CHAPTER 1

Jack

Who thought a year ago I’d be where I am now, and no, I don’t just mean sitting in Ryan’s cozy little house? Or us being engaged. And definitely not the mind-blowing sex. But yeah, there is that. But mostly I mean the fact that I was a solo agent with the Bureau back then. Until my Gramps asked me to come work for him as a corporate spy and uncover a plot his CEO had hatched to subdue the human population with a mind-control app.

After that, my life sort-of mushroomed. Now I’m a senior investigator working on bringing down the head of the Lucem. Easier said than done. Mervin Cross is slicker than oil and just as dirty. I just had to prove it, and that was the crux of the problem.

They say know your enemy; they also say keep them close. I had a 3-inch-thick dossier on his background, a psych report and statements from former associates and employees–all who have an ax to grind. They all lead me to one conclusion: Cross was a con artist. Oh, he was a skilled one. That was beyond doubt. All I had to do was shake his tree a little and see what dropped out. I wasn’t putting my almost-hubby in danger this time. I was going to need to dust off my spy pants and take the lead on this one. Sorry, that sounded better in my head than saying it…

“Jack, Jack! Babe, you in there?”

“Hmm?”

“You were spaced out and had this pained look on your face like Nan had just offered you a cup of tea.”

Huh, yeah, just the thought of Nan’s obsession with earl grey tea was enough to make me cringe. But Ryan’s Nan was very, very Irish. And set in her ways, she was also a wiccan, so when I say set in her ways… I mean druid type of ways. Add to that she’s also the biggest busy-body. If Nan is on a mission, then woe betide the person who gets in her way. That was before she met Uma, another like-minded mature woman. (Notice how delicately I phrased that? Are you impressed with my diplomacy? Rather than me just calling them interfering old bags.) So far, I had managed to keep my Grammy from meeting up with them, but it was only a matter of time, and when that happens… I’m going to duck for cover because all hell was going to be let loose.

“I was just thinking…”

“Now what have I said about that?”

Ryan had taken off his coat, throwing it on one of the many chairs that still cluttered up his sitting room and sat beside me on the couch.

“That I wasn’t very good at it and I should stop before I injure myself …”

“And what else?”

“That it makes me look like I’m constipated.”

“Yep, so quit it.”

“I’m going undercover again. The Bureau has had news that Mervin Cross plans to run for office.”

“ARE YOU SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW? Because that’s not funny Jack.”

God, I really love the way Ryan cuts right to the point. I think he’s more like his Nan than he’d care to admit. Not that I’d ever point that out. I kind of like my junk where it is.

“Oh, I wish I was, but no. He’s submitted his letter of intent to run for…. President.”

Ryan made this half snort of laughter, half noise of disbelief.

“Oh, fuck, we’re so screwed. So, what’s the plan?”

“We need our own candidate to run interference while we’re building a case on Cross.”

“Babes, I don’t think your Gramps is going to want to play politician, not on top of him, still acting as both the CEO and Chairman of Newton Industries.”

“Truth, and Grammy would pitch a fit. No, we need the big guns in on this one. We need someone who can play Cross at his own game, who won’t buckle under the pressure and who is both charismatic and intimidating as hell.”

“Well, that’s you and me out… and pretty much everyone we know.”

“Who WE know, yes. But not who Karriel knows.”

“Babes, I love Az, but he’s never going to pull it off…”

“No, not Azrael. I was thinking of someone a little more… menacing?”

“Zantar? Yeah… I mean a Soul Reaper wouldn’t be intimidated by Cross, but…”

I tried not to sighed at Ryan’s last suggestion, although if we really needed to send a message to Cross that he’d gone too far, sending a reaper after him would certainly do it. But I’m thinking of someone formidable. And one man, or rather demon, came to mind. Mammon. I hadn’t realized I’d said the name out loud till I heard Ryan’s reply.

“You are DEFINITELY shitting me!”

“Nope, Mammon would be perfect.”

“Well yeah, he would. Only isn’t he kind of busy, you know, running one of the seven levels of hell?”