“Yeah.”
“Bet that was a hoot.”
G8 shook his head. “You have no idea.”
After a handful of seconds of silence, Pridgett spoke again. “You know… I mean, have you considered going incognito? Undercover?”
G8 thought back on the spy movies he and the others had watched growing up. “You’re not the only one who suggested it. I guess you could say I was born for the job.”
Pridgett gave him a smile. “I bet you’d be damn good at it.”
“Thanks.”
When they arrived at the sheriff’s office, G8 was glad to see Biggs’ vehicle was parked in front. Giving the deputy another thanks for the ride, he got out and went inside.
Alice Milton was working the front desk. G8 studied her for a second before she acknowledged him. Seeing her reminded him of when the sheriff had informed him and the others of her betrayal—of them and the sheriff and his men—by telling the people who’d been searching for G8 and his friends of their location. But he’d also explained why she’d done it. About her boozing, abusing husband and their financial troubles because of him. Yet, rather than fire her, he’d helped get her counseling. For punishment, he’d also taken away her badge and busted her to desk duty on two weeks half pay.
She finally turned away from the dispatch radio to address him. “Yes? How can we help you?”
“I’m G8 Children, Miss Milton. I’m here to see Sheriff Biggs.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re G8?” By her tone, he knew she didn’t quite believe him.
He grinned. “Yep. Just finished molting. This is the new me. The me I’ll be for the next twenty-eight days.”
“If I hadn’t personally seen you people demonstrating your abilities, I’d claim you were mentally unstable,” a voice called behind him. Biggs was taking in his new form when G8 pivoted around to face him. The man stuck out a hand. “Thanks for coming.”
G8 shook the hand. “Thanks for letting me apply.”
Biggs waved for him to follow. “Let’s go inside my office. Would you like some coffee?”
G8 involuntarily took a deep sniff and caught the aroma of a freshly brewing pot. “Yes, sir. I’d love a cup.”
The sheriff looked to Milton. “Bring us two cups of coffee, would you, please, Alicia?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll go fetch them now. G8, how do you take yours?”
“Two packets of sugar, if that’s okay.”
She smiled with a nod and left for the lounge.
G8 waited until they were inside the sheriff’s office and he shut the door before asking, “How is she doing?”
“As well as can be expected,” the man confessed. “She’s a damn fine deputy. It’s a shame she did what she did, but she’s honestly remorseful. She filed for divorce from that son of a bitch and moved back in with her folks, who are also watching her two kids.”
“Have you thought about putting her back on active duty?”
“That’s still a ways off,” Biggs said, giving him a leery eye. “Why are you so concerned about her welfare? Remember, if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t’ve had that mess go down at the lodge, and N8’s girlfriend and your own little one…”
“F8. Her name’s F8, and she may be petite, but she’s fiery,” G8 admitted. “Okay. Okay. I get what you’re saying. If it wasn’t for Milton, they wouldn’t have gotten shot, but we don’t know that for certain. Those guys might have accosted us later one. They’d already done so before we arrived here.”
“They did?” The sheriff was surprised to learn that fact. He sat in his chair behind his desk, and G8 dropped into the one on the other side.
A knock on the door signaled Milton bringing their coffees. She sat both mugs on the desk before dropping a few packets of sugar and a stirring straw. “You didn’t mention creamer. Do I need to get it?”
G8 chuckled. “No. Just sugar. Thanks.”
Biggs waited for the woman to depart, shutting the door behind her, then addressed G8 directly. “We need to get to the point of you being here before some emergency calls me away. First off, there’s a little matter of your application.” He reached inside a desk drawer and pulled out a manila folder. Opening it, he extracted the single sheet of paper inside, tapping it with the tip of his finger. “Suffice it to say, there isn’t a whole lot on your resume.”
