Page 22 of Hard Rain

“Here.” Beth dropped a bear claw in front of Knox on her way past.

Knox hooted like he’d won the lottery.

By the time Whip and Axel reached their desks, Knox was already halfway through the pastry, sitting sideways in his chair with one boot hooked beneath the desk.

Bright blue eyes lifted immediately.

“And here they come,” Knox announced around a mouthful of bear claw. “Fern’s favorite divorced couple.”

Axel flipped him off without heat. Little bastard never knew when to shut up.

Knox grinned wider.

“Didn’t ask for commentary,” Axel growled.

“Good thing commentary’s free.” Knox leaned back farther in his chair with his boots hooked on the desk edge, still working through the pastry. “You two glaring at each other for the past two weeks is starting to hurt office morale.”

Whip snorted softly into a freshly poured cup of coffee.

Axel couldn’t tell anymore if Whip found the joke funny or just painfully accurate.

Probably both.

“See—” Knox started, clearly winding up for another smartass comment.

Then Boone’s office door swung open hard enough to cut through the room.

Knox’s boots hit the floor immediately.

“Tauber. Bain. Granger. My office, now.”

Conversation died instantly.

Even the phones suddenly sounded louder.

Knox shoved the rest of the bear claw into his mouth and pushed upright fast enough to rock his chair backward.

Beth glanced up from her desk with a grimace. “Oh boy. He is in a mood.”

Whip grabbed his coffee automatically and turned to him.

“Come on,” Whip said, waiting for him.

Axel fell into step beside him automatically.

The weird silence from breakfast. The careful distance. All of it dropped away beneath instinct and routine.

Knox trailed behind them, still chewing.

Boone stood near the windows with his arms crossed over his chest, broad shoulders blocking half the gray daylight bleeding through the rain-streaked glass.

Cold blue eyes tracked all three of them at once.

Nobody spoke.

Boone didn’t waste time.

“Got a lead on Clay Cutter,” he said.