“If you quit poking me, I will,” the redheaded woman said to whoever was back there, and took several steps into the room.
Larissa gaped as she beheld the person coming in behind the amazon.
The other woman was short. Very short. So short even the platform heels on her shoes only brought her to average height. She was wearing an elaborate jade green kimono – except unlike a traditional kimono, this woman’s skirt ended mid-thigh – with matching jade hair styled in three rolls and piled so high it added an extra half-foot of height to the woman.
It was hard to tell what age or ethnicity the woman was under her dramatic kabuki make-up. Best guess, early-to-mid-twenties, and Asian but mixed with some European ancestry.
The unnatural quiet the class had been under broke. With one voice, her students started calling out questions – about the women, what they were doing here, why did they want to talk to Miss Miller?
“Quiet,” the woman called Fallon said, her voice level but her tone absolute, and in a situation Larissa had never before experienced, her class shut up as they were told. “Miss Miller, I have some questions for you. Please step outside with me.”
The small Asian woman sat on Larissa’s desk, crossing her legs once she was settled. “It might have sounded like a request, but it really wasn’t.” She flicked her fingers at Larissa in a dismissive gesture. “You need to go. I’ll stay with the kiddies.”
Sure enough, the redhead didn’t look like she was moving, and Larissa didn’t want to have this conversation in front of her students. Stifling a sigh, she said, “Class, talk quietly among yourselves for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”
There was an empty classroom a few rooms down. Larissa went in, not bothering with politeness to allow Fallon to enter first. The redhead followed, though not before her eyes scanned the room. Classic tactical maneuver. No cop in the world ever entered anywhere before getting the lay of the land.
The woman didn’t crowd Larissa, but her unwavering gaze and unvoiced suspicions made breathing a tad difficult, like wearing a shirt with a constrictive collar. It was so different from how she felt with the gargoyle, where toward the end their interactions edged into the companionable.
Larissa cleared her throat, ready to start this inquisition. “How did you know where to find me, or who I am? Who are you, for that matter?”
“Me? I’m Fallon, and the monochromatic midget currently alone with your students is Laire. We’re part of a group that protects the city.”
Larissa crossed her arms. “If that’s true, why didn’t I know you existed before today? If you know about me, then you know my dad’s the chief of police, and he’s never mentioned you.”
Fallon’s lips twitched, though if the tic was irritation or amusement Larissa couldn’t guess. The woman’s features were neutral as she studied Larissa. “Why would you expect daddy to tell you? From what we can gather, it would be the opposite.”
The zing brought a flush of heat to the back of Larissa’s neck, but she pressed her lips together to keep from responding. This woman wasn’t going to provoke her into anything, if that was indeed her plan. And the bit of embarrassment didn’t mask the fact Fallon neither confirmed nor denied that Dad knew about them. If this whole protection business was the truth, that meant either her dad had kept this from her – and given his standard modus operandi that wouldn’t be a shock – or this group was very, very secret.
And if a very, very secret group told you about their existence…
“Oh gods, you’re going to kidnap me now, aren’t you?”
The corner of Fallon’s lip quirked at Larissa’s outburst, that shadow of a dimple again emerging. “Your students saw you walk out of a room with me. It would be kind of stupid for me to grab you and run.”
“You could make them forget. Who knows what kind of magic you can perform.”
“I don’t do magic. I turn your attention back to Friday night and the big-ass sword I was carrying. My job is to run and swing.”
Larissa wanted nothing more than to lay her head on the desk and close her eyes until the woman disappeared. Unfortunately, there was no chance Fallon would cooperate. “What do you want from me?”
Fallon walked over and crouched in front of her, bringing them to eye level. “What happened Friday?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. You were there so you obviously knew what was going to happen.”
Annoyance reflected in Fallon’s features. “You would think I should have been told the reason I was there, but no, the meddling bitch who sent me doesn’t believe in giving anyone details. She thinks it’s enough to send you on your way.” By the end Fallon’s eyes were narrow slits and murder was written over her face.