Caleb
T he office seemed ordinary enough, but on the ride up the elevator, I became suddenly, irrevocably aware of why our all-male team had been instructed to stay away from this woman—even her car or office. I hissed as desire snaked its way through me with a force so quickly that I went down to one knee, breathing hard.
“She’s a fucking succubus,” I spat.
I would have cursed myself a fool for going into the proverbial lion’s den with my nearest backup twenty minutes away, but I instead settled for wondering what the fuck my idiot bosses had been thinking in not sharing such important information with us. If I made it out of this—and if I wasn’t locked in the cells for the rest of my life—I would never let Jax hear the end of it. Approval from the archdiocese or no, not giving us this information might mean the difference between life and death—certainly for me, but maybe even for an innocent woman.
The doctor’s presence here was overpowering. Intimidating, even. She was powerful, and this office was her world, not mine. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I was leaving something behind when I stepped foot inside. I had no clue what it would be—or if it would be lost for good.
I pulled the golden crucifix out of my pocket and slipped it over my head uncomfortably, forcing a prayer I hated through my teeth as I kissed the symbol I despised even more, all the while hoping it would help me retain whatever it was supposed to represent that would keep me safe. The ritual was more out of habit than actual belief, since it had been beaten into me until doing it became second nature—even when Jax and the other bishops weren’t around. I walked over to the receptionist’s desk, then looked to the double doors on the right that led to the offices I would be able to see from my position in the apartment.
To my left was a small reception area, decorated with couches and chairs, and a table with magazines spread over it. Everything looked innocuous enough, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was missing something. I walked over to the glass doors looking into the offices and tried the door. It was unlocked; I walked in and headed toward Dr. Lowe’s office, when a strange thought occurred to me. Had there been another set of doors in the reception area? A pair that I had looked past without even thinking about or even actually seeing the first time?
With a curse, I turned around and headed back, unholstering my gun as I moved toward those strange, dark doors that hadn’t wanted me to see them.