Page 65 of Barely Breathing

I should do something. There’s a procedure for everything here, but for the life of me, in my panic, I can’t remember what it is, and I hesitate.

I stare at the manifest. Who could do this? The Freemonts are powerful enough to alter shipping records. What if they smuggled in something and set me up to be the fall guy? Or does someone else want this to look like my mistake? My heart is beating so fast that I feel like I might puke. I glue myself to thewindow, watching for a sign of what hell is being unleashed.

The merfolk disappear beneath the surface in perfect synchronization, leaving only ripples in their wake. The security lights along the dock flash red, reflecting off the water like blood. A large shadow swims under the ships and the dock runes spark like fireworks.

The lights in my office flicker and dim.

“That looks worrisome out there.” Chester’s sudden appearance makes me jump. He stands in the doorway, clearly overdressed for the shipping yard. This is the first time he’s shown up here. None of the Freemonts come to pick up their containers.

This feels wrong in so many ways. His being here can’t be a coincidence.

He comes inside, making the tiny office feel suddenly so much smaller.

The overhead lights go off, taking the computer screen with them as the power goes out. The security lights flash through the window, making Chester’s shadow dance across my office wall.

His eyes glance down at the paperwork on my desk, and he sighs. “What’s all this?”

“Your shipment is not due for a few days,” I manage. I push the original manifest toward him, though I’m not sure why. Maybe because it’s his family’s shipment. Perhaps because I’m an idiot. All Ican do is hope he knows nothing about the switch, and I can buy some time to figure out what to do.

He taps against his thigh like he’s playing a piano. Blue magic twines his fingers before fading. It feels like a threat, but I may be overreacting.

Please let me be overreacting.

“Did someone call you to pick something up?” I step back from him and bump up against the filing cabinet. “Because it’s not here.”

He tilts his head, watching me. I see a kind of perverse pleasure in his eyes. Finally, he reaches for the manifest on my desk and picks it up. He then reaches for the altered manifest that was in my done bin.

“That’s not what this says.” He holds up the forged paper.

“The weight doesn’t match the original,” I say. “Someone changed a shipping order. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for?—”

Magic flows from his fingers into the paper. Symbols emerge on the manifest in glowing script, and I make out the wordsSanguis et Lunaria.

I have no idea what it means.

The air presses down on me, and I find it hard to breathe. This room is too small, and the way he looks at me makes my skin crawl. If I scream, maybe a harpy will pluck me out of the window and get me out of here.

I doubt it.

I dare a glance at the window. The creature in the water moves closer to the dock. “What is happening out there?”

Chester moves too fast. The papers flutter to the floor as he darts at me. I scream in fright at the sudden attack. The harpies don’t come to save me.

Chester’s hand wraps around my throat, and I feel magic tingling against my skin like a heating stove. I struggle to get away but it’s useless. The pain is getting worse by the second. If I don’t push him off soon, I will surely sizzle into a pile of ash.

“What are you even doing here?” he asks. “It’s the middle of the night.”

“I work the night shift,” I whisper, terrified by the way he’s glaring at me. “Fewer supernaturals, and there’s security. It’s supposed to be safer.”

Chester tilts back his head and laughs. “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

My throat burns where he touches me. I’m going to be sick.

“Please, I don’t know anything,” I beg, hoping he’ll determine I’m a waste of his time.

“I was hurt when you canceled our last date,” he says, studying my face.

I know it’s a lie. The date was an obligation arranged by our parents. “I’m… sorry?”

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