"See you in the morning, Mr. Thorp," I called after him. But, he didn't even bother to turn his head to acknowledge me.
"Ignore him." A feminine voice came from the cubicle beside me. Then, large, owlish blue eyes beneath a mop of curly brown hair appeared over the top of the wall.
"Oh. Uh. Good tip."
The owner of the blue eyes came around the wall and extended a hand and a friendly smile. "I'm Grace."
Grace had deep creases around her mouth and wore hoop earrings big enough to double as bracelets. But, she had a kind face and an earnest handshake. She was also the first genuinely friendly person I'd met since I got here.
"Abby," I said, slinging my messenger bag over my shoulder. "Is it always that intense around here?"
Grace nodded as we made our way to the elevator then rode it down. "Pretty much. It's gonna get worse the closer we get to the election. Just keep your head down and your work done. You'll be fine."
"What do you do for the congressman?"
Grace smiled. "I'm a legal secretary. I do a little bit of everything. If you have questions about anything, just come find me."
I wanted to hug her. I settled for a sincere thank you and another handshake as we emerged from the underground parking lot. Grace pulled out her key fob and her car bleeped somewhere close by.
"You parked on this floor?"
I chewed my bottom lip, considering whether I should tell her I took the bus. I could have gotten off at the lobby level, but she'd been so nice, I hadn't wanted to stop talking to her. I don't know why I did it, but I told her a little white lie. "No. I'm one floor down yet."
Grace smiled again and waved at me over her shoulder as she headed toward her car. I waited a few seconds until she was out of sight, then I stepped back in the elevator and went back up to the street level. I slipped off my heels and pulled my ballet flats out of my messenger bag and booked it for the bus stop four blocks over. I got there just as the crosstown number seven pulled into the stop.
"How was your first day?" Iris, the driver, gave me a twinkling smile as I climbed on board. Iris was seventy if she was a day and had the sweetest disposition of anyone I knew, even when some drunk asshole threw a wall of obscenities at her from behind the safety glass after a particularly long day.
"Good," I said as she passed my fare card through the scanner. "They'll keep me busy."
"Busy's good. You got class tonight honey?"
I slid into the seat behind Iris and raised my voice so she could hear me behind the glass. "Yeah. Property Law. Six to ten. Am I gonna make it?"
Iris's shoulders shook with rich laughter. She reached over and pulled the lever to close the door with a great heave, and her long gray ponytail swung with the effort. "Baby, you know you're gonna make it. With time to spare. But please tell me you brought something to eat besides a banana and a sad little yogurt like the last time."
I shrugged and sank into my chair as Iris shook her head and tsked. She knew me too well. She took more interest in me than my own mother did most times. To the point I knew next week, Iris would probably have a heaping container of soup, stew, or whatever deliciousness she brewed in her own kitchen for me. My mother was either passed out on the couch or running through the house trying to get ready for her latest hot date with another of a long string of loser boyfriends. I tried not to think about it.
Twenty-five more months. Tops. I'd finish my law degree and get the hell out of that double wide. I could go earlier if I broke down and applied for student loans. But, I didn't want to start my career under the yoke of all of that. I'd been under my mother's roof this long. I could finish this out. One day at a time.
"Work on anything interesting today?" Iris practically sang the question. Her deep brown eyes brightened as she looked at me in the overhead mirror.
Interesting indeed. I pressed my forehead against the window glass and watched the street signs whizz by as Iris hit the highway.
Sebastian Lanier.
My skin still prickled where he'd taken my hand to shake it. I played with the button on my shirt, just below where his breath touched my skin. Just the thought of it heated my blood and sent a shiver skittering across my shoulder blades. Who was he? The name meant something, but I couldn't place it.
I couldn't shake the image of the lethal edge of that rusted trap as he carried it as though it weighed nothing. An object meant not to just to capture, but to injure, to torture. The thought of those brutal spikes driving into skin and bone made my mouth go dry. Poachers, he'd said. On Wild Lake lands. And he thought Congressman Foster had something to do with it?
"Baby girl?"
Iris's smooth voice brought me out of my head. The bus had stopped right in front of the Law School complex. Its two-story brick exterior didn't match the rest of the architecture at GLU. It was the only building covered in ivy, though right now, most of that was brittle and brown. I looked behind me, but I was the only passenger left on Iris's bus.
"You've got stars in your eyes, Abby. You thinking about some man?"
Heat flamed my cheeks as I shot her a smile. I tried to cover but Iris knew me too well.
"Sort of," I said.
Iris turned in her seat and slammed the bus into park.
"You got time," she said. "Spill it."
I rolled my eyes and felt the blush spread to my neck, no doubt making my skin a bright shade of pink. Iris rested her chin in her palm and twisted in her seat. Yeah. No way I was getting off this bus without clueing her in.
"You ever heard of Sebastian Lanier?"
Iris's eyes went wide and she clucked, shaking her head. "You've lived here your whole life, Abby. You mean to tell me you haven't?"
"The name's familiar."
"Well, it should be. He's Wild Lake Outfitters, honey."
Wild Lake Outfitters. Holy shit. They were the reason this town existed, pretty much. One of the largest retailers of hunting, fishing, and sporting goods in North America. The world, maybe. Wild Lake's water tower was painted blue and silver with the company name and logo, a stylized wolf's head with pine trees behind it.
Sebastian Lanier. That was Sebastian Lanier. In my mind I had pictured him as some gruff, gray-haired, long-bearded old man. As if he'd fit right into the cast of Duck Dynasty. I didn't expect the gorgeous hunk of man I met today.
"That's who's got your eyes all glassy?" Iris cocked her head and grinned.
"What? No. I sort of ran into him. That's all."
"Well, I sure as hell wouldn't mind running into him. Under him. Mmm. What's he like?"
"Uh. Purposeful."
Traffic behind us started to honk. Iris waved a dismissive hand. Her bus. Her rules. Everybody else could sit tight or go around.
"Well, you be careful with a guy like that."
"Iris. What? I'm not with a guy like that. I just said I sort of met him. That's all. Besides, what do you mean?"
Iris's eyes grew dark and the smile left her face. She picked at a spot on her nail and wouldn't meet my eyes for an instant. I slid out of my seat and squatted next to her.
"It's okay. I know he's one of, uh . . . you know . . . them."
Iris gave me a hard look. Her flint-gray eyes filled with the wisdom she'd earned in her thirty years of driving this bus. She put a hand on my shoulder and leaned in. "Oh, yeah? What else do you know about them?"
Deep lines framed Iris's mouth and crinkled the corners of her eyes. In her seventy-some years, she'd seen every kind of person there is. She could size you up with just a glance, and her instincts were never wrong. My heart thundered behind my ribcage as she fixed her razor sharp gaze on me.
"I just met him, Iris. That's all. Shook his hand."
"Just be careful, baby." She reached up and smoothed a lock of hair out of my face where it sprung loose from my ponytail. "Those wolves bite. Best to keep your distance."
"Well, thanks for looking out. It's nice to have someone who does."
She leaned forward and put a kiss on the top of my head, catching me off guard. I stiffened and nearly overbalanced on the balls of my feet. Stinging tears formed in my eyes. Again, I tried to cover. Put my armor back in place. Iris knew better. She hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my head until she had my eyes.
"You're special, Abby. Don't you ever let anyone make you feel like you're not. You got a piece of shit mamma and had an Invisible Man for a daddy. It does me no pleasure to say it. You keep your head on straight like you have been and you get the hell out of here the first chance you get."