Counterfeit Cupid (Mt. Olympus Employment Agency: Cupid #2)(18)

“Yes, you will.” She gave me a fierce scowl. “And you have forty-eight hours to do it in. If you’re not back here with her in two days with all the matches corrected, I’ll have to call Aphrodite and tell her everything. And that will probably have all three of us—you, me, and your Annie—spending the next century mucking out the Aegean stables in the Underworld.”

Forty-eight hours. That wasn’t so bad.

All I had to do was not screw up.

*

On the way back to the hotel, I thought about the best way to approach Annie. I didn’t want to scare her, but I didn’t want her—or me—to end up in the Underworld doing serious time. Maybe the direct approach was the best one.

I didn’t recognize the man behind the counter when I entered the hotel lobby. I approached him while looking over his shoulder for Annie. I didn’t see her.

He smiled. “Welcome to the River Rock. How can I help you?” His blond hair was pulled back in a high bun showing off the shaved sides of his head.

“Can you tell me where Annie went?” I felt silly asking, like I was back in sixth grade and people might start teasing me for liking a girl.

“Oh, I sent her home. Today was supposed to be her day off. She’ll be back tomorrow evening. Would you like to leave a message for her, or is there something I can do?” His upper lip was covered in peach fuzz, and the center of his chin had about five sparse hairs growing out. I thought it might be an attempt at a beard, but it might have been a spot he missed while shaving. Probably the second thing.

“No. That’s fine.” Dammit. Now I didn’t know where to find her. Waiting until tomorrow evening to make contact was cutting my time to fix all this in half. “Thanks anyway.”

I dragged my feet across the lobby, reluctant to head up to my room when so much rode on my finding her. If only I had the ability to be invisible. Then I could go into their office and find her address.

I punched the up button and waited. The elevator dinged and the doors rolled open as a thought occurred to me. I didn’t need her address. I had an address already. Whether she lived there or not, I’d already seen her there.

Ignoring the elevator, I pulled my assignment out of my wallet and looked at the address I’d already visited. That was the answer. I’d go there and see if they knew where to find her.

How I’d get that information out of two strangers was beyond me. I’d figure it out when I got there.





8. Annie


Val’s emotional fluctuations were off the charts. One minute she was talking about how sweet Richard was last night, doing the dishes after dinner and taking a walk with her. Two seconds later, she was crying and insisting he didn’t really love her because she was fat.

I was sure she had to be about to start her period. She was acting like a crazy woman. But you don’t say that to a crazy woman who’s about to start her period.

Val sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve. “Did you see last night’s episode of Piper Hill? I can’t believe Kathleen told Emma about the affair. What a bitch!”

She knew I didn’t even watch that show, so it didn’t matter. No spoilers here.

The doorbell rang. In my desperation to get a minute of peace to clear my head, I jumped up. “I’ll get it.”

“Well, if it’s a salesman, don’t buy anything. I don’t want to encourage them to come to my house.”

I ignored her and trotted through the living room, throwing the door open without looking through the peephole.

My heart dropped into my shoes. “Josh.”

“You’re here.” He looked as startled as I felt. “I thought…I was trying to…”

I put my hands on my hips and scowled. “Are you stalking me?”

“Well, no. I need to…I need to talk to you.” He ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated.

I wondered whether his hair was as soft as it looked.

“Why are you at my sister’s house, Josh?” I knew exactly why, but it seemed wiser to keep him on the defense as long as I could.

He blinked. “Your sister. Okay. That makes sense.” He scratched his head. “Look, I’ll just come out and say it. I’m in a lot of trouble. And you will be, too, if I don’t get my stuff back.”

I kept my gaze steady. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He threw his head back and groaned. “Come on, Annie. This is serious. We don’t have much time. My boss is pretty upset.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to process what he was saying and decide what to do. He looked so pathetic. And adorable. But also pathetic. Clearly, the loss of his Cupid equipment was a serious problem. I hesitated, feeling guilty. Maybe I should give him his stuff back. But he’d left his wings in an unlocked car. And I felt like I could do so much good with them.

I narrowed my eyes and put my hand on my hip. “You still haven’t told me what you lost or why you think I have it.”

He scrubbed his face with one hand and took a deep breath. “Fine.” He poked his head through the doorway, glanced around, then lowered his voice. “You want me to say it out loud. I am a Cupid working for the Mt. Olympus Employment Agency. I know you have my wings and my blowgun. I suspected it, but my boss back at the office confirmed it. The gods know everything. Don’t ask me how.”