Page 33 of Covert Affections (Shadow Agents/PSI-Ops #5)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lindy

Lindy had no idea what was going on, but she was having the time of her life. Bill’s over-the-top storytelling, Charley’s exasperated humor, and the blond guy’s simmering intensity—everything about this felt like stepping into an alternate dimension. And she loved it.

She shook her head, grinning. “I’m still totally lost but completely invested in this weirdness. Tell me you’re hiring them, CJ. Not sure what they’re going to do other than make me laugh, but hey, I’m open to anything.”

Bill’s exaggerated offense was adorable. “Listen, Lindy-City. Me and Gus have got too many talents and skills to list, and the experts say to keep your resume to one page…”

Lindy let him prattle on, stealing a glance at Gus.

The quiet one was currently staring at a hat like it held the secrets of the universe.

She stifled a laugh. Gus might’ve been the oddest person she’d ever met, but there was something endearing about him, like he belonged on an entirely different plane of existence and just visited this one occasionally.

Bill finally wrapped up his ridiculous monologue, and Lindy barely had time to process what he’d said before it hit her. “Did he just say something about a god named Mike?” she asked, wide-eyed, looking at Charley.

“Yep,” Charley replied, deadpan.

“Mike was a pussy,” Bill added without missing a beat, sending a withering glare at the blond guy. “Seems to be an epidemic.”

Lindy’s brow quirked at the tension crackling between Bill and Blond-Guy. She glanced at Blond-Guy, wondering how he’d respond. He tilted his head and let out a deliberate cough, the meaning behind it impossible to miss: fuck off.

Lindy stifled a laugh, biting down on the inside of her cheek. It was almost absurd how thick the rivalry between these two was—she wasn’t even sure what they were fighting about, but she was thoroughly entertained.

Bill made a move to go at Blond-Guy, his entire body tense like a spring wound too tight. Lindy leaned forward slightly, her pulse picking up at the sudden shift in the room. The humor was still there, but underneath it, something sharper lingered.

Gus started smacking the back of a chair repeatedly as if to draw everyone’s attention, and Lindy had no idea why, but it worked. Everyone’s attention snapped to Gus, the bizarre scene jarring enough to cut through the rising tension.

Bill exhaled loudly, his focus still glued to Blond-Guy. “Lucky bastard. Gus doesn’t want me messing with you right now.”

Blond-Guy grinned, his calm confidence as sharp as Bill’s hostility. “Hey, any time, any place,” he said casually, like it was no big deal.

Charley wasn’t having it. “And the place and time aren’t here,” she said firmly, her voice cutting through whatever standoff might’ve happened next.

The men obeyed like schoolboys caught passing notes. Lindy smirked at the way they deferred to Charley. Honestly, it was kind of impressive how effortlessly CJ managed to wrangle the chaos in the room.

Bill dipped his head in acknowledgment. “I’ll be a good boy, Doc.”

Lindy chuckled, her eyes darting to Blond-Guy. “Oh, I really want to hear the blond promise that too. He needs to say it slowly.” She couldn’t resist pushing the moment just a little further.

Blond-Guy’s attention shifted to her then, his gaze sharp and steady. A slow, wicked smirk curved his lips, and his voice dropped just enough to make the words feel dangerous. “Then I’d be lying since I’m anything but a good boy.”

“Yeah, more like an evil dickwad,” moaned Bill.

The room tilted. At least, that’s how it felt to Lindy. Her cheeks flamed, and she resisted the urge to squirm under the weight of his gaze. Instead, she fanned herself lightly, hoping it looked casual and not as flustered as she felt. “Wow. Just wow,” she managed, the words barely above a whisper.

Charley, immune as ever, cut in. “Honestly, how are we friends?”

Lindy turned to her, still recovering from the Blond-Guy Effect. “No clue,” she said, flashing her friend an exaggerated look of wide-eyed disbelief.

Bill looked at Blond-Guy and stuck out his tongue like a child. “It’s fated,” he said, grinning ear to ear, his attention returning to Lindy and Charley.

Lindy tilted her head at that. Fated? That wasn’t exactly the word she’d use, but the guy had an odd way of making even his wildest claims sound oddly convincing.

“So is me and Gus coming to help at the rescue?” asked Bill.

Lindy couldn’t help but stare at Blond-Guy. She really wanted Charley to hire him. She glanced at her friend.

Then, after a moment, Charley started rifling through the stack of resumes on the table, her expression growing more thoughtful. Her attention snapped to Blond-Guy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Asshole,” mumbled Bill without missing a beat.

“Jesse,” the blond man corrected smoothly, his voice calm and firm.

