chair. The colonel took a small bundle out of the drawer and slid it across the desk to her. She picked up the wallet first. It was identification complete with a photo. She was pleased to see that she was still had the title detective—she’d worked hard for that.
“You’ll have to go to security, get the fingerprint and retinal scans done before you leave the building,” the colonel said. “Otherwise you’re cleared for all but the level-one security areas.”
“What goes on there?” she asked. And why couldn’t she see it?
The colonel gave a small smile. “Once your probationary period is over, you’ll be cleared for that as well.”
The second item was a gun. A Berretta 8000 semiautomatic. She stared at it for a moment and then picked it up and checked the safety was on.
“There is a firing range on level two. You have an appointment there after the scans to make sure you can handle the weapon.”
It wasn’t as big as Ash’s gun had been, but probably Ash had the biggest everything. Why did that thought make her feel a little warm? She squirmed on her seat then glanced up to find the two men watching her.
“So,” she said. “You’ve gone to a lot of bother to get me here. What for?”
“We want you to make contact with your old partner, John Ryan. Find out what he’s doing and see if you can get an in to CR International.”
Now, was the time to tell them about her visit to Ryan last night, but something kept her quiet on the subject. She certainly wasn’t about to tell them of the job Ryan had mentioned or they’d have her in there undercover quicker than she could say “spy.”
She didn’t want to be a spy, and she certainly didn’t want to snoop on her friend. At least not until she had found out more about what was going on. So she nodded. “You said you had evidence that tied Christian Roth in to my murder case.”
“No longer your case, Detective.”
“The hell it isn’t.”
“Here at MI13 we look at the larger picture. We’re not involved in individual murder cases.”
“So what are you involved in?” she asked.
“The survival of mankind,” Father O’Brien answered.
She twisted on her seat so she could see the priest. He stood, hands clasped in front of him, looking pious and godly. Asshole.
“Yeah, right,” she muttered.
“You need to open your heart to God, and you will see the truth.”
“Of course I will.” Not.
“I sense that you’re a skeptic, Faith,” the colonel said, his tone tinged with amusement. “But I assure you, you’ll be a convert once you’ve seen the evidence.”
A glimmer of interest flickered to life inside her. They were talking her language now. Good, hard evidence was what she believed in. But she didn’t believe they would have any strong enough to convince her that she was wrong and the monsters really existed. All the same, she might find something useful to help her case, because no way was it not her case. She would solve Julie’s murder even if she had to work on it in her own time.
“Well then,” she said. “Take me to your evidence.”
Chapter Six
Ash called a meeting in Ryan’s office the evening after he met Faith. Their whole integration plan was based on the concept that the Order was a big, dark secret. Yet now it seemed as though there was a government organization actively studying them. And they had a file on Christian and God knows who else.
Of course, Christian had been outside the Order for many years. He’d left after the last demon wars—maybe a guilty conscience. He’d been phenomenally successful as a businessman, maybe too successful, which was perhaps what had brought him to the attention of the authorities. Ash’s revenge had brought Christian back to the Order, searching for answers and for a way to protect Tara.
The sun was just setting outside as Ash lounged back on the sofa, his booted feet resting on the coffee table while they waited for the vamps to wake up. He took a swig of
“You’ll have to go to security, get the fingerprint and retinal scans done before you leave the building,” the colonel said. “Otherwise you’re cleared for all but the level-one security areas.”
“What goes on there?” she asked. And why couldn’t she see it?
The colonel gave a small smile. “Once your probationary period is over, you’ll be cleared for that as well.”
The second item was a gun. A Berretta 8000 semiautomatic. She stared at it for a moment and then picked it up and checked the safety was on.
“There is a firing range on level two. You have an appointment there after the scans to make sure you can handle the weapon.”
It wasn’t as big as Ash’s gun had been, but probably Ash had the biggest everything. Why did that thought make her feel a little warm? She squirmed on her seat then glanced up to find the two men watching her.
“So,” she said. “You’ve gone to a lot of bother to get me here. What for?”
“We want you to make contact with your old partner, John Ryan. Find out what he’s doing and see if you can get an in to CR International.”
Now, was the time to tell them about her visit to Ryan last night, but something kept her quiet on the subject. She certainly wasn’t about to tell them of the job Ryan had mentioned or they’d have her in there undercover quicker than she could say “spy.”
She didn’t want to be a spy, and she certainly didn’t want to snoop on her friend. At least not until she had found out more about what was going on. So she nodded. “You said you had evidence that tied Christian Roth in to my murder case.”
“No longer your case, Detective.”
“The hell it isn’t.”
“Here at MI13 we look at the larger picture. We’re not involved in individual murder cases.”
“So what are you involved in?” she asked.
“The survival of mankind,” Father O’Brien answered.
She twisted on her seat so she could see the priest. He stood, hands clasped in front of him, looking pious and godly. Asshole.
“Yeah, right,” she muttered.
“You need to open your heart to God, and you will see the truth.”
“Of course I will.” Not.
“I sense that you’re a skeptic, Faith,” the colonel said, his tone tinged with amusement. “But I assure you, you’ll be a convert once you’ve seen the evidence.”
A glimmer of interest flickered to life inside her. They were talking her language now. Good, hard evidence was what she believed in. But she didn’t believe they would have any strong enough to convince her that she was wrong and the monsters really existed. All the same, she might find something useful to help her case, because no way was it not her case. She would solve Julie’s murder even if she had to work on it in her own time.
“Well then,” she said. “Take me to your evidence.”
Chapter Six
Ash called a meeting in Ryan’s office the evening after he met Faith. Their whole integration plan was based on the concept that the Order was a big, dark secret. Yet now it seemed as though there was a government organization actively studying them. And they had a file on Christian and God knows who else.
Of course, Christian had been outside the Order for many years. He’d left after the last demon wars—maybe a guilty conscience. He’d been phenomenally successful as a businessman, maybe too successful, which was perhaps what had brought him to the attention of the authorities. Ash’s revenge had brought Christian back to the Order, searching for answers and for a way to protect Tara.
The sun was just setting outside as Ash lounged back on the sofa, his booted feet resting on the coffee table while they waited for the vamps to wake up. He took a swig of
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