“And plan details are for mission team members only,” Colin said. “So if you don’t mind, I’ll see you to the door so I can finish debriefing my team member.”
Theo fisted his hands. But before he could move, Jon said coolly, “Magnolia happens to be my team member as well. And as I was the one to sign off on her cross-team involvement, I think we’ll stay until I’m satisfied with her physical well-being.”
Really? Jon signed off my cross-team work? Thirteen must really be moving him through the Network ranks. Colin ground his teeth but bit his tongue. Jon was totally better at the blank expression than he was.
“Fine,” Colin said finally. “Magnolia, I expect a full assessment of events as they took place by sixteen hundred hours.” I looked at the clock. That gave me, like, two hours. “I’ll notify you of the debriefing location after I receive your report.”
He moved past Jon, Tony following right behind.
“Wait a minute,” I called out. “Colin, just hold up. Jon’s team is in charge of everything having to do with my family. Right, Jon?”
For a second I worried he was going to be as much a stickler about team mission confidentiality as Colin. Slowly he nodded. “That’s right.”
“Well, it turns out Colin’s target was here to meet Uncle Max.”
Jon instantly tensed. “Your target is directly linked to Senator Kelch? Why the hell weren’t we informed?”
“Hey,” Tony said, stepping up again. Jon had gone from practiced blank to full rage in a matter of seconds. “Our chief was given full access to all our team’s information. We didn’t know who the target’s client was past his alias. Not that it would have changed anything in our action plan if we had, but don’t go jumping down our throats when we reported at full disclosure everything we had.”
Colin cursed under his breath. The room went deathly silent. “You didn’t know?” Jon said, his voice frighteningly soft. “Your pyrotechnic art smuggler was arriving for a meeting with one of the most powerful supernatural terrorists in the entire world, and you didn’t know?”
As I watched, Jon’s face turned three shades of red, then settled on a deep purple. I took a step back. The guy looked like he might actually pop, and having witnessed exploding heads in the past, I didn’t want to be in shrapnel range if he did.
Heather moved smoothly to stand between Jon and Colin. “Obviously we have some overlap in our current assignments. How about if we just call Thirteen, get clearance to officially share information, then have a little chat on how we might be able to help each other out?”
When no one moved, Heather turned to me. “Magnolia? Why don’t you get down some more glasses? I think we’re all going to need a drink for this one.”
CHAPTER 18
He had known that I was hurt. Theo had known, and even though he knew I could heal anything, he had come running. The warm, fuzzy feeling spreading inside me couldn’t be pushed aside even if I’d wanted it to.
I took a spot at the head of the table, Tony and Colin on one side, Theo and Heather on the other. Jon sat facing me at the table’s far end. Colin had stepped into the restroom while Heather called Thirteen. When he came back out, his hair was properly slicked back and his baggy long-sleeved T-shirt was tucked in. He still didn’t look as put together as Jon, but it was the best he could do with what he had on.
“Thirteen has approved information sharing—” Heather began as she put away her phone.
“Great,” Colin interrupted. “So tell us. What exactly are you doing to eliminate the Kelch threat? Because as far as I can tell, those bastards are getting more powerful and more evil with each passing moment. Current company notwithstanding, of course.”
I coughed on my swallow. “Oh, no need to exclude me. I’m totally getting more powerful by the minute.”
Colin did a quick double take, not sure he’d heard me correctly. I shot him a wide, shit-eating grin. Theo chuckled beside me and took a long swallow of whiskey from my glass. I snagged the glass back from him. His own cocky grin had me biting my lip.
“Er, if you’d let me finish,” Heather continued. “Thirteen has approved information sharing with concern to your team’s current mission. We still aren’t approved to reveal details on our current active assignments.”
Colin’s nostrils flared. Tony slammed a fist on the table. “This is bullshit. You expect us to just hand over all our intel? This was our target and our mission—a successful mission, considering our target is now in custody.”
