Fuck it.
Snatching my phone, I immediately open our text thread and send him a message before thinking better of it.
Me: What’s next?
Unknown: Hello to you too, Lux.
I roll my eyes through a light giggle.
Me: Is this how it’s gonna be? Me waiting around for you?
Unknown: Yes. Patience, Raven.
Easy for him to say.
Unknown: I’ll be there tonight.
I don’t have a chance to reply because there’s a loud bang at my front door.Stevie.I almost forgot she was coming over. Sprinting down the stairs, I open the door to find my little sister with a scowl on her face.
“Finally,” Stevie snaps, her arms filled with reusable grocery bags. “I only knocked like a thousand times.”
“Sorry, I was in the shower.” I lie, stepping to the side.
She pushes her way in, making a beeline for the kitchen.
“Your hair isn’t wet,” she tosses over her shoulder.
“It wasn’t hair wash day.”
Stevie gives me a skeptical look, before letting it go and dropping the bags on top of the counter. She immediately gets to work, pots and pans clashing together as she preps in a frenzy.
“What are you making?” I ask, climbing onto one of the bar stools lining the other side of the kitchen island. “Dad’s favorite. Lemon chicken with a salad on the side.”
“Can I help you with anything?”
She gives me a pointed look. “We both know you can’t cook. How about you get a glass of wine and unwind? I’m sure you’re tired from all the writing you’ve done over the last week.”
“I like the way you think.”
While I sip on a glass of chardonnay, I watch Stevie spend the next hour cooking before we pack the food into glass to-go containers and then head to dad’s station. I insist we take our own cars since I need to be free to go when I’m ready.
After greeting a few familiar officers, we head toward my dad’s corner office that overlooks the bay. As soon as I round the corner, I come face to face with a tall dark-haired man in a navy suit exiting the office.
“Sorry!” I say, moving to the side.
From the corner of my peripheral, I see my dad rise to his feet. “Christian, these are my daughters, Lux and Stevie.”
The man nods, his eyes focused on me. “Good to meet you both. Lieutenant Levinson and I were just finishing up.”
“Nice to meet you as well.” He captures my gazes, and immediately I feel like he can see through me.
Why am I being paranoid of everyone?
“Same,” Stevie greets him, slipping through the door behind me.
With a slide quirk of his lip, he turns back to my dad. “We’ll touch base again tomorrow. Thank you for your time.”
My dad waves him off, then returns to his chair.
