Tom sighed, gazing out the windshield of the van. He expected to be assigned to the Seraphim case, instead he now found himself on a stake out.
"So what are we doing here?"
"I would think that would be obvious Agent Harris," Geshp replied. "A stake out. Didn't your partner clue you in?"
"I clued him in Geshp," Alexa replied tersly. "But we're both curious. Why are we staring at this warehouse?"
Geshp shook his head, a small chuckle escaping the devils lips. "Other crime is occurring besides this Seraphim my dear Agent Ross," he said. "For example, the recent apprehension of the Amberhills has left a power vacuum within the Lycan realm. S.P.E.A.R essentially eliminated their top lieutenants. Those remaining are now scrambling to secure leadership and defend their territory, while others are looking to expand there's. This operation is meant to prevent any of those individuals from purchasing weapons."
"So it's a weapons bust," Tom replied.
"Quite astute Agent Harris," Geshp grinned. "So you did review the mission briefing."
"We both did Geshp," Alexa said. "We're just curious why we were pulled from the Seraphim case."
"It's not so much pulled as reallocated," the devil replied. "This weapons deal recently came across our dear director's desk. We have an opportunity to arrest several prominent members of the Lycan underworld. Afterwards, you can pursue your Seraphim to your hearts content."
"Let's just hope it happens soon," Alexa sighed. "I hate being cooped up in this van."
"If it helps Agent Ross I have some catnip," Geshp grinned. "Or would you prefer a bottle of milk?"
"Hey back off," Tom growled, furrowing his brow at the devil Agent.
"Oh, I appeared to have touched a nerve," Geshp smirked. "I didn't realize you were a fan of cats."
"I defend my partner," Tom replied. "If anyone has feelings for Agent Ross it's probably you. I've seen this passive aggressive bullshit from plenty of guys over the years. Nine times out of ten, it's because they feel inferior to the person they're crushing on."
"You're amateur psychoanalysis doesn't impress me boy," Geshp growled, the devil's horns bow protruding from his head as his dark eyes glared at Tom. "Your dear partner is simply a colleague, one whose ego isn't as fragile as yours. Besides, I prefer my lovers to be less....fuzzy."
"Tom."
Tom grunted in frustration, as Alexa pulled him towards the rear of the van. This was the first time the wizard had worked with Geshp, and the devil was proving to be irritating. Alexa now reached for the coffee pot, pouring Tom and cup. "Here," she said.
"Thanks," Tom sighed, taking a sip before glancing back at Geshp. "Is he always such a dick?"
"Pay him no mind," Alexa stated, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Geshp always hazes the new guys. And as for me, he takes digs hoping to get a rise out of me. Still, he is one of S.P.E.A.R's best agents."
"Yeah well I still think he's a dick," Tom grumbled. "I'm surprised Director Meyers trusts him."
"Nobody really trusts Geshp," Alexa shrugged. "But, no one else is as tuned to the criminal underworld as him. He kinda walks this line, this grey area in between good and evil. I know Director McMillan didn't trust him completely, but she respected him. He always gets the job done."
Tom grumbled, taking a sip of coffee, as he now glared at the devil Agent. Shortly after S.P.E.A.R was founded, Geshp made his way to their employ. Originally part of an exchange program with the demon queen Lilith, Geshp proved to be an exceptional resource early on, despite attempting to seduce Hailey Meyers, the current director.
Following Lilith's demise, many within S.P.E.A.R assumed Geshp would challenge for the vacant throne in hell. Instead, the devil remained with S.P.E.A.R, slowly climbing the ranks within the organization. Now, he found himself in Director Meyers inner circle, even if Hailey held Geshp at arms length.
"So, you ever been on a stake out?" Tom asked.
"Once," Alexa shrugged. "It was pretty dull. I remember it turned out to be a complete dud. We ended up sitting in the van for 20 hours and nothing happened. What about you?"
"I was only a patrol man so I never got to go on a stake out," Tom said. "Did ask a couple of detectives I knew about it. They said it was nothing like the movies."
"Yeah that's what I heard too," Alexa said, along small smirk slowly spreading across her face. "I'm more interested in how your date with Cora went."
"Um great," Tom said quickly. "Casual. We talked. She's nice."
"Okay now I'm really interested," Alexa giggled. "We've only been partners for a short time Tom, but I can tell when you're holding something back."
"I'm not holding anything back," Tom said quickly. "And what do you mean by tell?"
"You get nervous and start to stammer," Alexa replied. "Plus your cheeks flush a little, so what happened?"
Tom fidgeted, not wanting to get into the more personal details of his date with Cora. He hadn't lied, the date was enjoyable and Cora was a very nice person. What Tom didn't want to mention was Cora mentioning dating Alexa. Sure he and Alexa had chemistry, but he thought of themselves more like friends. Did Alexa like him?
"Children, if you two are finished gossiping," Geshp sighed. "Can you come up front?"
Tom breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for the arrogant devil. Quickly making his way towards the front, he noted the spur expression on Geshps face.
"What's up?" Tom asked.
"We should have seen something by now," Geshp grumbled. "I need to get a hold of my contact, keep your eyes peeled for any movement."
Tom nodded, focusing his gaze on the abandoned warehouse as Geshp made his way to the rear. The idea of focusing on work a far better activity than having Alexa grill him about his date. What was going on with him? Why was he so intimidated by his cute Nekomata partner?
Cute? He didn't just think that did he? Yes, Alexa was a very attractive woman, but he was still hung up on Lynne. Lynne. He had loved her since they were kids. He always thought they would end up together. Have a couple of wizard kids and grow old together, spoiling their grandchildren. Why did she break his heart?
Tom shook his head , sighing. Now he thought of Alexa as attractive and spiraled over his feelings for Lynne. What the hell was the matter with him? S.P.E.A.R was an opportunity to save what was a floundering career. The police turned their back on him, he needed to focus. He couldn't get lost. Daydreaming about his curvy partner. It didn't matter how cute he though her ass was.
An odd feeling now crept over Tom, like he was being watched. Turning, he screamed as he found Alexa staring at him, the Nekomata's large cat eyes focused as her cat ears twitched.
"Sorry," Alexa giggled.
"Geez what the hell," Tom gasped. "Alexa you almost gave me a heart attack!"
"I was wondering what you were doing Mr. Grumpy," Alexa laughed. "You looked sooooo serious staring off into space. I guess you could say my....curiosity got the best of me."
"Really, a cat joke?" Tom said flatly.
"I'm not saying I'm proud of it," Alexa smiled. "Just trying to lighten the mood."
"Well it worked," Tom grinned, the partners now gazing at one another. Tom took the moment to study Alexa in her Nekomata form. The changes were subtle, he supposed. Larger eyes, cat ears, brown fur, even a tail that twitched back and forth. Still, there was an alluring quality to her. One he began to suspect Alexa shared as he noticed her cheeks slightly redden under his gaze.
"Damn it!" Geshp cursed.
Alexa and Tom found themselves broken from their gaze, turning to see an obviously annoyed devil. "The deal was postponed," Geshp grumbled. "My contact told me they changed it at the last minute."
Making his way to the drivers seat, Geshp now turned the van on driving back towards S.P.E.A.R as Alexa and Tom sat behind him. "My apologies for wasting your time," the devil replied. "Let's head back and get some rest. I should have more information within the hour."
"Sounds good," Tom and Alexa replied.
Geshp glanced in the rear view mirror, his black eyes narrowing as he stared at the young agents. Already he could tell the pair had a certain awkwardness to their mannerisms as if the devil had interrupted something.
"Mortals," he grumbled, hitting the gas and driving away.