Page 32 of Ghosted in Arkadia
“I need you to listen.” Vicky flops a clipboard onto the desk with the papers attached. “I can’t send in a sample without instructions. Hell, I haven’t even been working with this kind oftesting since the hive bust. I’ll get the sample from the article, but then I have to hand the Miller—” she stops, pointing to the area on the clipboard where it asks for the case name. She waits until I write Miller in the line. “—case off to Zac.”
“But I don’t know Zac,” I say, likely sounding like a petulant child, but considering the topic, I’m not thrilled to get another person involved.
“Zac is a sweetheart. Started a few weeks before the raid so at least he got his bearings before everything went to shit,” she says with a smile, and I get the impression Vicky is rather taken with the new techie. “Put your badge number for contact so Zac sends you the results and as soon as you have everything you need, stop by for a visit and I’ll make the trail disappear.”
“Thanks, Vicky.” It isn’t exactly what I hoped, but I don’t even know if Ghost would show up in the database.
“Hope everything’s alright.” Vicky gives me a half smile as she takes the clipboard back to her side of the desk. “Should take a week or two, depending on how badly the labs are backlogged.”
I sigh, but it’s not like I have any other options. I have a feeling, by the time I get the results back, it won’t matter any longer. I will have already decided.
“That was a lot longer than ten minutes,” Killian says as I approach his desk.
Rex is sleeping soundly next to my desk.
“I blame the weather. And I appreciate you.” I place a rain-soaked cup of coffee on his desk. It’s probably cold by now. “Glad he wasn’t any trouble.”
Killian looks taken aback by my token and reaches forward to take the lid off the cup. Like I predicted, there isn’t steam rising to the surface, but Killian takes a sip anyway.
“This is actually really good coffee. No wonder you went. Thank you,” he says before giving a curt smile.
I stand for a moment, unsure of what to do. Something feels off, like unspoken words trapped inside an inopportune time. I give up and go back to my desk. The strange mood only seems to follow me to the store after my shift ends. Rex remained in the cruiser with the radio as company rather than come in to pick out his own bag of dog food.
At least I tried.
I wander through the aisles of the store while rain pounds against the metal roof, making me question why I’m not home where it’s dry like a sane person.
“Because I’m difficult,” I answer myself while hopelessly looking at the vast selection of fresh produce. I don’t even know how to cook most of this. “Fuck it.”
I grab a head of lettuce before crossing the space for a bunch of bananas.
“It’s a start.”
The rest of my shopping contains my usual items, but I grab a different brand of dog food for Rex to try. I avoid the alcohol section entirely, stocking up on soda and coffee to supplement. The hardest part comes when I want something to drink, and nothing sounds as good as the bite of vodka.
I’m proud of my restraint as I shove the bags onto the passenger seat through the driver’s door. I soak the cab but shut the door before puddles form. With the press of a button, the car navigates us home while I wipe the sheet of water from my face.
My phone vibrates and I shift things around until I finally find my purse and drag my phone from it. Heat rushes throughme and I pause when I see a text message from an unknown number.
Did the poor kitty get wet on her trip out?
I’m not sure if I can reply, not only because I don’t know what to say but also because the message bounced last time. There isn’t any harm in trying again. It’s not like I keep a kit on me.
Are you waiting for me at home?
I watch the spinning icon until a green check mark pops up to verify the message was sent. I release the air burning in my lungs. The windows fog, but it doesn’t bother me since the car and its safety equipment will keep me far safer than I could in this storm.
My phone vibrates in my hand, feeling like a bolt of electricity through my body. I unzip my coat and fan the edges apart while focusing on my breathing before deeming myself ready to check Ghost’s reply.
What do you want, Kira?
A thousand answers pop into my mind, listing everything I ever believed my soulmate would solve in my life. I wanted him, my soulmate. For him to fix everything wrong with me, erase the curse of being mateless. To make me feel like I am worthy of love.
I want every little thing I dreamed of before I became… this. One of the mateless, an unloved fuck-up of society. I want the fucking house and someone to come home to. Someone to go on adventures with and drive around in the Hellcat. The thought made me smile before more images screamed out at once, tearing into my chest until it felt like my heart would burstand just as quickly, I was left in absolute silence, staring at the keyboard, not knowing what to say.
I want to know why it took so long for you to tell me you exist.
I take a deep breath, wishing that I had at least bought a few of the single serve bottles for moments like this. My blood feels like liquid electricity and my eyes sit glued in anxious anticipation of his reply.
