by Kelly Goode
I shook my head. ‘How can I trust you?’
‘I know it’s difficult, but you have to ask yourself, how far would you go to exonerate your mother?’
I looked to Carter for guidance, but his face clearly portrayed how angry he was at Agent Myles’s tactics, which told me that he’d obviously not known about the new evidence.
‘Are you giving me your word that this isn’t some bullshit attempt to trick me?’
Myles nodded. ‘Ghent, Perry, JC, and Harvey have each been offered deals in exchange for their services. You know how this works, you’ve been here before, and I need a fifth team member. Join us to catch the bastard that is killing these girls, and I’ll hand the murder weapon to S.P.T.F. to process.’
‘And what if I refuse?’
He gave me a look that told me he knew I wouldn’t refuse, but I resolutely held his gaze until he finally relented.
‘Fine, if you refuse, I’ll bury the weapon in so much paperwork and red-tape that your mother’s appeal won’t be heard for another decade.’
‘That’s blackmail,’ Harvey exploded. ‘Ember doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.’
‘It’s not blackmail, Harvey. It’s a proposition. It’s the way things work around here.’
I looked up at Harvey, wondering what he’d done this time to land back on S.P.T.F’s radar.
‘This is a second alliance,’ Myles continued. ‘A fresh start for the unit and its recruits.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ I asked.
‘We just need you to reach out to your old coven. Find out what you can about these girls and their magical affiliations.’
‘Ok.’
‘We mustn’t forget that you’re also a potential victim. You’re the same age, and you fit the same profile, so we’ll keep you safe while you work for us. You’re welcome to stay here at HQ like last time.’
I considered my options.
Could I do this?
Did I want to do this?
‘You can do this, Red,’ Harvey said, as if reading my mind and I nodded my head. A second alliance sounded good. I deserved a fresh start. God knows, my mother did.
‘Ok, I’m in.’
13
Harvey sat at a table in the briefing room, twiddling a pen. He was supposed to be gathering information from the internet about Ember’s old coven, but his concentration was fading. Ghent, Perry, and JC deserved to pay for their crimes. Hell, even he deserved to pay for his crimes. They’d all broken the law, but Ember was different. She’d gotten away from this shit once. She shouldn’t be here again.
She deserved better.
Ember sat opposite him, engrossed in piles of paperwork regarding the corpse-brides. Harvey rubbed his eyes and checked his watch. It was coming up to midnight and he was running on empty. He wanted a shower, some food, and a warm, female body in his bed. His pride was the only thing keeping him in his seat, as he fretted over what it would look like if he left before Ember did.
Harvey admired her dedication, he always had. He smiled as he watched her mouth move silently in time with the text she was reading. It was a cute habit and he wondered if she was even aware of it.
As if feeling his stare, Ember stopped reading and looked straight at him.
‘What?’ she asked.
He shook his head, still smiling. ‘Nothing.’
‘It doesn’t seem like nothing to me. Why do you keep staring at me? It’s distracting.
‘I’m not staring at you; I’m looking at my screen,’ Harvey replied, lifting his iPad as testament. ‘Riveting reading all this stuff about your coven and the bombings.’
Ember rolled her eyes theatrically. ‘You’ve not read a thing for the past five minutes.’
‘And how would you know that unless you’ve been staring at me? Like what you see, Red?’
No,’ she said flatly, but a smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
‘Did you know you have dimples when you smile?’
Harvey enjoyed teasing her. He liked it when she smiled. It made him happy and suited her better than scowling.
‘I don’t.’
‘You do, look.’
Harvey switched the iPad to camera-mode and pointed it at her.
‘I’m not smiling,’ she insisted. ‘Turn that thing off.’
‘Yes, you are, and when you tell someone to smile, it’s hard for them not to.’
He knew she’d smiled, as she turned her head away and covered her mouth with her hand.
‘Gotcha,’ he said with a smirk.
‘You are so immature.’
‘I know,’ he replied, snapping a few photos before switching back to reading mode.
Harvey looked at the blurred words on his screen and rubbed his forehead. Ember stifled a yawn and he hoped she was thinking about clocking off too.
‘Tired?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, I think I’m going to call it a night. You?’
The words were music to his ears.
‘No, I’m just warming up,’ he lied, ‘but you go ahead.’
Harvey was pleased to see she was not going to call his bluff and insist on staying longer. Ember picked up her papers and got up from her chair.
‘I’m going to give these back to Carter. I’ll see you in a few hours.’
‘Good night,’ he called after her, chalking up the petty victory.
As she disappeared out of the briefing room, he caught JC smirking at him from the other end of the room.
‘Don’t say a word,’ Harvey warned, as his friend walked towards him.
‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’
Harvey got up from his chair and stretched.
‘Here, hold onto this until tomorrow,’ he said, handing his friend the iPad.
‘Did you find anything?’ JC asked.
‘Some threats were made towards the coven on a popular magic-forum site. They received major criticism after the bombings. I flagged any users I thought were crazy enough to target the members. Shouldn’t be hard for the tech guys to track them from their IP addresses.’
