“Terrible weather we’re having today,DemigodKieran,” Daisy said as she stopped beside Boman. “Didn’t feel like bothering to make a pretty day?”
Kieran shrugged. A little smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Not really, no. It’s my day off.”
Half the guys in the kitchen huffed out a laugh.
“I think I have fog burn,” Bria mumbled.
“No, no, no.” Lexi grabbed the back of Mordecai’s shirt as he tried to scoot out of the kitchen. “No way. Who is this girl—woman, I mean? I want to hear more. I’m so excited for you!”
Daisy’s heels clicked across the tiled floor. Shestopped behind Henry, Mr. Charming. His magic as a level five Reflector wasn’t why he was so useful to this crew. His powers of espionage and information gathering had few rivals. Papers were spread across the table between him and Zorn. Henry’s open computer showed several grotesque images Daisy had already seen. The little dove feather lay atop the person’s ruined chest.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
It was Amber who answered, standing in the far corner. “Another death, as you know.” She lifted a manicured eyebrow at Daisy. “I almost didn’t notice you going through my files. If I hadn’t been on my computer at the time, I wouldn’t have. You need to wait until your subject is not using what you are after before you try to slip past their defenses. How’d you get my passwords?”
“By being sneaky,” Daisy answered, then mimicked Amber’s expression. “While you were cleverly forcing me out and blocking my re-entry, I grabbed what I’d actually been after. But thanks for the pep talk, coach.”
Amber’s eyes narrowed slightly. The twitch of her head was barely noticeable. The woman hardly ever showed emotion. When she did, it meant she was thrown off her game.
“Oohburn,” Jack said delightedly, his big arms flared as he cooked. “Gremlin, one. Amber, eight hundred and sixty-three.”
“You just killed her moment, bro,” Donovan told him, laughing. “She’ll get you for that.”
“I do love me an angry gremlin.” Jack’s laughter filled the kitchen.
Daisy had gotten the garage code to Amber’s secret residence. Now she needed to decide how she’d unnerve Amber with the information. These little games kept them all vigilant. Also, they were fun. She’d gotten very good at them.
Zorn, wearing all black, smirked as he stood. It meant Daisy had done a good job.
“Time to go.” He picked a pair of gloves off the table. He would ride with her in the limo before switching to the car he’d left close to the event center. There he’d wait in case something went wrong. Hopefully he wouldn’t be waiting long.
“Be careful,” Lexi called after them as Daisy followed Zorn to the door.
“Don’t take any chances,” Kieran added, his stormy blue eyes concerned.
“I got this,” Daisy told the kitchen at large.
The guys whooped and cheered her on, and she felt that warm glow of family. She loved this place and these people. She loved it when they all gathered together for dinners and cheer, celebrating their tight group. Most of all, she loved that they would take time out of their busy schedules to support her. This was her second mostly solo job, and they were giving her encouragement for it. That meant so much.
Now she just hoped everything she’d told Lexi a moment ago was true. She hoped that fae had other things to do tonight, like stay in his own realm far away from her.
7
The charity event was held at The Gala, a swanky and prestigious hotel in a prominent location downtown. The grandeur of the building could be seen from down the block, its artfully placed lights shining up its luxurious façade. Perfectly sculpted and maintained shrubbery lined the wide, circular driveway. The limo glided to the red carpet, and the hum of anticipation filled Daisy.
Time to shine. Her life had pushed her toward this, pressed on her until the result shimmered like a diamond. Then she’d trained. Oh how she’d trained. She was ready for this.
Fuck, she really hoped she was ready for this.
Nervousness rolled through her stomach as she connected eyes with Zorn. He sat near the glass partition separating the passenger area from the driver.She touched the subtle earpiece in her left ear. Zorn tapped a button on his phone, eliciting a tiny beep. It was live.
She nodded before touching the location device sewn into the waist of her pants. He mimicked her nod. On and tracking. The panic button was sewn into the other side. She waited for him to push buttons on his phone before she touched it. He nodded again. All was active. She was covered, just in case.
The limo stopped between the red velvet ropes. Zorn watched her quietly as the attendant on the curb approached her door. No expression flitted across his face.
“Be safe,” he murmured.
She inclined her head.I will.
