Page 47 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

Nick’s frown deepens. He looks around the room, gauging everyone’s reactions to Ren’s accusation. We all confirm it. Even me. I’ve noticed he’s friendlier to me than he is to most other people. “But I don’t have any desires where you’re concerned,” he says.

A new voice joins the conversation. “Sure you do.”

We all look toward the back of the room where Director West is now standing in the hallway, watching the lot of us. The tiniest smirk plays on her lips, and her eyes twinkle with amusement. “You want her as a partner.”

Nick’s head rears back in shock. “I thinknot,” he denies emphatically. He shakes his head furiously. “I don’t do partners.”

Director West’s smirk grows. “And yet you keep asking Nora for help and inviting her along with you on your cases.”

She walks further into the room and shoots me a wink. Nick sees the look, and his frown morphs into a full-fledged pout. “That’s just because she’s useful. She’s not annoying, she has handy gifts, she’s intelligent, and she thinks like a detective.”

Director West nods. “Right. She makes a good partner.”

Nick looks back and forth between Director West and me, and after a moment, his mouth falls open. Realization sparks, and he blinks a few times. Then he slaps his knee. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Nick gets up from the chair he’s straddling and saunters across the room to me. He places his hat back on my head and leans against the desk. “She’s right. You would make an excellent partner. How about you come to work for the FUA, and we could make it official—Gorgeous and Jacobs, the new Dynamic Duo.”

I match his sly smile. “I dunno. I thinkNick and Norahas a better ring to it.”

I burst into laughter at Nick’s grimace. He shakes his head at me but cracks a smile and nudges my arm with his elbow. “So what do you say, partner? Ready to become a real detective?”

For a second, I’m tempted, but my eyes drift back to Nick’s computer and my hopes are dashed. I’ve reached the last page of the mug shots and didn’t find my killer. “Some detective I am. I can’t even help the fey. I’ve been useless so far.”

Oliver immediately jumps in to contradict me. “Hey. That’s not true. You figured out where they’re finding their victims. We’ll spread the word around for the fey to avoid the casino.”

“You also got a face,” Nick adds.

I look at the unhelpful mug shots again, and frustration bubbles up inside me. “What good is a face if I’m the only one who can see it?” I wave at Nick’s computer screen. “He’s not there. A nameless face doesn’t help us find him.”

Nick pushes away from the edge of his desk and begins pacing the room. “If this were my case, which it’snot,and I’mnothelping”—he shoots a pointed look at Director West—“and I had a witness who’d seen a face but the guy didn’t come up in the database, I’d get a composite artist to draw a sketch.”

I perk up at this, but Director West quickly dashes my hopes. “That would be the next logical step, except our sketch artist can’t help.” She shoots me an apologetic smile, and even she is starting to look frustrated.

“You could ask Elle,” Oliver says, his voice lifting with his hopes.

“Your sister?”

Oliver nods enthusiastically. “She’s a fantastic artist, and she does this thing—it’s sort of a party trick. She can lift an image from your mind, but it’s not invasive like Henry. It’s more like she can just see what you’re projecting. It’s just simple images, and you have to really be concentrating on it. Never agree to a card game with her. She totally cheats.”

I smile at the proud grin on Oliver’s face. He gets that same look of affection whenever he talks about his baby sister. She’s one lucky girl. But then, so am I, because Oliver loves me, too. “So I could show her the image of the man I saw, and she could draw it?”

Oliver nods. “It’d probably even turn out more accurate than using a composite artist, because she’s drawing from memory instead of interpreting your description. Plus…” He glances at Director West. “She’s not affiliated with the Agency.”

Director West purses her lips, as if she wants to refuse, but technically, Oliver is right. “Oliver.” She sighs. “It’s a wonderful idea, and if she’s as good as you say, we might want to think about using her in the future. But you know you can’t get involved in this case.”

He gives her a boyish grin that’s just a tiny bit devious. “I’m not. All I plan to do is introduce my sister to my girlfriend. Elle’s been begging me to do that forever. What Nora chooses to do with Ella after they meet is up to her.”

I don’t hear Director West’s response because I’m too hung up on Oliver’s use of theGword. It makes my stomach erupt with flutters. Oliver considers me his girlfriend. I’d be smiling like a giddy schoolgirl if Parker weren’t in the room. I glance his way and find him watching me. Nerves explode inside me as forcefully as the flutters just had. Parker surprises me when he shoots me a subtle wink. Does that mean he’s okay with Oliver being my boyfriend? Does he consider himself my boyfriend, too? He hasn’t said one way or another if he’s down for the sharing thing.

“How about it?” Oliver asks me with a conspiratorial grin plastered on his face. “Want to meet my sister?”

I meet his smile with one just as big. “I’d love to.”

“Great. I’ll see if I can have her meet us tomorrow.”

Parker insists we go backhome after Director West shoos us out of the Agency office, declaring that her employees need to get back to work. It’s early still—well, early for most underworlders—but there are fey killers on the loose. Home is safer.

I start my anxious pacing the moment I’m downstairs. Parker comes up behind me and grips my shoulders. “Relax,” he murmurs.

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