Page 14 of Hextreme Measures

Angelique was another story.

“Let’s just get to them,” Sully said, keeping his cop face firmly in place. He didn’t want Ben panicking when there was no reason for him to panic. “I think I know where they’re going.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

Sully shrugged. “I have no idea. I guess I’ll find out.”

ANGELIQUE’S EXPRESSION WAS DUBIOUS as she looked around the room that Ofelia had selected to serve as her cage.

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” she drawled, gesturing toward the big pile of nothing in the room.

Ofelia rolled her eyes. “Bernie is bringing up an air mattress and some food and stuff. I texted him.”

“Ah, an air mattress.” Angelique mock clutched at her heart. “Just what I’ve always wanted.”

Ofelia gave her a sidelong look. “I’m doing my best.”

Angelique immediately turned contrite. “I’m sorry. I know you are. This is just … not what I saw happening today.”

She wasn’t the only one, so Ofelia just nodded. “Yeah, it’s a mess. We’re going to clean it up, though.”

“Because you say so?”

“I need my maid of honor, don’t I?”

A single tear slid down Angelique’s cheek, and Ofelia moved to her so she could hug the bereft siren.

“It’s going to be okay,” Ofelia promised. “I swear it.”

Angelia nodded as she swallowed around the ball of despair lodged in her throat. She couldn’t quite wish it away. “Thank you.”

They held each other a beat longer, then separated when Bernie appeared with a whole cart full of stuff.

“Where did that come from?” Ofelia pointed at what looked like a wagon with canvas sides.

“The construction guys had a bunch of them,” Bernie replied. “They said I could borrow one.” He pulled a big box out of the cart. “I had to buy a new mattress. I put it on that credit card you gave me for emergencies.”

“Okay.” Ofelia took the box. “That’s good.”

“I only put the stuff you told me to get on it,” he promised.

Ofelia gave him a dark look. “We’ll talk about that later. You should have purchased some stuff for yourself. I’m mad you didn’t.”

Bernie looked appalled. “Um … that’s not going to happen.”

“Yeah, we’ll talk about it later.” Ofelia shook her head and opened her mouth. She was about to tell Bernie where to store the food items — of which there would have to be more — when she sensed him. Sully was in the building.

“Oh, crap.” Ofelia dropped the box and rushed toward the door. She needed to get downstairs so she could head Sully off. She had no idea what she was going to say to him — she refused to lie — but it was already too late anyway. Sully wasn’t just in the building; he was in the hallway.

“Oh, hey.” Ofelia tried to look calm and cool as she brushed her hair out of her face. She knew she looked like a righteous mess, but there was nothing she could do about it now. “How are things?”

“Smooth,” Angelique drawled, smiling for the first time since she’d been scratched by the banshee. “You’re the one I want with me when we’re invaded by aliens, and people are tortured for information.”

Ofelia lobbed a scathing look in her friend’s direction and then tried to smile at her fiancé. “Did Jack give you my message?”

Sully glanced between his wife and her best friend and was even more convinced he was right. “Who was scratched?” he asked in a soft voice. He was convinced he already knew the answer, but needed to see how Ofelia would react.

The defeat that dragged down her shoulders hurt him.