there.”
Bron allowed himself to be led off the driveway and into the soothing greens and cheerful colors of the rose garden. It was hard not to think of his night spent there with his queen, but he did his best to push the thoughts aside for now.
Miranda would be back very soon, surely his brothers were correct. And then they would face the next challenge together.
17
Miranda
Miranda parked the car in her reserved space and slipped out into the underground parking lot. She tried giving herself a pep talk as she approached the elevator.
“You can do this, Miranda,” she muttered, as if maybe saying the words out loud might make them true. “You did it the other day without even trying.”
Her powers had never been so strong before. It must have something to do with Bron, and their connection.
Too bad he wasn’t with her now. The distance between them was like a tangible thing - an elastic band stretched way too thin. But just the thought of him gave her courage.
She pressed the button for the elevator and hoped it would be empty. The doors slid open and one of the other executives’ assistants slipped out.
“Oh, hey, Miranda,” the fastidiously dressed older woman said, eyes wide. “Don’t you look… casual?”
“I’m off today,” Miranda said. “Just grabbing something from my desk.”
“Don’t let Ward see you like that,” the assistant said over her shoulder as she headed to her car.
“That’s the plan,” Miranda said to herself as the doors slid shut.
She pressed the button for the top floor and closed her eyes, trying to conjure her best mental image of her boss.
“I am a carbon copy of Cullen Ward,” she told herself. “I look exactly like him.”
She felt a sort of whisper all around her and when she opened her eyes she almost jumped.
Cullen Ward’s reflection stared back at her from the mirrored wall of the elevator. He was looking crisp, freshly shaven, wearing a bespoke suit - exactly as she had pictured him.
“Okay,” she whispered to herself.
Even her whisper was a deep bass.
The doors slid open.
“Mr. Ward,” someone said in surprise. “You’re back.”
She turned to see one of her least favorite colleagues, Frank Espen, blinking at her in abject horror.
Espen’s tie was loosened and his sleeves were rolled up. His required suit jacket was nowhere to be seen. He clearly hadn’t expected to see his boss again today.
“Pull yourself together, Espen,” she snapped, mustering what she hoped was an appropriate level of confidence. “I hope you don’t get undressed every time I leave the building.”
“N-n-no, sir,” Espen stammered as he rolled his sleeves down.
She turned on her heel and headed for Ward’s office, trying not to skip for joy.
It worked. Her magic worked.
Now she just had to get what she had come for and get out again before Ward came back or her power faded.
Anthony, the security guard who protected Mr. Ward’s office suite, saluted her as she approached the door.
“Mr. Ward,” Anthony said with a polite smile. “Good to see you back so soon.”
She nodded at him approvingly, knowing her boss would never spare a kind word for the guard, even though Anthony had been loyal and cheerful for as long as Miranda had worked there.
She placed her hand against the door sensor, praying that the machine would pick up what she was showing it, and not what she actually was. She had no idea if her power extended to machines or not.
If not, this was about to be a very short mission.
For a long moment nothing happened. Did it usually take this long to scan Mr. Ward’s hand? After an agonizing few more seconds, the light over the sensor blinked green and the door swung open.
Miranda sighed inwardly, trying to keep her cool outer composure intact. Cullen Ward was supposed to be unflappable.
She stepped inside and waited for the door to click shut behind her before continuing into the suite.
A huge wall of windows looked out over the Philadelphia skyline, but Miranda didn’t spare a glance. Instead, she headed straight for the coat closet.
She opened the door and pressed a hidden button inside, then stepped back.
The whole closet interior slid forward and out, revealing that it was basically a small wardrobe tucked inside a much deeper space.
Miranda slipped into the area behind the wardrobe.
I am Cullen Ward. I am Cullen Ward.
She realized almost too late that she wasn’t tall enough for the optic scanner that had just flashed to life.
She reached back into the coat closet and grabbed one of