His lips twisted at the corners, giving her little reprieve.
He sat forward, folding his arms on his desk. “Do you remember when I found you?”
“Is that a trick question?”
“I picked you up, brushed you off, gave you a new identity, and I’ve seen to your medical treatment. Not to mention I gave you a job, somewhere constructive for you to steer your anger in a more productive way.”
“And I appreciate that,” she answered, mildly agitated that he would bring up the painful memories. “Your point?”
“It’s time for you to return the favor. You’re going undercover to work a case in the last place on earth you’ve sworn to never live.”
Her eyes widened, and her heart quickened. Not the Glades, please don’t say the Glades. She’d purposely stayed away from the Glades. The shifter community, an hour away, was the last place she’d ever feel at home. Aw, hell, the twinkle in his eyes told her that he was about to ruin her day.
“The Glades.”
Like a knife shoved in through her heart, his confirmation was the final twist.
“There are dead bodies and missing people if it makes you feel any better.”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Her foot tapped nervously on the ground. “Are you trying to get me to resign? All it’s going to take is one of those assholes sniffing me and then it will be game on. One wrong word and it’s not going to be pretty. You’ll have a bloodbath on your hands and end up throwing my ass in jail for murder.”
“You’ll manage.” He said it more as a direct order than anything else. He clearly believed in her self-control, more than she did.
Liz cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. She could do this. She might not want to, but she’d survive and handle the challenge. She owed him, and this was one hell of a request. “What’s the case?”
Trapp grinned for the first time since she’d walked into his office. He tossed a file to her side of the desk. “It’s all in there. Your mission, your cover, everything you’ll need.” He gestured to the door with a tip of his head, dismissing her. “You’ll be staying withmycousins. So play nice.”
“Sir?” She tilted her head. “Won’t that defeat the purpose of my cover?”
“No. They’re the ones that noticed the similarities in the disappearances. Read the file, pack your things, and report in the morning. Unlike the morons that abducted you, this time it’s both shifters and humans being abducted, and the common link so far is my cousins’ bar, Liz. We need to find out who’s behind it and stop them. Bring the fuckers to their knees. Do you understand me?” He pursed his lips. “Use any means necessary.”
Oh, she understood all right. Where she was staying sucked and her assignment wasn’t any better, but having full rein on her abilities was a bonus and an advantage. “Yes, sir.”
