“So I’ll glue myself to Luke’s side and pester him until he gets me the info I need? I like it. Well, I hate it, but it could definitely speed things up.”
Gail smiled. “There you go! If you get the Thirteen Stars case wrapped up, Hotchins should let you transfer out. And, you know, if you need some assistance on this one, I wouldn’t mind wining and dining with the elite of the city.”
“Of course. I’m sure there are a few places I could use some experienced backup. If your caseload isn’t too much already.”
Evelyn knew for a fact that Gail had more work than she cared for at the moment, but Gail didn’t seem too concerned. “If I get the chance to meet any of the Devereauxs, I’ll take more work.”
Evelyn took a deep breath. “So get close to Luke to close the case. I can do that.” How hard could it be?
~~~~~
“Are you going to get that?” asked Cali from the doorway to Luke’s office.
He turned off the ringer as quickly as possible and dropped the cell phone into his top desk drawer. “It’s not important.”
Cali gave him a questioning look but didn’t ask any further about it. “You have a few free hours before your lunch appointment at one. Let me know if you need anything.” She turned to leave but then halted. “Oh, by the way, I’m taking Friday off.”
Luke tried to remember if he had anything going on Friday. Nothing important came to mind. “That should be fine. Do you have any fun plans?”
Cali averted her eyes to the ground before she looked back up at Luke. “Yes, actually. I’m going out of town with a, um, new guy I’ve been seeing.”
Luke opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Cali had never once mentioned any man she’d seen before. He was more than happy that she was dating, but he didn’t know how much he was allowed to ask about it. Should he ask where they met? Should he ask where they’re going? At this point, Cali was more like a friend or a sister to him than an employee, but there were still some lines he didn’t want to cross.
“If you ever want to head up to the Hamptons,” he said, “let me know and I can try to get you a house right on the beach.” Of course, that offer would make much more sense if it was summer and not late fall, but it was the best way to pry for more information that he could think of.
Cali smiled at his feeble attempts. “That’s super sweet of you to offer. Were actually staying in the cabin upstate that’s owned by a friend of Easson’s.”
Easson... Luke racked his brain for anyone he knew named Easson, but nothing popped out. “Well, I hope you two have fun.” Would having a background check run on Cali’s new boyfriend be crossing a line? Did he really care about crossing a line if it meant keeping Cali safe? But before he could do anything, he had to know more than just Easson’s first name.
The door to his office opened and he looked up, half expecting to see Cali standing there again, and he formulated what prying questions he could ask her next. But it wasn’t Cali. It was his worst nightmare.
Evelyn fucking Price was back.
“What a pleasant surprise,” he said as Evelyn strode into the office.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Funny. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if you returned any of my calls.”
“I’m a busy man, Evelyn. You can’t expect me to be at your beck and call twenty-four/seven.” He looked her up and down. Damn, it would be easier to hate her if she didn’t look so delectable. Her curves filled out a professional-looking pantsuit (the same boring style she wore every day) just the right way, and her black curly hair always seemed just the right amount tousled. As though she had just emerged from bed. And that was the last place he needed to be imagining Special Agent Evelyn Price.
“Luckily for you, you won’t have to be checking your phone every five minutes for my calls anymore.”
Luke could tell from her tone this wasn’t good news at all.
“Because the agency values all that you’re doing for us, and in light of recent events, we decided that it would be best if you had a more physical presence by the agency. So until everything gets sorted out, I would like you to meet your new intern.”
Luke glanced over her shoulder but didn’t see anyone walk in. “Who’s the new intern?”
“I am,” said Evelyn.
Luke carefully controlled his reaction as he studied his nemesis. Her own expression was blank as well, but he had to imagine she enjoyed torturing him with this joke. He had to assume it was a joke, because there was no way in hell he was going working side-by-side with her. “What’s the catch?” he asked. “Did Michael put you up to this? Is there a hidden camera somewhere in here?”