It was well past dark by the time Max finally showed up, and Skyler nearly jumped out of his skin when the bells on the front door jingled. He'd been on edge all day, worried and wondering what had happened after Max had leveled the uniformed officer. Skyler had been shuffled out abruptly. He'd gone straight home to the shop and closed up, in no frame of mind to conduct business. Then, he'd waited.
And waited.
After hours of fretting and pacing, it had occurred to Skyler that he didn't know Max's home or cell phone numbers. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Max had a home phone, and he only knew Max had a cell because he'd seen him use it.
Skyler rose from the settee, smoothing out knee wrinkles in the skinny black leggings he wore under his skirt.
Max stood just inside the door; he winced and hissed when his back bumped against the molded woodwork.
Skyler's eyes went wide, and his hands flew to his cheeks. "Oh my God, Maxwell! Are you hurt?" He rushed forward, grimacing when he saw that Max's brown hair was matted in places with blood.
Max's shoulders squared. "Got anything to drink, Sky? I've had a really fucked up day."
Skyler pressed a palm lightly against Max's cheek. "Which began with me showing up unannounced at the station. I'm sorry."
"Nah, it was actually pretty damn crappy even before that." |
