by Quirah Casey
“Agreed,” Levitsky says, sitting up and blinking. “I could hear some of the conversation when we first got to the alley, and it was clear Alftripson was trying to recruit them for something.”
I nod in agreement. “At least one of them should be up by now.”
“What are we going to do with them afterward, though?” London questions. “We can’t just turn them out onto the street. Alftripson and his employers will be looking for them.”
“We can set them up in a safe location,” Mel volunteers, and I have to hold back a grimace.
I didn’t sign up to offer fucking witness protection.
“Sounds good to me,” Levitsky says, and I raise a brow at that. “I can’t exactly bring in two random people for CDA protection without dealing with intensive questioning. Besides, it’s clear that the Lobrooke CDA has some kind of security breach.” So I guess he didn’t actually believe his words earlier.
“It’s not just Lobrooke,” I mutter, ignoring Levitsky’s glare. “Let's go see if they’re up.” I move toward the private room.
“I can’t believe how much of a team player you’re being,” London whispers at my side, jumping out of the way as I swat at him. “Especially considering how pissed you were when we got here.”
“I’m always a team player, especially in b—”
“No innuendos,” Mel cuts me off.
“Fine. Be a buzzkill, then.” I roll my eyes as we approach the room, then lean in to unlock the door.
It swings open, and in a flash of movement I find London in front of me, his hand wrapped the pixie’s neck. It doesn’t take me long to realize she was prepared to attack the second the door opened.
“We’re not trying to hurt you,” he snarls, then throws her back toward the couch where the faerie calmly reclines.
The pixie looks like she’s ready to attack again, at least until her eyes land on me. Then she completely deflates. Smart woman.
I begin, “I know that the sight of me may invoke fear in you—” London laughs, and I shoot him a glare. “But he’s right,” I finish. “We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to help.” It nearly hurts me to say those words. Why am I being so nice lately?
“You were shot by a wolf named Alftripson after he tried to recruit you.” The pixie’s eyes light up as she remembers. “We need to know what it was he was trying to recruit you for.”
The faerie coughs. “We don’t know—he was very vague. But thank you, thank you so much for saving us. My Aunt Ona will be so grateful.”
Great, one of Ona’s kin.
“We need you to tell us everything he said to you, including how he contacted you in the first place,” Levitsky demands. He’s back in agent mode: shoulders straight, voice firm, eyes sharp.
The pixie seems hesitant, which isn’t a surprise. A good majority of the pixies in Lobrooke hate me almost as much as I hate them. The faerie seems to have no problem telling us what happened, though. “There had been word going around that there was someone who could get byurtids out of their bonds. Last night, while we were in Sanction—” She looks at me nervously as she mentions the Oltinie club, which harbors all sorts of chöąt exiles. “A wolf came to us.”
“Alftripson?” Levitsky asks.
“No, another man. He said that if we wanted our bonds blocked, all we had to do was meet a wolf outside the old warehouse. When we got there, it was him, Alftripson. He told us that his boss could block our bonds and even sever them if we did some work for her. He said that the work she needed from us would be simple, that she’d keep us protected.”
“Did he specify what you would be doing for this woman?” Levitsky seems to be in control of the questioning, so I let him continue.
“No, just that it would be physical labor.”
“Did he say anything else, like what kind of creature the woman is, how long you’d have to work for her, or how she’d block the bond?”
The woman shakes her head.
“Okay.” Levitsky nods, indicating that the interview has come to an end. “We’re going to set you guys up somewhere safe until we have Alftripson and his employer behind bars.”
Behind bars? I nearly scoff out loud. If I have anything to say about it, they’ll be dead long before the CDA gets opportunity to slap cuffs on them.
“Mel, can you get them set up?” I ask. Usually I wouldn’t demand so much of her, especially when she isn’t one hundred percent. But I can’t risk Dina making any more mistakes.
Mel nods, gesturing for the pixie and faerie to follow her.
When we’re the only ones left in the room, I turn to London and Levitsky. “You two can go now,” I say.
“You really love giving orders, huh?” London rolls his eyes. “We’re partners, Blue. Equals. We’re not your subjects like everyone else in this town. You should remember that.”
“And you should remember that up to this point I’ve been kind. That could change at any moment,” I warn. “Now get the fuck out of my club.”
I make my way upstairs to my office, trusting London and Levitsky to see themselves out. I pull my phone from my pocket, intending to call Marie and make sure everything went alright, but when I approach my office, I pause, a familiar dark presence clouding my mind. I frown as a shiver goes through my body and punch in the code for the door.
I cautiously look around the room, but nothing seems out of place. The server’s body is long gone, removed earlier in the night, and the office looks just how it would any other day.
I sit down at my desk, trying to push away the feeling. Sighing, I look down and notice a small piece of paper tucked under my keyboard. That wasn’t there earlier. I pick it up, watching as a line of words appears at my touch.
Keep your loved ones close or they may just disappear.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Fuck.
It’s been hours since I found the note. I’d mindlessly driven home and collapsed into a chair. I’ve barely moved since, my mind churning through possibilities.
