Page 4 of Spring L.A.W.
Even the coffee shop seemed to flinch.
Major Adam Payne stepped inside like a walking thundercloud in uniform. He wore creased slacks, an Army-green jacket, ribbons whispering of wars and heroism, and an expression that could curdle milk from twenty paces.
Rayna sat up straighter. Michael and Daniel both adopted a kind of casual posture that practically screamed,We are definitely hiding something.
Payne spotted them and strode over, not bothering with niceties like “hello” or “mind if I join you?” He simply pulled up a chair, dragging it backward to the table, and sat.
“Thirty minutes exactly,” she said, checking her watch. “You’re punctual, if nothing else…”
What could be interpreted as an insult got only a slightly raised eyebrow. “So are you.”
Rayna sipped her lavender latte. “I have excellent time management skills. Comes from writing sex scenes on a deadline.”
Payne’s eye twitched.
Michael coughed to hide a laugh.
Payne cut straight to it. “That event… What exactly did I walk into?”
Rayna leaned back, crossing her legs. “A book event. With cookies shaped like penises. You know, wholesome entertainment.”
“I saw more than that.” His gaze scanned each of them and paused on Rayna. “You recognized me. But I don’t recognize you. And you,” he jabbed a finger at Michael and Daniel, “were taunting the poor ladies with muscles. Then you saluted me. What are they to think?”
“Old habits,” Michael said smoothly. “The coffee smelled patriotic.”
Daniel nodded. “It did. Very Constitution-y.”
Payne didn’t blink. “I ran point on dozens of recon teams. I know what it looks like when soldiers are hiding something. And you three are hiding something.”
Rayna smiled, sugar-sweet but lethal. “They’re not soldiers anymore, Major. And I never was. We’re entrepreneurs.”
Daniel picked it up immediately. “Right. Freelance crisis mitigation specialists.”
Michael added, “With a wellness-slash-consulting angle.”
Payne stared. “You mean mercenaries?”
Rayna laughed. “How dare you. We’re very expensive. Mercenaries are cheap in comparison and wear too much tactical gear.”
“I know bullshit when I hear it,” Payne said. “So, let’s skip the nonsense. You’ve got sixty seconds to give me a straight answer before I start making calls.”
Rayna tilted her head. “To whom? The supernatural division of Homeland Security?”
Payne frowned. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Just joking. Writer’s brain. We’re bad at reality.”
Michael cleared his throat. “Look. We do handle unusual cases.”
Daniel jumped in. “And some of those cases, let’s say, operate outside normal scientific parameters.”
Payne leaned forward. “Are you telling me you’re involved in paranormal activities?”
Rayna gave him her best deadpan. “Define paranormal.”
“Ghosts. Witchcraft. Demons.”
Rayna shrugged. “I mean, I’ve had bad Tinder dates that checked all three boxes.”
