Page 76 of Protector Unmatched

“A James Harcott from Miami. Address is right here.” Pearce switched screens and entered the address into a map, then zoomed in. “Residential. A large single-family home.” Pearce swiveled in his chair to turn to his colleagues. “We’ve gotta hurry. If I was able to find the location this quickly, it might not take the demons too long either.”

“Agreed,” Enya said. “There’s a portal a ten- to fifteen-minute drive from that address. Let’s go.”

Daphne rose from her chair. “But how are you gonna convince the owner to hand the dagger over? I mean, he paid a shitload of money for it. He’s not just gonna give it up.”

Pearce got up. “Don’t worry. This is not our first rodeo.” He asked Enya, “FBI, Fine Arts Division?”

Enya nodded. “That’s our best bet.” She walked to a cupboard and opened it.

Daphne stared at the contents. The shelves were labeled with signs for FBI, CIA, NSA, and various other governmental agencies. In the plastic drawers were ID cards and badges.

“You’re going to impersonate FBI agents?” Daphne asked, stunned.

“Nothing easier than that,” Pearce said.

“I wanna come with you.”

Simultaneously Pearce and Enya said, “No.”

“You need me.” When Pearce lifted an eyebrow, she added, “The FBI has no Fine Arts Division. It’s called the Art Theft Program. Besides, I know Miami like my back pocket. I lived there for two years. In case we might have to make a quick escape, I’ll be useful.”

Pearce and Enya exchanged a long look. Then Enya shrugged. “I guess if you and Daphne pretend to be the FBI agents, I can sneak into the house in the meantime and make sure we’re not running into any demons.”

“Actually, taking Daphne might be a good idea,” Hamish said. “You and Enya might have to make yourselves invisible, or a demon could spot you. They’ll see Daphne only as a human. She can drive from the portal to Harcott’s house, while you two are invisible. We don’t want any demon reporting to Zoltan that Stealth Guardians have suddenly been spotted in Miami when we have no compound there. It might tip Zoltan off. Enya has to remain invisible at all times, and you should only show yourself once you’ve arrived at the residence. It’ll limit your risk of being spotted.”

While Daphne liked that Hamish supported her demand, there was something she didn’t understand. “How would the demons know that Pearce and Enya are Stealth Guardians?”

“We have an aura the demons can see. It gives us away, whereas when they look at you, they’ll only see a human.”

“Oh.”

Pearce let out a sigh. “I suppose you’ve got a point, Hamish. However”—he turned to Daphne—“Aren’t you worried about your deal with the court? What if you get caught impersonating an FBI agent? That’s a criminal offense.”

Daphne shrugged. She appreciated that he was worried about her. “Sure, it is. But you’ll make sure I won’t get caught.”

Pearce let out a breath. “If you say so.” He pointed to the chair. “Take a seat, Daphne.”

Two minutes later, Pearce had produced an official-looking laminated ID that he slipped into a leather holder with a metal badge and handed to her.

“Let’s go.”