Knock Em Dead (Supernatural Security Force Book 2)

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “Trust me, I’m not interested in starting a transport service,” I told him.

  Thanks to my extra cargo, my three-hour journey to Toledo had turned into a five-hour flight home. Milo wasn’t as light as he looked. And I was pretty sure the load I’d just carried across the country officially made me caught up on my lifting workouts for the next few months. Then again, judging from my level of exhaustion, maybe I needed those workouts more than I thought.

  If the SSF didn’t find and arrest me, I made a mental note to take up lifting weights. If they did arrest me, well, maybe they had a nice gym in supernatural prison.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” Milo whispered.

  He’d woken with a hangover and no time to nurse it before we’d flown here.

  “No throwing up. It’s a rule, remember?”

  “That was only for the flight,” he said with a scowl.

  “No way. That’s for life.”

  “Look around. It’s not like you’ll have to clean it up.” He gestured to our surroundings, and I had to admit he had a point.

  The alley we stood in was damp and dark. When I’d spotted it from above, I’d been certain I’d chosen a good location to cover our arrival. Unfortunately, not good enough.

  Handing a restless Fergie to Milo, I turn just in time to stop Jax’s fist from plowing into Milo’s jaw.

  “Whoa, calm down. He’s a friend,” I insisted, driving Jax a few paces back.

  “What the hell,” Milo said roughly.

  Magic crackled in the air, and I gritted my teeth. We didn’t have time for a boy-brawl.

  “That guy is your friend?” In the darkness, Jax’s eyes flashed with suspicion.

  “Yes. Milo, this is Jax, our welcoming party, apparently. Jax, Milo. My friend from the academy. How in the hell did you find us anyway?”

  Jax hesitated. “I have my ways.”

  My eyes narrowed at his vague answer.

  “Your lack of specifics sounds a lot like magical stalking,” I said.

  Milo just smirked in amusement, and I remembered the shit he’d given me last night when I’d told him about Jax’s flirting. He’d used the word “smitten” over and over again until I’d almost throat-punched him.

  “Or keeping you alive,” Jax shot back. “You ran out without telling anyone where you were going. Do you know how many supes are looking for you? And then you show up with some random guy in an alley not five miles from headquarters?”

  “Hey, I’m not random.” Milo’s pouty response sent Jax rounding on him again.

  I bit my lip.

  Jax approached slowly, and I watched warily for some sign that he was about to lose his shit.

  “Jax McGuire. Fergie’s father,” he said in a rough voice.

  I rolled my eyes at his attempt to intimidate.

  In those jeans and with the bedroom vibes his eyes constantly put off, he just wasn’t scary. Not unless scary-sexy was a thing. Was it a thing?

  I’d ask Milo about it later.

  “Milo Greene. Fergie’s very good-looking, very bisexual godfather—you know, in case things don’t work out with you and Gem.”

  Demon balls, I was going to murder Milo.

  Jax’s eyes narrowed, but he ignored the fact that Milo had just hit on him. “Godfather?” Jax glanced at me. “I didn’t approve that.”

  Milo shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t even remember agreeing to it. I blame Jack.”

  Jax rounded on me. “Who the hell is Jack?”

  I huffed. “Jack Daniels. My other best friend lately. Now, can we get out of this alley before a patrol comes by to check out why this much magic is chilling together in one place?”

  “I’m parked a block over.” Jax started for the street, but I put a hand up.

  “Whoa. I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said.

  He frowned. “With the bounty on your head—”

  “Whoa.” I held up my other hand. “What bounty?”

  He sighed. “A hundred thousand to the supe who delivers you to headquarters.”

  Milo and I shared a look. Shit. This wasn’t good.

  “The city is crawling with SSF all looking for you,” Jax said. “My pack and I can keep you safe.”

  “Right. Real hush-hush. Like you were with Adrik about Fergie?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Exactly. I think I’ll stick with my plan.”

  I could hear the strain in his voice as he worked to control his temper. “Which is?”

  But my temper was on the same short leash as his. “None of your business. Now move.”

  He didn’t budge, blocking my way out.

  I tried not to focus on his broad chest. Or that he smelled freshly showered and ridiculously . . . how had Milo put it? Delicious.

  “Fergie’s safety is my business, darling.” His voice dropped low, and my skin tingled as it slid over me. “And I’m making your safety my business too. Come with me. I can keep you hidden until we sort everything out.”

  Milo nudged me pointedly.

  I scowled.

  “We have a plan, Jax. A good one. I’m not changing it to make you feel better. Either step aside or—”

  “Or come with us.” Milo’s invitation left me too surprised to protest.

  Jax glanced at him, some of his suspicion evaporating as he considered Milo’s offer. “Come with you where?”

  “My mom lives here in the quarter,” Milo said. “She’s expecting us.”

  “The quarter is the worst place to be,” Jax protested.

  “It’s the last place they’ll look,” Milo pointed out.

  Jax frowned but nodded. “All right. Give Fergie to me.”

  Milo glanced at me, which had Jax glaring again. I nodded, and Milo handed her over. She squeaked happily as Jax tucked her in against him.

  “Daddy’s girl,” I muttered.

  Jax beamed and booped her nose.

  I eyed them both then Milo and shook my head. This was a terrible idea, I could feel it.

  “Ready?” Milo asked.

  “Lead the way,” I said.

  Turned out, Jax sucked at being led.

  “Wrong way, doll face.” Milo steered Jax in the other direction. For the third time.

  I muffled a giggle, too entertained by the whole thing to worry about SSF or even killer demons. All I cared about was—

  “Son of a biscuit eating titball. Where the hell have you been, young lady?”

  “Gran?”

