“You mentioned her before when we were talking to Gia and Evelyn. What kind of paramortal power did she have?”
“She was an analyst like me.” I paused again. “But she didn’t have any magic or powers. She was a regular old mortal, as ordinarily human as they come.”
Desmond drew back again, a confused look on his face. “What? A mortal working for Section? How did she manage that?”
“Somehow, Grandma Jane found out about magic, paramortals, Section 47, all of it. So she walked into the lobby one day and applied for a job. She told them she was a psychic.”
“And was she?”
I laughed. “No. She was a con artist, but the Section higher-ups bought her act hook, line, and sinker. What Grandma Jane really did was analyze people. She always said you could learn more by watching someone and studying their things than any real paramortal psychic could by reading someone’s mind. And she was right. All you have to do is figure out what someone wants, and what they’re willing to do in order to get it, and you can predict a lot about their future behavior.”
“So that’s how you came up with your plan to trap Trevor and Miriam,” Desmond murmured. “Your grandmother taught you.”
“Yep. And she taught me well.”
We both fell silent again, and my thoughts returned to the suitcases sitting outside the bedroom door.
“I want to wish you luck,” I said. “I know that you’ll get Henrika and everyone else involved with her and the Syndicate.”
“Thank you.”
Thinking about him leaving made my eyes water and my chest ache, so I rolled over and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Just after three in the morning.
I sat up. “It’s late. I should get going.”
Desmond reached up and cupped my face in his hand. “Stay the rest of the night. With me. Please.”
My heart soared inside my chest. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” he said.
Once again, I got the sense that he was talking about something else, something more, but it was an invitation I couldn’t refuse, especially since I knew he would be gone tomorrow.
So I grinned, leaned forward, and lowered my lips to his again.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Charlotte
The next morning, Desmond and I took a very long, hot, steamy shower together, in every sense of the word, then got dressed. He still had the clothes I had left over here when I’d been staying in the apartment, so I changed into a fresh outfit, while he put on another one of his sleek gray suits.
I sat on a barstool at the island counter while he made me a smoothie. The familiar routine made me smile, although a bittersweet ache flooded my chest. I would miss this. I would miss him.
“Try it,” Desmond said, sliding a glass over to me. “It’s a new recipe I came up with just for you.”
I eyed the liquid, which was bright pink instead of the usual grassy green, but I obligingly took a sip. The taste of strawberries and limes exploded on my tongue, along with faint hints of vanilla and mint. “Wow! That actually tastes…good.”
“See?” he teased. “I knew I could convince you to like my smoothies sooner or later.”
“Smoothies aren’t the only things I like about you.” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively at him.
Desmond groaned. “You are killing me, Numbers.”
He was killing me too, truth be told, but now that morning was here, I didn’t want to let him go. So I went around to his side of the island, then slowly, deliberately hopped up onto the counter.
Desmond arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now you’re playing dirty, using my own fantasies against me.”
“Well, if you’d rather get to work early…”
I started to hop off the island, but Desmond moved over and braced his hands on either side of me, a hungry look filling his face.
“I’d rather be late to work,” he growled.
“Me too,” I whispered, leaning forward and pressing my lips to his.
And so we were.
* * *
Two hours later, I walked into the lobby of the Section building. It was after nine, which was a bit late for me, although no one seemed to notice except for Evelyn, who was sitting behind her desk as usual. I might know that she was Maestro, but she was keeping up appearances for everyone else.
Evelyn smiled. “Good morning, Charlotte.”
I placed a peppermint mocha, her favorite, on the counter in front of her. “Good morning.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Trying to bribe me now?”
“I was always bribing you before. I see no reason to stop now that I know you’re in charge. Do you?”
Evelyn grabbed the coffee and toasted me with it. “Nope.”
I grinned at her, scanned my keycard, and rode an elevator down to the third floor. I went to my desk, but I had barely cracked open my laptop when my phone buzzed, and Gia’s voice filled my ear, telling me to come to her office to get my new assignment.
I grabbed Desmond’s black fountain pen—which was actually an excellent pen, in addition to its hidden surveillance gear—and a notepad and went down to the fifth floor. I glanced at Desmond’s desk as I walked through the bullpen, but the surface was clean and empty. He had probably already gotten his assignment and was on his way to the airport. My heart squeezed tight, but I walked by his desk, knocked on the open door, and stepped into Gia’s office.
She waved me in, and I took a chair in front of her desk.
“Good work wrapping up the Redburn mission,” Gia said. “We’ve already gotten several leads on where Henrika might be hiding.”
I nodded and sat up a little straighter in my seat.
“I wanted to talk to you about your new assignment,” Gia said. “First and foremost, I want you to continue your work on the third floor as an analyst. You have a great talent for seeing patterns and making connections. I want that to continue, but I also want you to work for Section in another, more hands-on capacity.”
“What?” I asked.
She looked at me. “I want you to be a permanent liaison to one of the cleaners.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t quite keep the disappointment out of my voice. Not what I’d been expecting, although I supposed it made sense, given how well Desmond and I had worked together on the Redburn mission. Section was all about maximizing talent.
