Uncrossing and then re-crossing my legs, I tried to make myself think serious thoughts. Not sexy thoughts. No, not the way Michael’s jeans fit his ass just so or how his shirt clung to his muscles in such a lickable way. Nope. Not at all.
“Jane?” Mandy said my name and I jerked my eyes back to her. She glanced around the room with furrowed brows, clearly frustrated at her inability to see. “I’m assuming there’s an angel here now?”
Forcing myself not to stare at Michael’s gorgeous mouth as it tipped up into a smile, I focused on my friend. “Yep. Michael.”
“Like the archangel?” Mandy’s brows raised.
“Uh ...” I chanced a look at Michael who nodded, bemusement twinkling in his eyes. “Sure. At least, that’s what he says. As far as we know, he could be the plumber.”
Michael crossed his arms over his massive chest and glowered at me in a way that only upper management could. Being the mature adult I was, I stuck my tongue out at him. Michael’s gaze darkened, and he was suddenly leaning over me, his arms caging me in at the table.
“The next time you show your tongue to me, it better be to remit your payment. Otherwise, I will remove it from your person.” The dangerous warning in his voice made me shrink into my chair, my tongue furled as far back into my mouth as possible.
“Jane,” Mandy said her voice full of alarm. “Is he threatening you? Where is he?” I saw her hand go to the gun on her waist, and I quickly reached out and grabbed her other hand.
“No, it’s fine. You can’t hurt him anyway.” I glared up at Michael and used my other hand to gesture for him to back up. Thankfully, he didn’t argue and moved back to give me some breathing room. “Besides, he was just being a jerk. I’ve had plenty experience handling those.”
Michael snorted, but I ignored him.
“If you say so.” Mandy settled back in her chair, but her hand didn’t leave her weapon.
“I do say so.” Dusting my hands off, I stood from my seat. With as much dignity as one could have wearing nothing but tiny panties and a shirt, I grabbed up the first pair of jeans I could find. I could feel Michael’s gaze burning a hole in my skin as I pulled them over my legs and hips. I almost didn’t change my shirt, not trusting he’d keep his hands to himself, but the stale beer from last night permeated my nose. The top had to go.
Thankfully, I’d left my bra on last night. Strange, since it was usually the first thing I took off when I got home. But with food and a sexy devil distracting me, I guess I could forgive my past self this once.
With a semi-clean shirt on, I grabbed my bag and was ready to go. “Where to, boss?” I smiled cheekily at Mandy.
My bestie had already put the files she’d given me away and was waiting by the door. Michael stood near her, and for a moment I thought she might be able to feel him. Her posture was tense, and her hand hadn’t left her gun, but then I realized she was just reacting to before.
“I thought we’d go see Clarissa’s parents first. See if you notice anything there. Get a premonition or whatnot.”
“Premonitions are Gabriel’s thing,” I corrected her as we made our way down to her car. “Where’s Detective O’Connor? I was so hoping to have the pleasure of working with him.”
“Haha,” Mandy rolled her eyes, not missing my sarcasm. “He took a personal day, and what do you mean premonitions are Gabriel’s thing? They each have a thing?”
“Gabriel has premonitions, Michael is super observant, and Lucifer is like a human lie detector.” I ticked them off on my fingers as I named them. “You know, I feel for Detective O’Connor. I’d take a personal day too if I had just signed the love of my life away. Maybe we should send him flowers. Flowers are a divorce thing, right?”
I really did have a moment of empathy for Detective O’Connor. I’d seen the result of divorce. Plenty of the neighbors in my parent’s area were divorced. Their kids being caught in the middle of it. I hoped that Detective O’Connor hadn’t had any.
“They were separated for a while before now,” Mandy informed me as she backed out of the parking lot. “So, it was long coming, but I heard she left him because he worked too much, which sadly comes with the territory.”
I punched her on the shoulder and grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry, Mandy. I won’t divorce you for neglecting me. Not until I get my dinners anyway.”
“Thanks for that,” she said dryly.
We rode in companionable silence the rest of the way until we pulled into a gated community. You know, one of those neighborhoods that are too good for the rest of the town, so they had to build a wall around them to keep the riff-raff out? Just seeing it made me want to build a pipe bomb and watch it burn.
“Freaking rich people,” I muttered to myself, glaring at all the cookie cutter houses that passed by.
Mandy snorted.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she shook her head. I stared at her until she finally broke down. I’m that good. “Fine. You’re a hypocrite.”
“What?” My voice went up an octave. “How am I a hypocrite?”
Mandy gestured around to the massive houses and perfect lawns. “You are hating on people who were virtually you growing up. You lived in a gated community just like this. Your dad has a housekeeper.”
“Yeah, my dad,” I reminded her. “Not me. I don’t make enough to afford a bidet. I don’t even have groceries in my fridge.”
“That’s because you’re lazy, not broke.” She shook a finger at me. “And you could have a good paying job if you actually used your degree and not do whatever it is you think you are doing.”
I hummed. She had a point. While being a bartender let me mess around and avoid being a grownup, it would be nice not to have to worry about money. Maybe consulting with the police was my first step? Gabriel had a promising idea when he said I could get my own shop. I did have a business degree. It could work.
Thoughts of the future swirled in my head, and I didn’t even notice we had approached the house until Mandy rang the doorbell. It amazed me what I could do on autopilot. If only I could do everything that way.
“Detective Stevenson,” said a man who looked to be in his fifties as he answered the door. He had bags under his eyes behind his thin-framed glasses and a strained look on his face. This had to be the father.
“Hello, Mr. Granes.” Mandy offered him a comforting smile. “I called you about coming by with one of our consultants to ask some more questions?”
Mr. Granes’s attention moved to me, and he nodded. “Of course, please come in. I’ll just get Janet.”
We followed him into the house, and I tried not to gawk. Mandy had been right that my father’s house was just as nice as some of the ones in the neighborhood, but Mr. Granes’s house made my father’s house look like a hobo’s hut with the tall ceilings and marble floors. It was all a bit cold and clinical for my comfort though.
“The pictures,” Michael’s voice brushed my ear. “Check them.”
He hadn’t ridden in the car with us, choosing to travel however it was angels did. Doing as he said, I searched the pictures on the wall. Like a lot of houses, my family’s included, there were the customary family portrait and a few singles around it. I stepped toward them, trying to figure out what exactly I was looking for.
They seemed happy to me. Well, maybe not happy, more like forcibly content. Mr. and Mrs. Granes stood on either side of their daughter Clarissa, their matching outfits of navy blue and white making them look like the perfect little family.
“I don’t know what I’m looking at.” I glanced at Michael, ignoring Mandy’s curious look.
“Yes, what are you looking at?” Detective O’Connor asked, and I spun around to find him standing in the open doorway.
“I thought you were taking a personal day?” Mandy asked, a bit more rigid now that her partner was there.