“Your jealousy is cute, that’s all.”
Click.
The abrupt disconnection and sudden silence caused my ears to ring. My smile became a chuckle. I rolled to my back, letting the cell unit drop beside me. I even kissed Luc on her wet nose.
A few minutes later, the phone rang again. Still grinning, I picked up on the fourth ring. “Yes,” I said.
“I never make threats, Eden. Only promises. I didn’t want a partner, but I’ve resigned myself to you. I will not tolerate anyone else on this case.”
I wouldn’t either, but I was not about to let this man think his threats—oopsie,promises —cowed me. I would not let him think he called the shots.
“Agent Luc and I will be there on schedule,” I said. With that,I severed the connection.
Feeling more at peace than I would have after a ten-hour slumber, I affectionately scruffed Luc atop her shaggy brown head. She opened her eyes and stared up at me adoringly. “Better watch your paws, girl. Agent Luscious is a jealous man.”
I laughed happily.
Chapter 12
Finally, the day arrived.
Pretending to be an employee of Michael’s sent to check on his daughter’s accommodations, I flew into New Dallas. After a quick stop at Michael’s farmhouse, I visited my apartment. For the event, I dressed in a short, spiky black wig and wore a fake pregnancy belly under a synthetic cotton dress. My skin was heavily caked in makeup. I looked a sight, I’m sure, but I needed to map an escape route. Or two. I needed to know what to expect when I, as pampered Eden Black, arrived.
God, it was hot. Sweat dripped from me as I walked down the sidewalk.
I blamed EenLi for the extreme heat and wouldn’t have doubted if he was one of the Mecs who could control the weather. They did like it hot and dry, but the boiling temperature nearly felled me.
Situated in the bustling heart of New Dallas, the apartment building was enhanced chrome and bullet-resistant glass. Eighty-seven stories high. I stepped inside. Fingerprint scanners were at every door. Holographic guides. High-tech, just like Lucius had said.
Grateful for air-conditioning, I maneuvered my way through the throng of people in the well-lit, computerized lobby and entered the farthest elevator, exclusively used for the penthouse. My data—both real and fake—had been programmed in, and the scanners readily accepted me as who I claimed to be. The ride inside the decadent box was long but smooth. A satin-covered bench occupied the far wall, and a cooler with single-serving wine sat next to it.
When I reached the top, the doors slid open and I stepped into a world of utter self-indulgence. Gazing around, I inhaled the aromas of leather and cotton, expensive commodities in this synthetic world, where alien and human wars had destroyed so many precious things. Plush recliners, overstuffed couches. Glass tables. Double holoscreen TVs. Two wet bars, fully stocked.
Everything was voice and fingerprint protected.
I did a quick walk-through, making sure that I was alone. I was. Good. I found the two hidden doorways that Michael had installed, making sure they opened properly. The one located on the kitchen floor squeaked, so I oiled it down. Wouldn’t do to let the bad guys know my location. It led to a safe room. The other door, which opened smoothly, led to a slide that would take me straight to the bottom of the building.
My bed, I noticed, was covered in blue silk and lined with what looked to be sheer lace. I knew the material was a protectant and would seal out poisons and gases. And yes, two people could easily fit inside it.
Everything was in order. That was all I’d needed to know.
I took a cab for several miles, then walked the rest of the way to the farmhouse, all the while making sure I wasn’t followed. A girl could never be too careful.
Agent Luc was waiting for me. The moment I stepped through the door, she bounded from her floor pillow. Ren, the agent I’d left in charge of her care, growled a clipped, “Be still, dog.”
“Watch your tone,” I snapped. I crouched down and pet Luc’s soft, clean fur. She sighed happily. “Missed me, huh?”
I quickly showered and changed into a fancy dress suit, then Marko drove Luc and me back to the airport to await pickup. What a busy day so far, and I knew it was only going to become more hectic from this point on.
Thankfully my civilian driver, or rather Claudia Chow’s, arrived not long after, and I soon found myself gazing out of a limousine window. I shifted impatiently in the soft leather seat.
The mission, for me, had officially begun.
Agent Luc lounged next to me and rested her chin on my leg. Absently I stroked her fur and tapped my high-heeled foot against the floorboard. This part of New Dallas offered a plethora of scenery, most of it bleak. One moment a series of towering buildings and speeding cars could be seen; the next I saw wide-open spaces, tumbleweeds, scrubby trees.
I’d always thought of myself as a patient woman. But right now, everything inside me screamed tohurry. Not because I yearned to see Lucius, I assured myself, but because I wanted, at last, to begin helping with this case.
An hour passed. My lips dipped in a frown, and I shifted in my seat again. Why couldn’t the ambassador of alien goodwill live closer to the airport?
I’d read the file on Claudia Chow. She’d been born to privilege. She’d married young—a man also born to privilege. She’d never known a moment’s hardship in her life. When her husband had been alive, the two of them had enjoyed hunting animals and traveling the world.
Now she spent her time fighting for alien rights. That didn’t make sense to me, didn’t seem to fit her background. I was to translate for her at parties, meetings, and any other events she chose to attend. I sighed.
She owned a ranch on the outskirts of the city…a sprawling ranch now visible on the horizon. Thank God. My back straightened, and I grinned suddenly. Happily.
“We’re almost there,” I told Luc, excitement dripping from my tone.
She blinked up at me and licked my hand.
I patted her between the ears. “Be careful around the ambassador. She used to hunt animals. She might still.”
Luc licked me again. She trusted me to keep her safe, and I liked that.
I returned my attention to the ranch. It was red and white, wide and sprawling, with notched wooden posts anchoring the first floor to the second. Armed guards roamed the edges of the property, as well as around the home itself. They weren’t human. They were purebred Ell-Rollises, creatures so thought-dependent they could only follow the dictates of their master.
“You’ve got to show total courage while you’re here, girl,” I said to Luc. “If anyone suggests one of those guards hurt you, they’ll do it without a moment’s thought. So don’t go outside without me.” I traced a hand down my braided ponytail and muttered, “Maybe I should have left you with Michael.” I didn’t want her hurt.