for theatrics, but Thrett could tell he was reveling in the surprise factor his sleuthing had yielded, and he was going to drag it out as much as he could. Wyntir Ignis sauntered up, dressed to kill as she always was. If any of the Wildridge team ever wanted to go into show biz, it would be Wyntir. Except for the fact that underneath her supermodel good looks exterior lay a total badass.
“Are you going to tell us who, or are you waiting for Tessa to come back before you do?”
Dyrk scowled at her, and even has his face flooded to a dark red. “What the hell are you talking about? Whatever. The dead man in question is Joshua Slocum.”
“What?”
They turned to find Grizz Magna’s head overlooking the cubicle maze. Not too long ago, the de facto leader of the Shifter Bureau of Investigation had tried to murder Grizz and his mate Elektra Mico. As a former SBI agent, Grizz had trusted Slocum and that almost led to tragedy.
“Was that scumbag trying to kidnap rich kids too?” he demanded as he joined the others up front, followed by Elektra.
“The cases have to be connected,” she added, glancing at Charlie.
Charlie nodded. “Agreed. And until we can figure exactly how or if the SBI traitor was involved, I want you on the grounds during school hours.”
Thrett winced and then rubbed the back of his neck, not loving the idea of seeing Rylan all day, every day. “I dunno. Don’t you think that might freak out the kids?”
Charlie studied him for a few seconds. “One new face with a cool job title? I think not. You’ll be on site before the first child arrives and after the last one leaves. Understood?”
“But—” Thrett started, but Charlie was already walking back to his office. “Fine, but do me a favor and don’t give me any more jobs with kids for at least six months, okay? Okay, Charlie? Charlie!”
The boss’ door closed quietly with a click, leaving Thrett very unsatisfied. It wasn’t that he was opposed to hard work, but spending so much time with Rylan…
A trill of excitement ran down his spine at the very idea.
No. Nope. Absolutely not. He couldn’t let his thoughts run in that direction. Rylan had shattered his heart once. No way would he allow her to do it twice.
“Honey, did you remember to grab your lunch box from the counter?” Rylan asked.
When she received no answer, she glanced in the rear-view mirror and smiled. Her son was a voracious reader, constantly devouring books from the school library, as well as the public one. Rylan would go broke buying all the books he wanted to read, so they visited the big local library at least once a week. Having worked as an English teacher for three years, she couldn’t have been prouder.
“Earth to Trystin.”
The light of her life looked up from his book, brown eyes wide and a little confused. “Huh? What?”
“You have your lunchbox in your backpack, right?”
“Yep! Got it.”
He was missing a front tooth, which only added to his adorable charm, as far as Rylan was concerned. Her heart surged with affection for the little guy, and she couldn’t quantify how much she loved him if someone held a gun to her head. Trystin was an old soul and a highly empathetic child, who seemed to listen and observe more than he spoke. Every parent thought their child was the greatest, but Rylan knew her son truly was the best person ever born, even if she was a little biased.
The car pulled into the staff parking lot to the side of the academy and Rylan hopped out, Trystin following after her. He was too old for a car seat these days, which nearly broke her heart. Clasping hands, they walked into the school together, greeting teachers and students along the way. The simple act of stepping into the school calmed her jangled nerves. Benningford was home.
Stopping outside of Trystin’s homeroom, Rylan kneeled down to peer into her son’s sweet face, smoothing his strawberry blond hair. Only then did she notice he looked troubled.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to spend the night at Blaise’s house tonight?”
“Of course it is. Why would you think it wouldn’t be?”
He shrugged, his empathetic gaze drilling down into her soul. “I dunno, you seem sad. I better stay home with you. You’ll miss me too much.”
Damn, he got her every time. Truth be told, she missed him every second he was