She blinked at me, clearly uncomfortable and unsure. “It’s just I’ve got standing orders that no one is allowed in there but him unless he’s expecting them and sends them in. He’s very territorial about that kind of thing. I’m sure you understand.”
I put on a certain…knowing…expression. “I get that. But he doesn’t know I’m here, and I just want to…surprise him. Know what I mean?”
Michelle, bless her heart, blushed. “Oh.Ohhhhh. I—I see. I guess it would be okay. Just…”
“If he gets mad at you, I’ll take the blame. I could punch you, and say I overpowered you, if you want.”
Michelle backed up quickly. “No, that’s…that’s fine. It’s fine.”
“Don’t tell him I’m in here, ‘kay?”
“Sure, no problem.”
I went in, then, closing the door behind me. God, this office was fucking bland as hell. He was never here, though, so it made sense. It was just a space to work in if he had to be in LA for some reason. Big desk, a filing cabinet, a computer, some pens, a couch, a view of a suburban park. Nothing special.
This, too, was all a part of my plan. I was sick of being left out and left behind. I could help Nick out in the field if he would just trust me and stop treating me as if I were helpless. Don’t get me wrong, I love that he protects me. That he doesn’t want anything like what happened in Brazil to ever happen again. I don’t want that either. At least not the kidnapping and almost being raped part. But the car chase and the shooting and all that? It was…fun. Exciting. The adrenaline rush was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. And I didn’t panic, you know? Which means I could do it again, with practice, and get better at it. Learn soldiering, spying, and driving techniques. Be like one of Charlie’s Angels.
It’d be cool.
But I have to play my cards right. Nick specifically told me to stay in Colorado, which I didn’t do, obviously. Now I’m here, and he’ll be pissed unless I can get him, shall we say, in a more vulnerable state of mind. By which I mean, he’s always more amenable to my crazier ideas when I’ve just made him come a few times. So now that I’m here, I’ll give him a killer BJ under his desk, and maybe he’ll bring me along.
Crazy?
Probably.
Bound to backfire?
Most likely.
Stupid, foolish, and in every way unwise?
Absolutely.
Nick will bepissed. He might even spank me, or better yet, actually tie me up.
A girl can hope, right?
4
CHANGE OF PLANS
I was on the elevator up to our offices in LA, fresh from the scene of the abduction, where Puck was still working, gathering evidence. I had Lear working his computer magic: scouring video feeds across the city for matches of the van caught on Jon and Callie’s security camera. Thresh and Duke were pumping their sources from among the less savory elements of the mercenary community, hoping to shake loose some info on who could or would attempt this abduction. Because even among mercenaries, it takes a special kind of sick to fuck with little kids. So the pool of candidates with the skills necessary to get past the kind of security Jon and Callie had, plus the lack of morals necessary to shoot women and kidnap children was, in fact, fairly small.
The elevator doors opened, admitting me into the hallway outside our suite of offices and just then my phone rang.
“Anselm,” I answered, after checking the caller ID. “What’s going on?”
“Your woman, she is a tricky one.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means she gave me a slip.”
“Gaveyouthe slip?” I asked. “You’re a professional spook, man. How did she get away from you?”
“It was pretty simple, actually. She could be a very good spy, I think. She lulled me into…what is the word? Complaint? Compliance? Something like that. Made me think she was content to only shop,ja? She asked me to get her a muffin, and when I returned with it, she was in a cab, and gone.”
“And you followed her?”
