Page 11 of Girl, Reformed

Her eyes caught the framed picture of herand Martin on the desk. Grinning like loons at some beach, she couldn'tremember. He had his arms around her waist, and she looked happier than she hadin years.

No. Mia wasn’t going to work until she hadanswers.

Mia closed her eyes, sending up a silentprayer to a God she wasn't sure she believed in but was ready to get chummywith if it unfucked her life.

‘Please, let this be some comedy oferrors,’ she said.

Then she jabbed the call button before shelost her nerve.

It rang once. Twice.

‘Ripley?’ Edis' familiar rumble filled herear. ‘Are you on your way in?’

'No, I'm not. I have an emergency backhome.'

‘An emergency? Mia, I’ve got a situationin Delaware and no agents to...’

‘Will,’ Mia interrupted. ‘You can threatenme with suspension or offer me a million dollars. I’m not going anywhere.’

A pause. ‘If you insist. Is everythingokay?’

‘No, it’s not,’ Ripley said. ‘In fact, Ineed you to do something for me.’

CHAPTER FIVE

Ella felt like a damn zombie. Shamblingthrough the FBI halls, head a jumbled mess of static and white noise. The fightwith Mia played on repeat, like a greatest hits of accusations and denials thatmade her want to put her fist through a wall.

They never fought. Not like this. They'dwaded through hell together, seen the worst humanity had to offer and come outthe other side joined at the hip. But apparently all it took was one charmingsilver fox with a closet full of skeletons to rip them to shreds. She wishedshe could stay in D.C. and help Ripley uncurl this mess of a situation, but Miawas the most stubborn person she knew and then some. If Ella offered a helpinghand, Mia would swat it away just like she’d considering swatting her face an hourago.

Ella's feet carried her on autopilot,weaving through the sea of suits until she reached Edis' door. Shehalf-expected to see Mia there, leaning against the wall with two steaming cupsof coffee and a smirk that said let’s do this.

But the space was empty. Nothing but ablack hole where her partner should be.

Flying solo. The notion sucker punchedElla right in the chest. She couldn't remember the last time she'd walked intothe boss's office without Mia by her side. She knocked on the door and amuffled come in filtered through the wood and frosted glass. She pushedinside before her nerves could get the best of her.

The boss man was parked behind his desk,blue suit straining against his linebacker frame. The fluorescent lights didhim no favors, lumping every new wrinkle and gray hair front and center. Poorguy aged a decade a day, no doubt from playing nice with the stuffed shirts andblowhards higher up the food chain.

‘Sir.’ Ella tried for professional,burying the urge to word-vomit her drama all over his carpet. ‘You wanted tosee me?’

Edis waved her into a seat. ‘Change inroutine today, Miss Dark.’

Ella's molars ground together hard enoughto crack. The empty seat beside her where Ripley always parked her backsidescreamed louder than a banshee with a megaphone. No doubt Mia had given Edis anearful about their little spat and her wild theories. Probably threw in a fewcolorful suggestions about where Ella could shove her opinions too.

‘I believe so.’

Edis folded his hands on the desk, lookingevery inch the disappointed dad about to drop a hammer. ‘Agent Ripley has apersonal issue to attend to.’

'Yes, she does,' Ella said.

‘Do you have any idea what it is?’ Edisasked. He switched from professional to curious citizen without blinking. ‘Ihate to pry, but she sounded at her wits end on the phone.’

This wasn’t Ella’s place to elaborate, shedecided. ‘Issues with her partner, I believe.’ That was enough.

‘She requested the police reports of herex-husband’s death. And I believe she requested something from our tech teamthis morning. Other than that, I’m not clued up.’

‘The police reports? Can we even providethem?’

‘Local PD have jurisdiction, but we canpull rank if necessary. I did so.’

---