Malcolm grinned in the face of his boss’s frown. He’d surprised the man to speechlessness before the arguing began. What did he care? He had nothingto lose. Since this would be his last assignment, he might as well prove his point in the process.
Cameron Douglas moved his thick brown hair off his forehead. “Are you sure you want Joy for a partner? I can think of a dozen other spirit guides that might be of more help to you. As I said, this is your last chance. I’d think you’d want someone you could work well with.”
“If you think someoneelse would be better then why let me choose who I want?” He floated closer and solidified. “If I choose poorly then I fail and I’m out of your hair. I can’t believe you want me to succeed. What game are you playing, Douglas?”
His supervisor turned away from him, his movements rigid. “Believe me, if I had a choice, you’d be the last one I’d send on this assignment.”
He stiffened. His work hadalways produced the wanted results. If his methods were different from most spirit guides, what did it matter? He followed the rules and accomplished what needed to be done. If half of them, his boss included, had any inkling of what the future held, they’d change how they guided the living, of that he was sure.
Refusing to let Cameron know he was irritated, he leaned against the wall next tohis boss’s desk to await his partner. He couldn’t imagine them reassigning him. It wasn’t as if the afterlife needed to be protected, which was the only other skill he excelled at. Something wasn’t making sense.
He was the only spirit guide left from the future. The rest were either reassigned or had disappeared. That he was being given a partner on this case meant it would be a particularlydifficult one. Rarely did they partner up.
“If you didn’t always show the worst-case scenario and if you would carefully couch your words in more palatable phrases, you wouldn’t be in jeopardy of losing your position.” Cameron’s voice had just a tinge of desperation to it.
Something was seriously wrong. Though he’d never been overly fond of his boss, the man had a stellar track record and didhis job with confidence. “Have I ever failed to deliver the desired outcome?”
Cameron sighed. “It’s not just the outcome that counts. The process should also be—never mind. It’s not worth having this conversation for the hundredth time.” Cameron’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
Now he was sure something, other than his own dismissal, was riding on this assignment. A twinge of guilt niggled athis psyche, but he pushed it away. Joy was an accomplished spirit guide. The antithesis of him, but still very successful. Not only would they do what needed to be done, but he would show her reality, proving to her that her way of looking at life and death was far too idealistic.
She was too happy and too confident in that happiness. She needed to be taught, as he’d taught a couple others, thather way of guiding the living would only leave them unprepared for what lay ahead. The future was not puppies and marshmallows.
Cameron leaned back in his chair and looked over at him. “How do you know Joy? I didn’t think you spent your free time in the same places she does.”
He shook his head. “I don’t. But having been here longer than you, I run into other guides whether I want to or not.I also know of her success rate with the living, and if as you say, this is my last chance to prove I should keep my job, I want the best.”
His boss nodded. “She is the best, but her methods are far different from yours. Then again, maybe you’ll learn something that will help you. I’d listen to her if I were you.”
Or maybe she’d learn from him, which was his goal. He crossed his arms, refusingto respond to Cameron’s statement. The woman was unprepared for what he planned to—
Joy Collingwood phased through the ceiling and floated down to hover in front of Cameron’s desk before turning solid. Her sleeveless dress cinched in at the waist to show off her figure and flared out slightly at the knee. The turquoise running riot through the purple swirls on the material matched her eyes perfectly,and knowing her, that was planned.
His gaze followed her long legs down to her feet where she wore strappy sandals and a practical heel. As his eyes moved to her face, he found her straight auburn hair swept up in a neat bun, as usual. She wore small pearl earrings in her pierced ears and a pearl necklace that matched the neckline of her modest dress. Despite that, his body still noticed everyfeminine curve from her ample breasts to her rounded hips.
The scent of peppermint wafted toward him, and he barely refrained from grimacing, the scent itself too happy for his tastes. As her lips lifted in a polite smile toward their boss, he found himself focused on her white teeth. She looked like an ad in one of those woman’s magazines that were so popular in America in the twentieth century.As far as he was concerned, her entire appearance was unreal. Too perfect. Too put together. Too content.
He would change that.
“You wished to see me?” Even her voice was soothing, which caused irritation to flash through him.
Cameron rose from behind the desk and held out his hand. “Please take a seat.”
She sat, crossing one long limb over the other before her gaze rested on him. “Oh, helloMalcolm.”
He nodded once, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he watched her like a hawk watched a hare.
She smiled politely, but it didn’t quite reach her bright blue-green eyes. She returned her gaze to Cameron as if she wished to dismiss him. She was in for a surprise.
Cameron leaned against his desk. “I know I told you to take some time to relax after your last case, but I’m afraid the powers-that-behave other plans.”
At his boss’s phrasing, Malcolm perked up. He’s the one who chose Joy to partner with, not the higher ups. Did that mean he was being tested by those above Cameron? If he was, did they know he’d choose Joy or would they be as surprised as Cameron to discover his choice? He didn’t like being manipulated. It only happened once that he knew of when he was alive and it had costhim his life.
Again, a pang of conscience hit him for dragging Joy into his mission, but it left as soon as it arrived. If Cameron’s boss expected him to fail, he or she or it was in for a rude awakening.
Joy nodded. “Of course, I understand. I hadn’t decided what I wanted to do anyway.” She cocked her head slightly to the right when she made her statement.
Something inside him suggested shehadn’t been completely truthful. Not that she lied, but maybe didn’t admit to everything. He’d have to watch that behavior on their assignment. He’d learned a lot on the streets that had kept him alive for as long as he was there.
