Read Silver's Bones for Free Online

line. It was my job to tease her by whistling the tune. Now, it was one of our signals that we were up for some “southerly action.”
    I took her hand and led her upstairs. I locked our door and slowly undressed her, then myself. We fell into bed and wrapped ourselves around one another and got lost in the bliss.
    Shannon fell asleep in my arms. Because of the boys, we’d rarely spent the entire night together before we were married, so I relished holding her like this, hearing her soft snores. But I went from living alone to sharing my space with three others. After only two days, the house was already messier. I needed order. How in hell was this going to work?

 
    Chapter 4
    August 7
    M y eyes sprung open forty-five minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Shannon stirred under the covers. I kissed her and whispered, “Want to go for a run with me this morning?”
    She grunted. I let her be and dressed quietly. As I walked into the hallway, Bullet meandered out of Luke’s room, tail wagging in hopes of going along. He used to sleep by my side, but this was two nights in a row he’d slept in Luke’s room. Bullet knew who needed him.
    â€œReady for a run, boy?” I whispered.
    His answer was the beeline he made down the steps, his nails clicking all the way. He waited for me at the back door, his tail thumping against the bench.
    The temperature had only dropped to seventy-eight degrees overnight and the atmosphere was rich with humidity, so I held the run to thirty minutes, taking my short loop around the residential part of town. My running time was my best thinking time. Today my mind was on Silver Rae Dawson’s fifteen-year-old missing person case. Usually, a seventeen-year-old girl ends up dead and buried because of a sex crime. The bouquet of flowers intrigued me. Could be for a drowning victim, a location of a love affair, anything really. But then again, it could end up being the most important clue.
    By the time we got home, Bullet was panting heavily and my clothing was saturated with sweat. When I opened the door, Bullet made a dash for his water bowl and drank it nearly dry. Then he pranced by his food dish.
    â€œYou live for food, good buddy. I’m going to have you wait until you cool off.”
    He bowed to me, lifting his rear in the air. While I drank two full glasses of water the boys’ orange tabby cats, Roy and Dale, slunk into the room looking for their kibble. While on duty, Shannon and I had discovered the three animals in a hoarder’s home, and later when the court ordered the animals be placed up for adoption, I gave Shannon first choice—the two cats or Bullet. She took the cats and later regretted it because the boys loved Bullet so much. When I visited her, she had me bring him along for the boys, which in the end, made the joining of the households an easier transition for the pets.
    When I walked into the bedroom, the radio alarm was playing away but Shannon was still dead to the world. I kissed her all over her face to wake her. She stretched her arms around my neck and said, “Sex makes me sleep so much better. Who knew?”
    â€œBabe, I’m at your service.”
    â€œIck, you’re all sweaty. Did you jog?”
    â€œYes and I like you sweaty.”
    â€œYeah, well, you stink. Go shower.”
    After showering and dressing, I found Shannon still snuggled in. I sat next to her and kissed her again. “It’s after six. Get up or I’ll climb in with you and you’ll be really late.”
    She threw off the covers and said, “After six? Why didn’t you wake me?”
    When I got back to the kitchen, Bullet was still guarding his dish. I poured his food then watched as he gobbled without tasting it. Then I put him outside so I could feed the cats, who would meow and rub up against my legs until I filled their dishes. While Bullet inhaled his food, the cats ate delicately, picking out one piece