1. Finley #2
Having been with the Organization since I was five, Margaret was the closest thing I had to a mother figure. Being a hard taskmaster, she had in no way been motherly to any of us, but she’d made us the best—and isn’t that what every mother wants for their kids?
Finished with her work, Margaret turned her attention to me, removing her glasses. “Things went smoothly on your end? The client was pleased with the speed you were able to accomplish things.”
“Yes, ma’am, everything went without a hitch,” I answered succinctly. “He hardly put up a struggle.”
“What about the front desk girl? Do you feel certain she won’t make the connection?”
Cocking my head to the side, I mentally reviewed the whole situation to be sure. “She will be far too shocked over the matter of a man dying in the building to put two and two together. It was on an entirely different floor from the one I requested access to.”
Perching her chin on the back of her hand, she looked at me with an assessing gaze.
Having come to some decision, she put her glasses back on and reached for a file, opening it and glancing at it before handing it to me.
“Alright then, with that matter settled, this is your next assignment. I know you just got back, but this—this cannot wait.”
Inside the folder was a picture of a stunning woman covered in silk and jewels.
As I skimmed through the information, I discovered Delilah was a rich socialite in New York City.
Her parents were old money, connected to the airline industry, and they funded whatever their youngest daughter’s heart desired.
“What’s not in that file is that this order has been handed to us by the United Senate.
They want the job done in the next two weeks, or sooner if possible,” Margaret shared, causing me to gape at her.
“What, did you think the Organization had escaped their notice? How foolish. They allow us to function as long as we occasionally do favors for them. This will be one such favor.”
The United Senate had been created when supernaturals came out into the open. Each of the major supernatural races were a part of it, along with humans, to make sure all parties were represented. Typically, they handled things related to supers, leaving the human matters to our government.
“So she’s not human?”
“No, Delilah is very much human, but she’s been keeping supernaturals as pets.
They found out she’s forcing these supers to turn people for her friends to hunt for amusement.
That breaks the number one rule of the United Senate and simply cannot be allowed.
The problem lies with the fact that she is too high profile for the legal route.
Her parents would just bribe and pay off anyone who tried to arrest her or send her to trial,” Margaret explained.
“I tell you this because you need to be aware that there are supers around her, and we don’t know what kind or how many.
There is also no way to tell which could be loyal to her through choice or coercion. ”
“That makes things difficult,” I murmured.
My focus had switched to the map in the file.
It provided details of the ranch property she had been spending the majority of her time at.
The main house was large, with two barns and some other outbuildings set behind it.
My gut instinct said, and my gut was hardly wrong, that those buildings would be where the supers were held.
It was the perfect scenario for what she was doing. No one around for miles and plenty of room to keep her pets without anyone taking notice.
“The best way for you to get the job done is during one of her parties. Contrary to what the news and other media outlets have been sharing, she isn’t stupid.
Each guest list is vetted, and only people she knows and trusts can bring a guest. If that guest turns out to be a problem, they become the hunted. ”
“This chick is fucked up in the head,” I said, shaking my head.
“How am I going to get close enough to one of her friends by the deadline?” Turning a friend against someone so powerful took time and the perfect strategy.
If this woman was as manipulative as it sounded, her hold on the people she kept close would be hard to break in a month, let alone fourteen days.
Margaret gave me an evil smile. “This is where it pays to be friendly with the Senate. They have someone on the inside who is willing to get you into the party. In exchange, they won’t torture him while they have him imprisoned for the rest of his life.”
“That will help,” I said, snapping the folder shut as I stood.
“Finley, you’ll need to be smarter than Delilah.
This is a difficult job with many unknown variables and hidden players.
That’s why I picked you personally—not everyone can adjust to changes in the moment like you can.
Use all that we have taught you in the past twenty-five years.
I have a feeling you’re going to need it,” Margaret said, her steel gaze piercing.
“Good. Now, go get some sleep. Your flight leaves in eight hours.”
As I left the office and headed for my room, I couldn’t get over the fact that this job worried Margaret.
Never had she cautioned me to this extent, and it made me think there was more to this situation that she wasn’t telling me.
That was the job, though. Margaret was the bow, and we were the arrow—without question, we went where she sent us.
Never once had Margaret steered me wrong, but something about this job made me wonder if there really was a first time for everything…