Page 22 of Heart Over Heels

“How was he supposed to starttonightif we had to wait for all that?” she shot back.

“We may have a bigger problem,” I cut in, loudly enough to put a stop to their bickering.

Beck glanced over as I added, “He works at the Basilica.”

Beck looked at Colette as if to verify. When she nodded, his attention returned to me. “You would only know that if you were at the Basilica.” He didn’t wait for further confirmation before asking, “When were you at the Basilica?”

“A few days ago.” I sighed. “And it wasn’t my idea. But I talked to…” I glanced at Colette. “What’s his name?”

“Mercer James,” she supplied.

I frowned, wishing I’d checked the guy’s shirt for a badge or asked ifhehad a card when he asked for mine. “That’s two first names. Or two last names. Which one’s which?”

“First Mercer,” Colette replied. “Then James.”

Sure.

“I talked toMercer,” I said, “and told him we needed a security guard. But it was a joke. I didn’t think he’d take me up on it.”

Zephyr spun away from the window to regard the rest of us with his head tilted. “Why would a guard from the Basilica wanna work here?”

“Can’t be the pay,” Colette muttered.

Everyone except Beck laughed.

I hadn’t really expected Mercer to turn out for an interview, and certainly not without a call ahead. The fact that he was seeking employment so soon after our clash could only mean one thing.

“I may have gotten him fired,” I confessed.

Beck shot me a sharp look. “You what?”

“Or he got himself fired,” I amended. My initial defense weakened as I rambled on. “Because of me. It’s complicated.”

Beck lifted the piece of paper that had been left on his desk and flapped it in the air. It looked to be some sort of application or résumé.

“So this guy chased your ass from the Basilica to here?” he asked. “Is he applying for a job or a hookup?”

Beside me, Colette shrugged. “Well, he got the job. Maybe he can have both.”

“No, hecan’t.” I glared at her. “He doesn’t want to sleep with me.”

“You sure about that?” Beck raised a brow.

Colette snorted. “Some men will go to great lengths for a prime piece of meat, won’t they, Lucas?”

Beck tipped his head toward the ceiling like he was petitioning some higher power for patience while Zephyr slipped out of his hammock swing and padded over to the desk.

“Voyons, Colette,” he said, his voice a singsong tease. “Je suis plus qu’un morceau de viande.”

Colette clucked her tongue. “Ah, mon cœur. Toi tu serais plutôt un vrai festin.”

Beck rolled his chair back to make room for Zephyr to climb into his lap. Looping his arms around Beck’s neck, the incubus leaned in with an expectant smile. Beck plucked the lollipop from Zephyr’s mouth, then kissed him deeply enough that he must have tasted the flavor the sucker left behind.

Colette let out a chuckle. “And Lucas can’t help going back for seconds.”

When they finally broke apart, Zephyr opened his mouth like a baby bird, and Beck obligingly returned the candy. That had been one of my more successful matchmaking efforts, though I was paying for it now, stuck watching the cringe-worthy aftermath and dealing with the fact that Zephyr’s mere presence was enough to drain all the business sense from Beck’s otherwise level head.

Neither he nor Colette seemed half as worried as they should’ve been about letting a potential traitor into our midst. I’d already had a close brush with the Basilica’s bruisers, and I didn’t trust Mercer to be any different. Sure, he’d stepped in when things were spiraling out of my control, but that didn’t erase the fact that he used to punch a clock for our sworn enemies.