Page 42 of Assisting the Alpha
Ethan cups my face in one hand, staring at me intently. “Disconnect for me, Ayo. I need you to disconnect.”
It’s hard to think properly like this. Grief is creeping in, hinting at a truth I don’t want to face.
Ethan presses a kiss to my forehead. “Please.”
I take a deep breath and disconnect from the ley line. I sway again even though I’m sitting down and practically collapse into Ethan’s arms. “I think he might be…”
Ethan holds me tighter and says nothing. He doesn’t need to.
We wait in silence, holding one another. When he gets a call and puts it on speaker, Jet’s sombre tone confirms it.
“Found him, boss. He’s dead.”
I stare blankly at my computer screen, not seeing the details of the cat shifter whose profile I pulled up an hour ago. I’m vaguely aware of the buzzer going to indicate someone is at the mainoffice door, but someone else goes to answer it, so I continue staring at the screen.
“Ayo?” Raj puts a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Hmm?” I blink out of my stupor and focus on my colleague.
“The task force are here to ask you some questions.”
It takes a moment for that to sink in, then I stand so fast my chair goes flying backwards. Fortunately, Raj catches it before it hits Kit.
“Here? Now?” I wasn’t expecting that.
I mean, I guessed they might want to talk to me, because apparently Irving was coming to see me on Sunday, but it’s been days since his body was discovered. And Ethan’s gone to see Doc P in his role as pathologist. Thank fuck he told me to stay behind this time. I couldn’t cope with hearing what happened to Irving, let alone seeing his body, even under a sheet.
Raj sets my chair aside. “Let’s go downstairs. You can sit with them on those sofas on the ground floor. I’ll stay nearby and make sure no humans come within earshot.”
What he’s not saying is that he’ll also play bodyguard. This is the first time Ethan has left my side since I was jumped in the alley, and he doesn’t know I overheard him telling Raj to guard me with his life.
It’s only as we pass the conference room that it sinks in that Raj doesn’t want them to come inside the Soldati Security offices. Which makes sense; the wards here are basic and I haven’t gotten around to agreeing with Ethan exactly how to upgrade them yet. No point letting the task force think Soldati Security are weaker or more vulnerable than they are.
I make a mental note to discuss wards with Ethan when he gets back. That’s a weakness we can fix today.
Out in the corridor, I’m slightly surprised to see Nyoka has joined Fraser and Will from the task force. Raj explains where they can talk to me.
The shared lift ride down to the ground floor is full of awkward silence.
It’s only once we’re downstairs and Raj has taken up position behind my fellow coven members, a decent distance back, that anyone else speaks.
“How are you holding up?” Nyoka pats my shoulder awkwardly. Not that I blame him; I didn’t cope well when his brother died and he was dealing with his own grief at the same time. Neither of us really knows how to console the other.
Nyoka and my coven also don’t know I was attacked the same night Irving’s body was found. Ethan wasn’t about to tell them anything, and I didn’t think it was a good idea. I haven’t even told Ethan that he’s right, it was a warning, and that it was about not claiming a surprise inheritance.
I decided against saying anything on Monday, since we’d only been fooling around for a few days and it’s something I felt like I needed to deal with on my own. And since then? Ethan’s been far too busy trying to solve this homicide case while dealing with impromptu demands for updates from the mayor.
As well as the case, Cal’s been training me every night, with Ethan and Raj taking it in turns to play attacker. It’s the only thing that helps right now: knowing that maybe next time I’m attacked I won’t crumble under pressure. I couldn’t be there for Irving, but maybe I’ll be able to save someone else.
I shrug, not sure what to say in response to my cousin’s question. My focus is a solid, reassuring weight around my neck, my moonstone pulsing dejectedly.
The questions Will, Fraser, and Nyoka ask me are agonising. When was the last time I saw Irving? Has he been in contact since? Was there more between us than friendship? Why were we out the back of Love Bites? Can I describe our attacker again?
The more they ask, the more upset I get until Raj steps in, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Gentlemen, if youhave any further questions, we would be happy to assist at a future time. Ayo is done for now.”
Nyoka stands, squaring up to him even though Raj is almost as tall as Ethan and therefore almost a foot taller than Nyoka and me. Our family isn’t exactly known for our stature.
“That’s not for you to decide. All questions are critical in a murder investigation. Something you’d know if you had any experience of one.”
