She lifted her head to look at me, her eyes soft with satisfaction and something deeper. "I love how you see me," she said quietly. "All of me."
"I love all of you," I replied, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Emily's eyes widened, and for a moment, I thought I'd moved too fast. But then she smiled, leaning down to kiss me softly.
Chapter Twelve
Dion
My phone buzzed on the counter Sunday afternoon before we'd even finished our late lunch. Hades and Anubis were trying to pretend they were ferocious guard dogs while sitting under the table waiting for scraps from their new favorite human. I glanced down to see a text from Eric:Found something in Rice's financials. Meeting at Salvation tonight, 6pm.
I showed it to Emily. "Looks like we've got movement."
She nodded, some of the joy fading from her eyes, but before I could reassure her, we both heard the buzz of Emily's cell phone,and she got up, moving toward the living room where she'd left her purse.
I watched her go, admiring the way my shirt hung on her smaller frame. There was something deeply satisfying about seeing her in my clothes, surrounded by my scent.Mine.The primal thought resonated through me with surprising intensity.
Emily returned a moment later, her expression troubled as she stared at her phone.
"What is it?" I asked, immediately alert.
"Three missed calls from Susan," she said, frowning. "And a voicemail."
I set down the spoon I'd been using to stir the eggs. "Put it on speaker."
Emily nodded, pressing play. Susan's voice filled the kitchen, sounding professionally concerned in a way that made my skin crawl.
"Emily, this is Susan. I need you to come in for a meeting Tuesday at 9am. I'm sorry to inform you that due to a complaint, you've been placed on administrative leave effective immediately. Please do not contact any of your clients or access any files until we've had a chance to discuss this matter. I'll explain everything on Tuesday."
Emily's face had gone pale. "A complaint? What complaint?"
"They're trying to cut you off from your cases," I said grimly, moving to her side. "Make it impossible for you to help those kids."
"But who would file a complaint against me?" Her voice rose with indignation. "I follow every protocol to the letter. My documentation is impeccable."
I took the phone from her trembling hand and set it on the counter. "They're scrambling. They know you're onto them, but they don't know how much evidence you've gathered. This is a power play."
Emily paced the kitchen, running her hands through her hair. "What if one of the families accused me of something? What if they try to discredit me completely?"
"That's exactly what they're trying to do," I confirmed. "But we won't let them succeed."
She stopped pacing, her eyes finding mine. "They didn't find the lockbox. They don't know what I have."
"No," I agreed. "And that gives us an advantage."
Emily nodded slowly, her analytical mind visibly working through the implications. She sat heavily on one of the bar stools. "What should I do?"
"About Tuesday's meeting?" I asked, keeping my voice casual. "You have options."
"Like what?" She accepted the mug of coffee I’d just made and passed her.
"You could go in prepared, wearing a wire, with our team nearby for backup. Or you could call in sick again and buy us some more time."
Emily frowned, considering. "If I don't show up, they'll know something's wrong. It might push them to do something desperate."
"True," I acknowledged, offering her another bite. "Or it might make them careless."
She chewed thoughtfully. "If I go in, I might learn something useful. Susan could slip up, reveal something she doesn't mean to."
