Chapter Nineteen
“I’m supposed to walk into my own workplace with a fake ID and tell them I’m there to inspect the premises?” I asked, staring at the plastic card in my hand that said I was a Homeland Security agent, while standing in front of the casino where I’d been working for the past six months.
Wade, Tatyana, Santana, Raffe, Astrid, and Dylan were next to me, all suited up in shades of gray and black. I was the only one in jeans and a leather jacket, which made me stand out—and not in a good way, especially when waving around a phony Homeland Security badge.
“You’re an agent in training,” Wade replied, straightening his navy-blue tie, which he’d matched to a dark gray suit and white shirt. His Esprit rings didn’t exactly match the outfit, but then again, looking at the rest of the team, they all had something that didn’t quite click. Nevertheless, they looked serious enough in those suits to pass as government employees. “And this is a good opportunity to let the casino know you’re starting a new job.”
Wade looked around, his hands on his hips. His suit jacket was open, revealing his narrow waistline in sharp contrast with his broad shoulders. I couldn’t stop myself from staring. In my defense, only then did I notice how good he looked in a suit. The pants were tailored to gently hug his muscular thighs and calves.
“See something you like?” Wade asked, breaking me out of my… analysis.
“Nothing whatsoever,” I replied, my face blazing, thankful he wasn’t an Empath. A sliver of disappointment trickled through me—was that mine or his? “Why are we here, exactly? You haven’t told me anything about the mission file. Is it a secret?”
“No, I just don’t want you to get overwhelmed on your first day,” Wade said. “But, to ease your mind, we’re simply doing a second sweep of the casino, checking security footage again and questioning other potential witnesses in the area. The investigative team is handling your apartment this morning, so we’re not needed there till the afternoon.”
Given that it was well before ten a.m., the only people in the casino at that hour would be Malcolm and the bar staff. Wade was right, it was a good opportunity to tell Malcolm I was trying on this new job. Although, I planned to leave room for a return, in case I decided not to stick with the coven.
“Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. “How do we do this, then?”
“Santana and Raffe will take the parking lot and 55th Street, where the attack took place, then check the records of the City Heights Family Health Center, in case someone checked in during or after that night with gargoyle-related injuries. Like Alton said, just in case someone slipped through the cracks, since we have no account of the gargoyle’s whereabouts from the time it escaped until the moment I saw it lurking around the casino,” Wade replied. “Tatyana and Dylan will cover the block between 56th Street and El Cerrito Drive. Astrid will cover everything between El Cerrito Drive, Madison Avenue, and El Cajon, all the way up to the Golden Stiletto Bar. There’s no point in going beyond that point. Astrid can tap into street cameras, if needed.”
“What do I do?” I asked.
“You’re coming inside with me. I’ll check their CCTV again, and you’ll submit your resignation.”
“Okay, see you all back here in, what, two hours?” Santana replied, looking at Wade with raised eyebrows. He responded with a brief nod, and the team scattered in their designated directions.
I followed Wade to the main door, which, of course, was locked, since the casino was scheduled to open much later in the day. He knocked on the glass, then waited until Malcolm opened the door.
“Harley! What brings you here? Your shift is tomorrow,” Malcolm said, surprised to see me.
“Yeah, we need to talk about that,” I replied with a sad smile, hands in my jacket pockets.
“Are you okay? You were pretty much out of it the other night. I left you some voicemails, too,” he said, looking concerned. The last time he’d seen me, he, along with the rest of the casino, had been under Wade’s business card spell, reciting his details and freaking the daylights out of me. I’d stormed out and hadn’t said anything since.
“I’m so sorry about my outburst, Malcolm. I think I had some bad Chinese. It totally messed with my nerves. I don’t know what I was thinking. But, anyway, back to my shift tomorrow,” I said, then pointed at Wade. “This is—”
“I’m Wade Crowley, Homeland Security,” Wade cut in, flashing his fake badge. “We’re investigating an incident that occurred across the street from your establishment eight nights ago. Mind if we come in?”
“You’re investigating, as in the two of you?” Malcolm replied, a confused frown settling across his face. He moved aside, allowing us both to go inside.
