Hunting for Honey - THE SPECTER SERIES [book one]

Chapter FORTY SEVEN:The Softening

Archer West

Back at headquarters, Ellerie and I are pouring over the contents of the now decrypted files.. Honey had been one hundred percent right about the encryption key.. Which doesn't surprise me at all, I'm not a stupid man, but I'm beginning to realise she is far more intelligent than I will ever be.. Just another reason she should be out of my league.. The way she had Iris opening up, joking around.. Hell, the fact she had forgiven her so quickly, just showed the size and warmth of her sweet heart..

Ford treats her as though she is some kind of baby sister to him and I can see she already has him wrapped around her finger.. As for O'connor, well he seems just as in awe of her as I am.. I'm still not entirely sure of their relationship.. But I'm the only one who Honey trusted with the key.. And I'm the one she says she loves.. Even if I still can't believe it..

My mind keeps circling back to the improbability of it all.. Why would she - the most temptingly perfect woman I've ever met - love me? .. A guy who, until recently hasn't dated.. Anyone.

Sex, yes, sex I understand , but relationships.. Love. That's all new to me.

Ellerie's soft smokey voice shakes me from my thoughts.. "Shit.. Are you seeing this, boss?" Looking over her shoulder, I turn my gaze to the screen in front of her, she pulls up the list of auction invitees..

Gangland kingpins, mafia Don's, head dragons, dictators... Every kind of nasty, organised crime figure you could imagine all listed to attend.. And one name that stands out like a neon sign.. Mine.

There in the list about three quarters of the way down is my name.. Archer West.

"Alex must have gotten you approved for the auction.. Look there are details for a cloud server account here.." She clicks on a link.. Ellerie taps away on the keyboard at lightning speed..
Details for the auction site and rules of play appear on the screen.. One week from today, on the South Side in the most desolate part of town at 11pm.. A new address - lot 1321 Rangers Road.. No weapons, no guests, wire transfers only..

She taps rapidly again, pulling up a grainy aerial image.. "It's just an empty block, on an empty street .. There's nothing there.."

I lean in to get a better look at the satellite picture she has produced.. It appears to be a vacant lot with nothing but a few bushes scattered around.. "It might be a drop site or extraction point.."

She nods in agreement, her auburn hair shimmering under the bright fluorescent lights.. "Should I set up site surveillance down there immediately sir?"
I shake my head at her and she frowns, confused.. "I thought Iris said--"

"I'm going down there, I'm going to find Bexley, if I have to go to that auction, so be it.."

Her hazel eyes widen behind her bright yellow cats eye frames .. "But sir--"

Holding up a hand to stop her, I slump into the chair, leaning back I close my eyes and sigh.. "Cut the 'sir' shit, El. I'm sorry alright.. I shouldn't have been such a dick to you.."

I think back to the hard time I'd given her for messing up and missing the financial discrepancies.. To say it had been.. Overboard, would be an understatement.. But I trust Ellerie.. Hell, I even like her. It had been a hard adjustment for her, being assigned to Alpha Team. O'connor, Ford and I have a long history of loyalty and brotherly bonds.. Bonds we forged on the battlefield and after, in the shadows of covert ops.. And while Ellerie Devereux joined Specter as a highly trained ex-FBI operative, she was immediately on the outs of our little boys club.. She worked hard to earn her way into our inner circle and in one gloriously dickish move, I had managed to make her feel completely shut out once again..