If his goal had been to confuse me, he succeeded. Michael clearly had thoughts on why an angel would be experimenting with Drevlin tech, but he deliberately withheld the information. “Do you know who’s behind this?”
“No, which is why I’m here.” He took a sip and fixed his gaze on me. “I’m sending you to Minnesota to find out what’s going on.”
Of course he was. From the moment he showed me the map, I knew this would be my “assignment.” I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t say no. “Do you have any other information I can review or is it confidential?”
“Yes.” He pulled a small data crystal from his inner coat pocket. “This has everything we know so far, where you’ll be staying, and how to contact your partner.”
I paused before taking the crystal, and Michael smirked.
“Partner? I work alone. I’m not good at taking orders.”
“Your skill set is ideal for this mission, but it could be dangerous.” Michael leaned forward and all hints of amusement were gone. “You’ll be in charge, but I’m sending someone to help protect you if needed.”
I met his gaze and swallowed my initial objection. This wasn’t up for debate, but more importantly, he was doing this for me. Michael might have a reputation of being aloof, but he’d spent his life protecting our kind. I never realized it applied to each of us individually. “Thank you. Who will I be working with?”
“Orion.”
He’d saved the last shock for last. “Orion Blake?”
“Yes.”
Of all the angels he could’ve picked, he chose Orion. Long before I was born, he was a foster brother to my older siblings. Dad taught him how to fight and he’d become a legend. He met his partner centuries before I came along, and I only met him a few times. I think Michael and I just said more words than Orion and I shared.
Just fucking great. “I’m in charge of the mission, right?”
Michael nodded slowly. “Of the investigation, yes, but he’s in charge of keeping you safe.”
On its face, this didn’t appear so dangerous I required a bodyguard. I’d study the information provided, but I got thefeeling Orion’s assignment had more to do with something other than my protection. “What’s really going on, Michael? I’m not refusing, but I think I have a right to know what I’m getting into before I leave.”
A smile stretched Michael’s lips and it added to his beauty. Not that I was crushing on our leader. “I’m glad to see your intuition and deductive skills are as sharp as I was told. Orion needs a purpose. Someone he cared about hurt him and he’s lost his way. I’m hoping that feeling useful will bring him back.”
A flurry of thoughts hit me at once, and none of them were positive. I was Orion’s reclamation project. Except if Michael thought I needed protection, this wasn’t exactly the time for rebuilding someone’s sense of purpose. “Michael . . .”
“I know what you’re thinking, but he’s not a withdrawn, drunken sod. He’s adrift and thinks he’s not useful. Being blunt, we need the old Orion back before the Drevlin reach us. This might be our last chance before it’s too late.”
Slice it however you liked, Orion was unreliable, and my life was depending on him. Unfortunately, Michael didn’t present this as an option. “What if he doesn’t come around? I’ll be the one who pays the price.”
Michael pulled his phone out of his pocket and started to type. I expected a rebuke or at the least an assurance, not silence. I mean, who texts someone in the middle of a serious discussion about life and death?
My phone chirped and buzzed, but unlike Michael I ignored it.
“You should answer that,” he said. “It’s from me.”
This was the weirdest conversation I’d ever had with any angel, let alone our leader. I dug out my phone and flipped the phone face up. “What’s this?”
“Gabriel’s phone number.” He pocketed his phone. “If Orion doesn’t step up, call Gabriel and he’ll find a replacement. Or do it himself.”
I stared at my screen, looking at the number but not seeing it. Clearly, Michael and his brothers put more than a little thought into this plan. “Thank you. For everything. You didn’t need to be this understanding.”
“Of course.” He pulled his suit coat from the back of my couch and put it on. “As much as we want the old Orion back, we want you to come home safely more. I’m hoping I can do both, but not if it puts you in harm’s way.
“The crystal has all the details of your assignment and how to send me updates. Good luck, Zeke.”
He left before I could find my voice to answer. After watching the empty door too long, I woke up my computer and checked my calendar. I had a few cases I’d have to back out of, but nothing that would affect my business.
Brenda was going to have a field day with the news. She would also be jealous as fuck that Michael came to my office to give me the assignment. On balance, I’d count it as a win.
Before I sent my system back into hiding, I couldn’t resist. I searched for information about my new partner. I’d left my parents’ house years before Orion’s breakup. They’d mention his name in passing, but no one said more than a few words. I needed to put my skills to work and find out as much as I could.
