Page 63 of Victorious

“No problem,” said Rios stiffly. “Let’s reschedule. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

She hung up.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then both did.

The soldier was fast.

But the killer was faster.

By the time Rios drew her gun, June had it pinned to the table, beers rattling from the force.

“I wouldn’t,” she said casually, her thumb jamming the trigger. “Unless you want the person I’m wearing to get hurt.”

“If you do anything to her—”

“Oh, I won’t,” she said. “But you ever hear that children’s rhyme, I’m rubber and you’re glue?” June held her gaze a moment to make sure she understood. Then, slowly, she lifted her hand from the gun. Rios slid it off the table. But she didn’t put it away. June could feel the barrel resting against her knee.

“Who are you?” demanded Rios.

“Long-time watcher, first-time caller.” She spread her hands. “You can call me June.”

Rios’s eyes narrowed. She could practically see the cogs turning. “What do you want, June?”

“Long-term, or right now?” she mused. The muscles in Rios’s jaw tensed. God, she was as tightly wound as Victor. “I guess I’m just curious.”

“You know what they say about curiosity,” quipped Rios.

June smiled. “Yes, well, lucky for me, I’ve got more than nine lives. And I can’t help but wonder, what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like EON?” Rios tensed at the name. June lifted her beer and gestured with the bottle. “Given what you are.”

Rios might as well have turned to stone. She didn’t move, didn’t blink, and June wondered if it was anger or fear that held her still.

She pressed on. “You do know what the E in EON stands for, right? So I guess I want to know, how do you square it?”

“Because it keeps the world safe from people like you.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know you’re wearing my friend like a suit.”

June shrugged. “Fair.” She rolled her head on her neck, and as she did, she traded Leigh for Rios’s upstairs neighbor, Hugh, a middle-aged Black guy with graying hair. “Better?”

“No,” growled Rios through clenched teeth. “Stop picking people I know.”

June sighed. “But if I pick a stranger, what’s to stop you from attacking me?”

“Because I’m one of the good guys.”

“I bet you tell yourself that.”

Rios studied her. “What do you do with your power?”

“Oh, me? I kill people for money.” The soldier scowled, so she added, “But most of them deserve it.”

“And that makes it okay?”

June shrugged. “Let’s not play Morality Police, Agent Rios. We were just starting to get along.”