by Deanna Chase
Leo’s eyes widened. “Is she coming down here?”
“Nope.” Phoebe produced a set of keys. “You’re being liberated.”
9
“Did you tell him about the toxins in your bloodstream?” I asked Dax as we waited in the office we shared for Leo to finish his interview with the director.
Dax shook his head. “I thought it might be too much for him. I needed him to calm down and focus.”
I took his hand in mine and smiled at him. “You did well. That conversation you had with him is the only reason the director decided to place him back in your custody.”
Dax raised one eyebrow. “She was listening?”
“Of course,” I said. “You know as well as I do that they have security cameras down there.”
He nodded while I passed him the file on the eight New Orleans shifters who’d suffered an overdose in the past week. Dax opened it immediately and read Halston’s directive.
“The first five are the ones we need to bring in for testing. The other three are the ones who didn’t survive.” I tried not to think of Rhea. “We’ll need to prioritize based on the timeline of their overdoses. The ones who OD’d first need to come in ASAP. It’s been six days for two of them. I’d say we could split up, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea considering what happened earlier today.” Not to mention, I needed to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t turn into a rabid wolf.
“And since I no longer have a phone, that’s not a good idea anyway.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly remembering the text I’d gotten from him early that morning. “About that. You sent me a text this morning, and—”
“Holy shit, Phoebe! Your brother. God, I’m so sorry.” Dax dropped the file on the desk and rose from his chair, quickly moving to sit on the edge of my desk. “Christ. Right after I sent that text, Leo and I got into it and my phone… Well, it died. Then I was chasing after him and the next thing I knew, I was waking up from a drug-induced coma.”
I placed a light hand on his knee. “I admit I was pretty pissed to get that text and then radio silence, but I think you have a pretty good excuse. Do you mind filling me in on the details, or are you gonna make me wait another twelve hours?”
He let out a small chuckle and shook his head. “The wait is over. You know after Seth disappeared, I put a call out to a bunch of my contacts. Well, today we got a hit.” He reached into the pocket where he always kept his phone and grimaced when he came up empty. “Fuck me, when am I going to remember that the phone is dead?”
I lifted both hands, palms up in an I-don’t-know motion. “Care to tell me the details?”
“The address was in the text I never got to forward to you.” He shook his head. “A shifter friend from Baton Rouge said he spotted him down on River Road at an old plantation. One that hasn’t been turned into a tourist attraction. He was working on the house, fixing it up.”
“Seriously?” I asked incredulously. “He’s renovating a plantation, and that’s why he disappeared on me?”
Dax shook his head. “I don’t know, Phoebs. I’m just relaying the tip I received.”
It was my turn to get up and pace. It made no sense why Seth was down on River Road. He was a computer hacker. A kid who spent all his days indoors, traversing the mysterious corners of the internet. Construction just wasn’t part of his DNA. I shook my head. Eight years was a long time. I supposed it was possible he’d changed. Still, I wasn’t convinced. “I don’t think it was him. Maybe someone who looked like him, but I just don’t believe it was Seth. Why would he cut all contact if he’s just doing construction?”
“You’re probably right. But don’t you think we should at least check it out? Won’t you always wonder if you don’t see for yourself that it isn’t him?”
He was right. That information would haunt me for years to come if I blew it off and didn’t at least go take a look. “Yeah. I guess we should go. But I’m telling you right now it’s a waste of time. Whoever he is, he’s not Seth. And we need to find these shifters first.” I gestured to the file still on his desk. “They’re more important.”
It was true that I was desperate to find out where my brother had gone, but I couldn’t forget that Seth had left voluntarily. As far as I knew, he wasn’t in any danger, unlike Dax and the shifters who were dying from Scarlet. I hadn’t forgotten that Dax was quite possibly on borrowed time. I wasn’t going to let anyone get in my way when it came to helping him. Not even my long-lost brother.
“Okay, we’ll take a trip down there next week,” he said.
Next week. After enough time had passed that Dax was no longer in danger of turning feral on us. “Sure. But right now we need to get you a new phone.” I picked up the office phone and called IT. Within ten minutes, Dax had a new phone with all his preferred apps and stored contacts.
“Perfect.” He slipped it into his pocket just as Leo sprinted into the room, his face flushed and excitement in his blue eyes. “Hey, man. What’s got you all hyped up?” Dax asked.
“The director. She said I could assist you two this week and that if I did well, she’d consider letting me join the next recruiting class.”
“Wow,” I said, not at all sure what I thought of this development. Leo had been a huge help last month when we’d been in a battle with a sorceress and her demons. He’d proved to be competent and more than capable of holding his own, but after the twenty-four hours he’d had, promising him a shot at being a Void agent was a particularly bold move. “You sure you want that?”
“More than sure,” Leo said, sobering. “I see what you and Dax do every day to keep this city safe, and after everything I’ve seen this past year, I know it’s needed more than ever. I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
He was so earnest my doubts all but melted away. As long as he held on to that core motivation, he’d be fine. More than fine. I glanced at Dax.
He held his hand out to Leo and said, “Congrats, kid. Here’s your shot. Don’t blow it.”
