Face of Fury (Zoe Prime #5) - Blake Pierce Page 0,13

with sharp eyes. She wanted to know who had been talking about her behind her back—not that it would make much difference. The cocky smile on Flynn’s face faded and faltered, the muscles around his mouth twitching down by turns.

“Uh, just, everyone,” Flynn said, his voice uncertain now. He shifted back in the other direction again, returning to his original position. “So, I mean, we’ll probably solve the case really quick, right? You and me, working together? Maybe I can take lead and you can let me know if I miss anything.”

Zoe continued to stare at him for a moment, letting out only one small blink, and then turned back to stare out the window again.

She didn’t like him, this Aiden Flynn. He was cocky, maybe even more so than most of the new recruits. A rookie who hadn’t yet found his limitations. His background likely had something to do with it. It was doubtful that anyone had ever told him no.

She wasn’t interested in sharing anything with him, and especially not her abilities. Whether it was a blessing or a curse was something she had yet to square away within her own mind, but whatever it was, she wasn’t about to let this stranger hear about it. Not only was it not something she confided in anyone, ever, but it would have been an insult to Shelley’s memory. Only one partner in the whole of her career had ever made Zoe want to reveal her true self.

This arrogant young man with his silky hair and fitted suit was not going to be joining the list.

Which meant that Zoe now faced a battle on two fronts: not just to push through past the numbers that invaded everywhere her eyes turned, every sound her ears heard, so that she could solve the case, but also to keep him from knowing how she was doing it.

Zoe kept her eyes on the clouds, relishing this small bit of calm before it all began. This wasn’t going to be an easy case. She just hoped she could get it solved quickly, so she wouldn’t have to put up with this new partner for much longer.

CHAPTER SIX

Zoe pulled the seatbelt away from her neck again, holding onto it more firmly. She had to take several steadying breaths to calm her stomach. She had never been a fan of being a passenger—it always made her carsick—but it was even worse with the rookie driving. He took corners far too fast, and sped up straight roads even though he was in unfamiliar territory. Every time the GPS barked at him to take an exit, he had to perform a tight turn at breakneck speed just to make it. It was a wonder he hadn’t resorted to using the handbrake and drifting.

“Looks like this is it,” Flynn said, bending his neck to see ahead more easily. They were pulling up outside a sheriff’s station, the building quiet except for the few patrol cars parked outside and a single reporter in a downy coat.

Zoe took a deep breath of relief, finally letting go of the seatbelt. Even as they came to a stop, the pressure of it against her neck was enough to make her feel nauseous until she unbuckled it and let it go. The nausea combined with the headache that was still lingering at the edges of her consciousness, as well as the numbers crowding her vision, left Zoe feeling winded, unable to focus. She wanted to just sit, rest her head back against the seat, maybe sleep for a while—not that there was any chance of that.

The rookie was already opening his door and getting out, so Zoe begrudgingly followed suit. She couldn’t afford to lag behind, not with a partner who didn’t yet know what he was doing. She’d been partnered with rookies fresh out of training before. All they wanted to do was rush in and prove themselves, and they tended to be annoyingly procedural. Unwilling to bend from the precise structure they had been taught. That meant a headache for her, and a lot of arguing. Just exactly what she needed at a time like this.

She caught up with Flynn on the approach to the double doors of the squat, low, gray sheriff’s building. It was getting late in the day; a check of her watch showed her that it was past seven at night, and the sun had long since set. Artificial yellow light from security bulbs around the building kept it