Broad Daylight (The Veiled World Chronicles Book 1)

by LJ Rivers

  Sucking in a breath, I steadied myself. “Where’s Petra?”

  “She’s at home, just showed up in a cab. No thanks to you.”

  Now she got a cab. Figures. “I’m glad—”

  “We are terminating your services effective immediately.”

  “But—”

  “It’s unfortunate this didn’t work out, Miss Anker. We will wire the agency what you’re owed for the rest of this month and the next. Would that be to your satisfaction?”

  I gaped at the phone, thinking that over for a beat. Was that satisfactory? It was likely more than I could expect. “I’m sorry too. That sounds fine.” Before the woman hung up on me, I added, “I hope Petra isn’t too shaken up. Will you tell her I’m OK, and that she did the right thing by running? Oh, and thank her for me too, please.”

  The woman went quiet for a few seconds, and I thought maybe she would hang up. “I’ll tell her. You have a good night, Miss Anker. Or a good morning by now, I suppose. Best of luck.” She ended the call.

  Pocketing my phone, I waved down a cab and went home. I loved my tiny apartment in Wedding. I had chosen that area for two reasons, none of which had anything to do with the name. It had no actual meaning in German as far as I knew, and was most likely the name of some nobleman who had once lived here. For me, the selling points were it was cheaper than most other good living options while still being central, and was considered a more boring part of Berlin, even though it had everything the city had to offer in close proximity. The crime rate was ridiculously high, and you had to watch your back at night, but I was used to looking over my shoulder. My guardian had imprinted it on me from an early age, and somewhere along the road, it became second nature.

  While the cab snaked toward what had been my home for the past two years, I considered the night’s events. Beginning with how I had accomplished losing a job I secretly complained about, but one that paid well and was generally an easy gig.

  My job had been to guard Petra when she wanted to go out, and I could kick myself for allowing the attacker to get anywhere near her, let alone throw her into a wall. While I had gotten in a great punch at the end, Petra’s attacker was still on the loose. Not to mention the fact that I had managed to get punched in the face myself.

  I rested my head on the window, carefully touching my jaw. Yep, still throbbing.

  After paying the cab driver, I made my way into my building and up the stairs to the fifth floor. Unlike the other tenants, I had chosen more than a lock and key. I tapped in the code and waited for the heavy security door to open, before slipping inside, listening to the bolts slide back into place.

  As I put the holster with my Glock on the kitchen table, three short beeps from the alarm system alerted me that I was once again in a secure place. Exhaling with relief, I gave a quick wave to the security camera above the pull-up beam mounted in the open entrance to the hallway beyond the living area. I stepped out of my shoes, tore off the too-tight jeans and the simple designer shirt I’d been wearing, then went straight for the bathroom.

  Slanting my neck, I studied the bite mark in the mirror. Wide-eyed, I touched the smudges of blood surrounding the two puncture wounds. They weren’t too deep, but it struck me as odd. I had never seen a bite mark quite like it. My mind went to the impossible, but I hadn’t gone bonkers just yet. Or had I? I snickered to myself. The real monsters in the world were seemingly normal people who did bad shit. Perhaps there was some new, advanced tech that simulated fangs? Whatever the answer, I wouldn’t find it in movies about blood-drinking creatures of the night with bat-like alter egos. Either way, it was only two minor punctures and nothing to cry about, so I decided to clean the wound myself. Part of my training was first aid, after all. I cautiously removed my bracelet before washing my hands, then put on a pair of medical gloves, and dabbed at the punctures with water and soap. I should have called my doctor right away, but surely that could wait until morning. Or more likely the afternoon, seeing as the sun had already started to rise. I finished off with a non-stick dressing, acknowledged the growing bruise on my jaw, and slipped into my kimono nightgown. My guardian, Edwin, had bought it for me years earlier when we were living in Nagano for a few months. It reminded me of that time, and I loved how the soft fabric fell smooth and cool against my skin.

