The Epilogues: Part I: Badge of Honor (The Potentate of Atlanta Book 6), Hailey Edwards [year 2 reading books TXT] 📗

washed my hair until the pressure of my nails on my scalp made me wince. I strolled into the futuristic drying tube, which resembled the one from Home Sweet UFO, except technology wasn’t to thank for the insta-dry. This was one hundred percent magic, and it wasn’t a luxury or a splurge. The nullification spell designed to void any remaining bronze particles worked best on clean, dry skin.

Bronze-free, I entered the last nook to fish out a tee and sweats in my size from the wall of marked cubbies. There were flip-flops too, but those suckers killed my toes. I would rather go barefoot.

Exiting the chamber, I crammed myself into the exam room, which hadn’t been designed to hold four.

“Well?” I swept my gaze over Midas. “How is he?”

“I gave him an antihistamine shot and prescribed some oral medications.” Abbott passed me a pill bottle and a printed sheet of instructions. “He breathed in a large quantity of particulates, and it’s difficult for the decontamination chamber to get rid of what’s inside the body.”

“I’m fine.” Midas sat on the table, also barefoot. “I’ve had worse.”

The only one of us to choose flip-flops, Sue sat with her legs crossed under her on Abbott’s stool.

“What I’m hearing is that you’re on light duty.” I brought his hand to my mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I’m not taking chances with you.”

“As glad as it makes my heart to hear you say you’re not taking chances—” Abbott began, “—Midas is clear for duty.”

“What?” I whirled on him. “If it was me in that bed, you’d chain me to it for a week.”

“You would have limped in with a lung in one hand and a bad attitude in the other.”

“Abbott,” I gasped, choking on a laugh. “I thought we were friends.”

“We are friends, but you’re a terrible patient. You take care of everyone better than you do yourself.”

“How is it I don’t have a scratch on me, but I still get the lecture?”

Abbott cleared his throat and jerked his chin in Sue’s direction.

Sue, who was allowing tears to fall unchecked down her face.

“We should go.” I took the hint then hesitated. “Thanks, Abbott.” I kissed his cheek. “For everything.”

He touched the spot with his fingers. “Even the lectures?”

“Especially those.” I winked at him. “Those mean you kept me alive long enough to harp about it.”

Hating I couldn’t wrap an arm around Midas to help him to the elevators, I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood to keep the irritation in check. This was payback, however unintentional, for the times when Midas was forced to deal with me handling things my own way.

Welcome to Mating 101.

Our relationship was all about the give and the take. It sucked to be on the receiving end sometimes, like now, but it was worth it all in those moments when Midas respected my wishes and had my back. I had to believe the same was true for him. He clenched his jaw and let me do my thing when he didn’t want to, and I owed him support now, even when the required posturing set my teeth on edge.

“Come on.” I handed Sue a fistful of tissues from a nearby dispenser. “Let’s go have our talk.”

Blotting her face, she blew her nose and followed us meekly up to our floor and into our apartment.

I indicated she could take a seat, but she couldn’t hold still long enough to accept the offer.

“My team has located your family.” I perched on the arm of the couch. “I’ll tell you what we know in exchange for everything you can tell us about when, how, and who took them.”

A sob hitching her chest, Sue shut her eyes, whispered a quick prayer, then pulled herself together.

“Okay.” Her tissues crumpled in her fist. “That’s fair.”

Midas sat beside me, giving Sue room to pace without the intimidation factor.

“I worked nights, only part-time, at a para-owned bookstore.” She swallowed. “I left after the kids went to bed and was home in time to drive them to school the next morning.”

Fresh tears trickled over her cheeks, and I gave her a minute to pull herself together. “What happened?”

“A vampire came in searching for a title we didn’t carry. I told him about a shop down the block and wished him a good night.” Her breath released in a shudder. “He nodded his thanks, but he didn’t go. He went to the magazines and helped himself to one on cars.”

Back and forth and back and forth, she paced the floor until I was tempted to tie her to a chair.

The vampire link fit with what we knew about Neely’s kidnappers and linked both cases.

“He waited until I went on break. I didn’t go far. Just to the coffee shop inside the store. I got a tea, and when I sat down, he invited himself to join me.” She rubbed a hand over her mouth. “He said he recognized me. Asked if I used to be the POP. I said yes. It happens, sometimes, that people want to talk about my time in office or think they can give me a message to pass along to the current POP.”

Midas’s knee bounced until I rested my hand on his thigh, but I could sympathize.

“Once he verified my identity, he stood and left. I thought…” She shut her eyes. “I thought that was it.”

“You were in the public eye for years,” I interjected. “Why would he have trouble identifying you?”

“The public eye blinks often in a dozen years. The new POP rose to prominence, and I was forgotten.”

Replaced.

For all that she didn’t say it out loud, I heard it loud and clear.

As much of a force for positive change as Linus had been during his tenure as the POA, I couldn’t imagine him ever being forgotten. I didn’t care much about whatever legacy I left behind, only that it was a good one, but Linus? He deserved to be remembered for his innovations.

Maybe I could talk the team into