Page 49 of Grave Beginnings

“Remind me to tell you about these guys I ran into when I was picking Ivan up yesterday. Stepped right out of an anime. All they needed were the glasses to push up their nose and put their villain era on.” I put my hand on my chest. “This boring white boy was instantly overwhelmed.”

She laughed. “Boring. Says the guy who can talk to dead people? And has a shifter brother?”

I wished my life was more boring these days. “Go get some art done. I look forward to reading hot BL sex scenes later. Don’t put me in them.”

“But you haven’t told me about the anime men yet.”

I waved a hand at her as I unlocked my car. “Your imagination is better than anything I’ve ever encountered in real life.” And I’d rather be cast in a fantasy with my new work partner than the super powerful NHVs that had tried to take Ivan. “Go be artistic. Some of us have to trudge through the bowels of crime for a living.”

“You love your job,” she said as she headed back toward the elevator.

I had loved my job. The new one was a little more complicated. Maybe solving the cases had kept me devoted. What if I couldn’t solve anything with the SED? As I started the car, I decided I’d do everything possible to resolve the bookstore case. Often, the difference between a case going cold and getting solved was tenacity, something I had in spades.

The blaring music, trip through the drive-through for a fancy coffee, and time to breathe, gave me clarity. My parking spot at the SED precinct was empty. The red bike that had been in it before sat on the sidewalk, pressed against the wall, as if someone had picked it up and moved it out of my spot. I pulled in and parked, turned off the car, and sat there sipping my coffee for a few minutes, staring at the bike. It was Victor’s?

I got out, threw my bag over my shoulder, grabbed my laptop, and balanced two coffees as I made my way to the door. As I reached for the door, someone grabbed the handle and yanked it open to hold it for me. I blinked, as I hadn’t even heard him approach, but the delightful caress of his power blending with mine made me gasp and glance at him.

Angel raised a brow and held the door.

I turned and held out a coffee for him, as I’d ordered it without really thinking. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a fluffy coffee, but one of my favorites. I hope that’s okay. You said you liked it sweet.”

“Thanks.” He took the coffee and motioned for me to enter. Past the entry, he led me through the main lobby. He sipped the coffee and leaned in close enough that I could feel his warmth at my back.

“Did you move Victor’s bike?” I asked.

“Nope. I think that was Wade. I would have, if it had been in your spot when I got here.”

“Were you watching for me?”

“Yes,” he said, close enough for his warm breath to breeze over the shell of my ear. I fought not to shiver at the need to turn and touch him. “Is that creepy?”

“Nah,” I said. “It’s nice. I like knowing that someone looks forward to seeing me at the new job. At my old job, some of my fellow cops would key up my car. My old partner watched for it, but it didn’t always stop them.”

“Wow. I knew cops sucked, but you were one of their own.”

“Aren’t we still cops?” I asked. “That would make you one too.”

“SED is a branch of the military, not law enforcement. It’s how we straddle jurisdictions. Without it, everything would be a mess of red tape and confidentiality. Cops don’t even share with other departments. SED has a global network for data that we all have access to.”

I thought about that as we walked. How did I feel about notbeing a cop anymore? A little sad, honestly. Mostly because it had always been my goal to really help people and not be the useless dick a lot of law enforcement could be. We passed Robin on the way to the elevators, and I offered them a friendly morning greeting.

“The red tape drove me nuts,” I admitted. Sometimes I’d hit a case with folks rolling in money and lots of hoops in place to keep me from accessing the stuff I needed to solve a case. Maybe being in SED would be a boon, and I could really dig in to put some cases to rest.

“I’d like to see if I can review the video files from a few days before the murder,” I said.

“Sure. I can have Tiana or Ezra pull the files. How far back do you want to go?”

We rode up through the Veil, my stomach giving a little squirm, but it passed pretty fast as we stepped off onto our floor. The rest of the floor stretched quiet and empty, but it was barely seven in the morning. “Let’s start with a week?” I said after thinking about it as we entered our office and I put my stuff down on the desk.

“I can help review if you tell me what you’re looking for.”

“I don’t know yet,” I said honestly. “Maybe a feel for the clientele? If someone appears to be stalking the place. That sort of thing?”

Angel plugged his laptop in and opened things up to our caseload. “I’ll put in a request.”

I sucked down the rest of my coffee, thinking I should have grabbed breakfast. The office began to fill, and Wade walked by to say good morning. A handsome man with dark hair and piercing, pale blue eyes wandered to our door behind Wade, gaze on Angel, brow raised.

“Up to the last week?” Angel asked as he met the man’s gaze. “If possible?” He glanced my way. “Jude, this is Ezra. Ezra, this is Jude.”