Page 34 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
Dirty floors, cheap liquor, and an obscenely high turnover rate for employees put it at the top of the list of places to avoid. It being Friday didn’t even help, since most locals were wise enough to spend their hard-earned cash elsewhere.
The faster this job was over, the better for everyone involved.
“I’m at a dead end,” Maya said into the phone, keeping her voice low. “I’ve been here for weeks, and that’s longer than I would like. As it turns out, convincing a group of near-strangers to make a five-hour drive north isn’t easy.”
“And you thought to ask me for assistance? I’m flattered.” Angela’s voice was even, suggesting her focus was on something other than the current conversation.
During her time with the Chains, Maya had found exactly two people she felt at ease around: Diana and the work-addicted Court witch. Angela was both too busy and too covered in arcane defensive charms to worry about Maya’s sordid reputation.
“You shouldn’t be flattered,” Maya said. “I’m not popular at Court, so I can’t ask anyone else for advice. You’re a necessary evil.”
“Aw, now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings. That isn’t nice.”
“Since when do you care about being nice?”
There was a long pause. Then Angela snorted. “Yeah, you have a point there.”
At first, Angela had treated Maya with the same general apathy she showed most things, but it had only taken a couple of conversations for that to change. Maya wasn’t the only one among the Chains who lacked friends. Angela had just spent the past decade being too busy to notice.
They could have made those conversations more than friendly, too, but neither of them had made a genuine move towards anything deeper. Even if Angela hadn’t recently broken her streak of situationships by finding the love of her life, she and Maya worked far better as friends than lovers.
“What’s the problem exactly?” Angela asked. “From what I have observed, you’re doing fairly well.”
Maya frowned. “Observed?”
“Natalya is invested in this job. Since she isn’t vibrating with fury, you have to be doing something right.” Angela paused, and Maya justknewshe was smirking. “But that might be because you’re keeping a few details out of your reports. Going by your texts, you’re makingverygood progress with at least one of your charges. Maybe so much that you’re getting distracted?”
Maya’s fingers tightened around the phone. “I’m not distracted.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. I’ve barely done anything these past few weeks but walk around this damn city. I’m here even when I don’t have a shift, just to make sure there isn’t a bunch of wolves lying in ambush somewhere. I’ve never been more focused than I am on her—this.”
The correction came a moment too late, as was clear from Angela’s sudden silence. Just like her smirk was all but audible, so was that contemplative brow furrow that appeared whenever she noticed something interesting.
“Justhelpme,” Maya continued. “You’re the best problem-solver I know. I have a problem I don’t know how to solve. That should be like catnip to you.”
Angela still didn’t answer, but whether it was due to her considering the presented issue or picking apart Maya’s words for more information was unclear.
Though, most likely, it was both.
Maya caught movement at the corner of her eye. The current conversation needed privacy, so she was standing in the shadowy hallway connecting the staff rooms to the clubroom, giving her a clear view of it. And the petite, platinum blonde woman moving across the dancefloor.
Harper looked like a cat that had just gotten dunked in a bathtub. She’d been on the stage when Maya stepped out, and going by her annoyed expression, the experience hadn’t been lucrative.
She stopped halfway through the room, eyes drifting to the empty bar. Disappointment flashed over her face before she shook it off and headed towards the nearby tables. The other performers had gathered there in small groups, enjoying each other’s company since no one was present to pay for it.
Harper didn’t approach any of them. Instead, she ignored the glares being shot her way and sat down in an empty booth.
“Maya? Hello?”
Maya wrenched her eyes away from the dancefloor.
“Sorry, I was—”
“Distracted?” Angela said evenly.
Maya bit the inside of her cheek, wondering just how personally Angela would take it if she was told to shut the hell up.
