Stifling a yawn, Alec snagged his phone with his free hand and blinked at the display. “That’s okay. Mine goes off in ten minutes, and when I call in that I’m attached to a cop for an undetermined period of time, I’m going to end up losing my job.”
Crap. I could understand that; finance auditors often worked under NDAs, and my status as a police officer wouldn’t override his contractual obligations. “I’ll call the chiefs and ask about that situation once I’m a little more awake.”
“That’s not necessary. I have a bit of a reputation as the grim reaper in my office anyway, so they’ll probably be relieved I’m gone. I’ll have to figure something out, though.”
It bothered me I would get paid for being handcuffed to him, but he would face all sorts of consequences for his situation. However, it said a lot about the man that he would rather pay personal prices to protect those near him, in this case, me. “I’ll discuss the situation with my bosses. Hopefully, we will resolve this sooner than later.”
“I have some vacation time. I can probably get off for personal reasons if I can get one of those waivers from the CDC.”
“Waivers from the CDC?”
“Yeah. They give me these waiver things I give to my boss, which allowed me to take time off to deal with the investigations. I don’t really get how it worked, but the CDC sends someone to cover for me. They keep staff in most fields for this, apparently.”
While I longed for a cup of coffee, I tapped my phone’s screen, located Mr. Chief Quinn’s number, and connected the call.
“Good morning, McMarin,” he answered. “How was your first night handcuffed to your handsome witness?”
Handsomewitness? His question beat what my former captain would have asked, so I accepted it with a soft chuckle at more evidence of the absurdity infecting my life. “We were both so tired we had a consciousness span of approximately five minutes upon arrival. There have been no incidents to report, but I had a question.”
“Ask.”
“Mr. Mortan says he has been getting CDC waivers and coverage to help with his time off. While I will be paid for being handcuffed to his person, I suspect his work is sensitive enough he can’t take a cop to work without there being issues, however willing I am to accompany him and do my work with my free hand.”
“Ah, yes. I’ve already taken care of it. More accurately, my uncle has taken care of the matter, as he is the one who insisted on the handcuffs. He’ll be covered and paid as normal. Now, that said, my uncle’s general interest in your witness is concerning. When he takes an interest, he’s usually causing trouble or matchmaking.”
“Did you just say matchmaking?”
“Yep. At heart, he’s still an angel. He’s just openly naughty rather than covertly naughty. Angels love matchmaking. He wouldn’t lie about the curse element, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he lied about the absolute necessity of you being handcuffed. If you’re handcuffed, his matchmaking ploys have a higher chance of success.”
“Yes, I would say that archangel was covertly naughty right up until he sucker punched me in the gut.” I remembered I lacked a free hand and didn’t give my stomach a rub to discover if I was still sore from the unexpected angelic assault. “This is because I rejected an incubus, isn’t it?”
“I would count on it. You’re handling things better than I thought you would.”
“I considered taking half a day to take the incubus home with me,” I admitted, and I sighed. “But there’s no reason for me to be embarrassed; if this sort of talk bothered me, there would be no way I could handle my job. I was the only woman in my entire precinct.”
“That is being addressed, but I understand. How is your witness handling the conversation?”
Apparently, my witness had passed out again, as he’d resumed snoring. “I believe he is suffering from fatigue and would like to go back to bed. I didn’t even notice him go back to bed. He’s asleep.” I wondered at which stage Alec had passed out.
Hopefully before the mention of matchmaking. What was left of my pride would appreciate if the man remembered nothing about the call with my boss.
“Good. He has had a rough few days, and sleep is good for him. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine beyond having lost access to my left hand.”
“Honestly, you’re probably fine to go to the bathroom without an audience, unless you feel there’s a potent threat in your hotel room.”
“I bet the mirror would be willing to stage an ambush if given a chance,” I stated, making sure to keep my tone as neutral as possible.
“Oh? I’m not the only person with a healthy fear of huge mirrors? I keep imagining they’ll fall on me and shatter into knife-like shards,” he replied with laughter in his voice. “Someone will be bringing a laptop over to you in about an hour. I will ask for the hotel to provide a few extra keys to your room due to your current situation. Use the deadbolt and a note on the door if you will be unable to answer the door due to things like bathing, sleeping, and so on. If you become uncomfortable, I’ll switch you out for one of the male officers.”
“I’m not uncomfortable,” I reported. “But I would like my files to go with the laptop.”
“I’ll have them brought to you. Is your door currently deadbolted?”
“Yes, sir.”
“See if you can rouse your witness sufficiently to unlock the door so we can get in. I’ll send someone over to serve as your hands and feet since you’re at a temporary reduced limb capacity. I’ll also have breakfast brought over for you so you can start working without having to deal with going out while handcuffed. I’m also going to make my uncle pay for your indulgences, as he’s the reason you’re handcuffed.”
