Page 61 of Dancing in the Dark

“There’s something.” I fold my arms and exhale a noisy breath through my nose. “Some pretty big somethings, but the last time I did this, I was a kid, and everything was…” I shrug. “Easy. It was a simple matter of ‘you like me, I like you, now we’re gonna spend every minute together. Easy peasy’.” I drag my lip between my teeth and meet his eyes. “This isn’t like that, Arch. This is really fuckin’ scary, and if it comes apart because everyone is gossiping and laughing and making the kissy sounds because they wanna see her blush, then I’m not sure I’ll handle watching her walk away again.”

Behind him, the George Stanley medical examiner’s transport van pulls up alongside our car.

“I don’t wanna screw this up, and I’m still riding the bliss of a really fantastic fuckin’ night, so could we take a rain check on turning this into a pit of dread and anxiety for a little while longer? Bliss is fun. Bliss is good.”

“Mmhm. And as your best friend, I like to encourage and celebrate bliss. That means I’m gonna let you have this for now. Because I’m the better best friend and totally fuckin’ respectful, despite the giggling and finger pointing and bullshit you participated in back when Minka and I were still new.” He claps my shoulder and turns, like he could feel his wife’s presence even without her saying a word or making a single sound. He grins wide and watches her duck under the tape, then he steps to the side and welcomes her into our grouping. “Minnnnnka.” His hands twitch to touch, though he knows he can’t. Not while we’re working. “You’re riding alone today?”

“You can call me Chief Mayet while we’re on the clock, Detective. And Aubree has a baby appointment or something, so I’m starting this one solo.” A couple of playful dimples flash in her cheeks as she brings chocolate-brown eyes up to mine. “Detective. Enjoy your evening?”

“Ixnay on the however you say that shit,” Arch chuckles. “We’re not allowed to discuss his evening. It’s a thing.”

Curious, she tilts her head to the side. “What kind of thing?”

“The kind of thing we don’t talk about,” I grunt. “Because I’m not ready to go there yet. Mia went okay at your place last night?”

She snorts. “I swear, I didn’t even notice she was there. Cato hoarded all the Mia love all night, so I went to bed and promptly forgot she even existed. By the time I got up this morning and wandered downstairs, they were already gone.” Shame-filled, she grits her teeth. “I feel kinda bad, because it wasn’t until Aubree asked how the sleepover went that I remembered I was somewhat responsible for a kid overnight, then I panicked, like I’d left her alone in the back of my car.”

“You don’t own a car.”

“I know! So then I called Cato, who obviously didn’t answer, because he enjoys being an ass like that.”

“Couldn’t be because he was in class?” Archer snickers. “Right?”

She rolls her eyes. “Then I called Steve, who assured me Cato and Mia were fine. Mary confirmed. Archer confirmed.”

I bring narrowed eyes around to my best friend. “Your wife called you today, panicked about my daughter, and you said nothing?”

“Dude! I was busy not saying anything about the thing we’re not supposed to talk about! And besides, I knew she was fine. I knew you knew she was fine, since Cato had already come back and told me all the gossip. Also…” He stares past me, his eyes flashing with something akin to panic. “How strict are we on the not talking about the thing we’re not supposed to talk about?”

“What?” I glance around. “Why?”

“Because she just rolled up.”

I spin and study her long legs as she climbs out of a sleek city-owned car and eats up the pathway surrounding the bay. A uniformed officer steps in her way, so as she pulls out ID I know will have come directly from the mayor, I swallow the flames of adrenaline and panic scorching my throat. “W-why do you think she’s here?” Anxiety blows through my system like fire through a newly opened door. “She wouldn’t come onto a crime scene just to call me a prick and break up with me, right?”

Not nearly as alarmed as I am, Archer merely snorts. “It’s not that I don’t love you, Fletch. But in this case, I’m inclined to say not everything is about you.”

“You don’t think?”

He shakes his head, his eyes trained firmly on Sera and the uniform as they exchange words and she receives pointed instructions. The detectives are over there, ma’am. The medical examiner, too. “I’d say she’s looking awfully official, and this crime is at the bay. Last I heard, she and Lawrence were working on a deal with the Chinese, so…”

“Ew.” Minka’s lips curl back into a sneer. “I’d say his presence seals it.”

Anderson fucking Markum pulls up in a car not all that different from Sera’s, climbing out and fixing his pants so the fabric at the bottom whispers against the shine of his shoes. He walks the same path she already has, his strides longer than hers, and benefits from the wheels of police introductions that’ve already been greased, because he strides past the cop with barely a word and damn near jogs until he catches up to the woman he makes gaga eyes for.

“Port Authority Legal Counsel,” I snarl. “And I’m pretty sure he has a thing for her.”

“I mean…” Minka shrugs in my peripherals. “I’d say every male with a functioning set of eyes has a thing for her. She’s very beautiful.”

“Not me, babe.” Arch bumps his hip against hers. “I have eyes only for you.”

“Detectives.” Sera stalks closer, her striking stare pinning me to the spot the way it has for eons already. But this is different now. Everything is different. “Mayor Lawrence sent me down to see what was happening with the body that washed ashore this morning.”

“Because of the fancy pants China deal, huh?” Minka looks Markum up and down and grins a big, fat fake smile. “Which explains why the Port Authority legal team is here, too.”

“Chief Mayet.” He extends his hand and forces an awkward exchange. If she refuses him, she’ll look like a dick. If she does as society expects, she’ll want to chop her own hand off the instant they’re done.

Under duress, she reaches forward and allows him to pump once. Twice. Then she pulls back and wipes her palm on her pants. “We’ve only just arrived on scene, counselor, so I’ve yet to approach the body. If you’d prefer, you could head on back to your comfy office out of the sun, and once we’re done here, I’ll be sure to forward you all of my reports.”