Page 25 of Donovan's Men

“Your burger’s going to be cold.”

“I’ll manage.”

“I’ll heat it up again.”

I met his gaze.

“Please.”

Shrugging, I rose and went back to the kitchen. I reheated the food, but by the time I returned to the living room, he was out cold. I ate my burger, washed the plate, then quietly headed out. I didn’t like that I was leaving the front door unlocked, but overall, Vancouver was a pretty safe town. And with Meggibeth Smythe locked up, Donovan would likely be okay.

Just in case, I planned to drop by the next morning.

With that, I was on my way.

Back to my empty condo.

Filled with memories of the kiss that never should’ve happened but that I couldn’t bring myself to regret.

Chapter Five

Hamish

I needed to stop obsessing over what Donovan and Tyson might be up to.

Eat your dinner. Work on your files.

Having an excellent memory with near-perfect recall aided greatly in my work.

Having an unrelenting image in my mind of Donovan standing over where Cole’d lain still caught my heart in my throat. I could do many things—including helping him deal with his trauma—but I wouldn’t be able to completely erase the memories.

As I ate my tomato soup, I entered various notes into my computer. Aside from Donovan, my meeting with Julie Reyes had been the most intense. I’d returned to the studio after speaking with Donovan and Tyson. Julie had spoken to Marianne earlier, but when I queried her, she indicated she’d be willing to speak to me. I had the suspicion she knew I’d been with Donovan.

She didn’t feel his level of guilt, though. She expressed continual gratitude that Cole’d saved her life—while cognizant of the fact that if she’d been hurt and he hadn’t, that he would’ve been beset by guilt. Much like what Donovan was enduring. She had the self-awareness to wonder if she should feel guilty, but since she hadn’t been the target, her dominant feelings of unease were the same as the others—should she have seen this coming? Yes, she’d been aware of Meggibeth’s crush on Cole. But lots of women—and men—had crushes on the handsome man. Should they have realized Meggibeth’s feelings ran deeper? Into the obsessive tendencies?

I assured her that likely this hadn’t been predictable. Unless Meggibeth had made threats in the past—and she hadn’t, as far as anyone could remember—than perhaps she’d hidden that obsession well.

After finishing up my notes, I put the kettle on. A nice chamomile would hopefully help me settle.

As the tea steeped, I changed into my plaid flannel pajamas. In my thick wool socks, I wandered around the condo. I tended to keep the blinds for my patio door open so I could look out upon the vast mountain landscape. The lights on Grouse Mountain illuminated the night skiers—plenty of snow this winter.

My phone rang.

Assuming my boss was calling for a check-in, I barely caught the caller ID, only belatedly realizing it readunknown caller. “This is Hamish.”

“Hey, Doc.”

Well, no question who was on the other end. “Hello, Donovan.”

“You don’t like when I call you Doc.”

“I have no preference either way.”

“You’re lying.”

“I don’t lie.” Prevaricate? Well, that was another story.

“I only give nicknames to people I care about.”