I leave his office. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hits me as I walk toward the kitchen. I inspect the pot and coffee maker. It all looks good, so I pour myself a cup. I’ve worked here long enough to know not to trust anything in this kitchen, at least when Lightning is in town.
I make my way back to my office and stare at the report I was working on. It will need to be revised. I don’t likewhat Myers did, but I like the result if it means Bennett leaves town. And liking anything Myers did pisses me off.
After I finish, instead of heading home, I go to my sister’s place.
“Hey, what are you doing here in the middle of the day?” she asks.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt you. I need to get Savvy a new phone, and I figured you would know which one she’d like.”
Maria crosses her arms. “Is this code for something?”
“No. I threw her phone out of the car window. Now I want to get her a new phone.”
Maria’s mouth drops open. “You threw it out the window? That’s rude.”
“I thought we were being tracked on it somehow. Look, it doesn’t matter. Can you help me?”
Maria smiles. “No need. She called me a few minutes ago, so she must have gotten one.”
“Oh, she has a new phone already?” That was fast.
“And she said she’s safe now. So, is that all?”
Well, I can’t surprise her with a new phone, so there goes my excuse for seeing her.
Maria marches up to me and presses her finger into my chest. “Did something happen between you two? Because she’s my best friend and not one of your flavors of the week.”
I remove her finger. “First of all, nothing happened. She’s out of danger for the moment, but that could change at any time. I wanted to make sure she had a way to contact me if needed. Second, I don’t have flavors of the week.”
She shrugs and returns to her journey toward the kitchen. “You don’t have girlfriends, either.”
“Harsh. You know exactly why that is.”
“Yes, your ex sucks. But you can’t go the rest of your life avoiding love because one person hurt you,” Maria says. She has always been direct.
“I could say the same to you.”
Maria spins around, pointing at me. “It’s different, and you know it.”
“Is it?”
Her doorbell rings.
“Expecting someone?” I ask.
“Actually, yes.” She walks past me to the front door and opens it. “Savvy, a little warning, my brother is here. And he’s asking about you.”
Well, that didn’t sound great.
Savvy looks especially good today in a purple dress with her hair down. She looks too good. Like somehow, she’s someone else’s future, not mine.
She gives me a smile as she walks in. “Did Bob get released?” Savvy asks.
“No. And Bennett is still in federal custody. I came here to get my sister’s help in picking out a phone for you.”
She holds hers up. “Already got one.”
“That’s what Maria said. I wanted to make sure we had a way to contact each other if needed.”