“We have no interest in usurping authority over your target,” Jon said coolly. “But you are required to give us all information you have pertaining to your target’s involvement with the Kelch family.”
Tony sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. Colin ground his teeth. Neither one made a move to start the ball rolling. After several long moments, I threw up my hands. “Oh, for crying out loud!” I leaned forward and got serious. “Colin’s plan was good. Executable, thorough. It had nothing to do with Everett’s client. Dr. Holmes Everett was the target, by the way.” Colin moaned under his breath. I just ignored him and continued with the recap.
When I was done, Heather asked, “How involved is Senator Kelch’s driver with the family’s affairs? Is he one of the—”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Colin piped in.
Jon leaned far over the table, his expression suddenly murderous. With a stiff finger pointed in Colin’s face, he snarled, “You interrupt her one more time, and team leader or not, I will kick your ass into next week. Do you understand?”
Colin remained silent, his glare speaking for itself. After another tense moment, I cleared my throat.
“Er, no, Heather, he was never one of the drug-controlled guards. He may have had his mind scrambled once or twice, but for the most part, it wasn’t necessary. He was sadistic himself—and therefore Uncle Max’s most loyal employee.” My stomach cramped in memory. I ignored it and kept my eyes on the stare-down between Jon and Colin.
“So he would have known details about the senator’s itineraries,” Jon said, his disgust obvious. This was a big opportunity missed for Jon’s team. The Network played inside the limits of the law as much as possible—especially when it came to interviewing or questioning normal humans like Sharon. But had they known Sharon was meeting a known supernatural smuggler, they would have had just cause to bring him in. They could have gotten all kinds of details about Father’s and Uncle Max’s overseas trips.
Pulling his gaze back toward me, Jon said, “Sharon David Illyses. He’s been Senator Kelch’s driver for more than a decade. How did you handle him?”
His expression softened a little when he asked. Jon had been there last year when I’d snuck into Uncle Max’s congressional offices, as well as when I’d returned to the estate to bring down my brother Markus. He’d seen firsthand the toll it took on me when I came in contact with my family. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he still had some scars from the emotional whiplash that seeing my family had caused me.
I stared at my glass, seeing Sharon’s wide eyes as he dropped his cell phone and realized what was happening. In a quick move, I threw back the rest of my drink and met Jon’s gaze. “Sharon’s dead. Heart attack. There was nothing we could do.”
Jon nodded in understanding. “Probably for the best.”
I went to refill my glass and, damn it, my hand shook. Whiskey sloshed on the table until Theo covered my hand with his. He steadied me, then gently took the bottle from me and poured the whiskey himself.
“You OK?” Tony asked softly, leaning over to me. I gave him a weak smile.
“She’s fine,” Theo answered. “And you weren’t so concerned about her well-being when she held on to your pyro target for you, were you? Maybe if your team leader had been more concerned about getting accurate information than about upping his takedown numbers, she wouldn’t be nursing a melted hand right now.”
Colin and Tony jumped to their feet. Theo and Jon quickly matched
the move.
“We had more than enough information to move on our target!” Colin shouted.
“This is just like that telepathic drug dealer in Argentina,” Theo spat. “You had just enough intel to take down your target, and you didn’t care who got hurt when things went south.”
“Don’t even go there,” Colin shouted back. “We’re talking about this mission, this target.”
“Leaders learn from their mistakes,” Jon said.
“She’s the one who grabbed the known pyro without any protective gloves,” Tony added.
“I didn’t need any gloves,” I argued, but no one heard me.
Jon and Colin leaned over the table nearly nose to nose. But it was Theo lunging for Tony that knocked me out of my seat. In a move faster than I could track, he went from standing beside me to the other side of the table; his hands fisted in Tony’s shirt as he slammed the younger guy against the kitchen wall.
“So it’s her fault she got burned?” Theo growled in Tony’s face. “You fucking piece of shit! You think that just because she can heal anything that happens to her, she doesn’t feel the pain?” He slammed him against the wall again, denting the already-battered wood paneling.
