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“I thought so,” he coughed to cover up the rumbling growl that followed his otherwise unimpressive observation, “uh, sorry to digress.”
“No really, it’s okay.I appreciate the distraction.Anyway, Mr.D’Angelo told me about the security system he had installed recently, but I must have reacted on instinct.I thought maybe a squirrel, or something had gotten in through the vent and knocked over some bowls.”
“So, you went to investigate?”
“Well, yeah.My mama didn’t raise me to be afraid of a squirrel, Detective,” she laughed then moaned, “Mama sure is gonna be miffed about this.”
“Where is your mother now?”
“Back home in Blue Ridge.She doesn’t like me living up here.Too many people, too much crime, but I don’t know what to tell her other than I love the city,” she glanced towards the large picture window and sighed.
September was pretty in New York if Rami said so himself.The trees that lined the streets wore shades of oranges, yellows, and reds.Their best colors for sure.Noemi’s blue eyes flashed to his and he felt an unfamiliar warmth stirring deep inside.
“You do like it here, don’t you?”
“Of course.There are a lot of things in New York I would never see back home.A lot of people I would never have met.”
He was shocked at the truth of her words, so plain on her face.Was she flirting?Maybe.Yes, if he was lucky.
One thing he knew for certain, Noemi Donato was breathtaking.Her innocence and optimism called to him like nothing else ever had.There was no faking it with her.She liked the city, she liked her job, and just maybe she liked him too.An interesting piece of information if ever he found one.
“New York City was always this abstract notion when I was a young girl back home.A place people talked about like a fairytale or horror story depending on who was doing the telling.But I love it.So much to do and see.I mean, I’ve only been here a few months, but I am still glad I saw Mr.D’Angelo’s ad.”
“I see.Even after getting that bump?”
“Oh yes,” she laughed, wincing gingerly as he lifted the ice back to her head.
“Sorry.”
“No need.Anyway, the second I saw D’Angelo’s Bakery I knew I needed to get this job, to have this opportunity to see if I could make a go of the place.It’s been great so far,” she said, and withdrew the melting ice pack from her head.
Rami did not like the reminder she’d been hurt.Hell, he didn’t like the fact of it either.The only consolation was he’d get to find the bastards.Shifter law was a tad different than human law.Where one failed to account for the rules with which Shifters were supposed to conduct themselves, the Council made sure they were addressed.
In other words, if the Wolves responsible could not be brought to justice by conventional means, the men, and women of the 135thwould see to it they paid for their trespasses.There were simply some things a Shifter could not get away with.Especially not in Rami’s city.
Rrrooaarrrr.
“Detective?”Officer Gotes interrupted.
“Yes?”
“We’ve found evidence of the robbery.Ms.Donato claimed upon our arrival that there was over nine hundred dollars in the till.The receipts confirm her accounting, but the register is empty now.The thieves took all the cash, they only left some loose change.”
“Oh no!I don’t know what I am going to tell Mr.D’Angelo, I feel so guilty,” Noemi frowned, and shook her head.
“Thank you, officer,” Rami said, dismissing the uniformed cop who nodded and walked back to his post.
“Ms.Donato, I assure you Mr.D’Angelo will not blame you for this occurrence.”
“It was my job to mind the store-”
“And do the baking?Now, I’ve lived in the area a long time, and I know Mr.D’Angelo has help to work the counter and register.Where’s Terrie?Did she show up?”
He could tell by the way Noemi’s cheeks deepened to a dusky shade of pink that she was hiding something.Terrie was a young Lioness Shifter who lived in the neighborhood.Her older brother Timothy was on the job, worked out of the 135thwith Rami.
“Oh, well, when Mr.D’Angelo left me in charge, as a trial run before I buy the shop, Terrie sort of decided to take a few personal days,” Noemi cleared her throat, “I haven’t had the time to look for a replacement,” she said politely, but he could tell what was going on all too clearly.
Terrie did not want to work for the human.Unfortunately, prejudice existed in the supernatural world just like it did in the human one.Some thought they were higher on the food chain so to speak.Lions were apex predators, but they were all human too.The idea of anyone disrespecting Noemi did not sit well with him or his Lion.
