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"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
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September 11 | Morning
"Once you get back from the convenience store, park on the side of the road here to be in line with where Aurie and Mys hid the supplies. Think you can follow the map to the cabin on foot?" I asked from the passenger seat.
Tegan flashed a thumbs up and pulled over the burner car. "I won't be gone long," she said. "I want a clear idea of when and where this storm is gonna hit. I'm sure somebody at the store can fill me in on what the local news is saying."
I put her copy of the map in the center console, and I hopped out of the car. As I turned to point my partner down the road, the late morning sunlight cut across her face, and her lips parted in a tense smile. "Don't tell me the unshakable Tegan Stoney is nervous," I teased with a grin. Strolling to her side of the car, I leaned in the open window.
Tegan let out a strained giggle. "I was just thinking we should run away from everyone and everything," she replied. Her poignant stare belied her playful tone. I lifted a brow in surprise, and she laughed again. "Alright, your little friend can come."
I pulled away from the car. "You and I are not the type to run from our problems. The store is a straight shot ahead, southeast. You can't miss it. See you when you get back."
"Wait a second." Tegan grabbed my hand, suddenly serious. "I think you owe it to our friendship to stop playing whatever this game is and be upfront with me. Why did you call me to the cabin?"
I paused, wondering what she was getting at. "Because I needed my partner, Detective Stoney."
"Are you sure? Or is it because you knew I'd come at the drop of a dime and do whatever you ask?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and confronted me with clear blue eyes.
My jaw flexed. "I would never think to use you like that. I wanted you here because you know the case. You and Kittie Cad have already gotten further by phone than I have in a month of canvassing."
"I don't get it. The thing with Mys. Are you gay? Is that what you've been trying to tell me all along? What about us? Have you always been—?"
"Nahin, Tegan, I'm not gay. Please." I clenched my teeth and inhaled. Pressing my steepled fingers to my lips, I released the breath and tried to explain. "When you and I were together, we had a genuine connection, but you know why that ended."
"Right. Because I was tangled in another manipulative relationship, and I didn't know how to turn him down that one night he called." She clasped my belt buckle, confronting me with those earnest blues.
I braced a hand on the car and met her gaze. "I consider you my closest friend, Tegan. Hurting you has never been my intention. I thought we were on the same page. We agreed it never would've worked out for us."
