Shadow of Doubt - Hailey Edwards Page 0,28

not eat people.”

Grumbling under her breath, Bonnie reactivated loaf mode. Back in her cutesy form, she trotted over to Bishop and offered her head to him for a pat.

“I’m not going to fall for the act twice.” He scrambled back. “Call off your dog, Hadley.”

“Snowball, behave.”

Now, I’m not saying normal dogs can do smug, I hadn’t been around enough to know, but this one sure managed.

“You had no problem with her before,” I pointed out.

“Then she was your problem.” He flexed his hand. “I’m a programmer. I need all my fingers.”

“Come on.” I clasped palms with him and hauled him onto his feet. “Let’s get this meeting started.”

Keeping a wary eye on Bonnie, he returned to his desk. “Her name’s not really Snowball, is it?”

“Only when she’s on four legs.” I shrugged. “And a corgi.” I noticed her sniffing a pair of his boots left out to dry from the last time he’d worn them, and I was grateful she wasn’t a boy who could hike her leg. “The rest of the time, she’s Bonnie.”

“Bonnie.” He tapped a finger on his chin. “Bonnie.” He cocked his head. “Bonnie Diaz? Joined the pack about eight or nine days ago?”

I wasn’t surprised Bishop knew her name and situation, at least the official version. He was a shameless gossipmonger, both officially and unofficially. We couldn’t afford to be caught unawares when we shared a city, what some might consider hunting grounds, with so many often opposing supernatural factions.

Even though I grew up a measly two hundred and fifty miles from here, Atlanta felt like a long way from home. There I mingled with necromancers, vampires, and humans, but that was as diverse as it got. Now I toed a dangerous line by willfully keeping company with a fae.

I wasn’t a necromancer, not really, not anymore. Maybe the Society’s rules no longer applied to me.

Ha.

As if I’d ever been that lucky a day in my life.

Bishop mashed a few buttons, and the shadowy outlines of two men and two women filled the topmost screens. Filters masked their features, and their voices to a lesser extent, but the POA insisted the team remain anonymous for their protection.

I knew the quartet as Lisbeth, Reece, Anca, and Milo, but I had no idea if they used their real names or pseudonyms.

Three of them weren’t just techs but had been deputized to patrol the streets. They wore black garbs to mimic the POA when he was in what we jokingly (except not) called Grim Reaper mode. The overall effect was of him being omnipresent, that you couldn’t walk a dark alley with bad intent without bumping into the guy.

As far as strategies go, it was ingenious. I had to give him that. It did make me consider if I would be expected to pick up the cloak and cowl if—no, when—I took on his role in order to maintain the image.

The apprentice gig meant I had to show my face, the same as the POA, so it’s not like the city wouldn’t know a new POA had been named. They were well aware I was in training, and I got no veil to hide under. I had to be transparent in all my dealings with the citizens of our fair city in order to build their trust in me. The public didn’t get a vote about who became their next potentate, but their good opinion was still worth bonus points in my favor…or against it.

Bishop clearing his throat interrupted my navel-gazing, but the squeal of delight that came next left my ears ringing.

“I’m in love,” Lisbeth announced. “That dog is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my whole entire life.”

“Who’s a little bread loaf?” Milo cooed. “You are, doggo. I bet you’re the tastiest bread loaf.”

Without knowing Milo’s species, I couldn’t decide if he was being funny, but that’s how I chose to interpret his comment for his own safety. Though it might be entertaining to watch a warg or vamp attempt to make a snack out of Bonnie only to have her explode into full-on gwyllgi mode and devour him in a hilarious role-reversal.

Proving she didn’t mind the opposite sex, as long as they stayed on their side of the monitor, Bonnie preened for Milo while he continued to call her various bread-based food items: bun, home slice, toasted ciabatta... As I was starting to reconsider, that he might be envisioning her as the meat in a corgi sandwich, Bishop muted his screen.

“What a lovely