“Yes,” Wade said, keeping a stone-cold expression on his face. In all fairness, we were both quite young, but in our defense, Homeland Security had hired five thousand new operatives in the state of California last year, most of them new recruits. Our fake identities weren’t too far-fetched. “Miss Smith is in a probationary period, so we figured it was a good idea to start her off with some familiar places on her first field mission.”
Malcolm was astounded, his eyes wide as he stared at me. “It’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” I added softly. “I’m going to have to resign from the casino—”
“Effective immediately,” Wade interrupted me again. He was starting to get on my nerves, so I gave him a discreet, but hopefully uncomfortable, nudge. I heard him grunt, then his irritation flared through me. Yup. He got the message.
“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I hope you understand, Malcolm,” I said.
He nodded in response, then offered a heartwarming and sympathetic smile. “Of course. I’m very proud of you, Harley. Well done. I knew you wouldn’t be with us for too long.”
“Save the spot for me, though.” I chuckled. “They might end up sacking me in a month, and I don’t do unemployment.”
Wade shot me a brief but sharp sideways glance, as if I’d said something out of line. You can suck on that bitter pill, then, Crowley. I was only telling the truth. It was bad enough I was impersonating a Homeland Security agent; there was only so much I could bring myself to lie about in front of Malcolm.
“I’m surprised, though,” Malcolm replied, scratching his stubbled chin. “You don’t have a college degree. Why’d they let you in? I thought they were quite rigorous over at Homeland.”
“We’ve had to lower our standards substantially over the past couple of years,” Wade said, and I could feel his satisfaction at that gratuitous jab. Oh, it is on, Crowley. I will make you cry by the end of this month, I promise. “It’s not college education that is crucial in our assessments, but rather the skillset that each candidate brings to the table. I think we can both agree that Miss Smith’s… talents make her a special case. Homeland decided she was worth a try, which is why she’s in a probationary period for the time being.”
“Well then, again, congratulations, Harley!” Malcolm beamed at me. Even though most of that was a blatant lie, I couldn’t help but relish the pride glowing through me, courtesy of Malcolm. He was fond of me and, in many ways, a father figure, as important to me as Mr. Smith. Needless to say, I welcomed his validation. “Now, how can I help you?”
“Like I said, there was an incident eight nights ago, on 55th Street, just past the casino parking lot,” Wade explained. “There were no police involved, just two of our agents. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose more information at this time, but we require access to your CCTV cameras, particularly the ones covering the parking lot.”
Malcolm was happy to oblige, and escorted us to the security room, where a multitude of TV screens were mounted on a wall. Most of them were focused on the interior parts of the casino, but there were twelve cameras installed outside, with three in the parking lot. I knew each very well, remembering their coverage areas and blind spots.
We watched the footage from that fateful night, and I saw myself at the poker table… the dealer incident, where the image got slightly blurry, as if the cameras were suddenly out of focus. Wade frowned as he saw the entire scene, then gave me a concerned look. I responded with a shrug, then pointed at the screens covering the parking lot.
“There I am,” I said.
“What were you doing on the other side of the parking lot?” Malcolm asked, squinting as he looked at the footage. I was just a black stick from that angle, but we could still see my car shake a little from the gargoyle impact. Wade and I could see the creature, but, judging by Malcolm’s expression, he couldn’t.
That’s interesting. I get to see these monsters on camera, too, but the humans are spared the nightmare.
“I heard noises, but I didn’t see anything,” I replied, then looked at Wade with an innocent look on my face. “Was this when the incident happened?”
“Yes.”
Wade wasn’t a man of many words at that point, his gaze fixed on the screens.
“I didn’t even see the footage until now,” Malcolm said. “Had the police been involved, I would’ve had to pull it up sooner. This is strange. Why’s your car moving like that, Harley?”
“I… I have no idea,” I replied, unsure how to gloss past that particular anomaly. He couldn’t see the monster sliding into my car to produce that nudge.
“Probably a gust of wind,” Wade said. “So, you’re saying no other Homeland Security agent came in to check the footage the night after the incident?”
Malcolm shrugged. “No one. I had no idea something had even happened so close to our establishment.”
Wade straightened his back, and I could sense he was upset. From what I’d learned so far about him and the coven, the protocols did involve scrubbing any CCTV footage related to a monster incident. And yet, there we were, a loose end of the gargoyle affair slapping our faces. Ugh, someone’s going to get reprimanded for this.