“How did you pull that off?” Mac asked. “He hates our guts because we don’t grovel.”
She knew it was more than that. It was one hundred percent a boy’s club. He disliked that Tora was a woman, and that told her she likely was good at her job.
He disliked Mac because he was loyal, and stood up for his partner.
When she came to a stop, she was to the point.
“It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission,” she said. “Remember that.”
Tora actually wrote that down.
The woman was in her late thirties, and she was still a sponge, wanting to learn. Mac was in his mid thirties, and loyal.
Yeah, she could handle that.
“I’m going to be honest. I don’t let men tell me no. Ask the husbands. They’ll tell you. He told me no more dogs, and don’t you know that I have another German Shepherd puppy coming my way?”
Ethan laughed.
“We had a deal. You got that dog because of that. If I had my way, Kanje, Sungila, and Raven would be it.”
She shrugged.
Two nights ago, she dreamed about Babylon.
God.
That was her soul dog, and she missed him.
That’s why she told Callen get her a long-haired floof that looked like him. She was trying to find that love again. He’d been the best dog, likely because his original owner had abused him, and she’d loved him more than any other creature on earth.
“Anyway, he wanted to replace you both. That makes me curious as to why.”
Mac pointed at his partner.
“He’s a lecherous douchebag. I have my partner’s back. We work well together. She’s the brains, and I’m the muscle.”
She sighed, making Ethan laugh.
She’d just thought she wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but the bottom line was she liked a gamble.
And this was a big one.
Elizabeth did something she rarely did. She told them her plans up front.
Normally, she hired someone after they proved themselves. This time, she wanted to see how motivated they’d be. That mattered too on her team.
“Well, that’s shitty—the first part. Loyalty matters to me, as does work ethic. I don’t ask anyone to do anything I don’t already do.”
They didn’t say anything.
“If you work this case, and you show me that you’re competent detectives, there is room on my team in Damascus for two more agents. I’m willing to open that door for you to step through it.”
They both stared at each other.
Then, her.
Elizabeth continued.