‘It’ll probably end up being some teenage dirt-bag, trolling the internet with nothing better to do. I’m heading over to the club when I finish here, you coming?’
‘No, I’m going home.’
Harvey disappeared into his smoke cloud and drifted towards the exit. He wanted to teleport all the way back to his hotel room, but as he’d given JC a lift that morning, his car was still in the car park. He contemplated leaving it, but didn’t trust Carter not to run a key down the side.
Harvey reappeared in the underground parking garage. There was only one other car besides his own, which was parked over the back with the bonnet up. The thought crossed his mind to pretend he hadn’t noticed, but against his better judgement, he decided to check whether the owner needed help. Working with Ember was definitely bringing out the good side of him again.
As he got closer, he could see someone leaning inside the car, looking at the engine.
Ember.
Her arse pointed to the sky, giving him a glimpse of her black thong, as her jeans slipped down the further she leaned forward.
‘Car trouble?’
Ember stood up and wiped a dirty hand across her face.
‘I see your powers of observation are as sharp as ever,’ she said dryly. ‘I thought you were still working.’
‘Carter sent me home,’ he lied. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Well if I knew that, I’d have fixed it and been half way home by now.’
Harvey knew he should be offering to help, but he couldn’t get his mind off her sexy underwear. Black happened to be his favourite colour.
‘Earth to Harvey, come on - snap out of it.’
Ember waved her hand in front of his face and he instinctively grabbed it.
14
Harvey surprised me when he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.
‘You’re cold,’ he said, his voice echoing around the deserted parking garage. �
��You’re never cold.’
‘Do you know anything about cars?’ I asked, deliberately changing the subject, as being this close to him, I felt anything but cold.
‘Only how to drive them,’ he replied, stroking his finger across my nose and I shivered beneath his touch.
‘What are you doing?’ I whispered.
‘Cleaning you up,’ he said with a grin. ‘You have grease all over you.’
I looked down at my dirty hands, realising I had engine oil smeared over the back of them.
‘You have some here,’ Harvey said, as he ran his hand lightly over my cheek, ‘and here.’
I suppressed a groan, as he traced his fingertip along my jaw.
‘And here,’ he finished, cupping me under the chin.
My breathing was erratic and sent spirals of white vapour drifting up into air. There was a hint of recognition in Harvey’s dark eyes that told me he’d realised that I wasn’t quite as mad with him as I liked to portray.
We stood like that for a few seconds, neither of us seeming to know what to do next. Finally, Harvey released his grip on my chin and stepped away.
‘Come on, I’ll take you home,’ he said. ‘Call Carter and tell him to get one of the mechanics to look at your car in the morning.’
I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off.
‘No arguments. You’ve been awake for nearly twenty-four hours and you look beat. Let Carter sort it out while you sleep. You know he’d say the same thing as me.’
‘You’re probably right,’ I said, pulling my phone out of my handbag.
‘I’m always right,’ he replied, indicating towards the only other car in the underground garage and setting off in that direction.
I lingered behind in order to make my telephone call, as I didn’t want Harvey overhearing. As predicted, Carter told me not to worry and said he’d look at the engine himself.
‘Shall I ask one of the team to drop you home? I’d do it myself, but Agent Myles has me jumping through hoops. I’ll be glad when this damn review is over.’
‘No, it’s ok. Harvey has already offered me a lift.’
There were a few seconds of silence, before Carter said, ‘be careful around him.’
‘I always am.’
‘Colleen’s father has agreed to a meeting tomorrow,’ he continued, bringing the subject back to a safer topic - the mission. ‘I know it sounds sexist but Myles wants you to go. He thinks a woman will soften the blow.’
The thought of telling a man that his daughter was never coming home, filled me with dread.
‘Are you ok with that?’ he asked.
I wanted to say no, but the thought of my mother’s release from the supernatural detainment unit, had me saying yes.
‘I said I’d do whatever I had to do,’ I replied curtly.
‘Goodnight, Ember,’ Carter said, and then he ended the call before I could say anything else.
I put my phone away and took a moment to study Harvey’s choice of car, which was sleek, black, and expensive-looking. The alloy wheels gleamed as brightly as the paintwork.
‘This is what you drive?’ I asked, raising my eyebrows questioningly.
‘Hey, don’t judge my baby,’ he said, running his hand over the roof of the car. ‘I won her in a game of cards.’
‘And yet you know nothing about engines.’
‘Teleportation is my preferred method of transport, but sometimes I like the primitive feel of driving a car. And, I don’t know anything about the mechanics of a car because she’s never broken down on me.’
‘She?’
‘It’s a guy thing.’
Harvey opened the passenger door for me and I nodded my thanks. I slid into the leather seats, grateful to be out of the cold. The inside of the car was as luxurious as the outside, and I resisted the urge to touch the numerous buttons and dials on the dashboard.
Harvey shut the door, and then went around to the driver’s side and got in.
‘What are you looking for?’ he asked, as he started the engine.
‘Your cape.’
‘My cape?’
‘Yeah, I didn’t realise you were Batman.’
