at the unexpected sight, slowing her bike to read the name of the complex. And nearly wrecked again when she saw the words Order of Themis Second Sector Headquarters etched in the marble above the double doors on the front of the building.
She retained control and coasted down the street, her brain buzzing with excitement and fear and other things she couldn’t figure out at the moment. When she thought she was far enough away, she pulled onto a side street. She chose her parking spot carefully, cutting the engine and walking the bike next to what appeared to be an abandoned house. A large bush would hide the bike, the all-black metal and fiberglass would blend in perfectly with the deepening shadows of the night.
As she pulled off her gloves and stuffed them inside the helmet, she told herself this was the dumbest idea she’d ever had. She was responsible for two deaths in the area in less than seventy-two hours. If her tattooed man was a member of the Order of Themis, which made sense the more she thought about it, he had to be gunning for her. Snooping around the headquarters was just asking for jail time and she wouldn’t have anyone to blame but herself.
Except she had to go, to learn as much about him and the O.T. as she could. The little girl hiding inside her, the one who’d been in silent awe of Estelle and Leo when they rescued her, was nearly squealing with excitement to finally see the infamous Office. Gyda, the cynic, told herself she was checking it out to see if they had any leads on her. As long as she stayed several steps ahead of the O.T., she was miles ahead of the police. She could let Tora finish their shopping list of death in this city and disappear without anyone being the wiser.
* * * * *
Brit marched double-time to Joe’s office, but only half of his attention was on that. The other half was on the sneaking suspicion he’d had that he was being followed. He’d taken the extra-long way to The Office, but that sensation hadn’t gone away. Whoever had been tailing him from Brown’s place hadn’t made any attempts to stop, attack or get close. It was a puzzle he planned to solve as soon as he told Joe where she could stick her Spa Night.
Headquarters was quiet since most daytime employees went home at five, but knowing Joe as he did, Brit knew he’d find her in her office. She’d want to get as much work done as she could before the torture she planned for the evening. Using the special key he’d been given for the penthouse express elevator, he stepped inside and rested against the wall as he waited for the car to reach the top floor. An endless cycle of the Spice Girls played over the speakers, special punishment for those who dared to visit Joe by unconventional means.
He shook his head. God love the woman, but she was insane. In a good way. Out of anyone in the entire company, Brit knew damn well Joe gave her heart and soul to the cause of protecting the innocent from evil. She wasn’t a saint by any means. The professional basketball players she dated could tell the world horror stories about Joe’s temper if they weren’t scared for their lives. The other sector leaders were well aware of how tough she was even if she was the first woman to ever reach the position of Director. But when it boiled down to it, Joe was the one person Brit knew he could trust with his life. She might try to mother him to death, but she’d have his back no matter what.
His shoulders slumped the closer he got to the penthouse suite. Was it so awful to get a pedicure if it made her happy? He bit back a groan and swiped a hand over his face. Maybe he did need to relax. This mystery woman was wreaking havoc on his brain. He’d spent three hours going over mug shots the day before in the hopes of finding her picture there. Especially after one of the interns came back with hits from several cities across the US that had unsolved cases involving castrated and executed scum. Men who were well-known
She retained control and coasted down the street, her brain buzzing with excitement and fear and other things she couldn’t figure out at the moment. When she thought she was far enough away, she pulled onto a side street. She chose her parking spot carefully, cutting the engine and walking the bike next to what appeared to be an abandoned house. A large bush would hide the bike, the all-black metal and fiberglass would blend in perfectly with the deepening shadows of the night.
As she pulled off her gloves and stuffed them inside the helmet, she told herself this was the dumbest idea she’d ever had. She was responsible for two deaths in the area in less than seventy-two hours. If her tattooed man was a member of the Order of Themis, which made sense the more she thought about it, he had to be gunning for her. Snooping around the headquarters was just asking for jail time and she wouldn’t have anyone to blame but herself.
Except she had to go, to learn as much about him and the O.T. as she could. The little girl hiding inside her, the one who’d been in silent awe of Estelle and Leo when they rescued her, was nearly squealing with excitement to finally see the infamous Office. Gyda, the cynic, told herself she was checking it out to see if they had any leads on her. As long as she stayed several steps ahead of the O.T., she was miles ahead of the police. She could let Tora finish their shopping list of death in this city and disappear without anyone being the wiser.
* * * * *
Brit marched double-time to Joe’s office, but only half of his attention was on that. The other half was on the sneaking suspicion he’d had that he was being followed. He’d taken the extra-long way to The Office, but that sensation hadn’t gone away. Whoever had been tailing him from Brown’s place hadn’t made any attempts to stop, attack or get close. It was a puzzle he planned to solve as soon as he told Joe where she could stick her Spa Night.
Headquarters was quiet since most daytime employees went home at five, but knowing Joe as he did, Brit knew he’d find her in her office. She’d want to get as much work done as she could before the torture she planned for the evening. Using the special key he’d been given for the penthouse express elevator, he stepped inside and rested against the wall as he waited for the car to reach the top floor. An endless cycle of the Spice Girls played over the speakers, special punishment for those who dared to visit Joe by unconventional means.
He shook his head. God love the woman, but she was insane. In a good way. Out of anyone in the entire company, Brit knew damn well Joe gave her heart and soul to the cause of protecting the innocent from evil. She wasn’t a saint by any means. The professional basketball players she dated could tell the world horror stories about Joe’s temper if they weren’t scared for their lives. The other sector leaders were well aware of how tough she was even if she was the first woman to ever reach the position of Director. But when it boiled down to it, Joe was the one person Brit knew he could trust with his life. She might try to mother him to death, but she’d have his back no matter what.
His shoulders slumped the closer he got to the penthouse suite. Was it so awful to get a pedicure if it made her happy? He bit back a groan and swiped a hand over his face. Maybe he did need to relax. This mystery woman was wreaking havoc on his brain. He’d spent three hours going over mug shots the day before in the hopes of finding her picture there. Especially after one of the interns came back with hits from several cities across the US that had unsolved cases involving castrated and executed scum. Men who were well-known
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