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12
The pub near FUCN’A was hopping, being a Friday and near the end of the semester. Many cadets were eager for a break. Ellie and Brett met up with Paige and FUC Agent Jake Park—who Paige had been dating for almost a year—for burgers and drinks.
“I just don’t know how you were able to keep Ellie calm in a boat,” Paige said after gulping down a swig of beer. “She was so flustered when she first explained this assignment to me.”
Brett felt the warmth of a blush creep up his cheeks. “I think Ellie calmed herself down. I deserve no credit for that.” He smiled at her. She returned the look before pressing her lips to his. Brett was glad that with the semester ending, they had more time for each other.
“Brett did give me some confidence,” Ellie admitted with a shrug.
Jake smiled at them both. “I hear we will be coworkers soon. I am always looking forward to new agents.”
Ellie’s shadows were practically bouncing off of her in excitement. “Being a cadet was overwhelming at times, but I feel so accomplished and can’t wait to start the next chapter of my life. And making a difference for others.”
Brett smiled at her. He was so proud of her. “I’ll just be a computer guy.”
“There’s no such thing,” Jake said. “Without tech agents, the field agents couldn’t do our jobs. We’re all on the same team with the same goals.”
Brett loved the support that he felt from his friends. He always felt less than when next to field agents like Jake. But Jake was right. While Brett’s work was more behind the scenes, he would work just as hard as anyone else at FUC.
Ellie squeezed his hand before raising her glass. “To teamwork!” The four of them clinked their glasses together as if making a promise. Brett was so grateful to be surrounded by good people. He looked forward to seeing Ellie each day. Their bond was stronger than anything he had ever known before. It was as if they were made for each other. They could agree to disagree when needed or could work together in any situation. He could face anything knowing that Ellie would be there to back him up, and he knew she felt the same.
Grayson opened the file on his desk. He didn’t like it when his students came under attack. In their debriefing, Ellie and Brett fully explained their encounter with the red-tailed hawk shifter and Dr. Smith. The evil scientist had been accounted for when his body mysteriously showed up, but the giant bird was still at large. Grayson hated assignments left unfinished. And bad guys still at large.
He scrolled through the pictures of birds spotted at various labs that had been raided by FUC in the past couple of years, hoping to find clues as to who this hawk was. He’d already put in requests with ASS—the Avian Soaring Society—but they rarely enjoyed working with FUC. Which meant he couldn’t rely on them to help him identify the attacker.
“I hear you’re going back into the field,” a familiar female voice cut in over his shoulder, smooth as velvet.
Grayson snapped his head toward the door, watching ASS Agent Cass Sparks float into his office on stiletto heels.Those damn heels.Good agents wore practical shoes, but not Agent Sparks. Though no one could say anything about it since she proved she easily balanced and maintained stealth in them. Still, it seemed she took being a peacock shifter too much to heart, feeling the need to flaunt herself like one. Didn’t she know it was only male peacocks who were flashy and colorful?
“What are you doing here, Sparks?” Grayson muttered, turning back to his file.
“What do youthinkI’m doing here? This is ASS business.”
“The hell it is.” He shook his head in protest. “They came after two ofmystudents. I am hunting that rat with wings down.”
“You’re not off the case,” Cass replied. “I’m just on it, too.”
Grayson’s eyes flicked back up to her.Why me?Where he was grit and steel, Cass was equally fluff and sparkles. Their styles were oil and water.
Cass brushed a red curl out of her face, putting it back in line with the others. The gems on her acrylic nails caught in the light with the motion of her hand. The corners of her red lips pulled back into a sly smile. “Did you hear me? I’m going with you.”
Grayson raised an eyebrow, biting back the words he wanted to say. He and Cass on a team? He was surprised they hadn’t spontaneously burst into flames being in the same room. After their last mission together, he was under the impression she wanted nothing more to do with him. “I thought—” he started.
“Forget about what I said in Toronto,” Cass said, her voice husky as she perched on the corner of his desk, crossing one leg over the other and batting her long black lashes at Grayson. “We have a bird to fry.”
The End
