APEX

Ch. 4: Detective Devereux Kim

Calla

I may have been allergic to Apex HQ.

All day, a queasiness pervaded my body. I imagined I was treading water in the middle of the ocean, my limbs so weightless that they would float like a raft. When I realized I couldn't feel my feet, a jolt of anxiety hit. If it weren't for the fact that one of the worst men on the planet was right next to me scrutinizing my every move, I might have been tempted to crawl under my desk and take a moment to breathe in the relative shelter it provided.

Rhys didn't hide the fact that he knew something was wrong with me. I'd already let my guard down, been careless in my mannerisms. I'd mentioned human-werewolf relationships—God knows I should have stayed far away from that topic—and that had led us down a path dangerously close to a destination I was hiding from him.

Vicki remained missing. We were fast approaching the forty-eight-hour mark from when Brett had last received a text from her. She could be anywhere—and yes, it was possible that she'd entered into a consensual relationship, but the nausea plaguing me painted a darker story. Whatever had happened, it just didn't add up to my friend sitting in a luxurious hotel suite in downtown Sury, sipping mimosas in a silk bathrobe while a sweet, caring Apex werewolf rubbed lavender oil on her feet.

"I've never known anyone who went missing before," Brett had said when I checked in with him that morning. "What do we do? Call the police?"

I'd already had this conversation in my head a dozen times since waking up. "We could, but they won't take it seriously. She's an adult. She can go off and not contact us if she wants."

"Right, but that's not what happened. If we tell them she was with a shifter from Apex..."

"We're not going to do that." I waited for him to counter me.

"Why the hell not? Especially after what they're saying happened to that Crown human during the full moon. Apex is totally guilty."

"Yes, they are," I said, even though I was supposed to be proving to the world that Apex was innocent. "And it's a valid point, Brett, but if we show them the last location of Vicki's phone and you throw in the details she gave you about who she'd been chatting with online, they'll say jurisdiction for the case will be handled by First Precinct. Can you tell me where that is?"

"I don't get over to that side of the river much."

"Well then, let me fill you in. First Precinct is fifty feet from the entrance to Apex Headquarters. The upstanding officers of the law working out of that building like to joke that payday comes twice on Fridays."

"Are you saying Apex pays them off to look the other way?"

"The official line is that Apex provides the precinct with additional resources because their presence provides a unique law and order scenario. But yes, I'm saying they get paid off. If Vicki's case goes to them, it's dead in the water."

"What do you suggest then?"

I bit my lip, my mind spinning. "Sit tight, Brett. I have a plan. Call me if you hear from her."

Twenty minutes later, I rang up Detective Devereux Kim, werewolf affairs liaison, as Neil drove me to begin my first day at Apex.

A muffled sound was followed by him swearing under his breath. "It's six-thirty in the morning. What's going on Calla?"

"Hello to you too. I need to schedule a meeting with you and several unbearable Rawlings brothers for this afternoon. Are you free?"

"So, the rumors are true." He held the phone away from his mouth, but I could still make out several choice curses. "You have got to be kidding me."