Page 73 of Lethal Illusion

Chloe stared down at her empty glass, unable to mask the horror in her eyes.“You’re bluffing.”

“Are you willing to bet your life on that?”Essie was fairly confident the answer was no.She picked up her drink and stood.“Move on with your life.In the long run, you’ll be much happier.Oh, by the way, you might want to stay close to a bathroom for the next few hours.”

She set her half-empty glass on the tray of a passing waitress on her way out of the restaurant.Halfway down the block, her partner in the op joined her, matching her stride for stride.

“Two-part poison?”Zara asked.“Why didn’t you just kill her?”

“Sierra didn’t want to take it that far, and Austin agreed.”They turned the corner and headed for the light rail station.“Besides, the placebo effect is a very real thing.People feel better after taking sugar pills because they think it’s real medicine.The same thing works for poisons.What I slipped into her drink will be out of her system by morning, but she’ll get sick enough tonight to believe there’s a part two.”

Zara shook her head, her lips stretched into a grin.“That’s so warped.I love it.”

“I’m happy it meets your approval.”They boarded the train and picked a spot near the back.“Are you ready for your next assignment?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

“Just trying to be considerate.”Essie laughed softly.To anyone watching, she appeared relaxed, but she kept constant watch for any signs of potential danger.At this time of day, things were usually pretty safe, but it never hurt to be careful.

“So what’s my next assignment?”Zara asked.“Please tell me it’s something I can sink my teeth into.That last surveillance job bored me out of my mind.”

Essie grinned, because she knew this mission was right up Zara’s alley.“Oh, you’re going to love this one.I’ll tell you all about it when we get back to base.”