OK. Fuck. This.
Instantly everyone froze. Heather halfway stood from her seat, her arm reaching for Jon’s. Jon stood inches away from Colin’s face, spittle from Colin’s half-spoken words stopped midflight toward Jon’s face. Tony was up against the wall, his feet off the ground as Theo held him in place. I pushed myself off the floor and righted my chair.
“And Thirteen thinks I’m immature,” I muttered as I dusted off my jeans. I took another drink and surveyed the room. With a shake of my head, I walked over to Theo. His eyes were moving, narrowing on me as I got closer. No one else would even be able to breathe unless I released them.
“Are you going to let him go?” I asked. He growled deep in his chest. I tried not to smile, but, what can I say, the sound was so dark and masculine, it just totally turned me on. I pursed my lips. “I’m serious. Tony and Colin didn’t do anything wrong. OK?” More eye narrowing. “OK?”
“Fine,” he gritted out.
Wow. I’d expected a mental response. Not even Malcolm had been able to speak when I held him in place like that. I stepped back and released everyone from my hold. Gasps of breath exploded in the room. Theo dropped Tony, who gasped for air from the floor at our feet. Theo and I kept our eyes on each other. If his growl had turned me on, then me releasing some power totally did it for him. There was heat in his eyes now that made my lower stomach tingle.
“You’re really getting stronger,” I said on a breath.
“So are you,” he replied in a breathy voice of his own. “You weren’t able to hold a whole room like that before.”
I shrugged. He grinned. Jon cleared his throat. My face heated as I returned to my seat. And grew even hotter when Theo pulled out my chair for me. I glanced down at Heather, who gave me a very clear “we’re going to talk later” look as she tried to catch her own breath. I smiled at her and got a wide, coughing smile in return.
Jon straightened his rugby shirt, ran his hands through his hair, and cleared his throat again. “Don’t do that again, Magnolia.”
I leaned back in my seat. “Then don’t act like a bunch of dicks again.”
Jon simmered in his seat for a minute. He wanted to tell Thirteen how I’d had used my power on them. But that would be like tattling. And he was team leader now. He’d have to figure out how to handle me on his own. I just smiled into my drink. Good luck with that one, Heldamo.
“OK,” he said, trying to steer things back on track. Apparently I’d be “handled” later. “We need an inventory of what cargo Everett brought in. Everything from his personal luggage and carry-ons to his artifact cargo. We need to determine why the Kelch family is purchasing smuggled artifacts from another supernatural.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, whiskey halfway to my mouth. “Have you seen my family’s estate? The place is packed full of priceless crap. Artwork, sculptures, hell, there are Egyptian sarcophaguses in one of the basements. Even the carpets are from some ancient castle somewhere. And I can guarantee that more than half the stuff was acquired through less-than-legal channels.”
“We have no previous information of the senator working with this particular smuggler.”
Now I rolled my eyes. “Jon, please. You really think anyone in my family is going to pay a smuggler when it’s so much easier to just kill him off and be done with it? They hardly ever work with the same people twice—especially on the illegal stuff.”
Jon gave me that one and turned to Colin. “Will you be able to get us that information, or should we set up a time to interview Everett ourselves?”
Colin was still trying to steady himself. His hands were buried in his hair, elbows on the table as he breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. He’d never had a supernatural use her abilities on him the way I had. Twice now I’d frozen him in place, completely taking away his ability to move. It shook him. He hadn’t realized the Network employed people like me. He had wanted my help on his assignment because he knew I had an in with Thirteen. But no way was he ready to be around this kind of power on a regular basis. If I was an example of what Jon’s team was up against, he was grateful for the level of assignments he’d been given so far. Hell, Jon, Heather, and Theo weren’t even fazed by what I’d just done to them all.
“Yeah,” he said finally. “I can give you the inventory. I’ll send it through Thirteen.”
