Angel Touched

Chapter Twelve: Under Protection

Cora flicked through the files, annoyed. She put her head in her hands. The countless case files seemed to lead nowhere. Sloan's phones had been tapped, but he seemed to speak in code when he talked about his criminal activities. Cora didn't have enough evidence to get a warrant to search his property. It probably wouldn't turn anything up, anyways.
Cora's thoughts turned to Eve. She seemed relatively trustworthy. She didn't have to protect Cora, but was doing it out of her own sense of justice. It was admirable. "I don't like being in debt" she'd said. Maybe there was more to the charming mafia boss than Cora originally thought.
Cora stepped outside. She hoped some fresh air might be able to clear her thoughts. There was an alleyway outside of her apartment. It was a dead end, but it was easily accessible from Cora's apartment. She could hear the sounds of the street nearby. Her apartment was on one of the slower streets, so the traffic was rarely a bother.
Cora heard footsteps coming closer. She turned around to see two men dressed in black approaching her. The alley was a dead end. Why would they be here?
"Can I help you?" she asked politely, cursing herself for leaving her gun inside. One of the men drew a knife.
"Probably." Before he could attack, however, a figure appeared behind him, knocking him to the ground. The figure was dressed in black and moving quickly. Cora joined them in the fight, ducking under a blade and grabbing her attacker's arm, twisting it backwards until he dropped his knife. Cora kicked it away from him, using her leverage to drive him to the ground. She stood next to the dark figure as the men sat beneath them. The figure pulled her mask down from her face. Cora was surprised to see the face beneath.
"Eve? When you said you were posting a watch, I thought you meant, like, a nameless henchman." Eve disregarded the comment, speaking instead to the men on the ground.
"Let it be known that Cora Adina is under Karpos protection." The men nodded before fleeing. Eve turned back to Cora.
"Eve... Thanks." Eve smiled slightly.
"You are under my protection."