Leo shook his hand, his expression deadly serious. “I won’t. People’s lives are on the line.”
I stared at Leo, taking in the moment. It wasn’t every day one witnessed such a transformation. Last week he’d been an eager punk kid, playing at being a shifter. Today he’d realized something important and had turned into a man right before our eyes. I just prayed the transformation was permanent, otherwise he was in for some major disappointments.
“Anyone ready for some dinner?” I asked, realizing I was starving. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d eaten.
“Absolutely,” Dax said, pressing his hand to the small of my back. “Almost dying really depletes the calories.”
“So does shifting and being stuffed in a cage all day,” Leo added.
I glanced between them and shook my head. “Jeez, you two are delicate flowers.” I grinned at them. “Buck up. At least you weren’t awake for over thirty-six hours and had to babysit two different shifters all day.”
Dax smirked at me.
Leo gave me a sympathetic smile and said, “You win.”
I winked at him. “Come on. I’m in the mood for sushi.”
Both men groaned.
I just laughed and headed out the door with both of my shifters on my heels.
Dax’s clock read 4:57. I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. After we’d gotten back from the steakhouse they’d talked me into, I’d gone straight to bed. I’d slept eight solid hours, and was now fully awake, my brain racing.
Was it possible my brother was really only an hour away on the other side of the river? And if so, why had he disappeared into thin air? Couldn’t he just take an Uber like everyone else?
It was hard to hold back the building anger toward my brother. Eight years is a long fucking time to be gone, and then to just disappear without any explanation… I deserved better. Hot tears stung my eyes as the hollow feeling of rejection started to invade my psyche. And that just pis
sed me off more.
The clock ticked over to five o’clock, and I left Dax’s side and headed to the shower. I turned the temperature to scalding, as if the hot water could somehow wash away my unwanted emotions. It didn’t quite work that way. But as I stood there under the stream, resting my head against the cool tile, concentrating on the pain of the scalding water on my flesh, my self-confidence returned with a vengeance, and I had an overwhelming urge to kick Seth’s ass.
The door hinges creaked as Dax made his way into the bathroom. Without a word, he opened the shower door and joined me. He let out a hiss as the water hit his naked body, but he didn’t make a move to adjust the temperature. Instead, he encircled me from behind and bent his head to taste my shoulder.
I turned in his arms and gazed up into his dark, knowing eyes. He was no stranger to my anxiety-filled mornings, and we’d navigated this dance before. He knew exactly what I needed, and it wasn’t talking.
Running a hand over his stubbled jaw, I gazed at his lips, hungry to taste him, to feel him under my fingertips, to have him take me so thoroughly that I was consumed by every inch of him.
“Kiss me,” I ordered.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said gruffly and then claimed my mouth with his as he pressed me up against the wall. His already-hard cock jutted into my belly as his tongue plundered and teased and warred with mine.
Damn, he felt good. My hands roamed down his sculpted back as he grabbed my hips, pulling me tighter against him. My mind went blank, and all my worries from the past forty-eight hours vanished. All I knew was Dax and the pleasure of his touch.
That was what I needed.
Dax’s hands made their way to my breasts, cupping them, then pressing them together as he tore his lips from mine and bent his head, feasting on my flesh as he made his way to one of my aching nipples. I arched back, silently begging, and let out a gasp as he scraped his teeth over the sensitive peak.
In that moment, Dax was my everything, and I wanted more. Needed to feel him inside me, claiming me.
Wrapping one leg around his hip, I slid my opposite hand down to cup his ass and jerked my hips forward, a silent message that I was more than ready.
Dax let out a strangled growl, lifted me up with both hands, and as I wrapped my legs around his waist, he took me, slammed into me, long and hard and deep.
“Yes,” I whispered, holding on tight as he filled me up.
“You feel so damned good,” he said, his eyes full of passion and heat as he stared down at me, holding me in place.
I pressed one hand to his cheek. “So do you. Now fuck me.”
10
An hour later, I sat at Dax’s breakfast table, completely sated as I sipped my coffee. The morning sun filtered in through the window as I leaned back and watched Dax make waffles and Leo fry the bacon.
“I could get used to this,” I said.
“Which part?” Dax asked as he lifted one eyebrow and shot a glance at his bedroom door.
I chuckled. “All of it. Coffee waiting for me after my morning shower and two hot, competent men making me breakfast. What’s not to like?”
Leo brought a plate of crispy bacon to the table and sat across from me. “It’s a little early, don’t you think?” he asked, glancing at the wall clock. “I can’t remember the last time I was up before six a.m.”
“No one said you had to get up.” Dax placed a plate of hot waffles in front of each of us. “Though I won’t complain about waking up to coffee.”
“I don’t think coffee is what you woke up to,” Leo muttered before jamming a piece of bacon into his mouth.
Dax just laughed and took a seat.
I felt my cheeks grow warm and was almost more mortified that I was blushing than I was at the idea that Dax and I had woken Leo up with our antics in the shower.
Dax reached out and squeezed my hand while Leo smirked at me then attacked his waffles.