Gia arched an eyebrow at me. “This cleaner specifically asked for you, Charlotte. You should be flattered.”
“Actually, I’m the one who should be flattered.” His low, husky voice sent a shiver down my spine. “If Numbers will agree to be my liaison.”
I turned around, and there he was, leaning in the doorframe. Desmond, looking suave as always in his gray vest with his bright, rebellious, powder-blue tie. My heart lifted, but I forced myself to remain calm.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought you were leaving on your new assignment today.”
“I decided to stick around D.C. a while—if that’s okay with you?” He raised his eyebrows.
My heart lifted again, and this time, I didn’t even bother trying to haul it back down to the ground. “Of course that’s okay with me.”
It was more than I’d dared to hope for, although I wondered how what we had done last night would impact our relationship moving forward. Fraternization was not exactly endorsed between Section operatives, and feelings were most definitely frowned upon. And I had all sorts of feelings for Desmond Percy.
Desmond sat down beside me. He winked at me, and I winked back. Then we both turned toward Gia again.
She handed each one of us a folder. “The two of you have been assigned to track down Henrika Hyde, question her for information on the Syndicate, and then eliminate her. Right now, the two of you will work here, out of the D.C. office. We still don’t know the full extent to which we have been compromised, so you two are on your own. At least until we’ve cleared some more pe
ople to join you. But for now, you report only to Maestro and me. You don’t tell anyone else what you’re working on. As far as everyone else knows, it’s just business as usual. Understood?”
“Understood,” Desmond and I said in unison.
“Good. Then you are dismissed. Happy hunting.”
Gia turned back to the other files and folders on her desk, and Desmond and I got up and left her office.
We both dumped the files on our respective desks in the bullpen, then headed out to the dead zone on the fifth floor. At this rate, we should just set up a couple of desks and chairs out here and call it our new office.
“You didn’t have to stop chasing Henrika or your revenge because of me,” I said, wanting to clear the air. “I knew that last night was just a one-time thing. I don’t expect you to give up your mission for me. I know how important avenging Graham and your fellow agents is to you.”
Desmond shook his head. “I was always planning to stick around, Numbers. Even before last night.”
Surprise jolted through me. “You were?”
He nodded. “Those suitcases you saw were me moving some more things into the apartment—not my leaving. Turns out the best way to avenge Graham is to have someone with a big brain on my side. And I can’t think of anyone with a bigger brain than you, Numbers.” He grinned. “Besides, I have a feeling you’re going to need my bodyguard skills again. You have a tendency to piss people off.”
I snorted. “And you don’t, Dundee?”
His grin widened. “Guilty as charged.”
“And what about…” I gestured back and forth between us.
“Us?” He arched an eyebrow. “I’ve been very happy with us so far.”
I sighed. “You know what I mean. Us working together will only complicate matters, the other us, as it were.”
Instead of looking concerned, he smiled. “Here’s something you should know about me—I like complicated, especially when it comes to us. Don’t you?”
I couldn’t stop an answering smile from spreading across my own face. “I adore complicated.”
He nodded. “Then it’s decided. We’ll hunt down the bad guys and be complicated together along the way. And if Section doesn’t like it, then too bad. So, shall I escort you to your desk, Ms. Locke?”
Desmond held out his arm to me, and I stepped forward and threaded my arm through his. “Yes, you may, Mr. Percy.”
Then arm in arm, each of us beaming at the other, we left the dead zone to get to work and face our enemies and our future—together.
About the Author
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.
In addition to her Section 47 series, Jennifer is also the author of the Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, Elemental Assassin, and other fantasy series. She has written more than forty books, along with numerous novellas and stories.
In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.
For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit her website at www.jenniferestep.com or follow her online on Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter.
Happy reading, everyone!
Other Books
by Jennifer Estep
The Section 47 series
A Sense of Danger
The Crown of Shards series
Kill the Queen
Protect the Prince
Crush the King
The Gargoyle Queen series
Capture the Crown
The Elemental Assassin series
featuring Gin Blanco
Books
Spider’s Bite
Web of Lies
Venom
Tangled Threads
Spider’s Revenge
By a Thread
Widow’s Web
Deadly Sting
Heart of Venom
The Spider
Poison Promise
Black Widow
Spider’s Trap
Bitter Bite
Unraveled
Snared
Venom in the Veins
Sharpest Sting
Last Strand
E-novellas
Haints and Hobwebs
Thread of Death
Parlor Tricks (from the Carniepunk anthology)
Kiss of Venom
Unwanted
Nice Guys Bite
Winter’s Web
The Black Blade series
Cold Burn of Magic
Dark Heart of Magic
Bright Blaze of Magic
The Bigtime series
Karma Girl
Hot Mama
Jinx
A Karma Girl Christmas (holiday story)
Nightingale
Fandemic
The Mythos Academy spinoff series
featuring Rory Forseti
Spartan Heart
Spartan Promise
Spartan Destiny
The Mythos Academy series
featuring Gwen Frost
Books
Touch of Frost
Kiss of Frost
Dark Frost
Crimson Frost
Midnight Frost
Killer Frost
E-novellas and short stories
First Frost
Halloween Frost
Spartan Frost
A Sense of Danger Page 33