It’s not so much the note itself that has me on edge, but where it was placed. This is the second time my enemy has made it in and out of the club unseen.
The Lair is officially unsecure.
My phone rings, startling me as it interrupts my thoughts. I blink before bringing it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Why do you sound so stressed?” Mel’s voice crackles across the line.
“There was a note in my office. From whoever’s been leaving the bodies.”
There’s a pregnant pause. “Shit. Where are you now?”
“At home.”
“When did you find the note?”
“A couple of hours ago, right after you left to take the pixie and faerie to the safe house.”
“That was at least ten hours ago, Blue. Why didn’t you call me?”
“You’re supposed to be resting! And what could you have done? There’s nothing either of us can do right now.” Except stay the hell away from my office. Or maybe I should plant myself there, wait for the person to sneak back in again, and ambush them. But I sort of doubt they’ll return. They seem too clever, too good at sneaking around, to make a repeat visit.
“We need to sweep the office for bugs.”
“Okay.”
“I would get Dina to do it, but she’s certainly been gathering a string of fuck-ups lately.” Fuck-ups that I can’t allow to go unpunished, at least not for much longer. I don’t want everyone else to think that shit is okay.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Maybe it really is London,” I wonder aloud. “He’s the only person I can think of who knows how to sneak into my office. I’ve seen him do it twice.”
Mel sighs. “No, it’s not him.” There’s a bit of reluctance that seems to color her tone.
“How do you know?” I inquire.
“He was with us all night.” She says begrudgingly. “How would he have gotten that note into your office?”
I can’t help but to be puzzled
by her tone. Why is she insisting that he’s innocent when it’s clear she doesn’t want him to be?
“He could have had one of his people plant the note.”
Another sigh. “Not likely. He’s been nothing but...trustworthy up to this point, you know that. If he wanted to take aim at you for any reason, he would have already. He’s taken on multiple threats to you already, Blue. And as much as I hate to say it, he’s been a sweetheart.”
And why do you hate to say it so much, I want to ask, but I don’t.
“Sweetheart is an overstatement.”
She laughs softly. “Still, you see my point. You don’t trust anyone, especially those who give you every reason to. The fact that London hasn’t crossed you is what makes you so suspicious of him.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “That may be true, I don’t know. Either way, sweep the office.”
“Okay.” She lets out a deep breath. “Where are the girls?”
“Gone. I’ll explain later. I don’t really want to talk about it over the phone.”
“Okay. Are we planning to track Alftripson tonight?”
“I’ll do the tracking by myself. I need you to keep the club running smoothly.” I don’t want anyone to hold me back, either from finding Alftripson or using my preferred methods to bring him in. I’ll leave him in good enough condition for questioning, but he may be missing a limb or two by that point.
“Fine.” I recognize her tone, the one she uses when she wants to argue but knows it won’t get her anywhere.
“I’ll talk to you later. And Mel…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t take drinks from anyone tonight.”
♛
It’s been three long days.
There have been whispers across town about the new threat, despite my efforts to keep everything quiet. My citizens are starting to become just as restless as I am. I’ve barely gotten any sleep, and when I do manage to doze off, I dream of maps, a strange woman’s voice, and Olyvia Hynt. It’s left my mind a cluttered mess.
And to top it all off, I have yet to capture Alftripson. There have been sightings of him all over town, and I’ve even caught his scent a few times, but every trail leads to a dead end. I’m starting to believe he’s using some kind of high-tech scent blocker or distorter, because never before have I had someone I’m actively pursuing evade me like this.
“We need to go back to Tarae’s,” I say to London and Levitsky. We’re seated around a table at Charisma, glamour up. This is the first time we’ve met up in a few days for a couple of reasons. Levitsky has been trying keep a lid on our partnership, at least when it comes to the CDA. I’ve been busting my ass to get us a lead, and London has been…hell, I don’t know what London has been doing.
Levitsky shakes his head. “No. Why would we go back there?”
I narrow my eyes, trying to hold my annoyance back. “There must be something there that we missed. We can grab some of the byurtids’ things, too, to get a better hold on their scents.”
Levitsky shifts in his seat, but meets my gaze head on. “The CDA swept Tarae’s home after she was killed. They didn’t find anything, and I seriously doubt we’re going to either.”
I slam my hand down on the table, ignoring the shattering of the salt and pepper shaker as they roll off the table and hit the floor. “The CDA is complacent. They—you—miss things all the damn time.”
“Cool your jets, I agree with you, Pudding. They may have missed something,” London chimes in, looking pointedly at the broken glass. “I mean, they’ve managed to miss all the evidence against you that would’ve put you in jail.” He smirks at me, reflexively ducking away from a blow that doesn’t come.
I turn to Levitsky, choosing to ignore London. “Two to one. Looks like we’re going.”
The agent throws his hands up, making his tee pull tight across his muscles. “Since when do we vote on things?”
“You’re the one who’s always going on and on about teamwork.”
Levitsky frowns. “And yet you always make the choices for us, threatening to cut our heads off, or tear our throats out, if we don’t do what you want.”
London nods, patting Levitsky on the back. “He does have a point, Pudding. You do threaten us a lot.”
