"Hudson?"
The soft voice brought a smile to his face, and the ache in his chest eased. "Julia?"
"Hello, sweetheart. I hope you don't mind me calling. I was making myself a cup of tea, and when I sat down on the couch to watch TV, one of the photo albums was there. I must have left it out when I was dusting the bookcase. Anyway, I went to return it to the shelf, and a photograph of you fell out. I missed your voice."
Hudson swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I missed your voice too. I'm so glad you called." Warmth spread through him, and he couldn't help his smile as he stood to head inside, Julia's sweet voice lifting his spirits. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect, and as he walked into his house, he said a silent little thank-you to his brother, wherever he was.
Chapter 5
"DON'T LOOK at me like that."
Hudson popped a couple of Tylenol into his mouth and took a long swig of his bottled water. Nina was giving him that look. The "I can't believe you did that" look. Apparently his work day was going to be as shite as the pounding in his head, but then he should have suspected as much, considering he'd started his day with a particularly gruesome autopsy. It was soon followed by phone calls and e-mails from a number of Therian solicitors who all believed their case was the most important case in the history of New York City and specifically wanted him to testify in court as their expert witness, not to mention were under the illusion Hudson was their personal circus poodle ready to jump through hoops on their command, because really, how long could a DNA analysis take? And surely cause of death could be easily determined by simply staring at a body long enough, and how dare he declare that piece of evidence contaminated--it had only been trampled on by four HPF officers, minimum.
He was waiting on a toxicology report, a ballistic report, had two subpoenas to sign off on--pending an inquest he had yet to do--an in-box filled with inquiries from dozens of agents from Unit Alpha, and was scheduled for two court appearances this week, one involving a defense attorney who wouldn't piss on Hudson if he were on fire, all because Hudson dared turn him down for a date. It wasn't even lunchtime.
What he needed was another cup of tea and a bed he could crawl back into. What he didn't need was a lecture from Nina. Last night he'd spent several hours catching up with Julia, and it had been wonderful, a ray of sunshine to his drab and cold existence. All right, that's enough of that. He was done feeling sorry for himself. Too bad he wasn't done with this blasted hangover. He'd been so swept up in his conversation with Julia, he'd forgotten to hydrate, and was paying dearly for it this morning.
"What were you thinking?"
Hudson groaned as he took a seat behind his desk. He glanced at his tablet and the blinking blue light denoting freshly arrived e-mails, then promptly turned it over. Last time he checked his in-box, he'd wanted to howl mournfully and curl up on himself. "I was thinking, 'Here's a good-looking bloke who wants to dance with me. I'm pissed. Why not?'"
"You know that's not what I'm talking about."
Hudson cursed under his breath. "First Dex, now you. I don't see what was so blasted terrible. Seb and I are not together, Nina." He was clearly not going to get any work done until she said her piece.
"And who's the one stopping that from happening?"
Hudson removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not having this conversation."
"You never want to have this conversation." Nina flopped down into the chair across from him.
"Because it's none of your bloody business," he snapped. "Not anymore."
"That's not true." Her voice softened. "You're my closest friend. You can't pretend like the last ten years didn't happen."
Hudson scoffed.
"Don't be petulant," she ground out.
Hudson peered at her. "You lied to me, Nina. For months."
"You know why I did. I said I was sorry, and I am."
Hudson reclined back in his plush chair, his arms crossed. "Well, that's not good enough."
"What do you want from me? What more can I do to show you how sorry I am? Please, Hudson. You and him, you're the most important men in my life. Don't make me choose. I love him."
Hudson stilled. He looked up at her and saw tears in her deep brown eyes. "You... really love him?"
"Yes." She took his hand, a tear rolling down her flushed cheek. "It tore me up inside, not being able to tell you, but I never expected to.... I never thought I would fall for him. The more I got to know him, the more I realized what he put out there for everyone to see wasn't the man he was. He needed me, Hudson. He was all alone, in so much pain, terrified. How could I turn my back on him?"
Hudson had never seen her like this. Nina was sweet, but she was also an incredibly strong woman, one who could have easily been out there in the field with any of Unit Alpha's Defense agents, facing down threats. But she preferred the quiet of the lab, studying, dissecting, evaluating, investigating, reconstructing events, scenarios, causes of death. She was meticulous, and her sense of humor meshed perfectly with his. They kept each other and the other examiners from getting lost in the horrors they faced on the job. She was lighthearted, always smiling, laughing, playful, and the last person Hudson would have imagined could fall for a man like Rafe Hobbs.
"Do you love him or pity him?"
Nina's glare was indignant. "I do not pity him. Do you pity Seb?"
"Seb and Rafe are nothing alike."