Page 7 of Girl, Reborn

‘I don't want to tell you your businesshere, El. But you ever think maybe you're too close to this one?’

She whipped around to face him. ‘And I’mjust supposed to let Mia fend for herself?’

'Hear me out. Mia's your girl, I get it.But this is Mia Ripley. She's up there with Douglas, Ressler. The woman's noidiot. Her papers are mandatory reading for newbies at the Academy. Last year,she gave us a talk on how to profile someone based on their thumbs.'

‘What’s your point?’

‘That Ripley knows the human mind,probably a lot better than we do. Martin’s the overprotective one, right? And,well… No one likes a hypocrite.’

Ella felt a smile tug at the corners ofher mouth. Luca didn’t know the half of it, but damned if he didn’t try hisbest to turn that pessimism upside down.

‘Yeah, I guess you're right,’ Ellaconceded. ‘Mia can handle herself. Hell, she's probably the best shot in theBureau. Woman could shoot the wings off a fly.’

‘No kidding?’

‘Nope. I once saw her shoot a guy in theass. She said it was an accident, but…’

Ella's phone exploded into a violent buzz.She fished into her pocket, pulled it out. The display flashed 'EDIS', and Ellafelt her stomach sink to her toes.

‘Director wants me,’ Ella said.

Luca gestured for her to answer, thenstrode off to the corner. A gesture of privacy.

Ella braced herself and swiped to answer.

This was it. Back to the grind.

‘Morning, sir,’ she said.

‘Ella, need you at HQ, immediately.’ Edis’tone was a barbed wire rasp, all gravel and no nonsense. She could hear theroar of voices in the background, like he was stepping out of a White Housebriefing. Maybe he was.

‘I can be there in twenty. What’s thesituation?’

‘The situation is a damn mess. I can’tspeak much here, but someone close to me is…’ The Director trailed off.

‘Got it.’ Ella knew better than to demanddetails over the phone. ‘But sir, you know I should be on R and R untiltomorrow?’

‘I’m going to have to call an audible.Consider your pay doubled for the next month. I need my best on this yesterday,we clear?’

Ella took a deep breath. Perfect. A solomission on top of this whole soap opera with Mia and Martin. The universe mustbe busting a gut laughing at her right now.

‘Understood, sir.’

The line went dead. Across the room, Lucawas watching her with wide eyes, brows drawn together in a question mark.

‘Duty calls?’ he asked.

Ella groaned, hauling herself upright onprotesting joints. ‘Looks like. Edis wants me in the office, says it can'twait.’

Luca made a sympathetic noise. He knew aswell as she did that it was a bad move to reject a summons from the Big Man.Probably another sick puppy crawling out of the woodwork, looking to make aname for themselves in the most gruesome way possible.

But before Ella could launch into afull-blown bitch fest, Luca's own phone started buzzing and chirping like adigital aviary.

He glanced at the display and his eyebrowsmade a bid for his hairline.

He answered with a brisk ‘Hawkins’ andthen lapsed into a series of clipped ‘yes sirs’ and ‘no sirs’ and ‘right awaysirs’. Ella watched, foot tapping impatiently, as Luca hmm'd and uh-huh'd hisway through what sounded like a one-sided ass chewing.

Finally, after an eternity and a half, hehung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket. When he turned back toElla, there was a manic gleam in his eye.

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