Page 28 of A Touch of Treachery
Gabriel picked up his coffee cup and toasted Pablo, who was still standing in the service window.Pablo tipped his chef’s hat, then disappeared into the kitchen.
“So,” Gabriel said.“Why did you text and ask me to swing by?”
“What can you tell me about Bryce Finkley?”
Gabriel eyed me over the rim of his cup.“Why are you asking about Finkley?”
“I ran into him today, and I didn’t particularly enjoy the experience.”
I filled Gabriel in on the botched Vault mission and how Finkley had accessed the Section 47 servers and made off with potential valuable—and damaging—info.
Gabriel let out a low whistle.“Strolling into a Section facility, even one that’s just used for storage, is pretty bold, even for someone like Finkley.”
“Someone like Finkley?”
Gabriel nodded.“Yeah, Bryce used to be a cleaner, the same as me.We went on a few missions together.He’s a smart, tough guy who has the big three enduro traits: strength, speed, and stamina.Bryce was also willing to do whatever it took to eliminate our targets, no matter the potential paramortal powers exposure or collateral damage to innocent people.”
“Do you know why he left Section?Supposedly, he was accused of stealing drugs, weapons, and money from raids.”
Gabriel shrugged.“No clue, but the Section higher-ups will definitely axe you for stealing.Happened about five years ago.I heard all the usual rumors but nothing concrete.It was the same bullshit people said about me, so I didn’t put any stock in it.”
His mouth flattened out, and his fingers curled around the coffee cup like he wanted to crush it with his bare hands.Danger-danger-danger, my synesthesia warned, but I ignored the whispers.I didn’t have many friends, but Gabriel was one of them, and he would never hurt me.
A few years ago, Gabriel had gotten embroiled in a scandal involving the daughter of a Section general.Officially, he’d been booted out of the spy organization, but I knew that Gabriel had used some sort of blackmail to force his way out, although he’d never told me exactly what had happened to sour him on being a cleaner.
After that, Gabriel had founded Chase Industries, his own private contracting firm, and he had built a reputation for being professional, effective, and invisible.Protection details, kidnapping rescues, witness protection.Gabriel and his crew did all that and more, and he’d made a fortune using his Section skills in the private sector.
An image of General Percy dressing me down filled my mind.Today was definitely one of those days when I envied Gabriel’s ability to be his own boss and choose the missions he wanted, instead of being yanked around like a dog on a leash the way I so often was.
“What does Bryce Finkley have to do with that sour look on your face?”Gabriel asked.
“It’s not Finkley so much as who showed up after the mission.Jethro Percy.”
Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up his forehead, and he let out another low whistle.“The big boss was at headquarters?”
“Yeah, and he was none too pleased with me.”
I recapped Percy booting me off the Hyde mission, along with my demotion to level three with the other analysts.
Gabriel winced.“That sucks.I’m sorry, Char.”
“It is what it is.You know how much my father hated General Percy.Well, the feeling is definitely mutual.”
“That’s the legacy of Section 47,” Gabriel said in a sardonic tone.“Grudges galore.”
I snorted.“More like a legacy of lies.”
We both fell silent, thinking about all the ways Section 47 had used us—and abused us—over the years.
I looked at Gabriel again.“Speaking of lies, are you finally ready to tell me what you were really doing at Tannenbaum Castle?”
He jerked back in his seat, and his startled gaze snapped up to mine.Gabriel opened his mouth, but I held up my right index finger in warning, then pointed at my ear.
“Lest you forget, Ialwaysknow when you’re telling the truth—or lying to my face.”
“You and that damn synesthesia,” Gabriel muttered.“Sometimes I wish I had your magic instead of my own phasing power.”
Gabriel had the ability to move his body through any solid object, from the metal side of the diner car to a marble wall to a steel vault.One second, his body was whole.The next, it was like a shadow sinking into whatever surface it touched.