Jesse.

Lindy tucked the name away, turning it over in her mind. It suited him—quiet but strong, with an edge of danger she couldn’t quite pin down.

“I don’t have a resume here for you,” Charley said, her voice cutting through Lindy’s thoughts.

“No. You don’t,” Jesse replied simply, meeting Charley’s gaze with steady confidence. “I know my way around animals.”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Bill muttered. “Takes one to know one kind of thing, right?”

Lindy glanced between them, her curiosity rising as Jesse’s expression shifted. His gaze hardened on Bill, and for a moment, she thought the tension in the room might snap.

“You don’t need him, Chuck-Wagon,” Bill said casually, though his words carried just enough of an edge to make Lindy raise a brow.

She turned back to Charley, her voice lowering slightly as she leaned in. “You really do need the help, CJ. I think he’s perfect,” she said, nodding toward Jesse.

Charley didn’t look convinced. She shook her head slightly, her voice as dry as ever. “You like the fact he’s tall, hot, and blond.”

Lindy grinned. “Uh, yes. That makes him qualified for so very much in my book.”

Charley snorted, the sound full of disbelief. “Be serious.”

“I am.”

Still, Charley’s skepticism lingered as she looked Jesse over again, her brows knitting together slightly. “What if he’s an axe murderer or something?”

Lindy turned back to Jesse, eyeing him briefly. “Are you an axe murderer?” she asked, her tone light but still carrying a flicker of curiosity.

“Nope,” Jesse said, flashing a smile that had Lindy’s stomach doing a somersault.

Bill’s groan cut through the moment as he stepped closer to the table, his attention shifting briefly to the cupcake sitting there before snapping back to Jesse. “Splitting hairs there, aren’t ya, Jesse Wood-For-Brains James?”

The growl that came from Jesse was low and almost feral, the sound sending a strange shiver down Lindy’s spine. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but something about it felt oddly familiar, almost animalistic in a way that made her heart skip.

“Oh please. I’ve seen bigger,” Bill said, waving a dismissive hand in Jesse’s direction before turning his attention to Gus, who had started turning in slow, deliberate circles, swinging the hat in his hand like some kind of hypnotic pendulum.

He was certainly different.

“Calm down,” Bill said, addressing Gus as though his behavior was completely normal. “I ain’t gonna fight with him right now. I know why we’re here. We gotta help Chuck-Wagon and Pony Boy make a love connection.”

Lindy blinked, glancing at Charley. A love connection?

Gus stopped spinning abruptly, his head tilting down as he stared at his feet. He let out a long, low moan, the sound heavy enough to make Lindy’s chest tighten with unease.

“Shit. Didn’t mean to spill the beans,” Bill said, though the grin on his face suggested otherwise. He turned to Charley and offered her a quick nod. “You cool with the spoiler alert?”

Charley looked thoroughly confused, and Lindy didn’t blame her. “Um, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I get I’m Chuck-Wagon, but who is Pony Boy? Is it him?” She gestured toward Jesse.

“Nope,” Bill said brightly, grinning from ear to ear. “That asshole ain’t Pony Boy.” He nudged Gus lightly with his elbow. “Look at that, Gus. No harm. No foal .”

“Foul,” Jesse muttered, his voice sharp as a blade.

“I said what I meant,” snapped Bill, his tone sharp enough to cut through the air between him and Jesse.

He shifted gears almost instantly, casting a sugary-sweet smile in Charley’s direction.

“And you don’t need Asshole’s help. Me and Gus can handle things.

We gotta get this show on the road soon. Rain is coming.”

Lindy frowned at that, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes slightly. “There isn’t any rain in the forecast for days,” she said, her tone skeptical.

A storm is coming.

Lindy froze, the words brushing through her mind like an icy whisper. She looked around, expecting one of the men to be standing closer than they should have been, but there was no one there.

Charley twisted around sharply, scanning the room like she expected someone to pop out of the shadows.

Had she heard the voice in her head too?

Lindy’s concern deepened. She stepped closer to her friend and lightly touched her arm. “CJ? You all right?”

“W-what?” Charley stammered, startled as she turned back toward Lindy.

“You okay?” Lindy asked, lowering her voice. Her gaze flicked briefly toward the men, but neither of them seemed to notice the tension lingering between her and Charley.

“Yes,” Charley said after a moment, though her voice sounded shaky. “Sorry. I thought I heard something.”

Lindy studied her for a moment longer, but before she could press the matter, Charley turned her attention back to Blond-Guy—Jesse. For a second, Lindy thought she was about to thank him for his time and send him packing without so much as an offer.

Instead, Charley surprised her.