Page 5 of Shielding Maya

"What are you doing in my room?"

Her brother Myles sat on the sofa on the other side of her room. His right ankle rested on his left knee. His dark eyes stared into hers. "I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

His right shoulder lifted in a half-shrug. "We don't watch people murdered every day. And, I noticed you were staring at Jasiah Weston a lot this afternoon."

She rested her hands on either hip and cocked her hips out to one side. "I'm aware this isn't a daily occurrence. I'm fine. I wasn't staring at Jasiah."

Myles sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "You were."

"What difference does it make?"

"Are you interested in him?"

"No."

"Are you sure? I haven't seen you look at anyone else like that since that stupid jerk in boot camp. What was his name? David or something. He was an asshole."

Maya chuckled. "He was an asshole. I really liked his give-a-shit attitude though."

Myles stood and tucked his fingers into his front pockets. "Until he didn't give a shit about you."

"Right. That's what makes him an asshole."

Myles chuckled. "Yeah."

She moved toward the door, to Myles' right. "Did you see Uncle Josh and Aunt Isi?"

"Not yet. I just got out of the shower and I think they're in Rafe's office talking things over."

Maya grinned. "Ahh, the big talk."

"Right."

Maya shrugged. "I'm going to find Tate and see if he needs a debrief. And, the killer mentioned a recording. He needs to know that."

“Why didn’t you tell me up in the woods?”

“I didn’t want the ambulance crew hearing it. We can’t trust anyone.”

"I'll go with you."

They stepped from her room and drifted toward Tate's office, across the living area from her room. His office door was slightly ajar, but she knocked on it anyway.

"Tate?"

"Come in."

She pushed the door open. Tate sat at his desk, behind two computer screens, his fingers flying over the keys of his keyboard as if he were playing a piano at a symphony.

"I'm glad you two are here. Let's debrief."

Tate stopped typing and faced them. Maya took the chair to the left, Myles to the right. They sat, almost simultaneously and Tate chuckled.

"Tell me exactly what you saw."

Maya relayed her information first. Every detail she could remember.

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