No One Lives Forever Read Online Free

so busy setting up his new business, meeting new clients, hiring people, and getting all the renovation done on his new home. Sometimes I think . . ."
    Tony squared off in front of her, hands in his slacks. Even through the dark glasses, she saw the concern in her partner's eyes. "What? You can tell me, Mac."
    Raven stepped aside, leaning up against the metal railing of the stairs, her eyes on Tony. She had no secrets from a man she considered family. He had proven himself trustworthy on so many fronts.
    "I know how he feels about me, Tony. And the way I love him, it scares me sometimes." She stared out toward the lake, its undulating waves glistening in the morning light between the office buildings. A gust of wind caught her next breath, making her shiver. "But he's never shared his grief with me, even after he's grappled with one of his nightmares. It's like a black hole. A bottomless pit that's all bottled up inside him. I can see a memory flash across his eyes, when he thinks I'm not watching, and he looks so lost."
    "You ever ask him about that?" He sat next to her, so close she felt the reassuring warmth of his shoulder against hers.
    "It's never felt like the right time, so I don't push it. I keep . . . waiting. And you know how much I love the waiting game."
    For a moment Tony fell silent. He gazed straight ahead, then dropped his chin to speak, "He's probably still working it out for himself. Guys do that. It gives us an aloof mystique. Women can't resist it. Maybe when the puzzle starts to take shape, he may ask you to help him finish it." He drew her attention when he made eye contact again. "But whatever it is you're feeling, it might be a rift that's permanent. He may never open up. Can you live with that?"
    Raven tilted her face toward the sun. She closed her eyes, letting the warmth caress her skin. Her partner was a very perceptive man, latching onto the very question she'd been asking herself for weeks. When she opened her eyes again, she nudged his shoulder with her own.
    "I don't know. I want to help him. It's torture to sit back and watch him go through it alone."
    "He's not alone. He's got you. And I'm sure he feels your support. Give him time, Mac. Christian loves you. I can see it. But a pain like that takes time." Tony stared down at his boots, nudging the tip of one over a crack in the cement. "It amazes me he's as normal as he is. You talk about having the rug pulled out from under you. A ten-year-old kid having to deal with the massacre of his family overnight, then finding out the ugly reason all those years later. It takes a pretty strong person to pull through it like he has. I admire the guy."
    "I don't know if I'm doing him any favors by standing on the sidelines."
    "You've got good instincts when it comes to people. Trust yourself. Just be there when he needs to talk." Tony lifted the corner of his mouth into a crooked grin. "You seeing him with what's left of your weekend?"
    "Yeah. I've got a stop to make first, but I'm heading over for a little one on one." She returned his smile.
    "Just take it a day at a time, Mackenzie."
    "I hear ya, partner. And thanks for listening."
    "Anytime."
    She walked with him down the steps and onto the sidewalk in front of the station house. Heading for her car, she parted company with Tony knowing he was right. She considered every day with Christian a blessing.
    Yet why did it feel like those precious days were numbered?
    Christian hit the zone where his body reacted on pure instinct, even without the benefit of eyesight. A dark blindfold covered his eyes, yet he sensed absolutely everything from the sweat trailing down the small of his back to the cool air raising the hair on his taut forearms. Holding the sharp katana sword in a two-fisted grip, he cut through air, drawing a whisper from the blade. A distinctive sound.
    Wearing only the black Samurai pants known as the Hakama, and an iai obi —a traditional sword belt cinched at his waist—he moved across