‘Ha ha, very funny.’
Harvey pushed the gearstick forward and pulled away with a screech of his tyres.
‘Another guy thing?’
‘It must be.’
I let my head fall back against the rest and closed my eyes. Harvey seemed happy to continue the journey in silence, but there was something on my mind. As the minutes ticked by, I felt the tension building inside me. After half an hour or so, I felt like I was going to burst.
‘Can I ask you a question?’ I asked.
‘Sure,’ he replied. ‘As long as it has nothing to do with how much I wanted to kiss you earlier.’
I wasn’t shocked to hear he’d felt the same pull as I had, but that didn’t mean I knew how to handle it. Maybe I should’ve opened my eyes to confront him, but I was a coward so squeezed them tighter shut.
‘I was just going to ask where you went…when you left.’
Harvey pressed the breaks hard, jolting me forward.
‘Here you go, home sweet home,’ he said.
I opened my eyes and looked out of the window, then back to Harvey as he switched the engine off. It slowly registered that he’d not asked for my address.
‘How did you know to come here?’
For a split-second, he looked guilty but he recovered quickly.
‘I’m sorry; I just assumed you were staying at your mother’s house. I didn’t think to ask if you wanted to go somewhere else’
‘That doesn’t answer my question.’
Harvey slid his hands over the steering wheel.
‘I might have been following you around for a little while,’ he admitted.
‘You might have been following me around,’ I repeated. ‘What the hell for?’
‘I heard that you lost the lease on your flat while you were in the detainment unit, and I remembered your mother’s address from your file so I brought you here. No big deal.’
‘No big deal, are you shitting me? Why were you reading my personal records?’
‘I took a sneaky peak at everyone’s records. That pink, plastic psychiatrist we used to see when we were recruits, used to drink brandy in the afternoon and fall asleep at her desk so it was easy to teleport inside her office. She didn’t hear me going through her files.’
‘That doesn’t explain why you read them,’ I stressed.
Harvey shrugged. ‘I suppose I read them because I wanted to know whether I could trust a succubus, a fire-witch, an ogre, and a rat-shifter. It was for the sake of the assignment. Nothing else.’
‘Ah, the assignment you decided to screw me over - literally.’
I saw the flash of anger in his eyes at my accusation. I was being unfair, but couldn’t stop. Harvey had earned his freedom fair and square, before giving it up to save me.
‘Look, there were things going on at that time, individual assignments you didn’t know about, things you wouldn’t want to know about. Believe me when I say, I did you a favour. You should be grateful.’
Harvey must’ve realised he’d said the wrong thing from the look of fury on my face.
‘No, wait, that didn’t come out right,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean grateful…’
His voice trailed off, as I unfastened my seat belt and opened the passenger door.
‘Go to hell, Harvey.’
15
‘I was talking about the assignment, Ember. You should be grateful for the pardon, not what happened between us, come on, don’t go…wait.’
Harvey didn’t know whether she’d heard any of what he’d said over the slamming of the car door. She marched towards her mother’s house, and he contemplated following her, but the resolute crash as she closed the door, told him he was better off letting her calm down.
Women!
Harvey’s phone lit up, signalling he had a text message. The gl
ow of the screen cast a blueish beam around the dark interior of the car. He lifted the phone from its cradle on the dashboard.
MEET ME AT THE CLUB. GOT MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE.
Harvey typed a one-word answer to JC, as he wasn’t in the mood for socialising.
TIRED.
His phone lit up almost instantly with a reply.
FUCK OFF. I’LL LET YOU HAVE THE BRUNETTE.
Harvey stretched his arms above his head, as far as the roof of the car would allow, until he felt the tension leave his shoulders and then sent a reply.
IF YOU’RE OFFERING THE BRUNETTE, I WANT THE BLONDE.
Again, the response came back straight away.
YOU COULDN’T HANDLE THE BLONDE.
That made Harvey smile, as he typed his answer.
GIVE ME TEN MINUTES.
Harvey started the engine and deliberately wheel-spun away, hoping Ember heard it. She was unpredictable at the moment, blowing hot then cold, and he couldn’t keep up with her constant mood swings.
He drove recklessly, nipping in and out of gaps in the traffic, gambling on the traffic lights turning green as he approached, until he arrived at the swanky hotel he was living in. He’d never bothered buying a property over the years, as he never stayed in the same place for very long, and an opulent hotel room had all the comforts and anonymity that he required.
Harvey parked his car and teleported directly into his hotel room. Only once had he scared a house cleaner while she was turning down his bed, and he’d quickly silenced her in the best way he’d known how – he’d fucked her. Now he avoided her at all costs, as she kept unexpectedly turning up, wanting a repeat performance.
Harvey walked into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. He brushed his teeth and sniffed his armpits, deciding a spurt of deodorant would suffice rather than a shower. He changed his T-shirt for a black button-down shirt, and put on a clean pair of jeans.
Harvey closed his eyes, and visualised the outside of JC’s favourite club. Within seconds, he’d transformed into his smoke cloud and teleported to Wild Side.