Duncan cleared his throat. Pember had barely noticed that he’d moved over to the grimy window overlooking the underground garage.
“Look alive, folks, they’re already on their way.”
Smoothing down his wild grey hair, Wallace squeezed Pember’s shoulder. “One more thing, lad—just remember that you and the police arecolleagues. Equals. You arenottheir servant, and the work takes as long as it bloody well takes. They’ll come in here, stamping their feet, but the only person you answer to is me, alright? I’ll fight your fires. No pressure.”
Just as he was about to thank Wallace, the kitchen door swung open and in walked a short, stocky young woman with curly hair pulled back into a high ponytail. A beta.
Moments later, she was followed by a man who was so tall the top of his head grazed the doorframe. He wore a dark grey suit and a black tie, which were visible from within the opening of a black trench coat. A black earpiece poked out from under his mop of tawny hair, and he had a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose. That, combined with his sharp cheekbones and angled jawline, gave him the look of an exceptionally well-dressed hitman-come-teacher.
But then Pember’s stomach dropped, because behind the glasses were a familiar pair of eyes. One green, the other blue.
“Oh shit,” he whispered, hurriedly moving to the sink in an attempt to look busy. It didn’t work, because the second he turned on the tap, Duncan touched his shoulder and tugged him towards the detectives.
“Pem, this is one third of Major Crime. Major Crime, this is Pember. He’s new.”
Pember’s gaze trailed up the tall, lean form of his neighbour, and he couldn't decide whether he looked more handsome in the suit or the tight-fitting gym clothes from two days prior. Either way, his throat went dry when he found the alpha’s eyes on him, dark and unyielding behind the glasses.
The beta leant forwards, shaking his hand. “Morning. I’m Lily, DC for the murder squad.” She turned to the alpha, but when he only glowered down at Pember, she cleared her throat. “And, er, this is my sergeant.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed as he leaned forwards to shake Pember’s hand. “Blake Smith. Detective Sergeant.”
CHAPTER 5
BLACK LIGHT
Pember
The hand foldedaround Pember’s was warm across the palm, but cool at the fingertips.Smoker? B-12 deficiency?Maybe Raynaud’s?He didn’t smell like a smoker, nor were his fingers abnormally pale. Perhaps he’d just been somewhere cold, but it was the middle of April, and—he needed to stop overthinking.
Stop overthinking.
Pember cleared his throat and shook his hand, because what else could he do?
As his gaze travelled from the fingers to the alpha’s face, he found Blake glaring at him with an expression so cold it made him shiver. Pember took a step back, but the alpha gripped his hand and held his gaze.
“N-nice to meet you,” Pember said, the words barely above a whisper.
They locked eyes for the briefest of moments before Blake pulled away and ran a hand down the length of his tie. His nose wrinkled, and he looked momentarily disgusted before setting his face back into neutrality. Pember discreetly cupped a hand tohis mouth, checking that he’d cleaned his teeth that morning. He had, thank Christ.
Wallace ushered the detectives straight into his office, the door clicking shut behind them.
“Miserable as ever, I see,” Duncan sighed, dropping his mug into the sink and muttering something about processing samples from a silk glove containing horse semen. He pulled out a tiny green notepad from his lab coat and exited the kitchen.
“Grumpy fucker, isn’t he?” Maya said, placing her own mug into the sink. “Better than being ogled, I guess.”
Pember swallowed, turning on the tap. “You get that too?”
“The frosty reception, or the perverted stares?”
“Both?”
“Oh yeah, definitely. Did you meet Taylor and Johnny earlier? They’re here all the sodding time. Puts me right off my chilli con carne to be honest with you. As if omegas in STEM are a new concept.”
Pember sighed. “That’s surprising. I thought the police were meant to be upstanding citizens.”
Maya barked out a sharp laugh, one that made Pember flinch. “You’re joking, right?” She pointed to a laminated sheet on the opposite wall. It had The Code of Ethics emblazoned across the top, followed by a list of words Pember recognised from the recruitment day.
“‘Professionalism,’” Maya began, stabbing the word with the tip of her red-painted fingernail. “Bollocks, because police officers are some of the most inappropriate people I’ve ever met. ‘Honesty.’ Also a crock of shit because IknowTay keeps stealing my rice pudding from the fridge. ‘Respect…’”She tapped the paper and shook her head. “If they had even a modicum of respect for our work, they wouldn’t keep sneaking in to use the tox machine every Saturday morning. Honestly, it’s not difficult to just have a few drinks without getting absolutely leathered.”
