Page 102 of (Mostly) Human Resources

Natalie was waiting for her as soon as she arrived back in the office, ambushing her with bone-crushing hug.

“Thank God, you made it back in one piece.”

Relatively, Alexys thought to herself. She answered with a tired smile instead. “Eat good food, don’t get murdered. That’s the motto, right?”

Nat grinned at her. “Hell yeah, it is.” She pulled Alexys along with her to stand in line for coffee. Nat’s arm was wrapped around her shoulders and kept Alexys tucked firmly against her. “I’m only sorry I wasn’t here when you got back.”

“Don’t be silly, Nat, you had your own evaluation to conduct. I’m just glad yours wasn’t quite so life-altering.” The joke fell flat, and Natalie regarded her with a frown.

“Coffee’s on me today, yeah?”

Alexys leaned into her and accepted the comfort gratefully. It was good to be back, to know she had a support system in place with Natalie, with Kristin. With Nic.

“You know you can talk to me about it, right? I’m here for you.”

Alexys nodded, she did know, but she was also afraid of Nat’s questions.

The horrors of the Appalachian Mountains had shredded Alexys’s carefully constructed defenses and left her raw and bleeding her emotions all over the floor. She felt like she needed to piece herself back together a little, and Nat had the potential to shatter her with one concerned look.

It was unhealthy to keep it all inside—Alexys knew that much. Any therapist worth their salt would tell her the negative effects of bottling up trauma, but Alexys was on the defensive. She’d beenattacked in every way, from every angle, and she was going to need time before she could talk to someone who hadn’t experienced it.

“You have your debriefing with Kristin today, don’t you?”

The question was the least harmful one Nat could ask, but it still sucked the air from Alexys’s lungs. Trauma be damned, she wasn’t going to have a choice. Shehadto talk about what happened with Kristin. There were incident reports to file, case files to close, and jobs to reassign. Elliot was gone, and that needed to be dealt with. She bit her lip. What were her chaotic emotions compared to that? At least she got to come home.

“Yeah, I do.” Alexys tried to modulate her voice, hoped that she only sounded tired. The exhaustion could easily be mistaken for a coffee deficiency.

“That should be …interesting.” Nat grimaced. “It’s a good thing I’m getting coffee into your system beforehand.”

“Very.”

“I told Hank you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, so you at least have the day off from his phone calls,” Natalie said, grinning.

“You’re a godsend.” Alexys bumped her shoulder against Nat’s affectionately. “What would I do without you?”

“Quit,” Nat answered with a laugh. “We’re the dynamic duo, babes. They can’t afford to separate us.”

Nat’s phone buzzed and she looked down at the caller ID.

“Ugh, give me a sec, I have to take this.” She stepped to the side to take the call, no doubt one of her needy Wardens, and Alexys found herself repeatedly checking the door. She realized that she was hoping Nic would walk through it, with his head of curls and wire-rimmed glasses. If only she could tell last week’s Alexys what today’s Alexys thought of Nic.

She’d probably punch herself.

Knowing she wanted to see him didn’t surprise her. Alexys was actually surprised by howunsurprisingthe realization was. As if missing him was the most natural thing in the world. She didn’tbother lying to herself and saying it was only because she wanted the visual reminder that he was alive and well. She took the feeling for what it was: she was infatuated with the man.

Maybe she could have convinced herself it was only a physical attraction, born out of their undeniable trauma bond, but she wasn’t stupid enough lie to herself. Everything had changed between them, changed within her, and what she felt right now for Nic, that was so much more than just physical attraction.

She’d seek him out after her meeting with Kristin, she decided. If she’d learned anything from their misfortunes in West Virginia it was that life was short, clichéas it was. And while she didn’t want to talk about everything they’d just been through, shedidwant to be with him. And that would be enough.

CHAPTER 55

“There is something uniquely distressing in learning we might not be at the top of nature’s predatory hierarchy. It’s the reason people are so hesitant to study the truly dangerous creatures, the ones that just might be capable of taking our place at the top.”

Jaws and Maws: A Study of Carnivorous Cryptidsby Makenna Petera

Kristin Satter’s office was the cosiest place on the planet.

Pictures of her cats were hung along the walls in mismatched frames, and the scent of freshly baked cookies permanently filled the air. She refused to use her overhead light, so the soft light of her floor lamp cast a warm, golden glow to the room. If the office belonged to anyone else, it would’ve felt cramped and cluttered, but she managed to make it inviting and homey.