Eruca by Xenia Melzer

Author:Xenia Melzer [Melzer, Xenia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery/suspense
ISBN: 978-1-64108-321-8
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2022-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

14. Like Fathers, like Sons

GEORGE SERIOUSLY contemplated putting Andi back in bed. If he even had been there the last night. It certainly didn’t look like it. His partner was wearing yoga pants that could have been black at some time. Now they were this washed-out gray, the cloth at the knees almost see-through and not in a sexy way, the hems at the legs fraying. The thick woolen socks seemed to be hand-knitted and had turned to felt in some places. A sweater of dubious color and form rounded out an outfit that perfectly matched the tired expression in Andi’s eyes. He stepped aside to let George into the house.

“I’m sorry. Didn’t hear the alarm. Can you give me five minutes to shower?”

“Take fifteen, and don’t break your neck on the tiles. Should I make tea?” George tried to sound nonchalant and was doing a terrible job. Andi rolled his eyes.

“I got kind of lost yesterday, okay? The good news is, I was able to strengthen my mental shields, but it took longer than I thought.”

“Okay.” It was far from being okay, not the way Andi looked as if he’d been on a three-day binge with more alcohol than one person should be able to consume. Knowing Andi hadn’t touched a drop of the stuff made it even worse. George hated to ask the question, but he had to. “Are you even able to go to work today?”

Instead of getting angry, which would have been George’s cue that Andi could go to work, his partner seemed to think about it. “I’m tired.” Andi yawned as if he wanted to stress his words. “I can go, though. Let’s just hope Shireen has found something good for us to wake me up properly.” With that, Andi went toward the stairs.

George stayed in the kitchen with nothing else to do but set the water to boil and rummage in the cupboard over the sink for some tea. He found a blend of peppermint, sage, and lemon balm which he knew Andi liked. He did have the obligatory cup of herbal tea from Starbucks in his car, which Andi could drink later. This moment called for loose leaves, and besides, George needed to occupy himself. Otherwise he would have stormed upstairs to check on Andi, which he was sure would not be appreciated. While the tea was steeping, George wondered how he could help Andi. The gaps in their conversations when Andi’s mind wandered elsewhere were getting more frequent and long enough to draw attention from outsiders. George was still able to gloss it all over, but they had to find some kind of solution soon. Even those who were used to Andi’s weird ways, namely Shireen, Evangeline, and Adam Forard, the leader of one of the SWAT teams, had started to regard Andi with worry, which told George that his partner had never before been this bad. How he should breach the subject without getting his head bitten off, George still wasn’t sure.

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