Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Have you had breakfast yet?” Paul inquired as soon as he settled behind the wheel.
“I was thinking—-”
“So that’s a no,” he interrupted with a grin. “We’ll make a quick stop at Panda’s before I drop you off.”
“I can’t be late,” I warned even as warmth flooded me at his thoughtfulness. “I have a very strict boss—-”
“That sounds like Dike.”
My eyes widened. “She is my superior. Do you know her?”
“Just enough to promise I won’t have you late.”
He was doing it again, I thought in exasperation. Telling me everything without saying a single thing.
Paul parked his SUV by the curb and reminded me to lock my doors before making a quick dash to Panda’s. I glanced outside my window, and my heart grew heavy at the still darkened skies overhead. I personally loved the rain, and I usually loved the pitter-patter sound it made against the windowpane. This storm, however, was different. I just found it impossible to delight in it, knowing that this was nothing but a result of Zeus’ condition tampering with nature.
Paul returned soon after, and as he handed me my coffee and donut, he noticed the way my brows were furrowed and asked, “What is it?”
“I’m just worried about the storm.” I knew CIA, INTERPOL, and all the other agencies were doing their best to mitigate the damage, but I also knew that they were only buying humans extra time at best. The only way to solve this was to find a way to cure Zeus out of his mood swings.
“Were you able to get anything from the CCTV footage?” I asked Paul as he steered his SUV back to the road.
“It was a big help. I meant to tell you first thing but it slipped my mind. Facial recognition couldn’t find any match, but my agents had a hit with voice recognition.”
“How’s that possible?” I wondered if he realized he had just let slip how high up he was in hierarchy. MY agents, he had said, like he had a whole squad of them working under him.
“Our software was able to detect unnatural qualities in the woman’s voice,” Paul elaborated.
I tried to understand what he was saying. “Is she a banshee?” Such creatures had a distinctly high-pitched scream, and listening to any sound they make for more than five seconds was enough to make human ears bleed.
“Her voice,” he said meaningfully, “was unnaturally perfect.”
Comprehension dawned.
Our poison-administering Jane Doe was a siren.
“Does Dike know?” I asked as he drove the SUV into one of the parking slots in front of my office.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
What?
But Paul had already stepped out of the vehicle, and I could only watch with a sinking feeling in my stomach as he went around to open the door for me. This was not good.
“Come on out, agapoula mou.” Paul was grinning as he took my hand, leaving me no choice but to let him pull me out of the car. “You don't have to sound so worried.” Paul’s tone was full of sham innocence. “I promise I won’t do anything you could lose your job for.”
That was good to know, but what I was more concerned about was losing face, and as soon Paul opened the doors to let me in first, I immediately knew I was right to worry.
“Oh no!” Roseanne was careening straight at me, tottering in her high heels like she was about to lose her balance.
Chapter Six
WITH ONLY A SPLIT-SECOND to spare, I could only brace for impact. Been there, done that, I thought unhappily while mentally preparing myself for the look of pity I was sure to see on Paul’s face. Roseanne did so love throwing her weight around (literally), and she loved apologizing to me even more just so she could add in the end that it wasn’t her fault I was so small and skinny.
“Oh no, no, no!” Even with a fake look of horror on her face, Roseanne still looked as lovely as ever.
I squeezed my eyes shut, prepared to once again fly across the lobby, but instead I felt one strong arm curving around my waist.
YANK!
My eyes flew open as Paul hauled me out of Roseanne’s way, and my lips parted in silent horror as I watched the other woman screech as she skidded straight into the wall head first like a crazed, raging she-bull.
Cronos save her.
Paul looked down at me, asking blandly, “Is she always that careless?”
“Umm...” I had no idea what to say. As much as it pained me to admit this, Paul wasn’t the first guy to see how Roseanne loved to bully me. He was, however, the first one to actually do something about it, and while I was pleased about it—-
I also felt stupid and disappointed, realizing too late that I shouldn’t have let Roseanne get away with so much in the first place.