A soft smile was her only response as she crawled into my lap, laid her long, beautiful legs over the arm of the chair, and wrapped her arms around my neck.
She let me hold her for over an hour before my phone went off. I ignored it the first time, just squeezing her tighter, but when it immediately rang again, I sighed and she climbed off my lap and stood, legs wide, and crossed her arms over her chest.
Answering the phone, I growled, “Talk, and it better be good.”
“We have a lead on Hillabrand.”
My attention snapped to Elin. “Pick him up and take him to my favorite hiking trail up the road.”
“Yes, sir.”
After hanging up, my Goddess’s chin was still high as she asked, “I’m assuming you need to go and handle a family matter?”
“I do, Goddess.”
“Very well. Is there anything else you need from me today?”
“No, ma’am.”
She gave me a curt nod as I stood, but then grabbed my chin. “Remember who you are.” The statement was hugely outof context considering what she knew, but it resonated with me deeper than she could ever know. “Now, kiss your Goddess goodbye.”
I didn’t hesitate. My lips crashed onto hers, and I pulled her close. She opened for me, allowing me to deepen the kiss. Fuck, this woman was going to destroy me. I was so completely hers, and she didn’t even know it.
Pulling back, I rested my forehead on hers, both of us breathing heavy. The words were on the tip of my tongue, and I was physically straining to hold them back. Her eyes were closed, so I gave her one more quick kiss on the lips.
When I was halfway to the door, she said, “I’m heading home in about an hour, and I think I’m going to take tomorrow off. Check in with me in the morning?”
Worried I would say something I really shouldn’t, I simply nodded and walked out. Five minutes later, I was straddling my bike, slipping my helmet on, starting it with a thunderous roar, and speeding down the road.
Thesunshonethroughthe branches, and the wind rustled the leaves outside, but after we walked into the old, abandoned building, the cold concrete walls and floors sent a chill through the room. Slowly, we made our way down the rickety stairs to the basement, where right in the middle, was Barry Hillabrand, the FBI agent ruining my life, tied up like a present under the Christmas tree. I strode across the basement floor until I towered over him, watching as his lips curled into that insufferable grin, his eyes dancing with amusement despite his current situation.
“Gavriel Azzaro. The Owl’s Talon himself.”
“Agent Hillabrand. It appears I need an exterminator for a rat. I’d like to take care of that sooner rather than later to keep from having an infestation.”
His throat bobbed. “I’m not telling you anything.”
“But see, Harley here tells me you’ve been cooperative. So, how did you find out about all of our dealings?”
“I’m not giving up my informant.” Harley walked over to a bag he had brought over, and when metal clinked inside, the agent continued, “Besides, they had a change of heart. They haven’t fed me anything in ages.”
“Who?”
He shook his head as Harley handed me a bottle of carbonated water. I shook it as Harley went to stand behind the agent, to hold him in place. “I’ll ask one more time.”
“And I’ll tell you the same thing. They said something about a change of heart, and I haven’t gotten anything from them in months.”
Harley’s hand went to Hillabrand’s forehead and pulled his head back just as I put the bottle up to his nose and twisted the cap off. The pressure from the carbonation sprayed the soda up into his sinuses.
Agent Hillabrand jerked and sputtered. When I stepped back, liquid was coming out of every orifice in his face. He caught his breath after a moment and just glared at me.
I reached for another bottle and smirked. “I have a twelve pack of these. We can go ahead and blow your sinuses out if you’d like.” His only answer was to lift his chin and give me a defiant glare. Shrugging, I shook the bottle in my hand. “So be it.”
He glared at me, face wet and red, breathing hard through his nose like he was going to try to spit in my face, but the only thing he managed was to drip more sparkling water down his chin.
Harley smirked, but I could see the frustration in the hard line of his jaw. He wanted this over with. I wanted it over with, too,but I wasn’t going to let Hillabrand die without giving me the information I needed. The agent had already ruined too fucking much for me to take half measures now.
“You’re going to run out of bottles before I run out of stubborn,” Hillabrand muttered. It came out choked and nasal, but that cocky grin was back. “Maybe try something a little less bland?”
