Chapter 4
I barely made it to my desk in the lab before I was cornered.
It was one of the women I worked with, Wanda.
She and I weren’t friends. In fact, we disliked each other.
On my side, I hated how she treated others, including me.
On hers, she had exhibited an aversion to me from day one.
I had no clue why. And honestly, I couldn’t give a damn.
She was petty, and I had no time for that.
I came here to work, not play sophomoric games.
“Well, well, look who it is. Fiona. My, aren’t you the sly one,” she stated with a bite to her tone.
I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. I knew it irritated her. Four heartbeats later, she broke.
“Don’t stand there looking stupid at me. You came rolling up to work in a big, fancy SUV. I know it’s not yours, as if you could afford it. So, who was the guy with you? A relative?”
“Why would you assume he’s related to me?” I asked.
“Because someone like you would never attract a guy like that. He’s way out of your league, Fiona. Don’t dream above your station,” Wanda snidely said.
The urge to show her my fangs and claws was overwhelming, but I held back. She was hateful because she disliked herself. I knew that was her problem.
“You’re free to believe whatever you want, Wanda. But to me, it sounds like sour grapes. He’s out of your league for sure,” I snapped back.
Usually, I’d ignore her, but I was tired.
Plus, her words made me feel stupid for the way Keir appealed to me.
He was a Sentinel. A shifter like him was out of my reach.
He’d end up with a Precious One or some rich leopard shifter with influence, not a living from paycheck-to-paycheck worker bee, who had to keep her tiny family afloat.
Wanda’s gasp brought my attention fully back to her. Her face was red and twisted into a mask of anger. Her hand came up.
“How dare you!” she hissed.
“I wouldn’t try hitting me. You won’t like my response.
How dare you say what you did to me? You have no right to speak to me or anyone else the way you do.
I’ve put up with your shit long enough. Leave me alone.
Don’t you have work to do? Or are you loafing as usual, while not accomplishing much, so the rest of us have to pick up your slack? ”
I was on a roll today. My give-a-shit switch was firmly in the off-position. A strangled scream emerged from the back of her throat. I prepared myself to stop her slap and, if she was lucky, not retaliate. However, that wasn’t how it went. Instead, a man’s voice came from the right of us.
“Wanda, what do you think you’re doing with your hand up that way?
Surely, you’re not thinking of slapping Fiona.
If you are, it is not only a fireable offense, but you can also be charged with assault.
And doing it where an officer of the law sees it is stupid.
You should have work to do. Go do it before I call your supervisor. ”
Without another word, Wanda pivoted around and stormed off. I turned and smiled at Officer Eithan Sanchez. His scowl changed to a smile. He came closer to stand beside my desk.
“Good morning,” I said, smiling.
“Good morning. What the hell is that woman’s problem? She hardly likes anyone, but she loves to be hateful toward you. Why?”
“Honestly, Eithan, I have no idea. She did this from day one. Typically, I can ignore her, but not today. Ignoring her hasn’t worked, so maybe having someone stand up to her bullying will.
Thank you for saying something, but I can handle her.
She wouldn’t have slapped me. I would’ve made sure of it. ” My light tone darkened.
“I can’t stand by and let her do that. She’s out of line. You should report her. I’ll back you up.”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it. So, what brings you into the precinct and the lab? Are you looking for results on a case?”
I sat, putting my purse away and waking my computer.
“No, just thought I’d stop in and see who was on today. I’m glad you are, but wasn’t this your weekend off?”
Earlier in the week, we’d talked about this being my weekend off, and he had to work. He’d grumbled about it playfully.
“It was, but I got a call early this morning. There was a big homicide case last night, with multiple victims. I know that some of the tests are time-sensitive. The usual weekend crew isn’t going to be able to handle it all.”
“Fiona, as much as we love you around here and can’t wait to see your smiling face, you work too much. They’re taking advantage. When was the last time Wanda or someone else worked on their day off? Or came in early or stayed late?” His hiked-up eyebrow waited for my truthful answer.
“I know. You sound like my family. I need to set limits. And since it’s a new year, I’ll make the effort to do that. But you have to cut me slack, Eithan. It’s a hard habit to break.”
“Okay, I can do that. But to make sure you take care of yourself, I’ll be watching, and if I see you’re not taking care of yourself, I’ll remind you. I don’t want you to burn out and leave. We can’t live without you.” His tone softened.
“I’m lucky to have such a good friend,” I replied.
I pretended not to see his wince. Eithan and I had hit it off right away.
And we became amicable coworkers, then friends.
But over the past year, his friendship had taken on a more romantic vibe.
I knew he liked me, not just as a friend.
His pheromones gave that away. I tried to keep us in the platonic zone.
I didn’t want to hurt him or lose him as a friend.
It was hard to connect with people here.
I counted Eithan and Wally among my buddies.
I hoped with repeated, though gentle rebuffs, he’d forget about wanting more from me.
So far, it hasn't worked, but I kept trying.
We chatted for a few more minutes about nothing important. He said he needed to get to work, but he stayed. Finally, he blurted out the real reason he stopped in. Not that he didn’t do it for no reason at times.
“I saw you got dropped off. Is something wrong with your car? If so, I could take a look at it. No need to rely on whoever that guy was. I’ve never seen him before. Is he a family member? I thought it was just you, your brother, and granddad.”
Crap, another one was curious about Keir’s identity.
I couldn’t tell him that he was a Sentinel.
For one thing, he would have no clue what that meant, since he was human.
Secondly, I wouldn’t expose myself as a shifter.
It left me in a tough spot. Suddenly, a thought entered my mind.
I tried to ignore it, but it refused to go away.
I opened my mouth to tell him Keir was a family friend.
“My car is fine. That’s Keir. He’s my boyfriend. He insisted on driving me today.”
