Page 21 of White Raven
Rhaena ground her teeth. “Yes, sir.” She turned to walk out the door and paused when he called her out.
“Northwood,” he started. Her hand stilled on the handle. “You will give her a fair chance. You were the new girl once.”
She was, and he was right. About the only one who really spoke to her when she first came to the 12th was her captain. Athan was standoffish enough on his own, but he warmed up as much as his character allowed over time. The rest of her peers often sized her up to no better than a rookie, and a woman—which, in their eyes, made her less. She said nothing as she swung the door open and stormed out without giving him another look.
This was necessary. She kept reminding herself of that as she fluttered a booted heel over her knee and stared at the streaks of the white board that her new ‘partner’ had quickly wiped down upon her introduction. Northwood didn’t like her. She sensed that pretty quickly when she shook her hand. That’s fine. She wasn’t really here for her anyway, but it sucked that the woman she’d be stuck with while keeping eyes on Sarah St. James was going to prove to be a steady pain in her ass. It would have at least been nice to have someone pleasant to be tied up with while she was here. Rhaena Northwood wasn’t bad on the eyes either. It would have been even better to have someone interested in other fun activities that didn’t involve the reason she was in Boston. Sadly, Athan Kane hadn’t seemed particularly interested either—but she already knew why.
That night she’d stood across the street watching them fuck without shame in that apartment above the art gallery, she’d promptly delivered John’s message and recalled everyscrap of bare skin while she pleasured herself in her hotel room. They were enticingly beautiful together. She would have loved to squeeze in the middle for a bite of their dinner. Her master wouldn’t have approved of her having a taste of his daughter. Maybe she’d keep that little attraction to herself. It didn’t take much compulsion to fabricate a wealth of false history or achievements to deliver to the captain of the 12th precinct, winning her this glowing spot in the middle of the little posse of misfits. Ryan wondered how long she’d be able to hide the fact that she also knew exactly who—and what—the saucy detective and her captain were.
Enter casing point. Northwood practically stomped back to her desk and plopped down in her seat, spinning with vigor towards her computer screen. It was hard to keep the smile from creeping across her face.
“You don’t care much for me do you, detective?” Ryan asked, adjusting her back in the unusually squeaky chair. Her new partner’s face twisted with irritation at the sound.
“I don’t know you,” Northwood answered, not bothering to look at her while she spoke. “I can’t really say that I don’t like someone I don’t know anything about other than the fact that you’re from Seattle, and the last person that came here from Seattle was a thorn in my side.”
“I’ve heard Foster was kind of a bitch,” Ryan snorted. “But you have to admit, she’s a determined little twat. And while her work ethic might suck, she does tend to get shit done. I admire that.”
Rhaena looked at her then. She could have sworn a slight curl turned the corner of her mouth up, but it was gone in a second. “Twat is a fitting way to describe her.”
“You know…I’ve never had a partner before. This is new for me too. What can I do to put you at ease, detective? Doyou drink? Smoke? Frequent any night clubs? We could go do something fun. Get to know each other better?”
“I generally don’t go out like that. I’ve been known to have a beer or two occasionally, but I’m more of a homebody. Especially now that I’m dating someone.”
Ryan’s brows perked up. “Yeah? Guy or girl?” One would have thought she’d asked where Rhaena Northwood kept her sex toys with the look she gave her then.
“I’m—I’m not…”
“Gay?” Ryan laughed, leaning forward. “I’m not either. Actually, I don’t have much of a preference. I enjoy both.”
Rhaena cleared her throat. “I see. I prefer not to complicate myself that much. I find I don’t really have the mental capacity to handle the opposite sex as it is, let alone the idea of spreading that out. I’m not really much of a people person, honestly.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” Ryan picked at her nails. “Your partner certainly seems close to you.” She could tell that recognition made the detective uncomfortable.
“That’s complicated too.” Her shoulders tensed when she reached for a tumbler and sipped out of the straw. “And before you ask, no…we won’t be talking about it.”
“You used to date?” Ryan smiled.
“No. And what part of ‘we’re not talking about it’ was confusing?”
Damn she was a tough one. It was gonna take a lot to peel the layers back. But Ryan found herself intrigued enough to dip her toes in, nonetheless. “Apologies. I’m just trying to get to know you.”
“I—” Rhaena paused and looked over her shoulder to where the captain was eyeing her through the blinds of his office. She sighed hard and dropped her shoulders as she met eyes with her again. “Why don’t we go grab lunch? I can walk you throughwhat little we know about this new case. Youarehere to work, after all. Are you not?”
“Correct.”
A ruggedly handsome guy dressed in regular clothes started to approach her partner from down the hall, carrying a file. He glanced at Ryan first, and then Rhaena, and the vibe she caught from him made her realize the obvious before he even made it to the back of her chair.
“Hey,” he smiled, eyes sparkling when Rhaena turned to look at him. “I got our stuff back from the lab.” That lingering stare between them said enough. That was her beau. He flicked his gaze back to Ryan. “Who’s this?”
“Umm…this is Ryan Sykes. She’s taking Kane’s spot while he’s out. Ryan, this is Detective Jenkins. He’ll be working with us on and off.”
He extended his hand, and she reached across, shaking it. “Welcome aboard. You’re working with the best; I hope you realize that.” What a cutie. She couldn’t blame her for falling for that charm.
“So I’ve heard.” She smiled at Northwood, who gave her a threatening look. Protective. Guard dog. Got it. “Thanks for the warm welcome.”
He smiled down at his girl, winking as he turned and left, and Rhaena eyed her closely. “I’d prefer you not look at him like that if you realized what I think you just did.”
“I get it.” Ryan shrugged, grinning. “Well done, detective. He’s—”
