“Really?” Joshua didn’t need to feign surprise. He turned slightly in his seat so he could study the soldier’s face.
“Your brotherhood already lives behind ten-foot fences. You’ve got surveillance cameras deployed everywhere. You’ve created a fortified position but where’s the enemy?”
“Why, the enemy is all around us, Mr. Bowdeen,” Joshua protested. “The world of the Fallen is a constant threat.”
Bowdeen gave a rueful laugh. “I don’t see anybody storming your gates, son. The rest of the world is doing its best to ignore you, but your father is acting like he expects some kind of confrontation.”
“Shouldn’t he?”
“If you don’t poke a sleeping bear in its den, it’s got no reason to come charging at you.”
“What are you suggesting?” The mercenary’s apprehension was infectious. Joshua began to feel it creeping into his own thoughts too.
This time Bowdeen’s eyes met Joshua’s. ‘I think your father has plans to poke the bear.”
“I... uh... I’m afraid I don’t understand.” The spymaster had never considered that Abraham would intentionally antagonize the Fallen. Ever since the days of Jedediah Proctor, their first diviner, the Nephilim’s mandate had been made clear. Live apart and keep sinless until the return of the Savior. It would be an abomination to deliberately court the attention of the outside world. Nobody knew that better than the diviner himself.
“You can’t be serious, Mr. Bowdeen!” Joshua couldn’t be sure if he was trying to persuade the mercenary or persuade himself that his father’s actions remained in accord with the Lord’s plan for the angelic brotherhood.
Bowdeen’s scarred lips grimaced. “You mark my words, son. Your diviner’s got a fierce itch to start something, and I don’t want to be around when he gets to scratching.”
Chapter 25—First Tango in Rabat
After leaving Professor Khatabi’s office, the Arkana team walked silently back to their hotel. They weren’t walking so much as jogging. Cassie strode several feet ahead of her companions, and they had to quicken their pace to keep up. Sensing her mood, neither man seemed inclined to venture a comment and risk getting his head bitten off.
Thankfully, the trip back was only a few blocks long. The trio hastened through the lobby and made directly for an open, empty elevator.
Once the doors slid closed, Cassie turned on Erik. “You’re unbelievable!”
The paladin gave an impish grin. “Thanks.”
“You think this is funny? How could you let that French fashionista paw you? We were in the middle of a business meeting, dude! Talk about unprofessional. And by the way, ‘Fifi’ isn’t a name for a grown woman. It’s a name for a poodle.”
Erik shrugged helplessly. “I didn’t expect it either. We had a thing in Paris a couple of years ago, and I guess she never got over it.”
The elevator doors swung open, and the trio emerged into the hall. Their rooms were all on the same floor.
“You guess she didn’t get over it?” Cassie flared. “It was pretty obvious to everybody in the room, except you, that she was planning the sequel to your ‘thing in Paris’!” Her fingers made air quotes around the last three words.
Erik took a beeline for his room in an effort to terminate the conversation. He fumbled in his pocket for his key card with Cassie hot on his heels still hurling accusations.
Griffin backed away from the fray. “Perhaps someone should report our progress to Maddie, don’t you think? Make travel arrangements for tomorrow?” He looked nervously from one to the other.
Erik was muttering to himself and jamming the wrong end of his card into the door.
Cassie glanced briefly at the scrivener, barely registering his words. “Yeah, whatever.”
“Right then.” Griffin nodded and scuttled toward his own room. “Leave it to me.”
By now Erik had opened the door and tried to duck inside. Before he could lock himself in, Cassie wedged her foot through the doorway.
“Oh no, you don’t. I’m not finished.” She slid into the room.
“Fine.” Erik threw the key on the entry table in disgust.
“As if it wasn’t enough that Fifi draped herself around you like a cheap Pashmina knock-off, she was totally rude to me through the whole meeting. ‘Zee leetle girl.’” Cassie seethed. “You didn’t hear me calling her ‘zee beeg cougar’!”
“She’s not really old enough to be a cougar,” Erik objected. “More like a cougar-in-training. Maybe a ‘cougarette’?” He chuckled hopefully.
“Don’t even try to joke your way out of this! You should have shot her down the minute she started batting those mascara-caked eyelashes at you.”
Erik paced the room irritably. “I don’t get why this is bothering you so much. Sure, she was insulting to you. I can see why you’re mad about that. But why the hell should you care who I date? Or when? It’s not like there’s anything between you and me.”
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at her in silence for several seconds. “Or is there?” He appeared temporarily dazed by the revelation hidden in his own question.
Cassie felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. She was too shocked to do more than gape at him.
He advanced a few paces, his eyes narrowing. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You’re jealous.” A slow smile spread over his face.
His smugness made Cassie’s blood boil. “Jealous?” she squeaked. Her voice rose an entire octave. “You sure have a high opinion of yourself.”
The grin never left his face. Advancing even closer, he said, “It is what it is, toots.”
“Jealous of you?” she repeated.
By now they were standing face to face, almost nose to nose.
“You can date the Loch Ness Monster for all I care! In fact, you can...”
With one swift movement, Erik took her in his arms and kissed her.
Before she could stop herself, Cassie’s arms were around his shoulders, and she was kissing him back. She didn’t know how long the kiss lasted, but when their lips finally parted, she was dizzy from lack
