long as she needed.
There was coffee and cereal in the kitchen, and Maria was able to put breakfast together for herself reasonably quickly and get the coffee percolating. She was just finishing her cereal and getting ready to become one with her coffee mug when there was a knock at the front door.
Maria froze, all of last night’s events suddenly rushing back to the forefront of her mind. Could someone from Humans Against Shifters have followed her or Laura here? Could they know the address somehow? Was this another attack—getting her to come to the door and then shooting her? Would they try that in broad daylight like this?
There was another knock, and then a voice called, “Hello? It’s Levi.”
It felt like every one of Maria’s muscles relaxed at once—and then were taken over by a different kind of tension. She clutched at her coffee cup to keep from dropping it, and called, “Come in!”
She heard him unlock the door and come inside, and he poked his head around a couple of corners before finding her in the kitchen, sipping her coffee.
He stopped abruptly when he saw her. “Uh.”
Maria’s face grew hot as she remembered what she was wearing. And not wearing. She must look like Businesswoman Barbie. “My clothes—” she started stupidly.
“Oh, of course, you don’t have any—we’ll have someone stop by your apartment and pack you a bag, is that all right? A female officer,” he hurried to add. “We always send a female officer for something like this. I’ll call right away and get it set up.” He was already pulling out his phone.
Maria nodded, a little overwhelmed by the sudden monologue. Levi was looking everywhere but at her chest as he made the call.
He looked good too, she couldn’t help but notice, especially for someone who must have gotten less sleep than she had.
He finished setting up the overnight bag, hung up, and then they were just looking at each other again.
“You’re back soon,” she offered as a distraction from…other things. “Is there any news?”
He nodded. “May I sit down?”
“Oh, of course—” Maria motioned to a kitchen chair, and he sat. His manners were surprisingly old-fashioned, she kept noticing.
Well, except when he was leaning toward her on a couch, fingers brushing her chin—
Ahem. Stop , she told herself.
“News?” she prompted, when he’d settled himself.
“There was an anonymous threat left at the senator’s office today,” Levi said. “It read, Too bad I missed last night. I won’t miss again. They’re dead .”
“They?” Maria said faintly.
Levi nodded. “They’re specifically targeting you as well as the senator.”
“But why?” Maria asked. “I’m not anybody—there’s no reason to want to kill me—”
“You’ve been with me since the beginning.” They both turned to see Laura in the doorway, dressed in last night’s clothes and somehow still looking…senatorial. Laura was very good at that. “You go everywhere I go, you support everything I do. I thank you in my speeches. You’re outspoken for shifter’s rights on your own time. You’ve earned their animosity”—she smiled sadly at Maria—“as much as I wish you didn’t have it.”
Maria took this in. She’d always thought of herself as being invisible, behind the scenes, making things happen without anyone noticing. She’d never once thought that someone could target her for anything, positive or negative.
“Well,” she said, “I guess I’d better get to work stopping them, if I’m so dangerous to their agenda.”
Laura’s smile turned approving. “That’s my girl.” She turned to Levi. “I need to talk with the police and with my PR team about what’s being released to the press, and about what we’re going to do on Monday when Maria and I are ostensibly supposed to go back to work.”
Levi nodded. “I’ll get a team together to take you to the station—you can have a tactical meeting with the relevant people there.”
There was coffee and cereal in the kitchen, and Maria was able to put breakfast together for herself reasonably quickly and get the coffee percolating. She was just finishing her cereal and getting ready to become one with her coffee mug when there was a knock at the front door.
Maria froze, all of last night’s events suddenly rushing back to the forefront of her mind. Could someone from Humans Against Shifters have followed her or Laura here? Could they know the address somehow? Was this another attack—getting her to come to the door and then shooting her? Would they try that in broad daylight like this?
There was another knock, and then a voice called, “Hello? It’s Levi.”
It felt like every one of Maria’s muscles relaxed at once—and then were taken over by a different kind of tension. She clutched at her coffee cup to keep from dropping it, and called, “Come in!”
She heard him unlock the door and come inside, and he poked his head around a couple of corners before finding her in the kitchen, sipping her coffee.
He stopped abruptly when he saw her. “Uh.”
Maria’s face grew hot as she remembered what she was wearing. And not wearing. She must look like Businesswoman Barbie. “My clothes—” she started stupidly.
“Oh, of course, you don’t have any—we’ll have someone stop by your apartment and pack you a bag, is that all right? A female officer,” he hurried to add. “We always send a female officer for something like this. I’ll call right away and get it set up.” He was already pulling out his phone.
Maria nodded, a little overwhelmed by the sudden monologue. Levi was looking everywhere but at her chest as he made the call.
He looked good too, she couldn’t help but notice, especially for someone who must have gotten less sleep than she had.
He finished setting up the overnight bag, hung up, and then they were just looking at each other again.
“You’re back soon,” she offered as a distraction from…other things. “Is there any news?”
He nodded. “May I sit down?”
“Oh, of course—” Maria motioned to a kitchen chair, and he sat. His manners were surprisingly old-fashioned, she kept noticing.
Well, except when he was leaning toward her on a couch, fingers brushing her chin—
Ahem. Stop , she told herself.
“News?” she prompted, when he’d settled himself.
“There was an anonymous threat left at the senator’s office today,” Levi said. “It read, Too bad I missed last night. I won’t miss again. They’re dead .”
“They?” Maria said faintly.
Levi nodded. “They’re specifically targeting you as well as the senator.”
“But why?” Maria asked. “I’m not anybody—there’s no reason to want to kill me—”
“You’ve been with me since the beginning.” They both turned to see Laura in the doorway, dressed in last night’s clothes and somehow still looking…senatorial. Laura was very good at that. “You go everywhere I go, you support everything I do. I thank you in my speeches. You’re outspoken for shifter’s rights on your own time. You’ve earned their animosity”—she smiled sadly at Maria—“as much as I wish you didn’t have it.”
Maria took this in. She’d always thought of herself as being invisible, behind the scenes, making things happen without anyone noticing. She’d never once thought that someone could target her for anything, positive or negative.
“Well,” she said, “I guess I’d better get to work stopping them, if I’m so dangerous to their agenda.”
Laura’s smile turned approving. “That’s my girl.” She turned to Levi. “I need to talk with the police and with my PR team about what’s being released to the press, and about what we’re going to do on Monday when Maria and I are ostensibly supposed to go back to work.”
Levi nodded. “I’ll get a team together to take you to the station—you can have a tactical meeting with the relevant people there.”
Similar Books