I cleared my throat, trying to pretend the exchange never happened. “So, we have a new case. What’s the game plan for today? Any ideas?”
Leo froze with his fork midair. “Are you including me in this strategy session?”
“I don’t see why not,” I said as I flipped open the file the director had given me the day before. “Three heads are better than one.” I wasn’t sure if that was true. Leo wasn’t a trained agent, but he did have a lot of contacts with supernaturals close to his age. Connections were important in our line of work, and you never knew when a source could make all the difference in the case.
He put his fork down and leaned in. “I’ll do whatever you need me to.”
“Damn straight you will,” Dax said, then took a sip of his coffee. “We have five shifters we need to bring in to the Void. Two are our priority today. Do we want to divide and conquer or all three of us work together?”
“Divide and conquer, I think. They’re both on day six, and we don’t have any time to waste.” I pulled out the information sheets on both of the shifters we were targeting. Now that Leo was helping us, I felt slightly more comfortable with the plan to split up. “One is a young woman, a college student who transferred to Tulane from up north. On the surface, it appears she may have just gotten caught up in the wrong crowd. The other one is a New Orleans native. He has two priors on his record, both petty theft. Works as a shift supervisor in a restaurant in the Lower Garden District.”
Leo leaned over and peered at the shifter’s file. “I know him.”
“Really? Anything we should know?” I asked.
Dax leaned back in his chair, waiting for Leo to continue.
“Yeah. He’s a small-time dealer. He’s the guy social users call when they want to party.”
“Interesting.” I met Dax’s hooded eyes, wondering if we were both thinking the same thing.
Then Dax turned to him. “Were you a customer of his?”
Leo hunched over his plate and focused on his breakfast as he grimaced and gave Dax a small nod, clearly uncomfortable answering the question. “Just a couple of times, but that was months ago and just for some extra potent pain pills, before everything went down with the Crimson Valley Pack.”
“Good.” Dax rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward.
Leo’s head popped up, surprise radiating from his big round eyes. “Good? Did you just say good?”
Dax shrugged. “It gives us an in.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “Calling him up for party favors won’t raise any suspicions. You’ll have an easier time making contact and, with any luck, an easier time convincing him to let the Void monitor him and any potential risks.”
“Uh, okay,” Leo said, sounding skeptical.
I spread a pat of butter over my waffles. “Is there something else we need to know about this guy? Did you two have any sort of falling-out, or is there any reason that he’d be wary of you?”
Leo shook his head. “No. Not that I’m aware of anyway. What I do know is that getting him to agree to voluntarily let the Void anywhere near him is going to be a tough hill to climb. Dude doesn’t trust anyone associated with the government.”
“That’s not a surprise,” I said with a shrug. “Dealers aren’t known for their cooperation. It’s part of the reason we still have jobs.” I sent Dax a small smile. “And bringing people in is what Dax and I specialize in. I doubt Mr.…” I glanced at the sheet, “Mr. Axton has the skills to evade us. But I guess we’ll find out.” I turned to Dax. “How about you and Leo take on the dealer and I’ll pick up the college student. Meet back at the Void by noon?”
“You got it,” Dax said, a gleam in his eye as he added, “can I finish my breakfast first? I’m a little depleted after the workout this morning.”
Leo snickered, and even though I wanted to say something to shut them both up, I just laughed and dug into what was left of my breakfast. Seeing Leo break through the barriers of his grief to have a moment of normalcy was worth enduring whatever they wanted to throw at me.
“Well
then, eat up, boys, because we have a full day ahead of us.” I raised a forkful of waffle as a toast, then tucked in.
It was still early, just past eight in the morning, when I pulled my gunmetal-gray Charger to a stop in front of a two-story, double-gallery-style house that had been broken up into individual apartments. The structure was impressive with wide white columns and wrought iron framing the lower and upper gallery porches. It wasn’t exactly the type of place I expected a college student to be living. I double-checked the address for one Miss Hailee Speirs.
Yep. I was in the right place. I just hoped she hadn’t already left for class. If I had to wait, it could be one hell of a long day.
I checked my appearance in the rearview mirror and was pleased with what I saw. My dark hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. The only visible makeup was a coat of mascara and clear lip gloss. I’d opted for jeans and a T-shirt. The idea was to blend in as a college student if I had to. Plus my clothing choice would hopefully make me less intimidating. It was going to be hard enough to convince her to turn herself in to the Void for testing. I didn’t want to scare her off by showing up in leather pants with a magical dagger strapped to my belt.
After shoving her file in my glove box, I pulled up my right pant leg, tucked my knife into a sheath strapped to my ankle, pulled it back down, and climbed out of the car. There was no reason to expect an altercation, but she was a shifter. Going in blind and unarmed would be unprofessional.
Just as I made my way up the stairs to the porch, the door on the far left opened and a pretty young woman rushed out. Her blond hair was piled on her head in a haphazard fashion and she wore distressed jeans with an old tank top that appeared to have a yellowish stain over her right breast. An open backpack was slung over one shoulder, revealing a load of books. She didn’t even notice me as she turned to lock her front door.
“Hailee?” I asked.
