Page 18 of Assisting the Alpha
“Who dislikes the coven the most, though?” Raj looks at me. “Is that something you’d even know?”
I scrunch up my nose. “Not really. But I do know the task force aren’t especially liked.”
Kit stops typing. I think they’re taking minutes of the meeting. “Police are often unpopular, no matter the species.”
I resist the urge to fidget with my focus and instead run my finger over the wolf pattern on my mug as the conversation continues around me. I know most other species in the city don’t like my people, and maybe it is because of the task force, but what if these guys win the BSG contract and become even less well-liked?
They’re already regarded with suspicion because they’re outsiders, and they’re all incredibly nice to me. Even Ethan, who doesn’t trust me, bought me a coffee and hugged me until I felt better. I’ve never been so grateful for wolf shifters being touchy-feely types.
“Ayo?”
I jerk myself out of a daydream about Ethan holding me in his arms to find everyone staring at me. “Yep? Sorry. What’s up?”
“Are any of the victims related to members of the task force?” Raj asks.
Kit seems to know everything about everything, but maybe they didn’t get that far in their background checks yet.
“Uh…” I give myself a mental shake and think through every member of the task force. “Zoe’s boyfriend’s cousin used to be married to the sister of one of the members of the task force.”
“Nothing else?” Ethan asks. I shake my head. “Then I think we can rule out direct links. These women might have been targeted simply because of their low power level and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing is off the table, but for now, our working theory is that the murderer is an enemy of the coven.”
“Ayo!”
“Here he is!”
My former co-workers envelop me in a group hug as soon as I reach them in the busy bar. “Sorry I’m late, guys.”
They wave that off immediately. Sally, the admin who worked at the desk right next to me, links her arm through mine. “So, how’s the new job? I can’t believe you only had to work half your notice period. I thought I had you for a full month!”
“Yeah, that was the plan, but they asked me to start straight away, and I got permission to finish up sooner than planned, so…” I end with a shrug. I can’t tell them anything about my new job without talking about Bessie, Zoe, and Frida, and I don’t want to bring the mood down.
They all insisted on giving me a leaving do, even after we heard about Frida being killed. I can already tell the mood is more sombre than it would be otherwise, and there’s been a lot of messaging on the group chat about how everyone is getting home so no one is by themselves at any point, but hopefully we can still have a fun night.
Irving joins us from the bar and hands me a drink. “Vodka and Coke, right?”
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll buy your next one.” I’m surprised he remembered. I haven’t been to a pub or bar with Irving in ages.
He grins down at me. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Unless the new job pays a bazillion times better than the coven, in which case drinks are on you,” Vinnie yells over the noise.
“Everyone pays better than the coven,” Lucy points out, which gets groans of agreement.
While that is true, I shouldn’t really be spending money tonight. I’ve got just over a week to find a new place to live and don’t stand a chance of having a deposit and the first month’s rent to put down in advance. I don’t even get paid by Soldati Security until the end of the month.
Even so, I decided that for one night, money and my living situation would be Future Ayo’s problem.
The conversation moves on to general chatter about the office, gossip about other members of the coven, and speculation on whether Lola will get pregnant soon now that her sister has had a baby. I manage to relax as the night wears on, and after several hours and several drinks, we move down the street to Love Bites, a club that’s known for being run by a vampire. Most of my colleagues might not like shifters, but even they prefer to party around supes rather than humans.
We all head for the dance floor as soon as we get inside. Normally I love dancing, and I try to get into it, but now that I don’t have the distraction of conversation, my mind keeps drifting back to the bloodstained back alley and Frida’s lifeless body under the sheet in the mortuary.
I’ve genuinely enjoyed my first week with Soldati Security, but being so close to a murder investigation is intense.
Irving seems to notice I’m not quite myself, because he grabs my hand and tugs me into him, putting his hands on my hips and moving us together. I laugh and turn so I can dance with my back to him. Irving knows how much I love to dance, and I don’t get to do it that often. Now that I’ve got a person to dance with? It’s a really effective distraction.
A couple of hours later, even I need a breather. Sally and Lucy join the queue for the loos, Vinnie is busy snogging a random girl, and the others head for the bar.
“Fancy some fresh air?” Irving leans down to speak into my ear so I can actually hear him.
