I purred.
The chill in the air finally soaked into my skin, and I told him it was time to start heading back. I needed to eat again and sleep, plus putting clothes back on would be nice. He agreed, and once he stood and took a step away from me, I turned back into a bear. We walked back to the tree where I’d left my clothes, so I could change back and get dressed.
Dusk was falling above the city, and everything seemed calm. The protesters were gone, but the nightlife people weren’t out yet. The calm before the storm, in my world, where things like to go bump in the night.
Asher walked me to my car, and I knew he would have lingered with me longer, but his bar needed his attention, since there were actual people inside it tonight.
His goodbye kiss was sweet but full of promises of continuing what we’d started earlier.
The cherry on top of my lovely afternoon was my favorite parking spot being open.
“Fuck you, Kevin,” I said as I pulled in to park.
Once I was in my apartment, I grabbed one of the packets of beef jerky I had for snacks and ate quickly before jumping in the shower.
I was just settling into bed when my phone beeped.
Groaning, I rolled over and looked at the message that said I was needed at the Hero headquarters, and to bring the car.
Running on not a lot of sleep was something I was used to, so despite my longing for a full night’s rest, I got up and dressed myself in my usual wardrobe.
Lilith was standing in front of the restaurant waiting for me when I pulled up.
“Perfect timing. Let’s go! Follow that blue sedan!” Lilith was bundled up in torn skinny jeans, a thick sweater, and biker boots.
“Is the sedan a threat?” I started asking questions to get a sense of what the hell I was here for as I pulled off to follow the mystery sedan.
“Yes. A threat to the Hero Society. You’re a detective, so I knew you’d be perfect for this job, and I thought it would be a good bonding experience for us.” She smiled broadly while keeping her eye on the car ahead of us.
Bonding. It was something I knew I needed to do, if I was really attempting to make changes to my life.
“Okay, give me all the details about what’s happening here.”
“AJ is on a date! Mina has been taking over some of his work, so he’s had a bit of free time lately, and he met a girl! I told him he wasn’t allowed to date, and here he is, betraying me.” She scoffed dramatically, like it was the ultimate betrayal in her book. When we stopped at a red light I turned to look at her like she was a bag of crazy.
“We’re staking out AJ’s date?”
“Hell yeah, we are! Becoming besties usually is sealed over doing something mischievous together.”
