I flinched. Tia wasn’t partaking in corporate espionage; she was getting a healthy dose of dick. I’m sure this is where Booker would have poked holes in her stories and turned the conversation around. If my real goal had been fussing her out as the office mastermind, I might have pushed harder. Truth, there were more pressing matters.
I maintained my calm as I opened the folder. I pulled the photo free and flicked it across the table. She hadn’t finished grinding her teeth. Good, I wanted her angry. The more aggravated she became, the more likely she’d slip. Ihad learned that from nightly patrols. It made the bad guys sloppy.
“What am I looking at?”
“Tell me what you see.”
“I see a hot ass chick getting seriously annoyed.” With the snap of a finger, she sent it sailing in my direction. “Stop pretending you have anything. You’re playing a game you can’t win. So let’s just confirm I’m not?—”
My fist came down on the table hard enough to leave a dent. Tia jumped, her eyes darting between the aftermath and my face.
“Let’s be clear.” My powers turned my eyes black. “I amnotplaying.”
She didn’t have a witty retort. The expression on her face hovered somewhere between confusion and fear. Tia stopped seeing Drew and got her first glimpse of Hellion. I slowly rose, leaning over the table, my weight braced on my knuckles.
“The tattoo.”
She leaned back in her chair, trying to maintain distance between us. The next time my fist came down, I’d put it through the metal. With deliberate slowness, I raised my head, letting her see my obsidian colored eyes. I gambled, outing my powers. Tia needed to know the Drew she snarled at every morning wasn’t in the room.
“You work for the Trident.”
“What? No. Who?”
“Are you one of their lackeys?”
I picked up the photo and held it in front of her face. She recoiled. Tia had a mouth that wouldn’t quit, but it seemed her bravado faltered the moment she found herself outmatched.
“I don’t know?—”
My knuckles smashed into the table, the metal almost shearing. She yelped when she jumped. The thought of her dangling in the air didn’t look so bad right now. I wanted the name of her employer. Whoever had put the bounty on my head was to blame for the other night. I’d go on the warpath until I got my revenge. Tia didn’t want to see what a monster wasreallycapable of doing.
“Who put the bounty on my head?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Tell me!”
If I threw the table to the side, she’d tell me everything I wanted to hear. We approached her breaking point, and if I needed to?—
“It’s not a tattoo.” She flashed her forearm. Not even tattoo removal would have left clean skin. “It—” Tears fell down her cheeks. “I went to a V.I.P. event. They stamped our arms.”
“What event?” The answer was there, one more statement. “What event!”
The door opened, and I nearly lunged. Every muscle in my body had tensed, ready for a fight. I froze as Booker walked into the room. His eyes darted between Tia and me. He staggered for a moment, back against the doorframe. He used the handle to keep himself upright while he steadied his breathing.
Between the table and the assistant with tears down her face, I had all but outed myself. My hypothetical curiosity about telling him the truth had come true. It’d be nearly impossible to explain the perfectly shaped fist impressions on the surface of a metal table.
“Let’s calm down,” he said.
The words were like a cool breeze against my skin. Hellion didn’t want to listen. I wanted answers and a person I could direct my anger toward. Trident was the reason I was at odds with my co-workers, and they deserved to pay.
“Calm,” he repeated with another exhale.
Tia’s body relaxed. It was hard to ignore the command. My fingers flexed, the tension easing from my body. No. I wanted to ride the fury. Booker stepped forward, hand on my shoulder. With his fingers gripping, I couldn’t hold onto the anger. All I could think about was that hand wrapped around mine, his thumb brushing my skin.
“What’s going on?” The words came out staggered, as if he had just run a marathon.
“Wanted a confession before you arrived.” Truth, even if it wasn’t the whole thing. “I was asking her about her involvement in our investigation. I wanted a confession.”
