only make things harder.

I turned on the water to help hide the sound of the trimmer. The spray hit the porcelain tub and echoed in the small space. Marginally confident that I wouldn’t be interrupted, I activated the device. Yet, as I brought the shears close to my head, I hesitated. The last time my hair had been this long, I’d been sixteen. Two weeks after my birthday, my mother had lied about my age and enlisted me for Lycan Detective training. They’d shaved every scrap of hair off and shipped me to an undisclosed location.

While the next six months had been brutal, they were nothing compared to what I’d endured under my mother’s tutelage. Thanks to said previous training, I rose swiftly through the ranks of hopefuls. In record time, I’d been top of my recruitment class and first in line to take the oaths. The same oaths that had already killed five people. It had actually been Director Starling, then Lycan Detective Angela Starling and the first person to survive the grueling process, who’d noticed I was too young. She’d insisted on my file being pulled and refused to relent until she’d proven I was underage.

My mother had been furious at being thwarted, but Starling had seen the relief in my eyes. The reprieve had been short-lived, though. Exactly eighteen months later, I’d undergone the most agonizing experience of my life. Not even the pain of the change could compare to the hours of torture I’d undergone, all so humans and lycans alike could trust every word I said, so I could do a job I never wanted.

I stared deep into my father’s hunter-green eyes—my eyes. The man reflected in the mirror was a far cry from the scared boy who’d only ever known pain and heartache. My time may be up, but my work was just getting started. Steam swirled around me as I once again returned the blade to my scalp.

Elijah

Per Josh’s written request, I was dressed and ready to go. Though why he’d woken up and decided today of all days was the one he wanted to clear out his desk at the precinct was beyond me. Far be it from me to discourage him from leaving the house. Rather than be worried, I chose to be optimistic, to see this as a sign he was ready to face the world again. He’d already shown he could run with other wolves. Dr. Lyons had given him a clean bill of health and even remarked upon his progress at his latest check-up. And our life at home was better than any fantasy I could concoct.

“That has to be the longest shower in the history of showers,” I called out when I heard the bathroom door shut. I fiddled with an empty picture frame I hadn’t gotten around to filling with images of our new life together.

At the familiar sound of boots tapping on the wooden floor, I looked up. My mouth instantly went dry, and my fingers turned numb as all my blood flowed south in a rush.

Josh waltzed down the hallway like he owned the whole damn state. Every inch of him screamed confidence, from his form-fitting leather boots, skin-tight pants, and trademark burgundy vest all the way to his perfectly styled hair and clean-shaven face. After weeks of seeing him in casual attire and a relaxed shag, it was more shock than my system could take.

He stopped barely a meter in front of me and flashed me a crooked grin as he straightened his perfectly pressed cuffs. “You’re leering, baby.”

“Stars, Josh.” I tried in vain to put my eyes back in their sockets and bring my heart rate under control. He looked exactly as he had the first day I’d truly met him, and the same way he’d looked every day after as I lusted hopelessly after him. With one exception. Instead of cold and distant, his forest-green eyes were warm and filled with affection. “I love you.”

His crooked smile morphed into a full-blown grin. “That good, huh?”

In one step, I crossed the distance between us and crushed his body against mine, sealing the connection with the searing kiss I’d been unable to give him the first time around. “You are without a doubt the sexiest thing on two legs.” I slid my hands around his waist and immediately started venturing higher, before another memory had them stilling in their tracks. “You’re not packing, are you?”

“No. The only weapon I’m wearing is the government-issued firearm strapped to my thigh.”

“You mean this thigh?” I coasted my hand down his backside and intentionally squeezed the wrong leg.

He moaned into me, but didn’t pull away. “You keep that up, Dr. Bennett, and there won’t be enough time to swing by HoT D.” He expertly slipped my grip and was halfway to the door by the time I regained my bearings.

“Cheeky bastard. They serve coffee all day.”

His laugh drifted back to me, but he didn’t cease his journey out the front of the house.

Only a few curious stares found us as we walked through town to acquire his favorite caffeine fix. With the clear sky and mercifully mild weather, it would have been the perfect day to wander aimlessly outside for hours, except every few minutes I caught Josh glancing at his bio-clock. When I asked, he simply insisted that he wanted to be at the precinct by a certain time. Which is how, at exactly 12:27 in the afternoon, we found ourselves standing in front of his old desk.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here.” Mack enthusiastically shook Josh’s hand before finally caving and embracing him in a quick hug. Josh bore it surprisingly well, patting the young officer on the back until Mack stepped away. “Jason mentioned you’d gotten out a bit, but why didn’t you call or stop by?”

Josh gave him a wry smile. “Did it ever occur to you that you might be on a short list of people who actually like me?”

Officer Mack’s jaw fell for a moment, then he recovered. “Anyway, it’s great to see you again. As you can see, no one has had the brass to touch your workspace in your absence.” He gestured grandly to the desk, which looked exactly the same as it had the last time I’d seen it six months ago.

“You’re a good friend.” Officer Mack practically glowed at the praise, and for once the bitter jealousy that had plagued me before didn’t so much as surface to give a spiteful wave. Mack could preen all he liked in Josh’s attention. I knew unequivocally that Josh was mine.

I stepped back in order to toss my empty cup into the composting container and shook my head. “He’s right. I still don’t see why we had to be here at this exact moment. We could have come here anytime in the last two months or the next two, for that matter.”

Josh once again glanced down at his bio-ware, then stepped up to me. I blinked at him in confused surprise when he cupped the side of my face and placed a tender kiss on my lips. “I want you to know I love you.”

I couldn’t contain my concerned frown. “I love you too, moonbeam.”

His mouth twitched into the smallest of smiles, and he closed his eyes as if savoring the words. Meanwhile, I was more confused than ever. If Josh were aiming for a public declaration of our love, I could think of several grander ways to do so, one in particular topping the list.

With a soft sigh, he stepped away, checked his bio-watch for the millionth time, then glanced at the main entrance. “Time’s up.”

On cue, the door to the precinct burst open, and a dozen armed soldiers wearing full tactical armor poured into the room. Several things all happened at once. Shouts filled the precinct. Guns were drawn. A bright flash of blue filled the room and left a ringing in my ears. Weapons clattered to the floor from the limp hands of stunned officers. Officer Mack stepped forward and threw a hand back at Josh, yelling something about him running. Josh looked from the violence at the door to me with a silent apology in his eyes as he set his firearm on the table, still safely in its holster. When he returned his focus to the front, the world stopped moving in slow motion.