Page 39 of Cutter

Considering what little she knew about her Daddy, that last part fit his behavior and made more sense. At least she was still thinking of him as Daddy.

Chapter Eight

Emily’s coworkers greeted her as she strode to her cubicle. But the wine last night hadn’t worked the way she’d hoped. So she’d awakened in a testy mood and answered with a cursory wave. The last thing she needed in this station was to be accused of poor manners.

Once she settled in and tucked the confidential file within the others, she glanced around, checking who’d punched the metaphorical clock this morning. The senior detective was out. Bernie Newton, the next detective in line, was flirting with the female officer assigned to the switchboard this morning.

And Yoanni? Craning her neck, Emily scanned the room and hallway. Her friend was nowhere in sight.

Just as Emily stood to search for her friend, her desk phone rang. The caller had asked for a detective’s help because the family cat was missing. She sent a nasty glance toward Newton, who was chuckling with amusement. Obviously, he’d told the officer to transfer the call to Emily, knowing full well they didn’t investigate missing pets.

One day, she’d show them all. But for now, she’d swallow the abuse and keep her head low. Ending the phone call with a polite excuse, she left her cubicle in search of Yoanni.

“What’s wrong, Mayhew?” Newton snickered as she passed. “The case too complicated for you?”

“He’s such a comedian… Not!” Emily winked at the officer, who blushed and laughed at her remark. Leaving the idiot behind, she continued down the hallway toward Yoanni’s empty desk. She located her friend in Captain Weaver’s office. As usual, he’d left the door open, and whatever he was saying to Yoanni had to be serious. Her body language was bad.

“Morning.” Emily knocked on the doorframe.

Captain Weaver glanced up, then beckoned with his fingers. “Get in here, Mayhew. Maybe you can tell me what the heck is the matter with Miss Sanz. And why is she even here? Lorna was supposed to be covering for her. Meanwhile, I have to dictate an official letter to the Savannah PD, and I need someone sharp and on their toes. Not…” He pointed at Yoanni. “Blubbering like that.”

Emily had forgotten about Yoanni’s flight to Miami. Nodding at the captain, she peeked around the chair. Her friend’s eyes and nose were red. “Hey, sweetie. I just remembered. Weren’t you supposed to be on a flight to Miami?”

Yoanni sniffled. “Y-yes…but I canceled the flight, and now… I really wanted to go. I’m such an idiot.” She pressed her fists to her eyes.

Of course, Barron’s invitation to the party… Yoanni had changed her plans to join him. She’d been thrilled on the phone. Something else had happened.

“Excuse me, Captain. May I take her to the ladies’?”

“Please. Take her. Figure this thing out. She’s no good to me this way.”

Emily grabbed Yoanni’s wrist. “Let’s go.”

Dragging her friend behind her, Emily strode into the ladies’ room.

“Talk to me, girl. I’m a little confused. I thought you were crazy about James, the bartender at Last Call. Now you’re going out with Barron?”

“James is a good-looking fantasy. That’s all. Barron is sweet and handsome, and he asked me out.”

“I see. And last night, you were all excited and happy. When you didn’t mention the visit to Miami, I didn’t ask. What’s going on?”

“It’s a mess.” Yoanni hiccupped. “Barron called this morning telling me about a change in plans. Instead of the party, he wanted to take me to dinner. I wouldn’t have canceled my flight for a stupid dinner invitation. I asked what happened, and he said you could explain better. Why you?” She stared at Emily. “Sounds like a cop-out. Is he ashamed of me because I’m Cuban? Did he find out I’m a Little?”

“Ah,” Emily exhaled. “No, sweetie. You have it all wrong.” Putting an arm around Yoanni’s shoulders, Emily walked out of the ladies’ room and took Yoanni outside.

“What are we doing in the parking lot?” Yoanni asked, eyeing the long line of patrol cars parked before the station.

“I can’t afford for anyone to overhear this conversation,” Emily replied. Leaning a hip on the closest vehicle, she brought Yoanni closer. “First things first, calm down. You’re misinterpreting what Barron said.” Gently, she wiped Yoanni’s damp cheeks with her fingers. “Gosh, I need a tissue.”

Yoanni sniffled. “’S’alright.”

“This is the deal. Neither one of us can go to the party.”

“You’re not going either?”

“No, I can’t. Same as you. For this investigation to succeed, we can’t be seen being all chummy with any Spawn member. Ever. The way Cutter put it made sense. He’s attempting to infiltrate the Sons of Chaos MC to gain evidence. The Devils’ Spawn are considered one-percenters. Would any of them hangout with a detective and a captain’s assistant?” She shook her head. “It would look suspicious, don’t you think? Raise questions, right?”

“But we?—”

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