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“Does that make you uncomfortable?” Gus asked, fiddling with the glass in his hand. “Me talking about being trans?”
“No,” Gabi responded evenly, giving him a serious, open look. “It makes me angry at every bigot in this town. Makes me almost miss Liverpool.”
“But Liverpool has no cute pink-haired witch, right?” he teased, waggling his eyebrows.
Gabi shot him a look, then flicked her eyes back to the window. “Show me where this hooded person came from.”
“Don’t try to change the sub—”
But Gabi’s phone’s shrill call interrupted her. Joy’s name flashed on the screen. Delight rippled through her, but on its heels came panic.
Why was Joy calling? What had happened?
“Joy?” she demanded. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen that name on her phone.
All she heard were sobs and gasped words in reply, and Gabi shuddered as icy fear spread through her.
Gus came closer, his brow knitted in concern. Maisie climbed back through the window, eyes on Gabi.
“Joy? Sweetheart?”
There was a crack of silence, and thenVictoriyahissed, “Get your arse to the clinic. If you don’t find this bastard, I’m going to fuckingkillyou, Pride.”
Horror swirled in Gabi’s stomach. For a second, she just reeled, nausea rising.
Why was Joy sobbing? What hadhappenedto her?
Gabi grabbed her car keys in a shaky hand and bolted out the door.
* * *
Of coursePaulinaand her pretty shadow took this moment to corner and interrogate Gabi as she raced down the high street. Of course they fucking did.
“I don’t know anything yet,” Gabi replied, as polite as she could make her voice, which wasn’t very. “If you let me do my job, I will tell you when I have something concrete. I don’t want to waste your time, Paulina,” she added to soothe over her irritated tone. “Telling you theories instead of facts won’t help anyone.”
Paulina pursed her lips, her eyes flicking to the golden sun badge on Gabi’s collar. “Actfaster. Are you so incompetent that you can’t do your job, Gabriella? I thought you had a knack for this sort of work.”
Gabi wasn’t a violent person, but she desperately wanted to knock that mocking smile off Paulina Montgomery’s face.
“I’m competent,” she said slowly, as if explaining to a child, “but I’m notomnipotent. I am one person doing the work of a whole team, and right now I need to be at the clinic”
She wanted to yell that she was doing everything she could, short of never sleeping and wasting time on silly things like bathing and eating.
Paulina’s expression narrowed further. “I expect you to dobetter. I want this killer caught yesterday. Do I make myself clear?”
Maybe if Paulina hadn’t wasted Gabi’s time by arresting Joy, she might be fucking closer.
Trying not to grind her teeth, Gabi replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
Paulina nodded and, finally satisfied, stalked off, leaving Gabi behind with her blonde assistant.
“Don’t mind her,” Katrina said in a sweet voice. “She’s just under a lot of pressure right now.” She laid her hand on Gabi’s arm without permission.
Gabi pried the woman’s chipped fingernails from her jacket and said, “She isn’t the only one.”
It may have been rude to just walk off, but she didn’t have time to waste chatting.
Two victims, one alive from what she’d been able to piece together. One who might have seen his attacker. And Joy caught up in the middle of it.
