Page 17 of Heartless Enemy

It closed with a thud, sending swirls of dust into the air. Eve brushed off her hands on her pants again and then shrugged.

“We’ll just have to find another opening then.”

Chapter8

Around the table, several people stifled yawns as they tried to muster enough energy to pull through to the end of the meeting. I shifted my weight where I stood along the wall with the other Junior Constables. I might have been reinstated to the South Side Department, but the first demotion that Chief Anderson had given me was still in effect, which meant that I no longer had a seat at the table.

“Lastly,” Chief Eric Anderson said from where he sat at the head of the table. “I have approved Captain Wright’s suggestion to wait another few weeks before we launch our attack on the south side. With all the dark mages united under Arden’s banner now, we need to rework our strategy before engaging.”

A satisfied smile slid home on Wright’s mouth as he nodded in what looked to be a very self-congratulatory way. The Senior Constables at the table nodded in acknowledgement of the order as well.

“However,” Chief continued, narrowing his eyes at the smug captain. “I am missing the reports on the prisoners from this week. I know that is not a task you’re used to from your previous department, but I still expected you to have a firm understanding of your new duties here.”

Both panic and irritation flickered briefly in Wright’s blue eyes. But he smoothened his features quickly and instead cleared his throat. “Sterling will fill you in on the reason for its absence.”

“How am I supposed to know where it is now?” I said, scowling in confusion. “I handed it to you yesterday afternoon.”

If looks could kill, I would have been bleeding out on the pale floorboards of that meeting room right then. Captain Wright shot me a look of such icy fury that I forgot what I had been about to say.

“I don’t care whose fault it is,” Chief Anderson said, his voice laced with a tiny bit of annoyance. “Just make sure it’s on my desk before I get to my office tomorrow morning.”

And that’s when it finally clicked. Wright had wantedmeto take the blame for the missing report. By the Current, I really needed to get better at sucking up to people.

“That was it,” Chief declared and placed his palms on the table before pushing to his feet. “Now, go home and get some rest.”

Chairs scraped against the floor as all the Senior Constables stood up as well. Then we all bowed our heads to Chief Anderson. He jerked his chin down in a nod before striding out of the room. The people who had been sitting at the table followed while the rest of us waited for our superiors to exit first.

However, not everyone at the table left.

Captain Wright remained standing a short distance away, his furious eyes locked on me. I suppressed the urge to groan. Or maybe roll my eyes. While mustering up the final remnants of my very limited patience, I watched as the other Junior Constables left the room one by one.

Once everyone was gone, Wright pushed the door shut with an angry thud.

“What was that?” he demanded.

“What was what, sir?” I replied in my most innocent tone.

“Drop the attitude.” He stalked up to me, getting in my face as he growled, “I thought I made it clear that you’remycreature now, Sterling. I own you, which means that you take the fall for me when I need it. But instead, you ratted me out to the chief.”

“I didn’t rat you out. I just—”

Slap.

I flinched, more from the shock than the pain, as Wright backhanded me hard enough to snap my head to the side. My cheek stung from where the blow had landed, but I could barely feel it over the raging fury that roared up inside me.

He had slapped me.

If Ulric hadn’t already ruined my opinion of white boots, I would have been outraged that Wright was dishonoring the entire constable force by behaving like a spoiled child.

Slowly turning my head back, I met his gaze again.

But I couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

As if just now realizing what he had done, Wright blinked in surprise and then took a step back while yanking his hand down to his side. Then he cleared his throat.

“You do not talk back to me. And you will take the fall for me whenever I need it.” He cleared his throat self-consciously again. “But I recognize that what I just did crossed the line.”

Oh, he recognized that, did he?

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