Brit started cleaning up, but he stopped her. “Go get in bed. I’ll clean up.”
“Joaquin—”
“Seriously, babe. I’m gonna play guitar and unwind.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I got this.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “And you’ve got me too.”
“That’s all I need,” he replied.
Britain
Brit woke early.Rebel was snuggled close. She didn’t want to wake him, but she really had to pee, so she slunk out of bed and padded into the bathroom.
As she was splashing cool water on her face, her stomach lurched.
No way.
She knelt in front of the toilet and retched. Only she had nothing in her stomach. After a few dry heaves, she felt better.
There’s no way I’m getting sick again. I never get sick.
While brushing her teeth, Rebel walked in, his large boner pointing right at her. He ran his hand over her bare back, then dropped a soft kiss on her shoulder.
“Did you throw up or was I dreaming?” he asked.
“Dry heaves, but yeah, that was me.”
Regarding her reflection, he said, “Maybe you’re getting sick from being in the freezing water.”
“I’m okay, probably just stress.”
“Stress you can handle? Or stress, you need to talk to someone?” he asked.
“I’m okay.” She kissed him. “Are we driving into ALPHA together?”
“We can, if you want to work at the black site all day. I’ve got team training.”
“I’ll come back here after ALPHA.” A wave of nausea rolled through her and she gripped the vanity.
“Why don’t we drive in together, I’ll bring you back here, then head out?—”
“I’m fine, really.”
Thirty minutes later, they were out the door.
In her SUV, Brit cracked the window, the cold air whisking away her queasiness. By the time they got to ALPHA HQ, she felt fine.
They carried the evidence into their in-house lab.
After filling out the intake form, Brit said, “This is for the Alphabet Killer case.”
“We’ll jump it to the front of the line,” said the lab tech manning the counter. “Expect results in twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“Oh, brother,” someone grumbled behind them.