Page 48 of Our Tricks

“That’s the risk any law enforcement officer takes when they go undercover. No matter who or what their mission is, the job is the same. Get in, get close, become valuable, learn all you can, and get the fuck out. It’s really easy to spot but never once have I ever forced anyone to become an addict or to be tortured badly enough that they survived to be broken. I’d put them out of their misery. So you’re going to have to clue me in on what the fuck I did wrong?” I said bluntly.

“You stole my little brother,” Dr. Lowe announced. “He went undercover to take you down and has been lost to us forever because of you. They told us two years ago that he cut off all contact, and no one’s managed to find him.”

“Well, if you want to tell me his name or show me what he looks like, I might be able to help you get some answers,” I offered.

“I don’t want your help,” she spat. “He’s probably at the bottom of a lake or crushed in a car in some dump.”

“Wow, first of all, you’ve been watching way too many episodes of The Sopranos. That’s not how I’d deal with my dead bodies… too easy to be found again later.” As a stapler came hurtling at my head, I realized that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say as I ducked out of the way. “Clearly, you’re upset, so I’m just gonna go.”

When I turned to leave, I saw a picture on the wall of Dr. Lowe and a man with his arm wrapped around her lovingly.

The man was Brian.

Chapter 18

Dax

Holy fucking shit, Dr. Lowe’s little brother was Brian. Why hadn’t I ever considered the fact he might have a family he gave up when he decided to jump ship. Do I tell her? Should I ask Brian first? Fuck, I hated being put in situations like this. There was no winning.

“Is this your brother?” I asked, pointing at the photograph. I had to be sure if I was going to decide what I was going to do.

“Are you asking because you recognize him from one of the many dead bodies you’ve buried?” Dr. Lowe snarled.

Maybe she didn’t deserve to know he was alive. If she did, then I had no doubt she’d do everything in her power to bring him back. That would put Brian in more danger, and I owed him more than that. Maybe I’d tell him I met his sister and she was doing well, or maybe I wouldn’t. If he chose to walk away from that life, would me telling him about her be helpful or harmful? Fuck if I know, a problem to deal with another day.

“No, I just couldn’t mistake the family resemblance and had to ask,” I commented then looked back at her. “He doesn’t look familiar to me at all, so if he disappeared, I’m definitely not the one who killed him.” Which wasn’t a lie. I absolutely did not kill him.

Without giving her a chance to say anything more, I left her office and found a team of FBI agents walking in. Leading the team was none other than my bestest bud, Deputy Assistant Director Simon Maxwell. So much for going back to D.C.

“Maxwell,” I greeted with a wide smile. “What brings you here?”

“Apparently you,” he muttered. “Also, it’s Agent Maxwell, Mrs. Blackmore.”

“Here I was thinking we’d become friends,” I said with a pout that fell away the moment I saw Agent Park. “Oh, goodie.”

Picasso came to stand behind me, resting his hands on my hips, lending me his support as the agent gave me a look of disgust. “Just ignore him, spitfire. You spanked him soundly last night, and I’m betting it still smarts. Children never like to accept their punishments, and he’s no different.”

Leaning back against his chest, I wrapped his arms around my waist. “Just make sure I don’t kill him and really get myself tossed in jail. Somehow I’ve managed to get clean-enough kills that they have nothing to use.”

He chuckled and kissed my cheek. “I’ll do my best, but when you make up your mind about something, it’s hard to dissuade you.”

I harrumphed, but he made a good point—I wasn’t the easiest to control. Cam chatted with the men and explained what happened on our end while Eagle and Wes talked to them about what they experienced up-front.

“Come on,” I whispered, taking Picasso’s hand. “I want to check on Mariana and Alvaro.”

Picasso signaled something to Cognac, who nodded his head and nudged Sprocket, who looked over at us. With a thumbs up, they shifted so their bodies blocked us from Agent Maxwell and Park. When we reached the door, Picasso pulled out a keycard, and I saw it was Dr. Lowe’s. Clearly, that’s what she’d been looking for.

“How did you manage to swipe that?” I asked once we made it through the door.

Picasso just grinned. “You’re not the only one who has some tricks of their own. Artists have incredibly skilled fingers, don’t you know?”

“Remind me to ask for a demonstration later when we can take our time,” I teased, wagging my brows.

The next thing I knew, I was pinned up against a wall with his mouth on mine. It was assertive and made me breathless when he pulled back. “I’m sure I can find time to give you a sample of my work to tide you over.”

Groaning, I wanted to take him up on his offer, but I knew this wasn’t the time or place to get handsy in the hallway. “Fuck, I want that so badly, but we need to finish this first. Why don’t we sit in the back on the drive home? We can see how nimble you really are.”

The heat that flared in his eyes was everything, and as much as I didn’t want him to, he stepped back, releasing me. Grabbing his hand, we intertwined our fingers and headed down the hall. When we got to Mariana’s room, the door was cracked, and I swore under my breath. It had been stupid of me to leave him alone with her when he had a keycard to get them both out of this place.