Page 34 of Dial L for Lawyer
"Shit."
"Yeah. I'll fill you in later."
I hang up and scan the elevator area. Empty. Fuck. I check my watch—thirty minutes since I left her here. Where the hell is she? I told her to wait.
Familiar irritation flares in my chest, along with something darker. Possessive.
Maybe I do need to put a tracker on her. Or better yet, strap her to my bed so I know exactly where she is at all times. So I can keep her safe. Among other things.
I text:
Me:
Where the hell are you, Serena?
The response comes immediately:
Serena:
Coffee shop called Grind on Michigan. Maya found me. I'll explain everything when I come back.
Maya. Her protégé. Young, ambitious, probably scared about her own job.
me:
Stay there. I'm coming to you.
Don't move. Don't disappear. Don't you dare fucking run from me again.
I take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, my mind already shifting gears. If Maya sought Serena out, she either has information or she's fishing for it. Either way, I need to know what was said.
I told her not to fucking talk to anyone.
Grind is exactly what I expected—exposed brick, mismatched furniture, baristas who look like they'd rather discuss Sartre than take your order. I spot Serena immediately, sitting alone at a corner table, staring into an empty coffee cup like it holds answers.
The sight of her makes my guts jolt. Relief that she's safe, hunger that never goes away, and possessive anger that she left when I told her to stay. My hands itch to touch her, to verify she's real and here and mine. I've never wanted to protect someone and devour them at the same time.
I cross the floor in four strides. She looks up when my shadow falls over her table, eyes wide and startled.
I clamp down on the back of her chair hard enough my knuckles ache. "I told you to stay put."
She flinches, her eyes going from startled to defiant in a heartbeat. "And I told you I was fine. I just needed some air and Maya found me."
"You're not fine," I bite out, my voice low and dangerous. "You're in a war zone, having coffee with potential combatants."
Her chin lifts. "Maya is my friend."
"Or she was pumping you for information." I take the seat across from her, watching her fingers wrap around her empty cup, remembering how they felt in mine.
“What happened with David?"
"He told me what I already knew," I say, my voice clipped. "That Luminous wants a scapegoat, and you're wearing the target." I lean forward, invading her space, needing her to understand the danger she's in. "Forget David. What did Maya say to you?" I watch her face, the way her jaw tightens. She wants to push back, I can see it. But I won't let her. "Every word, Serena. Now." I'm done playing games. Someone is trying to bury her, and I'll be damned if I let her hand them the shovel.
Her eyes dart to the door, then back. "She thinks it's Lisa. From my team. Says she asked for my passwords last month."
"Lisa." I repeat the name, the word 'passwords' a goddamn flare in the dark. This is it. The first real crack in their bullshit case. My anger at Serena for leaving morphs into a cold, sharp focus. "Did Maya give them to her?"
“She said she didn’t.”
