Page 2 of Dual Nature

Finished with her work, Margaret turned her attention to me, removing her glasses. “Things went smoothly on your end? The client was pleased with the speed you were able to accomplish things.”

“Yes, ma’am, everything went without a hitch,” I answered succinctly. “He hardly put up a struggle.”

“What about the front desk girl? Do you feel certains she won’t make the connection?”

Cocking my head to the side, I mentally reviewed the whole situation to be sure. “She will be far too shocked over the matter of a man dying in the building to put two and two together. It was on an entirely different floor from the one I requested access to.”

Perching her chin on the back of her hand, she looked at me with an assessing gaze. Having come to some decision, she put her glasses back on and reached for a file, opening it and glancing at it before handing it to me. “Alright then, with that matter settled, this is your next assignment. I know you just got back, but this—this cannot wait.”

Inside the folder was a picture of a stunning woman covered in silk and jewels. As I skimmed through the information, I discovered Delilah was a rich socialite in New York City. Her parents were old money, connected to the airline industry, and they funded whatever their youngest daughter’s heart desired.

“What’s not in that file is that this order has been handed to us by the United Senate. They want the job done in the next two weeks, or sooner if possible,” Margaret shared, causing me to gape at her. “What, did you think the Organization had escaped their notice? How foolish. They allow us to function as long as we occasionally do favors for them. This will be one such favor.”

The United Senate had been created when supernaturals came out into the open. Each of the major supernatural races were a part of it, along with humans, to make sure all parties were represented. Typically, they handled things related to supers, leaving the human matters to our government.

“So she’s not human?”

“No, Delilah is very much human, but she’s been keeping supernaturals as pets. They found out she’s forcing these supers to turn people for her friends to hunt for amusement. That breaks the number one rule of the United Senate and simply cannot be allowed. The problem lies with the fact that she is too high profile for the legal route. Her parents would just bribe and pay off anyone who tried to arrest her or send her to trial,” Margaret explained. “I tell you this because you need to be aware that there are supers around her, and we don’t know what kind or how many. There is also no way to tell which could be loyal to her through choice or coercion.”

“That makes things difficult,” I murmured. My focus had switched to the map in the file. It provided details of the ranch property she had been spending the majority of her time at. The main house was large, with two barns and some other outbuildings set behind it. My gut instinct said, and my gut was hardly wrong, that those buildings would be where the supers were held.

It was the perfect scenario for what she was doing. No one around for miles and plenty of room to keep her pets without anyone taking notice.

“The best way for you to get the job done is during one of her parties. Contrary to what the news and other media outlets have been sharing, she isn’t stupid. Each guest list is vetted, and only people she knows and trusts can bring a guest. If that guest turns out to be a problem, they become the hunted.”

“This chick is fucked up in the head,” I said, shaking my head. “How am I going to get close enough to one of her friends by the deadline?” Turning a friend against someone so powerful took time and the perfect strategy. If this woman was as manipulative as it sounded, her hold on the people she kept close would be hard to break in a month, let alone fourteen days.

Margaret gave me an evil smile. “This is where it pays to be friendly with the Senate. They have someone on the inside who is willing to get you into the party. In exchange, they won’t torture him while they have him imprisoned for the rest of his life.”

“That will help,” I said, snapping the folder shut as I stood.

“Finley, you’ll need to be smarter than Delilah. This is a difficult job with many unknown variables and hidden players. That’s why I picked you personally—not everyone can adjust to changes in the moment like you can. Use all that we have taught you in the past twenty-five years. I have a feeling you’re going to need it,” Margaret said, her steel gaze piercing. “Good. Now, go get some sleep. Your flight leaves in eight hours.”

As I left the office and headed for my room, I couldn’t get over the fact that this job worried Margaret. Never had she cautioned me to this extent, and it made me think there was more to this situation that she wasn’t telling me. That was the job, though. Margaret was the bow, and we were the arrow—without question, we went where she sent us.

Never once had Margaret steered me wrong, but something about this job made me wonder if there really was a first time for everything…

two

The best way to describe January in New York was gray. The sky was cloudy and overcast. The snow had turned to a murky color, no longer fresh and clean, and the trees were barren skeletons of themselves. With all the buildings, lights, and people rushing about, you didn’t notice this as much in the city, but out here in the country, it was less than idyllic.

Since I landed two days ago, I’d been holed up in my hotel room, researching everything I could about Delilah and her friends. They had all grown up in the same circle, and Delilah had always been the ringleader—well, gatekeeper, more like. If she decided you were out, then nothing could save you except fixing whatever you did to piss her off.

Maxwell Casper, the gentleman who I was “friends” with, had been a stalwart companion of Delilah’s for years. He was a flamboyantly gay man who dabbled in his own line of men’s accessories. For the past three months, he had been in Paris, working with a few designers, and Delilah was throwing a party out at the ranch this weekend to celebrate his return. He was bringing me along as his plus one, a fast new friend he’d made on the trip. It was something he apparently had a habit of doing.

Sitting in the corner of the bright pink Hummer limo, I observed the four other people we had picked up along the way. Delilah was already at the ranch, while the rest of us had to drive three hours to join her, giving me plenty of time to study their interactions. My natural disposition was to be more on the quiet side, but my training had taught me to blend in with any crowd. I could be the quiet one when it suited the job, but I knew how to open up when that was the best course of action. Right now, with everyone fighting for the spotlight, it wasn’t hard for me to fade into the background.

“Alexia, how is it that Maxwell talked you into coming all the way from France for this party?” Jemma asked, cutting off all other conversation as they looked at me.

Ah, it seemed the interrogation had begun.

“Oh, I’m actually just starting out in the fashion industry, and Maxwell totally saved my ass. I was picking out fabric for my next line of lingerie, and the store owner was trying to swindle me on the price. Of course, I don’t speak a word of French, so I wasn’t even sure what he was trying to tell me! Max was there, doing his own shopping, and swooped in to save the day.” I giggled, giving Maxwell a playful smack on the arm.

Maxwell flashed me a bright smile, shaking his head before he turned to the others. “The poor thing looked so lost, I just couldn’t in good conscience let that man trick her like that. We have to look out for our own in this fierce business. Especially since Alexia isn’t as blessed as those of us with filthy rich parents. This girl has been slaving out of a rented workspace in the warehouse district.”

The others gasped at this information, eyes wide in horror.

“You poor thing, having to live like that. I hope Maxy paid for your flight out here since I’m sure he didn’t give you an option,” Lilly said, her plump injected lips giving me an exaggerated pout that I thought was supposed to be reassuring. Instead, it just made me want to roll my eyes at how bad her acting was, knowing she was insulting me.