“Are we really going to sit around and argue about this right now?” I roll my eyes. “We need to get moving.”
Levitsky sighs. “Okay, we’ll head to Tarae’s. Later, though, we’ll be reviewing what a democracy is. I don’t think you quite understand.”
“We’ll meet there.” I let down the glamour and slide out of the booth, stuffing my hands into my pockets as I walk toward the exit.
The door swings open before I can touch it, and I find myself face to face with Feliks Alenin. My favorite fucking person.
His face contorts into a frown, and then his eyes skate past my face, up and over my shoulder. “Well, what do we have here?” He crosses his arms over his chest, widening his stance.
“You’re blocking the entrance. I’m going to need you to move, or I’ll have to move you. Painfully,” I warn.
“Agent Levitsky.” Alenin’s voice is bitter. “What are you doing with this criminal?”
Levitsky’s face remains neutral as he looks at his partner. “We were just meeting up to talk about the bodies that were found in her club.” I have to hold back a look of shock at how smoothly the lie passes through his lips.
“Really? I didn’t get a report that we needed to interview her again. Why didn’t you tell me so I could come along?” Suspicion laces the words.
Levitsky shrugs casually. “From our previous interactions, I knew that you and Blue don’t get along. I didn’t want to jeopardize our chance of making progress today.”
Damn, Levitsky can be good at lying when he wants to be. Still, we don’t have time to pussyfoot around. I narrow my eyes at Alenin. “Last time, Agent. Move.”
I hear London let out a quiet snort behind me.
Alenin steps aside, glaring at all of us, including his partner. We split up, but as I walk away, I look back into the building. Alenin is frozen in place by the door, eyes fixed on his partner, who’s getting into his car. The look on Alenin’s face is anything but friendly.
Alenin sees me watching him, and I smirk, flipping him off and continuing down the street. I’m not a fan of cars, preferring to fly, run, or walk whenever possible. The cool air feels nice on my skin.
It doesn’t take me long to get to Tarae’s. Even though I came on foot, I’m the first to arrive. I lean against the decaying home in the shade, out of sight of any passersby. London arrives a couple minutes later, a smile on his face as he waltzes up to me.
“Don’t say anything to me, I’m not in the mood,” I cut him off the second he opens his mouth.
“It’s crazy how it only takes a second for you to go from a perfectly fine person to a crazy psycho.”
“What can I say? I like variety.”
He raises a brow. “You know, we never got to finish our heart-to-heart the other night.” He leans against the wall next to me, his arm propped above my head as looks down at me.
“I just said I don’t want to talk.”
“Your kid. We never finished talking about that.”
The topic catches me completely off guard, though it probably shouldn’t have. Luckily for me, and unlike Levitsky, I know how to keep a straight face.
He taps a finger to his lips. “Hmmm…no change in your heart rate. I imagine a compulsive liar would have control over such things, though.”
“Who told you I was a compulsive liar?”
His lips twist into a wry grin. “It doesn’t take a genius to realize that lying is a sport for you, or that you’re trying to change the topic. Which makes me believe I’m correct in my assumption that you do have a child.”
I keep my posture relaxed as I eye him. “I don’t lie, I just bend the truth sometimes. And I don’t have a child.”
He clucks his tongu
e. “Yeah, I’m not believing you.”
A car engine interrupts the conversation, and I have to keep from sighing in relief at the sight of Levitsky approaching. He gets out of his car and jogs over to us, glancing around suspiciously. “Why are you idiots standing where anyone could see you?” he whisper-shouts, shooing us toward the door with his hands.
I don’t bother answering him, but push off the wall and walk to the door. I crush the lock, not in the mood for a slower method. No one will notice anyway. Tarae’s dead, and I don’t expect anyone to buy this shithole for a while.
“Really? We could have just used a lock pick,” Levitsky mutters as he follows me over the doorstep.
“We don’t have time to fuck around. We need to get in, find something good, and get out.”
“I still don’t think we’re going to find anything.”
“No one asked for your opinion.”
We split up, combing the house in hopes of finding even the smallest clue. All the rooms on the upper level prove useless, completely wrecked from the CDA’s visit.
“Let’s check the basement,” I decide after half an hour of fruitless searching.
“There’s a basement?” London asks.
“Yeah.”
“No, there isn’t, or the CDA would have searched it.” Levitsky frowns.
“You mean they didn’t?” I wrinkle my forehead, feigning cluelessness. Then my face clears and I smirk. “And you wonder why I think the CDA is incompetent.” I shake my head, feeling smug as I lead them to Tarae’s bedroom, throw open her closet door, and pull out junk until I find the small, almost invisible trapdoor leading to her basement.
“How do you—” Levitsky stops speaking when glance over my shoulder and raise a brow at him. “I guess I forgot. You ‘know everything.’” The sarcasm in his voice brings a half-smile to my face.
I pull the small latch to open the trapdoor and gesture for the guys to go ahead. “After you.”
“This isn’t some sort of trap, is it?” London asks with a frown as he peers down into the dark basement.
“No, of course not. But would I tell you if it were?”
