Evelyn's dream of securing a scholarship to America's top ballet school shattered when her mother was brutally murdered during her teenage years. Determined to make a difference, she became a detective, ready to take on the world. Assigned to invest...
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Two days after the incident at the hospital, Evelyn found herself squeezed into a crowded van, wondering how on earth she had been talked into this. The smell of leather and faint perfume wrappers around her. Women around her laughed and chatted, the sound bouncing off the van's ceiling like a small, cheerful crowed on a concert. Evelyn sat between Athena and Vic. Evelyn had never disliked shopping, but she hadn't imagined herself signing up for anything quite this chaotic. This wasn't just shopping, this was like men on a fotboll match ready to storm any store for whatever they could grab, at least if she was going to listen to what Athena said.
"Isn't it going to be so much fun, Evelyn?" Vic's voice sang through the air as she clapped her hands, the crisp slap echoing against the metal van walls. Athena, sitting on Evelyn's other side, muffled a laugh, her eyes shining in quiet amusement, clearly understanding the mix of dread and resignation swirling inside Evelyn.
"Yeah. Very," Evelyn said, her tone flat, the words falling like stones. Vic's eyes rolled dramatically, and she pressed a hand against Evelyn's knee, her touch warm and cheerful. The head of the sirens insistently understood that Athena had giving the detective a fright of what to expect of this trip.
"Come on, bring out a smile at least when you say something like that," Vic complained, her grin so bright that Athena burst into open laughter when Evelyn tried to smile, but failed and looked more like a small kid forced to smile for the camera. From the seat in front, Natasha spun around, narrowing her eyes at Vic as if telling her to back of.
"Let the scared woman be," she teased, and even Vic surrendered to a small laugh. Evelyn turned her gaze toward Athena, the tension in her shoulders loosening slightly.
"Tell me again why you're doing this?" she asked, her voice softer now, curiosity brushing aside some of the dread. She tried to remind herself why she agreed to accompany Athena and the girls. Athena offered a sympathetic smile, tender and bright.
"Because I want to spend time with friends," Athena said, her voice lifting in an almost gleeful pitch. She leaned closer, tilting her head as if the words she was about to whisper were a forbidden secret.
"And... because I accidentally told them I needed new books and couldn't back out now," she murmured, careful to keep it quiet so no one else could hear. Evelyn felt a laugh bubble, a warmth in her chest that threatened to spill, and she had to clamp down on it to keep it from escaping. Athena and Evelyn had a rare ease in enjoying each other's company, a delicate intimacy that seemed to draw them into mischief without anyone else noticing. Evelyn opened her mouth to ask Athena about his mood but froze as she spotted a police car waiting at a red light.
"James," Evelyn breathed only to herself as the others chatted away, a rush of happiness sparking through her. Her fingers flew over her phone screen, dialing with impatient excitement. Signals flickered before the familiar dark voice came through.