  After leaving the bathroom, I grabbed a beer from the fridge and an ice pack for my face, and went to sit on my two-seat couch. Moving around a lot had taught me that I didn’t need much space because I didn’t really own much. Material belongings were never my thing. It made it easier to pack up and leave whenever the situation required. Even so, I had been in Berlin a while now, and the city was beginning to feel like home.

  Growing up with my guardian, we had lived well and sparsely. Edwin had money to spare, but he taught me the value of having less and giving more. Even when teaching Krav Maga, his philosophy was always about mercy and honor. I was able to kill a man with my bare hands, sure, but learning how to defend myself was more important than the art of attack. All life was sacred to Edwin, and he didn’t want me to take another’s life lightly. So, I didn’t. Of course, if push came to shove, I would do whatever necessary to keep my clients breathing.

  I shuddered at how close I had come to shooting the man who attacked us, and if I had managed to get a hold of my gun, I would have used it. And if it wasn’t for the stranger with the bright light, my attacker might have killed me. For all my training, I had never come up against anyone with those kinds of reflexes before. None of it made sense. And how did he climb like Spider-Man on a mission? Maybe the circus really was in town. Of course, there was always a circus in Berlin, and I had seen lots of mind-blowing stunts by street performers. Add to that a decent amount of pickpocketing skills and above average sharp elongated teeth, and you’d have tonight’s attacker down to a T. Did they make extra money on the side by robbing seemingly defenseless women at night? It seemed as good an answer as any.

  I took a sip of my beer and leaned back on the couch, continuing to turn over the night’s events in my mind. It had all been so surreal; my attacker biting me, his strange agility and wicked speed. It made my head spin. And those eyes. Was it all in my head? No one could move like he had. I was fast, but the speed with which he handled himself was impossible, yet clearly not. Then there was that other guy. He had seemed surprised at something, as if I shouldn’t have been standing at all when he approached. Part of me felt bad for kicking him, and for breaking his nose. Then again, it was his fault for touching a woman without consent. I couldn’t be sure how much of a threat he had truly been either, but my adrenaline was sky-high at the time, and my fight-or-flight instinct took over. Or, as had become my version, much to uncle Edwin's despair, fight-and-flight. In that order.

  Had I punched a man who was only trying to help? I couldn’t be sure.

  My tablet lit up on the coffee table, a message popping onto the screen. A friendly, sunlit face appeared on it. Blonde, sun-kissed hair, still wet from a swim, was tousled around his chiseled face. The surfer look really worked for him, but the spark in his hazel eyes was what always got my knees wobbling.

  Stefan.

  Want to come over?

  I smiled, stretching my sore arms and legs out on the couch, then leaned over and tapped the screen to reply.

  Just got home and about to turn in.

  The reply came only seconds later.

  So, I’ll come to you then? I’ll be there in fifteen.

  I sent him a winking face emoji for approval. My body needed rest, but I was still amped-up on adrenaline, and if anyone could get me to wind down, it was Stefan.

  When my eyes began to droop, I reluctantly turned off the alarm system, allowing Stefan to slip in without me having to get up when he arrived. As one of maybe a handful of people, he had a key and knew how to enable the alarm again. It had taken me a long time to trust him with it, but seeing as he came over a lot, eventually I’d had to concede it was better this way. Besides, the ag
ency had vetted him, and little by little, Stefan had managed to earn my trust, one of only three people. Ever.

  After retrieving a new ice pack, I padded back to my bedroom and tumbled into bed, not bothering to cover myself with the duvet. My eyes were about to shut when the door clicked open, announcing Stefan’s arrival. I dropped the ice pack on my nightstand and stretched. I might be dead on my feet, but I would find that extra fire in me to stay awake a while longer. For him.

  Chapter Three

  I peeked through half-open lids to find Stefan staring down at me. His hazel eyes shone with mischief, reminding me of earlier that morning.

  “Again?” I said with a laugh.

  A few locks of his disheveled hair swished against my forehead. “I was just enjoying watching you sleep. Makes you look almost harmless.”

