‘Stay safe,’ he grunted.
Then he was gone, leaving me alone with a file to prematurely close and the faint glow of runes that promised privacy but no longer safety. Fuck, what a mess.
I stared at the Aspen folder for a long moment.
Then I turned to my computer and toed the line.
For now.
Chapter Seven
‘What do you mean,’ Channing asked, brow furrowed, ‘closed?’
‘Exactly that. Crane’s report didn’t turn up anything helpful, nor did Ed’s. We’re dead in the water. The brass want it closed, and for us to have a more visible street presence. You and Frost are to take to the streets together.’ I cleared my throat. ‘And I’ll be off for the next two days.’
‘You’re on rota,’ he noted. ‘Is everything okay?’
Seeing genuine concern, I admitted, ‘I was attacked walking to my mother’s home yesterday and as such I have been instructed to take forty-eight off.’
‘Shit, sir!’ Channing was aghast, guilt swimming in his eyes. ‘I should have insisted that I give you a lift.’
‘Nonsense. It was one vamp, and I handled it. He’s true-dead. I’m just taking some downtime.’
He frowned. ‘You never take downtime.’ The frown lifted and his voice dropped. ‘You’re pursuing the Aspen case solo – in your own time.’
Damn. Give the rookie a gold star. Maybe he wasn’t such a rookie these days after all.
But thinking about Thackeray’s warning, about the powers that would be coming after those I love, I looked him in the eye and lied. ‘I’m honestly taking a break.’ After a beat, I added, ‘I will of course be logging in remotely, and if there are any issues, you can always contact me. In the meantime—’
‘I’m in charge!’ Elvira hollered as she swanned into my poky office. She sounded delighted at the prospect. ‘Thackeray came to see me. While you’re off, I’m acting head of Unit 13!’
‘I have every confidence in you,’ I said as I rose from my desk. ‘Try to make sure no one falls down the stairs in my absence.’
Elvira grinned. ‘I make no promises.’
I sighed and shook my head. Of course she didn’t. ‘Just … don’t burn the place down.’
She mock saluted.
You want me to poop on her shoulder?Loki asked.
No,I replied.Let’s save it for a particularly sassy day. This is Elvira behaving.
He snorted.
My thoughts exactly.
I texted Amber, asking her to meet me at home rather than at the office as originally planned. Despite Channing’s numerous offers, I walked home. I wasn’t letting one incident make me feel like I couldn’t walk the streets.
And honestly, I felt surprisingly fine about it. The attack hadn’t even been that big of a deal; it was just the location that had given me the heebie-jeebies.
Annoyingly, I couldn’t protest too hard, couldn’t say I was absolutely fine because otherwise that would blow the smokescreen Thackeray had given me to hide behind. It galled though, letting people think I was so affected by the attack that I had to run home and have a duvet day.
Mrs Abernathy was making her way out of the building as I made my way in. Today she was wearing a bright pink neck scarf that matched her luminous pink trousers. She wore an orange top and was a veritable riot of colour.
Mrs Abernathy’s commitment to her signature accessory was like a lighthouse’s commitment to its beam; regardless of the conditions outside, scarves were a constant and defining part of her attire. She wore themeven in the height of summer, though I could admit it would be handy in the current autumn chill.
‘Good afternoon, Mrs Abernathy,’ I greeted my neighbour. ‘How are you?’
