The Archangel Agenda (Evangeline Heart Book 1) by A.K. Alexander, Jen Greyson Page A

I’ll take icy.”
    He shrugged. “I’m a man. Can’t blame me for trying. You know you’re hot. Besides that, you need me for this job. Come on, say it.”
    I don’t blush, but there was a little heat rising to my cheeks. I tried hard to remain cool and not let him see that, in a way, I was flattered by his obnoxious behavior. I set my bottle on the table and crossed my arms. “And I will allow you work with me on this.”
    He grinned. “You need me. I knew it.”
    I hated him so very much in that moment.

 
    Chapter Fifteen
     
    “What’s your brilliant plan to get back in?”
    The lights flickered, then dimmed the bar’s interior to near blackness. I startled and my chair squeaked. Clay cursed softly, then the lights came back on.
    “That was weird,” he said.
    I waited tensely for Metatron to show up. The archangel had already told Malcolm that he couldn’t help me. Had I broken some rule by agreeing to work with Clay?
    Clay looked around with a tension in his shoulders I hadn’t seen before now. Did he feel it too, the strange spirit world that now seemingly lingered wherever I went? He drained his beer and stood. “Let’s go back to my place.”
    I laughed. Hard. I hadn’t meant to, but my nerves and the tequila were just enough to soften my filter. Like hell I was going to let him take me back to his place. Drinks had been a huge concession for me.
    He held out his hand and winked. “I have maps and the internet… I wanted to make a plan somewhere a little more private, but…” His gaze dropped to the open V of my shirt, then lower. He flashed a grin and shrugged. “I like the way you think, though.”
    Ooh! I narrowed my eyes. “As if.” I brushed past his outstretched hand and stormed out of the building. While we’d been in there, the sun had come out and the humidity had to be nearing ninety-five percent. My clothes instantly stuck to me and a blast of car exhaust caught me full in the face. I raised my arm to hail a cab.
    Behind me, the heavy bar door opened and shut. I was so embarrassed that I’d let a reaction slip. Malcolm had been right to suggest that I was too raw and emotional to be on a job.
    He stepped up beside me on the curb and I shot him a look. He grinned and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m just down this way a block. Want to walk?”
    Nothing about him worried me. He was too casual, too much of a thief. If he’d wanted to hurt me, he’d had ample opportunity before now. To him the chase and the steal was the fun part, and worth doing even though I’d already agreed that he’d get paid. This was a tenuous alliance, but an alliance just the same.
    I made a point of looking him up and down, like he’d done to me in the bar moments ago, but my look held every bit of my disdain for his flippancy and blatant flirting in it. I wanted him to know that he didn’t scare me. I’d already bested him twice.
    His place was exactly what I’d pictured, sparsely furnished and barely used.
    What I didn’t expect was the giant Malamute that came barreling out of the bedroom straight for me. I braced myself. It skidded to a stop in front of Clay and stood on its hind legs, pink tongue flashing between its giant teeth.
    “Marvin, meet, uh... What is your name?” He dropped his keys on a rickety table, patted the dog on the head, and grabbed us beers from the fridge.
    “Lina. Remember, I already know yours.” I flashed a wide smile.
    “Right. Marvin, meet Lina.”
    I sat on the edge of the couch, wishing he had tall barstools so I could stay out of licking range. I’d never felt comfortable around dogs, not even little ones. So many teeth. They were like mouthfuls of knives.
    “Tell me about this piece. Knowing what it does will help me figure out how well they’ve guarded it.”
    I shook my head and took the beer from him. He sat beside me, making the couch sag. The dog lapped the air around me and I cringed. Clay snapped his fingers and the dog hit the ground,