got their hands on me is you,” he said over the rumbling of the engine.
“You’ll have to come up with a better explanation than that,” she shouted.
“I know.” He rolled the hog back, his powerful thighs flexing against hers. “But not here.”
They roared out of the parking lot.
CHAPTER 12
As Reed stepped onto the roof of Gadara Tower, he slipped his shades over his eyes and took in the majestic view. A helicopter waited on the nearby heliport, its blades still and shining in the late afternoon sun. A sliver of ocean was visible from this vantage point and the reflection of sunlight on nearby building windows made the sunny day even brighter. A breeze ruffled his hair, caressed his nape, and filled his nostrils with air untainted by the stench of Infernals.
“Abel.”
His head turned to find Raguel exiting the stairwell to the rooftop. The man was dressed for the tropics with a straw hat on his head and leather sandals on his feet. An unlit cigar hung between his lips and his stride was elegantly unhurried.
“Raguel.” Reed extended his hand and it was clasped in a firm, warm hold.
The archangel pulled the cigar free and said, “You were right. Cain had yet to explain to Ms. Hollis.”
Pushing his hands into his trouser pockets, Reed smiled. Eve had been brought up to speed, which meant life was about to get a lot more interesting. “Excellent. When does the next training rotation start?”
“When she begins training depends on your brother. He has begun an investigation into a tengu infestation at one of my developing properties. It is a concern to me, so I have asked him to see the investigation through.”
“What does that have to do with Eve?”
“Since he refuses to rely on you for Ms. Hollis’s care while he proceeds, we will have to wait for them to finish.”
“Them? You expect Eve to help him in the field?”
“Cain refused to have it any other way.”
“That isn’t Cain’s decision to make.”
“No. It was mine.”
Reed paused midstep. Raguel continued a few steps before he realized he was alone. He turned around.
“You assigned Eve?” Reed was startled more by the roiling emotions he felt than by the blatant deviation from protocol. “Without consulting me?”
Eve was a member of Raguel’s firm, yes, but assigning her to a mission was a prerogative that fell squarely and solely within Reed’s purview. He liked rules. Perhaps even relished them. It was easier to exceed expectations when one knew what those expectations were. And with Eve, his position as her handler was his sole stanchion in a dynamic of two. He was wedging his way in as the third wheel and he wasn’t going to give up his grip without a fight.
Raguel shrugged. “A bit presumptuous, perhaps, but I knew you would agree.”
“I don’t.”
“Oh?” Raguel’s brows rose. “What better way to teach your brother to work within the system?”
“What about Eve?”
“What about her?”
“Don’t be dense,” Reed bit out. “With Cain’s scent all over her, she needs to be at the top of her game, not dangling from the bottom rung.”
Rocking back on his heels, Raguel grinned. “You say that with such venom, as if the thought of your brother with Ms. Hollis is offensive to you.”
“Ridiculous,” Reed scoffed. “This has nothing to do with Cain and everything to do with my responsibility as Eve’s handler. I don’t like to lose Marks.”
“This has everything to do with Cain and nothing to do with Ms. Hollis,” Raguel countered, gesturing to the helicopter pilot with an impatient wave of his hand. “She is a means to an end. Her purpose is to act as a stick to prod your brother into line.”
Reed’s fists clenched within his pockets. “Did that come from above? Or from you?”
“It came from common sense.” The helicopter’s engine whined into motion, its blades whistling through the air in a rapidly increasing tempo. “Cain is a hazard if he does not learn to toe the line.”
“He’s incorrigible. You think you can succeed where Jehovah hasn’t? Your head’s getting too big.”
“Not at all.” Raguel smiled. “You are simply underestimating Ms. Hollis and her effect on your brother.”
“You’re thinking of her as a woman, not as a Mark.”
“So are you.”
Reed ignored the jibe. “I’m pulling her off the mission. She needs to be properly trained.”
“You do that, and I will transfer Ms. Hollis to another firm and handler.”
“Bullshit. You wouldn’t pass Cain over for something so insignificant.”
“Are you willing to gamble on that?” Raguel yelled, his voice carrying on the wind