“That will work. Also, I’ll need to be copied on the interview disks when you interrogate Everett.”
Colin lifted his head. “Interrogations are confidential.”
Poor Colin. Hard to be by the book when your copy happens to be missing a few chapters. As if realizing how ridiculous he sounded, Colin shook his head. “I mean, yeah, I’ll get you the disks as well.”
Jon nodded and got to his feet. “OK, then.” He pulled out Heather’s chair for her as we all stood up. Colin helped pull Tony to his feet. They both gave me a wide berth as they made their way down the front hall. Guess I could say good-bye to any more casual coffee conversations with Tony. I didn’t want to feel sad about that, but I couldn’t help it.
Heather touched my arm as she passed. “You need to call Cordele and tell her you’re all right.” When I frowned, Heather smiled. “She’s been worried. Look, right now the three of us have a check-in meeting with Chang, and I don’t know how long that will take.”
I looked to Theo, who stood in the kitchen’s doorway, waiting for Heather. “I’ll come by tomorrow, though,” Heather continued. “If it’s OK with you, I’ll just bring my laptop and do my data gathering from here.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said absently. “That will be fine.”
She squeezed my arm gently, then followed Jon out to the car. Theo stood, arms over his chest, staring down at me. “Your hand should be healed by now.”
I pulled off the bandages. Sure enough, the melted skin was all shiny pink now. “It usually takes at least a couple more hours to get to this point.”
He let out a heavy breath. I knew just how he felt. The intensity of the power between us just seemed overwhelming at times. He brushed a strand of hair away from my forehead, and I closed my eyes. His fingers lingered a moment more, then he pulled away. I kept my eyes closed, savoring the feel of his touch, until I heard his car rolling down the driveway.
CHAPTER 19
The Thursday before the Kelch Inc. Winter Gala, snow started falling again. Big white fluffy snow like they show on TV Christmas specials. Our pre-gala meeting was at Heather and Jon’s, and thanks to Heather bringing over her laptop and doing her research at the farmhouse, I was more than prepared.
Apparently, the Network had several intranet sites with satellite feeds and government links that would have made the Cincinnati Wi-Fi nerds totally piss themselves. Once Heather showed me how to access the sites, digging
through the information had almost been fun. In fact—drumroll, please—I’d actually found the city of Bohlren. Small, essentially uncharted industrial city right off the Danube River. For once, I looked forward to one of Thirteen’s planning meetings.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly. Oh, who the hell was I kidding? I’d been dreading this meeting for days. We were going over the details of how to break into my father’s office and steal data from his personal PC. I would be in the same building, possibly even the same room, with the man. He’d sense my power, just as Uncle Max had when I’d broken into his office last year. Then it had been motivation for me to get in and get out. Now it was another part of the plan.
To Thirteen’s credit, he had given me numerous outs over the past couple of days—I was still a new agent, the risk of exposure was higher than I was comfortable with. I hadn’t taken any of them. Bottom line, the risk for the rest of the team was too high not to have every available inside advantage. And there was no greater advantage than having my powers on hand.
I parked at the curb behind Thirteen’s SUV. Smoke billowed from Jon and Heather’s chimney. With the fresh layer of snow and Christmas candles lit in every upstairs window, the house looked extra Christmas-card-like tonight. I walked the shoveled path to the front door and felt a surprising moment of happiness—this was exactly the warm and welcoming home that Heather should live in. It was a strange security to know that some things in life were just the way they should be.
I rang the doorbell and waited as Shane came to answer. He scowled down at me on instinct, then quickly checked himself. “Hey. Come on in.”
Not the most heartfelt welcome, but at least he didn’t sneer. He shut the door behind me, then led the way into the great room. “Grab a chair from the table,” Shane instructed and walked over to his own dining table chair positioned beside the entertainment center. Both couches were fully occupied. Thirteen stood in front of the TV and sent me a quick smile before continuing his quiet conversation with Charles.
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