Page 24 of Shadowed Vows: Ghost
"Sit," nodding towards the kitchen table.
"Are you always this bossy? Or is it special for me?" Her eyes narrow, but she sits anyway.
I scoop a generous portion of steaming stir-fry onto her plate before serving myself and sitting across from her.
Alina settles into her chair, her posture tense, but her eyes never leaving mine. She watches me with keen intensity—cataloging details, searching for weaknesses. I can practically hear the questions forming behind those sharp green eyes.
"So these people," she says, picking up her fork. "The ones who wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in my head. Who exactly are they?"
I take a bite, savoring the delayed burn of the chili sauce before answering. "I can't tell you that. Eat."
We eat in silence for a few minutes. I'm surprised to see Alina practically scarfing down her food.So much for not being hungry.
"Your appetite clearly returned," I say, the corner of my mouth lifting.
"Oh, shut up," she snaps back, but there's less venom in her voice now.
Chuckling low, I lean back in my chair. It's time to give her some answers. Not all of them, of course, but enough to keep her from doing anything stupid.
"Alright, little hellcat."
"What did you call me?"
It's probably best for me to ignore that question."You want to know what's going on? Here's what I can tell you."
I pause, choosing my words carefully. "My team and I have been investigating some... let's call them 'suspicious activities' connected to the warehouse you've been poking around."
Alina's fork pauses halfway to her mouth. "What kind of suspicious activities?"
I shake my head. "Can't give you specifics. But it's a lot bigger than wage theft or whatever else you thought was going on."
She frowns, setting down her fork. "Does it have anything to do with human trafficking?"
Damn, she's sharp."What makes you ask that?"
"Just a hunch," she says, but I can see the wheels turning in her head. "The warehouse setup seemed... off. It's supposed to be abandoned, but looks like people have been moving in and out."
I nod slowly. "You're not wrong. My partner, Shadow, was looking into some potential connections. That's what led us to the warehouse."
"Us?" Alina leans forward, her food forgotten. "I knew you weren't alone that night."
"No, I wasn't alone. Other members of my team were there for backup. But Shadow... he's gone missing." The words taste bitter in my mouth. "That's why I was there when you showed up. I've been trying to retrace his steps, figure out what happened to him."
Alina's expression softens slightly. "I'm sorry about your partner. But why didn't you just tell me this from the beginning? Maybe I could have helped."
I snort. "Right, because I make a habit of spilling information to nosy reporters I've just met."
"Hey!" She looks indignant. "I'm not just some 'nosy reporter.' I'm good at what I do, and we just found a potential connection between our cases."
"You're also a civilian who nearly got herself killed tonight," I remind her. "This isn't a game, Alina. These people are dangerous."
She leans back, crossing her arms. "So are a lot of the people I've investigated before. I can handle myself. Wait…how do you know my name?"
Shit. I need to ignore that too."Look," I say, my voice softening slightly. "I get that you're trying to do the right thing. But you need to understand what you're up against here. These aren't just corporate suits cooking the books. If our hunch is correct, they're killers, and they won't hesitate to take out anyone who gets in their way."
Alina's jaw clenches. "All the more reason to expose them, then. People need to know the truth."
I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. This stubborn journalist might just put me in an early grave.
