Page 76 of Required Surrender

“She’s not officially mine.”

“Hmm… Is the masterful Scot losing his touch?”

“Maybe I’m allowing her time to get used to such a magnanimous man.”

“Wait while I vomit a little in my mouth.” Only Grant’s sister could get away with such playful yet pointed insults.

“I often wonder how it’s possible you’re in the same gene pool as your brother.”

“Oops. Didn’t he tell you? He was adopted from an aging alien couple. Why are you here? Let me guess. The fact-finding mission you assigned me to.”

I sat on the edge of her desk, taking a deep breath. “Maybe this isn’t something you have any knowledge of given your age, but have you heard about an underground group of men in DC determined to rule the world?”

The way Anastasia was looking at me was if I’d just grown two heads. Granted, I’d often gotten the very same look from her over the two years of working together. “Everybody’s heard of that. Or is this another ‘oops’ moment because you’re too old to clue into the scene?” She grinned, her eyes sparkling.

“Touché, but don’t do it again. I’m serious. What do you know?”

Her expression suddenly turned serious. “I don’t know but so much. People talk about an undercurrent of men who actually run the city. I usually found it funny since I’m well aware of your influence. And no, I don’t have any names. No one seems to know who they are.”

“Where did you hear this?” Was it possible Davidson and Winston were in this group?

“A couple of friends of mine. One chick, her father is pretty high up in the police department. I guess there’s been some trouble in the past. I really don’t know too much.”

I wondered if she was talking about the illustrious chief of police.

Sighing, I thought about what Davidson had said. “What about the cross referencing?”

“If you’re asking about the other girl that was killed, yes, she’s been here, but not with Davidson.”

“Then who?”

“Um, hold on.” She shifted to her computer, her fingers flying.

“Did any of the cross references lead to anything?”

“Just hold your horses, boss. If you’d told me you were coming, I mighta had a sexy report waiting for you.” She threw me a look over her shoulder and popped her gum, hitting print a few seconds later. “There you go. No one that I remember causing any trouble. His name is on the list at the bottom. I also haven’t had the time to check their names against our records.”

“There’s always a first time for trouble. I’ll spend some time checking on who they are.” While I knew a significant number of names by heart, my photographic memory allowing me to recognize the usual players, there were far too many members for me to memorize them all. “How did you get the list of girls from Elite?”

She dropped her head, pleased as punch with herself. “You’re not the only one who has influential friends, boss man.”

“How did you get the list?”

“You’re no fun,” she quipped. “One of my besties works in Elite’s office.”

“Hmmm… I might have to keep you on board after all.”

“I don’t worry about you firing me. My brother would beat your ass.”

“Not likely.” Huffing, I glanced at the list. Bingo. Ashley Neeples was on the list. My blood suddenly ran cold.

“Did something happen?” she asked. “You’re not usually so gregarious about a data search.”

I lifted my eyes as well as a single eyebrow. “Call it instinct. The second girl who was murdered worked there.”

Her eyes opened wide. “I hadn’t had time to make the connection yet. Do you want me to find out if Club Darkness can run me a list of dudes who’ve used Elite gals?”

The woman would likely rule the world one day given her precocious attitude and her ability to disarm anyone. “Why not?”

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