Page 50 of Tested
Chapter Fifteen
Connor
“What the hell was that about?” Poole snaps, leaning over the seat so he can glare at me. I’m too busy staring at David’s retreating back to answer him.
“Well?”
I tear myself away from David and face my former commanding officer. “It’s personal, sir.”
“Hey, like, I don’t want to interrupt, but can we keep going?” Brodie’s grin says he’s actually quite happy to interrupt, that he’s about two steps away from busting a gut laughing.
“Drive.” Poole settles into his seat, facing the front window. “Elites don’t let personal stuff interfere with their work.”
I glare at the back of his head, biting back something sarcastic. “I’m no longer a member of the Elites.” Even that’s snottier than I’d intended. Well, I kept the words professional anyway.
Poole doesn’t bother to reply, and we drive in silence for a good ten or fifteen minutes. I have no idea where we’re going, except that we’re on Santa Monica Boulevard heading in the direction of the 101. Rush hour’s hanging on indefinitely, so instead of heavy traffic we’re barely moving, making the tension in the car all the more unpleasant.
Brodie and Poole seem bent on the silent treatment, but I need to know what the hell’s going on. “Do we have an actual destination, or is this a joyride?”
Brodie starts humming theOde to Joyand I clasp my hands in my lap so I don’t smack him.
“Your great-whatever grandmother is concerned that you’re not paying enough attention to the problem of finding the missing elf princess. She thought if we had a little heart-to-heart, it might motivate you.”
It takes me a moment to respond because my jaw has dropped. “And you went along with her nonsense?”
My head jerks as if I’ve been slapped. There’s no one else in the car besides the three of us, and Brodie and Poole are facing front. I inhale a calming breath and allow my eyelids to slide nearly shut. Cutting out most of the visual input allows me to better see auras, and while I don’t see her silhouette, there’s an amorphous mass of darkness between me and the front seat of the car.
Apparently the Morrigan has come along for the ride.
That makes things more complicated. I don’t want to share what I learned from Sam Kowalski, because Ananda Pendragon might throw me out of the vehicle for even hinting she might be a jilted lover. Plus, I want to keep my promise to Kowalski, that I’ll let Ananda know the Princess Tatiana has been found, without divulging her location.
All that means I keep my mouth shut and ride along on this fool’s errand, hoping like hell we turn up something useful.
In an odd way I’m grateful for the Morrigan’s presence, because it gives me something to fret over rather than whatever the hell’s going to be waiting for me at home. If David tells Trajan I’m working for the Elites, there’s very little chance I’m going to be able to convince him otherwise.
And I’m not working for them. I’m working with them, helping out on one specific task and honoring my oath because Poole decided to be a dick about things. I don’t quite understand David’s anger, but I can only hope he calms down enough not to blow me out of the water.
Poole interrupts my navel-gazing with a stern, “So what were you doing at that house where we picked you up? Did that have something to do with the Princess?”
I reach for my wallet. “I’m a private investigator now, Colonel, and I’m working on a case with the supernatural liaison for the LAPD.” I hold out one of my business cards, but before he can take it, the card bursts into flame.
“Damn.” It burns my fingertips and I drop it.
“Hey now.” Brodie swerves into the other lane, which is fortunately empty. “You behave back there. Don’t bother the driver.”
Poole shifts so he can glare at me. “Do you have any progress to report?”
“Yes.” I’m just not going to tell him what I’ve learned.
The air temperature in the car increases until it’s so hot sweat is beading up on my temples and above my upper lip. Brodie starts to whine because the windows won’t roll down, and Poole’s glare is almost as hot as the car.
I loosen my hold on those gifts I inherited from Mom and let the power fill my voice. “Stop, Ananda Pendragon. I said I would find the Princess Tatiana, and I will.”
It’s not like I’m going to win a war-of-the-powers with the Morrigan, but tapping into it reinforces my words as truth.
Maybe my coworkers had never heard that side of me, either. Brodie’s shooting quick glances in the rearview, eyes so wide I can see the whites all the way around. Poole’s not as dramatic, but even his gaze has turned wary.
“Is there anything else you all wanted? Because I need to get home.” And god only knows what I’ll have to face when I get there.
