Page 5 of In Dangerous Water

Angela gasped when she saw it. Kenna leaned forward and swore. Skye took one look and pulled her phone from her pocket.

“I’m texting Austin, right now,” Skye informed me and fired off a message.

I would have replied to Skye, but as I’d expected, Kenna was walking around the room and swearing. I settled in on my bar stool and waited her out. It was Angela who finally got her to simmer down.

“Kenna, I hardly think losing your temper is going to help Cordelia right now,” she said firmly.

“This is really bad!” Kenna drug her hand though her long hair.

“I am aware,” I told her. “They do seem to be ramping up.”

Kenna tossed up her hands and went and busied herself at the counter. It was her way. Whenever she was upset, she stomped and shouted for a bit and then yanked her temper back and channeled that into work.

I looked to Skye. “This one is different. This time there was a handwritten message.”

Skye’s eyes went sharp. “That’s good. Maybe it will help the police identify who is doing this…they can analyze their handwriting.”

“I hope so,” I said and refolded the letter to put it away.

“You shouldn’t touch the envelope and letter with your bare hands,” Skye said, drawing my attention back to her. “They’ll check it for fingerprints, Cordelia, and find yours.”

“Damn it. I didn’t think about that.” I shook my head in regret, and the room went on a slow-motion tilt. My stomach lurched hard in reaction.

Skye rubbed her hand across my shoulders. “I’m sorry you are dealing with this, sweetie.”

Angela reached for her large purse and began to root around. “Here,” she said, holding out a pair of medical exam gloves. “Use these so no one else touches the letter.”

Skye snorted out a laugh. “Leave it to the nurse. Of course you carry disposable gloves.”

I pushed my hair back from my face and saw that my hands were shaking badly.Low blood sugar,I realized. Dropping my hands in my lap, I clasped them together to hide the reaction. I hadn’t had the chance to refuel after my work out.

Kenna walked over with a baked good on a plate and a glass of milk. She placed them well away from the letter. “Eat something, Cordy.”

“What is it?” I asked, eyeballing what appeared to be a type of bar cookie. My stomach was already upset. The idea of food wasn’t remotely appealing now.

“That’s an oatmeal and dried fruit bar I’ve been experimenting with,” she said. “Think of it like a better tasting protein bar.”

Knowing that I needed to eat, I steeled myself, took a big bite, and discovered that it wasn’t too bad. It did however have an odd aftertaste. It was strong enough that I reached quickly for the milk to wash away the bitter taste.

Skye smirked at Kenna when I did so. “Told you those have a weird after-flavor.”

I pressed a hand to my stomach. “They really do.”

“Damn it,” Kenna muttered. “It’s probably the protein powder I used. I’ll make you something else.”

Angela leaned closer, concern written on her face. “Cordelia, you are very pale, and your hands are shaking. At first, I assumed that was from adrenaline and fear—which isunderstandable—given what’s going on.” She frowned at me. “Are you diabetic?”

“Hypoglycemic,” I answered.

Angela rested her hand on my arm. “Did you eat supper tonight?”

“I was going to grab a sandwich on the way home,” I admitted, “but I got a bit distracted.”

“Cordelia.” Kenna glared in disapproval. “You know you can’t skip meals!”

“Do you have a blood sugar monitor?” Angela wanted to know.

I shrugged. “No.”

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