Page 70 of Hart's Redemption

“Damn,” Eric and Remus breathed in joint admiration.

“Would you like some tea?” I offered at last, remembering my manners. Not that I thought anyone could blame me for being slightly remiss. After all, who would have ever thought I’d be entertaining the head of the most elite group of government killers to walk the earth?

Director Starling gave me a slight nod. “Tea would be acceptable.”

Eric immediately raced toward the kitchen. “I’ll get it.”

“Sergeant Andana.” The director lazily looked up from her device to stare at the wary soldier.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Perhaps Mr. Trappinger could use some assistance.”

Remus snapped a salute, then wordlessly followed my best friend into the kitchen, who’d effectively abandoned me with Josh’s very tiny, very scary boss.

She glanced after him and shook her head. “Attractive and quite skilled, but brash and lacking initiative.”

I refrained from commenting on the unusual observation and took a seat across from her. The moment my ass touched the chair, she spoke again.

“Am I correct in assuming that you’ve been in contact with Joshua’s legal counsel?”

“Yes, Director.”

“Might I ask who it is?”

“Theodore Lombardi.”

Her eyes lit up with what I could only assume was surprise mixed with a touch of pride. “Of course it is. That has either made our work substantially more difficult or infinitely easier. At any rate, call Mr. Lombardi and tell him his services are required immediately. Don’t be concerned about the security protocol, as the owner of the system, your bio-ware should be unaffected.” Message delivered, she returned her attention to whatever was so riveting on her data tab while I did as she commanded.

Admittedly, I was not eager to tell Theodore Lombardi that he essentially needed to get his ass over here right away. Something about that alarmingly nondescript man had me simultaneously wanting to raise my hackles and run away with my tail tucked between my legs as fast as my legs could carry me. Of course, with the director of the Lycan Detective Agency sitting at my dining room table ready to help me finally reunite with Josh, calling Lombardi was the least I could do.

I dialed the number he’d programmed during his first visit and, sure enough, the call went through unhindered. I conveyedthe request in a slightly more moderate tone and ended the call. “He should be here in thirty minutes, or so.”

Director Starling’s lips pursed in disapproval, and she tucked a renegade strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear. “Suppose it’s possible to get started in his absence.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m sorry, Director, I can’t help but ask if you’re expecting something in return for your aid.” Anxiety tightened around my chest like a steel band as she glanced up with zero forgiveness in her cold, blue eyes.

“Yes.”

I nearly choked on my tongue at the blunt delivery. “What?”

“In return for my assistance, I fully expect an invitation.”

I momentarily forgot my anxiety as a cloud of confusion enveloped me. “To what?”

“To the wedding, of course.” As quickly as her gaze had turned to ice, it thawed, and then she winked. The complete one-eighty threw me for a loop, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of Josh’s own wretched way of teasing. I couldn’t tell if it was something that came from being a Lycan Detective or if he’d picked it up from the Director. Either way, seeing it now was more than a little unnerving.

“Beg your pardon?”

She set down her data tab and focused her full attention on me. The laughter was gone from her eyes, replaced with an intimidating level of severity. “Dr. Bennett—Elijah—that man deserves all the love this world can offer him, and he deserves a grand ceremony to celebrate that love and all the things he’s been denied in this life. It may come as a surprise, but I myself do not have children. In lieu of that, I have Joshua Hart, whom I view very much as if he were my own progeny. More so after I had the misfortune of meeting the woman who calls herself his mother face-to-face.” She arched a golden brow and looked at me over steepled fingers. “Are you telling me you have nointention of making an honest man out of my would-be son, after stealing his heart and cementing his fate?”

My mouth opened and closed uselessly in the face of her potential wrath. “I… it’s not something we’ve really talked about.”

Her eyebrow climbed higher.

“I mean, I’m not opposed. I just…” Eric and Remus’s timely arrival with the tea saved me from my babbling.

The director continued to stare at me while the others set out several cups and poured the steaming liquid. Finally, she blinked, and I let out a sigh of relief. Director Starling may be all of five-foot-two, but her presence was more than commanding enough to have earned her her prestigious position. She blew gently on the hot liquid before taking a delicate sip. “Mm, Earl Grey. With a touch of… lavender?”