  “Almost.” I gripped his shoulders and rolled myself on top of him, nestling my head in the crook of his warm neck. He smelled like mint and coffee, and a fair bit of sweat, but I didn’t mind. We had been doing this dance on and off for the past year and a half, and I liked it like that. My life was far too complicated for strings attached. Unfortunately, I was beginning to suspect that wasn’t enough for Stefan anymore, and part of me wondered if I was getting more attached than I cared to admit as well.

  “Cam, I know we didn’t really talk about it this morning.” He brushed the back of his hand carefully down my cheek to my jaw. “But how did this happen?”

  I sighed and rolled off him to my back. “My client was attacked, and I took the punch meant for her. I was doing my job.”

  “I just … I’ve never seen you hurt before. I guess I’ve always thought of you as kind of indestructible.”

  With one swift movement, I snatched the pillow from underneath his head and slapped it playfully in his face. “I’m good, but I’m only human. If I get stabbed, I bleed.”

  “I know.” He propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at me. “I don’t like seeing you hurt, is all. And I especially don’t appreciate the attempt at rearranging your beautiful face.”

  The eternal romantic. “I’m fine. Although, I am out of a job, so I’ll need to call the agency and see if they have any other gigs coming up soon.” I didn’t say what we both read between the lines, that if I was assigned someone new, it might not be in Berlin. It was lucky that my past couple of jobs had been here, granted with some traveling involved, but if there were no jobs in the city, I would go where my work required. Apart from Stefan, nothing bound me to this place. We might not have labeled our relationship, but it was clearly something more than just a friendship, if less than a boyfriend-girlfriend situation.

  “I’ve got the evening shift again.” He kissed my forehead, easily avoiding what was unsaid. “You wanna grab some lunch or something.”

  “Sure, sounds good. I do need to call the doctor and my agency as soon as possible, though.” And I had to report the attack, I realized. It was standard protocol, but what was I going to say? That I was attacked by a Batman/Spider-Man hybrid with black eyes? That would get me thrown out ass first from the business. I would have to downplay the event. Then again, what if they asked Petra? I couldn’t be sure how much she had seen before she bolted out of there. Even if her story differed somewhat from mine, it would be easy to blame hers on her age and alcohol levels, not to mention the shock of the attack itself.

  “No worries.” Stefan kissed a spot next to the dressing on my neck. “I’ll just jump in the shower while you do that.” He stood, and my eyes swung in his direction, all but glued to his body. There was a mouth-watering view if I ever saw one. An extra glow from the early summer sun radiated on the bottom half of his legs as well as his torso and arms, but the tan lines around his midsection did nothing to distract my eyes from his athletic backside. Stefan worked out. A lot. Which was part of the attraction, as he could keep up with me when training. We often ran together in the Tiergarten park on Sundays and went to the gym together now and then on weekdays. I appreciated any man who could match my speed, and he did that. Both in and out of the bedroom.

  As I wasn’t a complete bonehead, I acknowledged how he was everything anyone could want in a boyfriend. The one stomping on the brakes was definitely me. Reluctantly, I swung my feet over the side of the bed and put my kimono on, fastening it around my waist. I unplugged my phone from the charger, and once I heard the shower running, I opened the short list of favorites in my phone book and found Edwin’s name at the top.

  It rang until his voicemail picked up.

  A little surprised that he didn’t pick up himself, I figured he would return the call later. “Hey, it’s me,” I said. “Just, could you call me as soon as you get this?”

  I hung up and called my agency. After explaining last night’s events, excluding the weirdness and the second man, the agency said they would get back to me soon, and that they expected a written report as soon as possible. As my employer, they would also handle notifying the police, though I should expect to be called in for questioning. Lucky for me, my superior was understanding and didn’t blame me for getting fired, but he also didn’t have any new jobs lined up. I know, I said I’d never be out of a job, but that didn’t mean I didn’t sometimes have to wait for the right assignment. While there were plenty who wanted female bodyguards, we were few and far between, and long stretches of time often passed before a suitable opportunity arose. They would call me when something came up. The money Petra’s family had promised would keep me afloat for a while, and if not, I had a comfortable nest egg for precisely this kind of a situation to draw from.

