“You’d be perfect undercover. Because of how you look.”
“Like a generic white boy?” he said with a grin.
“Exactly.” I bopped him on the nose. Not something I ever did, but Danny just brought it out in me. He was like a puppy. A very smart puppy. “Don’t knock it. Those looks come in very handy.”
He stared at the ceiling. “I bet Davis can’t be anonymous anywhere. People probably tell stories about when they first saw him.”
I laughed. “Exactly. And the twins are out for similar reasons. Too easy to describe, though, as you’ve seen, they have their uses.”
“For sure. Built-in alibi, as long as no one knows there are two of you. And perfect for a honeypot job, like we did with the senator.”
“Exactly. Seduction is a very common tool. So how about Steele?” I asked. “What are his strengths and weaknesses and how would you use him?”
Danny thought about it while I dug through my bag of tricks. Sunglasses, obviously, the ones with the camera and nanochip memory, but maybe I’d add a little cheek wax to change the shape of my face. Not that I thought Eric could have picked me out of a lineup and not like I planned to get close to him. Well, not too close, at least not where he would be able to recognize me.
“He has a lot of strengths. Like, well, his strength. He knows military strategy and has combat experience. Also, I bet people underestimate his intelligence because he’s so muscular and Latino.”
“They do,” I agreed. “Weaknesses?” I painted a line of spirit gum on my cheek.
Danny watched closely. “Um…he’s not the most patient guy. Does not suffer fools gladly. Like Ridge.”
“Yes, neither one of them would be right for jobs that require ego-stroking.” I rolled a thin snake of cosmetic wax and stuck it to the line of adhesive. Not too much, just enough to subtly change my profile. Luckily I’d just shaved, so I didn’t have to worry about matching stubble. I started shaping the wax. “How would you use him?”
“I’d use Steele just like we’re doing now,” Danny said. “As anonymous muscle. Hide him in plain sight and let people underestimate his intelligence.”
I nodded. “It’s perfect for him. He needs to work on his Spanish. Speaking of that, do you speak any other languages?”
He frowned, wrinkling his nose adorably. “Four years of French, but I’m not good at it.”
“Keep it up.” I searched for the perfect sponge to spread makeup over my wax. Those ladies at Sephora blended a mean foundation. It matched my skin perfectly. “Being able to speak other languages gives you an advantage. It also helps you think differently, which is priceless. Most Europeans speak at least two. Charlie spoke three that I’m aware of. Spanish, French, and German.”
“Now, that I knew,” Leo said coming into the bathroom. “I was always jealous. I only know a little Spanish. As much as anyone born and raised in Texas.” Squinting, he leaned close to me, reaching for my cheeks.
I swatted him away. “Do not muss me.”
“Muss you?” he muttered, but he backed off.
“I’ll learn,” Danny promised. “What should I start with?”
“Start with getting your high school diploma,” Leo said. “Then you can worry about what you need to know to become a criminal mastermind.” A pained expression crossed his face. “Oh, God. Who am I? What have you people done to me?”
“Nothing you didn’t want done to you,” I said with a pointed look.
He had no comeback for that, so he left the room. Danny watched him go, eyes wide.
“What did you mean by that?” he asked.
“Only that Special Agent Shook is here of his own volition. He could leave at any time.”
“Someone is trying to kill him!” Danny said.
“He’s an FBI Special Agent with twenty years under his belt. I’m sure many people want him dead. And the person or people trying to scare him, at least, are doing so because of choices he made in the past. Choices that entangled his life with Charlie Bingham’s much more tightly than was strictly necessary for professional reasons.”
Danny looked at the door, mouth hanging open as if it hadn’t occurred to him to question Leo’s involvement. It probably hadn’t. He’d been busy fighting for his life and trying to see some kind of future for himself somewhere between a homeless street hustler and the meticulously structured one his parents had planned for him since the day he was born.
“What is the story between Charlie and Agent Shook?” Danny asked.
“That’s not my story to tell. You’ll have to ask him.”
Danny looked at my reflection in the mirror as I put in a pair of colored contacts. “But you know, right?”
I knew some things but not all. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that Charlie had told me even half of what was going on in his life, let alone what was going on in his head. Charlie didn’t trust people like that. I think the only one who even had an idea of what was going on in his head was Miranda. I didn’t know much of anything about Charlie’s life before I’d met him. Who he’d been, where he’d come from, who his people were. He’d recreated himself every day.
And he’d died alone and unloved, a tiny voice in my head whispered. That will be you if you don’t make some changes in your life.
I told the voice to fuck off. I’d made my choices, just like Leo had, and I would and could live with the consequences.
“Okay. To bring the subject back to assets,” Danny said. “I think we’re not using our biggest asset.”
“Oh, really? Do tell.” I turned and gave him my full attention. “What do you consider our biggest asset?”
A pink flush colored his cheeks, but he looked me right in the eye, pointing at me for emphasis. “Josie,” he said with a challenge in his eye.
Surprised, I let out a laugh. “You know what, you’re not wrong. That woman…” I shook my head. Where Charlie had found her, I didn’t know. She’d just shown up one day, stayed for a long time, and then disappeared. Ever since, she’d keep up the cycle, joining us for a few jobs or just to lie low, and then disappearing and doing whatever it was she did.
“Does she work for Charlie or Miranda?” he asked.
“Josie works for Josie,” I informed him. Was this how Charlie had felt when he’d met me? As if he’d found someone to pass on all his hard-earned knowledge to? I did some math; I’d been younger than Danny when Charlie had met me, but not by much. And Charlie had to have been around the same age I was now. Strange.
On one hand, I wanted to take Danny under my wing, become his mentor, and pass down all the accumulated wisdom from Charlie and me. On the other hand, I knew I should encourage him to get as far as he could from me and this entire setup.
Then I remembered he was in love with Wesley and realized he was doomed anyway.
“The thing with Josie and people like her,” I said, motioning for him to come closer, “is that you can’t plan with her. You make your plans and tell her, and she’s going to do what she’s going to do.”
Danny bent his head obligingly so I could change the part in his hair. “Isn’t that, well, kind of dangerous? I mean, couldn’t she screw your plans up big-time?”