Page 87 of Elven Lies

“Not here, no.”

“I’d call that good news.”

“As you wish.” Still, he didn’t budge.

“What is it, Hannigan? Please believe me when I say it’s better for both of us if you just come out and say it.”

Maxwell cleared his throat, pressed his lips tightly together, and finally dropped his gaze to her desk like he couldn’t look her in the eye while spilling the beans. “You say everything’s fine, and I want to take you at your word.”

“Then please do.”

“But I…” A frustrated sigh escaped him before, with what seemed like great effort, he finally lifted his gaze again to meet hers. “But I can tell something else is bothering you.”

He couldtell…

Of course he could. Rebecca had been feeling his emotional responses to a wide array of situations for several days now. Why wouldn’t the inexplicable connection go both ways?

Therewassomething else bothering her. He’d picked that up correctly. But it wasn’t anything she could talk tohimabout.

She wasn’t sure his concern for her could withstand his growing irritation if she discussed her recent revelations about Rowan and how much she’d risked by letting the Blackmoon Elf stay with them. Plus, Maxwell would volunteer to get rid of Rowan himself so the Roth-Da’al wouldn’t have to dirty her hands with it.

At the end of the day, though, she didn’t need his help. Not with this.

When it came to dealing with Rowan, Rebecca had to handle it herself.

So for now, at least, she had to make it something else.

Only when she offered the shifter a tight, tired smile did she realize how accurately it reflected her current state. “It’s just been a day, and I’m tired.”

“Nothing else?”

She shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of. But if something comes up, you’ll be the first to know.”

Maxwell’s frown deepened a bit more until he finally nodded. “I hope so.”

Look at that. Maxwell Hannigan adding hope to the equation. This was definitely among her top-ten strangest days as Roth-Da’al, with plenty more to come, she was sure.

She didn’t know quite what to do beneath his gaze. Obviously, she hadn’t eased his concerns the way she’d hoped, but it didn’t feel right to end the conversation on this note. No matter how happy she would have been to crawl into bed right now.

So it was back to business, then.

“I do have something for you, though.” She dipped under her desk to grab the heavy silver briefcase, then hauled it up with her and dropped it onto the desk with a thump.

Maxwell raised an eyebrow and cocked his head.

“I’llletyou open it this time.”

He reached for the clasps as if they might electrocute him or set off an alarm, but then he finally pushed through it to flip them both open together before lifting the lid.

Once he did, the sight of all that cash stacked inside, high-denomination bills bound neatly together, made him freeze.

Either that, or it fried his brain’s circuitry altogether.

“This should cover the cost of whatever we need to fully resource in advanced operation I want running as soon as possible,” she told him. “Recon, ongoing intel, strategic infrastructure. The whole circus.”

He swallowed thickly before closing the briefcase and locking both clasps again. It wasn’t much of a reaction, but for Maxwell, it was one hell of a tell.

This was her Head of Security’s version of cheering and rolling around in a pile of cash.

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