  Afterward, I called my doctor. I explained my procedure for cleaning the wound, and he sounded happy about how I had handled myself. I told him it was a dog, though, because the real story was too absurd.

  “It doesn’t sound like you need to come in, but I’ll prescribe some antibiotics. If you notice any swelling, pain or unusual redness around the bite area, you can take them. If not, you should be fine. Call me if anything changes.”

  I thanked him and ended the call just as Stefan came out of the bathroom. He made some noise shuffling to the kitchen and opening the cupboards, giving me time to get ready while he prepared the coffee. He was good like that. Even though we were going out for lunch, I could always use more than one cup of delicious caffeine.

  After a quick shower and a freshly dressed bite wound, I covered up as much of the bruise as I could with foundation. There was no way to hide the swelling, though. Damn. Edwin never wanted me to use antibiotics, thinking they would somehow destroy my natural immune system. But he wasn’t here, and if the swelling got worse, I would listen to my doctor.

  I decided to dress casual enough not to look like I was headed for the gym, while still able to go for a run later if I wanted to: Black running tights and a light gray zipper jacket to go over my Black Widow T-shirt. Yes, I had a thing for superheroes, especially female heroines. So sue me.

  Stefan handed me a cup of coffee the second I walked into the living room, giving me a chaste kiss. “One sugar and a dash of milk.”

  I smiled with my face, if not with my heart. He knew me so well. Yet there was so much he didn’t know. Without another word, we drained our cups and headed outside.

  The two of us had found a nice little coffee shop we both enjoyed near my place. One of the many small park areas in Berlin was situated across the road, and we tended to sit outside if the weather allowed. Today, the sun was toasty and bright, and the city had been wide awake for hours by the time we found our table. Despite the crowd, Stefan and I were on a first-name basis with the staff, and whenever I showed up with him, we were somehow always seated at the same table. Our very own spot not far from the entrance. Here, we could choose to either stay in the sun or move the chairs around to sit in the shade. It had no reserved sign on it, but that didn’t seem to matter to the staff.

  “The usual?” Klara asked in her familiar perky tone.

  Stefan grinned, and I swear she melted a little
where she stood. “You know it.”

  “Coming right up.” Klara swayed her hips as she went back inside.

  “What did your agency say?” Stefan asked.

  “No jobs right now, but something is bound to turn up soon.”

  His fingers traced a wound on the wooden tabletop. “Have you ever considered, I don’t know, maybe doing something else? Something that doesn’t require you to move?” His face was hopeful. I didn’t want to be the one to squash that hope.

  The thing was, I had considered it. A lot. The problem, though, was that I’d been taught not to stay still. Growing up with Edwin, we moved around more times than I cared to remember, though we spent most of our time in Copenhagen where he lived now. The first few years were the toughest. Most of what I remembered until the age of twelve was exercising, studying, and packing my bags. Standing still had never been my thing. After two years in one place, my instincts told me it was time to move on. But then there was him. Stefan made the city feel more like a home, and I was torn between my uncle’s teachings and the thought of standing still for once in my life. Which was both terrifying and exciting—I just didn’t know which part of me would win out in the end.

  “I do like it here,” I admitted.

  “Then won’t you stay?”

  Part of me thought he wanted to add ’with me’, but he knew better than to push the matter of our relationship. In truth, I wasn’t sure why he was still hanging around.

  Klara returned with our order, including my standard pretzel on the side, her hips shimmying with intent as she strutted away again.

  Out of habit, I surveyed the park across the road, not sure what I was looking for. Then again, there’s always a good enough reason to map out any surroundings. A woman out for a jog was stretching by a tree, a man crossed the grass with his German Shepherd, and a couple was smooching on one of the benches. I could take out all four of them within the space of seconds if need be, the dog included, although I would never harm an animal. I even knew exactly which of the seven potential escape routes would be my first choice. These were common thoughts to me. Second nature. Both Stefan and I worked at protecting and saving people, but he had probably never thought about escape routes or target practice a day in his life. That man was too good for me.