Disbelief morphed into astonishment, then Eithan looked perturbed. “Y-your boyfriend? Since when do you have one? You’ve never mentioned him,” Eithan stated suspiciously.
I’d put myself in this predicament. I had to continue. It would be too embarrassing to tell him I lied. He’d insist on knowing why.
“No, I haven’t mentioned him. We’ve been casually dating and only recently decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend. I planned to let my friends know now that the relationship is official.”
“I see. Well, I guess congratulations are in order. I hope he makes you happy. I should let you get to work. I need to as well. I’ll see you later.” His tone was tight, and I knew he was unhappy.
“See you later. Be careful,” I told him, allowing him to drop the conversation and leave abruptly.
As he disappeared out the lab door, I breathed a sigh of relief. The niggling unease that I’d lied, I ignored. It wasn’t as if my coworkers would get to meet Keir and expose my fabrication.
?
I didn’t finish much earlier than I would’ve if I worked a regular shift.
I’d gotten there at eight-thirty in the morning and texted Keir to pick me up around four o’clock.
I’d been right. There were a ton of tests to run and evidence to examine.
The others scheduled to work today had mostly stuck to other duties.
They did a few things on the homicide case, but most of it was handed over to me.
I was exhausted. Today was the thirteenth day in a row for me.
My body ached, my feet throbbed, and every muscle in my body screamed for a massage.
They had better not ask me to work tomorrow because my answer would be no.
I was back on schedule on Monday. Tomorrow starts a new payroll period.
I’d have Friday off next week, and Tuesday and Saturday off the following week.
My feet dragged as I went to the front of the building and stared out the windows, waiting for someone to arrive.
Half of me hoped it wouldn’t be Keir, but the other half wanted it to be him.
A few people called out greetings as they left, and I returned them.
Their excited chatter made me jealous. I overheard some people talking about going out tonight to dance and have drinks.
I tried to recall the last time I went anywhere for fun. I couldn’t remember. Pathetic.
My heart picked up speed when the Sentinel’s dark SUV pulled up to the front.
I headed to the door. I was outside in seconds, and the driver was out of the vehicle just as fast. I sucked in air.
It was Keir, and he wasn’t standing by the SUV waiting for me.
No, he strolled straight up to me. His arms went around my back, then he tugged me close. He frowned.
“Fiona, you look beat. Let me get you home where you can relax. You’re driving yourself too hard,” he gruffly said.
I let him lead me toward the vehicle. We were about ten feet away from the passenger door when my name was called.
I winced. Of course, Keir noticed. I resisted his forward momentum, so he knew I intended to turn around.
I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t heard. Slowly, he allowed it.
His hold on me tightened a fraction. His face became a mask of polite indifference.
Striding up to us, frowning, was Eithan.
God, I was about to be exposed. Why did I lie? I forced a pleasant smile on my face.
“Hi, you’re out of the field early,” I said to say something.
“I had to come in to finish paperwork. I saw you leaving, and that this guy came to pick you up. I thought it would be a good idea to meet him. Hello, I’m Eithan Sanchez.
I’m a good friend of Fiona’s. She told me the two of you recently decided to become serious and move to being girlfriend and boyfriend rather than casual dating,” Eithan told Keir as he held out his hand to shake.
I glanced up at Keir as Eithan spoke, exposing my deceit. His expression changed, but not to what I anticipated. Instead, he smiled. I knew it had to have surprised him. His body stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He took my friend’s hand.
“Hello, it’s always nice to meet Fiona’s friends.
I’m Keir. Yeah, it took some doing, but I finally won her heart.
I can’t tell you how much it means to me that she’s mine,” he lied smoothly.
Keir was even able to give me a convincing, loving look that, if I hadn’t known the truth, would’ve fooled me.
As Keir replied to my friend’s inquiry, Eithan’s scent changed.
There was a spike in pheromones, but with it came an acrid smell.
Acrid was what aggression smelled like to shifters, or at least to me.
Why would he be feeling that? He wasn’t my real boyfriend, so the fact that Eithan was emitting his share of aggression and sexual pheromones shouldn’t matter.
It wasn’t until my friend grimaced and withdrew his hand from Keir’s that I figured out they’d been in a hand-squeezing contest. Boys and men, who could ever understand them? Not me.
“You’re an incredibly fortunate man. Make sure you take care of her. If you hurt or neglect her, another man will swoop in and free her. Fiona is highly desirable,” Eithan stated. His eyes landed on my face, and he let his interest show.
“Oh, believe me, I know she’s beyond special and desirable. I won’t mess this up. Well, I hate to cut this short, but our family is waiting for us at home. Have a good evening. And watch yourself out there. The streets are a very dangerous place, even for cops,” Keir said pleasantly.
“I will. Take care. Fiona, I’ll see you on Monday. Take care and get some rest. You’re tired. Oh, and make sure you eat. A soak in the tub will do you good,” Eithan remarked before he gave a half wave and ambled into the building.
Keir swept me around to face the SUV, and he guided me to it.
The door was opened, a hand extended, and then he leaned close and pulled my seatbelt over me.
As he did, his hot breath touched my neck, causing me to shiver.
I avoided his gaze, though I felt his eyes boring into the side of my face.
When the belt was locked into place, he lingered for a few seconds, then stepped back.
My door closed, and he rounded the car to get in.
I glanced over at the building’s entrance.
Through the glass, I saw Eithan standing there, studying us.
His expression was grim. My heart sank. God, did he buy it?
Or were his feelings being stirred to new heights?
I prayed it was the former. I jumped when Keir’s door snapped closed.
The engine had remained running, so he pulled away immediately.
An awkward, tense silence permeated the SUV.
I knew I had to say something. I was formulating my explanation when Keir beat me to it.