Page 28 of Talon

“Now you want to get them involved?”

“Yes.” His eyes lock onto the mysterious package.“It could be a bomb or something dangerous. They’ve got equipment they can use to check it.”

“Okay.” I nod as I reach for the phone on my desk.

As I relay the information to the dispatcher, I sense the atmosphere in the office shifting. My coworkers exchange whispers and glances, clearly wondering what on earth could be going on.

“They want us to evacuate the building,” I whisper to Talon.

“All right, everyone. We need to leave. Go out to the parking lot and wait,” his voice booms through the office. When no one moves, he adds.“Let’s go! This could be a bomb!”

Panic ensues. Everyone runs toward the exits, streaming out into the parking lot. Talon takes my hand and leads me though the chaos outside.

Sirens signal the arrival of the police. The bomb squad arrives shortly after. After Talon explains the situation to the officer in charge, a man dressed in a heavy suit enters the building. He returns several minutes later with the package clutched in his hands.

As he carries it to the edge of the parking lot, the tension in the air ratchets up a notch. He leaves it on the asphalt, then walks back to join the rest of his team. A robot is sent to scan the package. I hold my breath, praying everything will be okay.

Everyone’s dead silent as we wait.

“Listen up, folks,” says the officer in charge, addressing the small crowd that has gathered to watch the spectacle.“The package contains a stuffed animal. We’ve inspected it, and there’s nothing creepy or dangerous about it. It just looks like a gift.”

A wave of relief washes over me, though it’s quickly replaced by frustration. Why would someone send me a stuffed animal with no note attached? What kind of twisted game is my stalker playing?

“Thank you, officers,” I say, doing my best to sound appreciative despite the questions swirling in my mind.“I’m sorry it was a false alarm.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Talon says, coming to my side.

The cop in charge scowls at me, clearly unimpressed.“Next time, try not to overreact, okay? You’ve wasted our time and resources.”

“I’m sorry, but someone left a voodoo doll on my doorstep last night. They slashed my tire. They followed me to my friend’s house—”

“Did you report any of this?” the officer asks gruffly.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“She hasn’t had a chance yet,” Talon says, saving me from further explanation.

“Bring the tire and the doll to the station. We’ll file a report if you’re that concerned about it,” the cop says dismissively before heading back to the bomb squad truck with his team.

As they drive away, Talon wraps an arm around my waist, offering support. I lean into him, snuggling against his warmth. I don’t know what I’d do without him right now. I’d be at a complete loss, trying to figure out what to do next.

“You should file the report,” he suggests gently.“But I’ll be honest with you, the cops can’t do much about stalking cases unless there’s clear evidence someone intends to harm you. So far, all we have is a bloody doll, a stuffed animal, and a tire.”

“What about the note?” I ask.

“It just says,‘I’m coming for you’. That’s too vague. It’s not exactly a direct threat.”

“You’re right, but what are we going to do?”

“These situations tend to escalate, so until we figure out who’s behind this, you’re going to have to stay close to me. Do those security cameras work?” He points at the one near the front door.

“They should.”

“We need to check those.” He pulls his phone out and makes a call.“Matrix, can you grab Daisy and come down to Jessica’s office? We had another incident, but we may have caught the guy on camera … Okay. See you soon.”

“Who’s Daisy?” I ask.

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