  I paused at the sight of the June bug careening straight for my head. Before I could move aside, she made full impact, splatting her little bug body squarely against my forehead.

  “That hurt,” I said, rubbing the sting she’d left.

  “Good. You deserve a good slap for running out on me.” Her wings buzzed softly, and she fluttered around at my eye-level.

  “Gran, I know. I’m sorry. Listen—”

  “Your mother is out of her mind with worry. I’ve been scouring the city for days, and here you are double-dating it up with these two playboys and—” She broke off, gasping at the sight of Fergie. “Is that a secret love child? Did you procreate with one of these crackerjacks?”

  “No! Gran—”

  “Hey,” Milo said, pouting at the insult.

  Gran turned to him and winked. At least, I was pretty sure it was a wink. Hard to tell in the dark. Not to mention the fact that she was the size of my fingernail.

  “Delicious crackerjacks,” Gran corrected.

  “Better,” Milo muttered.

  “Gran, we need to get somewhere safe,” I said, glancing around the empty street.

  “Damn right you do,” she huffed. “You can’t bring a baby out in this kind of mayhem. What kind of parent are you?”

  I looked at Milo. “Keep moving.”

  “Aye-aye, captain. This way.”

  He resumed our trek, and I nodded at Gran. “Come on. Walk and talk.”

  While we followed Milo to his family’s apartment, I
filled Gran in on as much as I could about the lupine demon and the wipeout the council sent to cover their tracks. I didn’t mention my father’s case. I couldn’t. Whatever he knew had gotten him killed. I wasn’t going to burden Gran—and, by extension, my mother—with that kind of information. Not until I knew more about who was involved.

  “This is crazier than the time my witch friend Betty Jane tried summoning the spirit of her dead ex into a dildo,” Gran said when I’d finished.

  “Gran,” I groaned.

  Milo stopped short just outside his mother’s apartment door. “Wait. Did it work?”

  “She thought it did for about six minutes,” Gran said.

  “What happened?” Milo asked.

  I glanced over and shook my head at his expression. Even Jax looked interested.

  “She realized as she was riding out her happy ending that she’d bought the model that talks dirty to you with pre-programmed phrases. Apparently, the robot voice sounded like her ex when he’d been drinking. Betty Jane came then cried. It was terrible. Hasn’t touched a vibrator since.”

  Milo nearly fell over from laughing so hard. Jax’s lips twitched before curving into a small smile. Even Fergie giggled, which made everything weird.

  I cast my eyes to the hall ceiling, which was marked with an old water stain.

  “Angel above, save me,” I muttered.

  The door opened, and a dark-haired woman with Milo’s eyes smiled back at us.

  “Milo,” she exclaimed, “Come in, come in.”

  We filed into the apartment. I was surprised to see all the lights on and several people in the small living room, all fully dressed like it was dinnertime instead of dawn.

  Introductions were boisterous and a little confusing, but at the end, I could positively identify Trish—Milo’s mom, Ferdinand—Milo’s younger brother, and two aunts named Jessie and Josie, who weren’t twins but somehow still identical enough that I couldn’t tell them apart.

  There were several kids under the age of ten scattered around on the floor. A couple sat in front of the TV, watching cartoons. Fergie wiggled, leaning toward them, and Jax set her down.

  She waddled over, and I grabbed Jax’s hand, whispering, “She just walked.”

  “She did the complete dance to Fergalicious, and you’re having a moment over her walking?” Milo asked.

  “Parental milestone,” I told him. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  He rolled his eyes, but Jax smiled as we both watched our demon baby plop down on the stomach of one of the fae girls.

  My breath hitched, and I waited for a freak-out, but the girl just giggled. “You’re cute. I’m Brianna. What’s your name?”

  “Fuckery,” Fergie said in a sing-song voice.

  I glanced apologetically at Trish. “Sorry. Her name’s Fergie. She’s not very good at English.”

  Gran snorted in my ear. “Sounded perfect to me.” I jumped as I realized she’d ridden into the place on my shoulder.

  “It’s fine, no worries.” Trish rattled off a bunch of Spanish to the girl. The only word I understood was Fergie, but the girl nodded and started telling Fergie about the cartoon in Spanish.

  Before I could explain the language barrier, Fergie answered her in a string of flawless Spanish.

  “Uh, did your baby just speak perfect Española?” Milo asked.

  “That’s my girl,” Jax said, beaming with pride. “A child genius.” He turned to me, dead serious. “We should consider getting her into private school or maybe even tutoring. She’s clearly gifted.”

  “I know a guy,” Gran said.

  “I think I need a drink,” I said.

  “Ooh, I second that,” Gran whispered in my ear.

  Trish shot me a confused look and glanced around, presumably for the owner of the empty voice.

  “This is my Gran,” I said, pointing. “She’s the June bug on my shoulder.”

  Trish’s eyes lit with understanding as she spotted the tiny insect I referred to.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said. “Come. Would you like a mojito?”

  She motioned for us to follow her into the kitchen and began passing around glass bottles labeled as mojito coolers. No one looked weirded out that we were all about to drink at sunrise. Or with an apartment full of kids.

  I wasn’t going to state the obvious either, so instead, I took a mojito cooler and began to twist the cap.

  “Let me.” Jax took the bottle and popped the cap for me then handed it back.

  Considering the way his muscles had flexed with the effort, I decided not to point out I could have done it myself.

  “Thanks.” I knocked back a large gulp of the tangy beverage.

  “A little hair of the dog,” Milo said with a satisfying lip-smack.

  “I missed my boy so much,” Trish gushed, coming in for a loud kiss.

  Milo shoved her away. “Ma, we have company.”

  “Your company isn’t offended that I love my son,” she scoffed. “And you.” She stopped in front of me, and I stilled, half-terrified she was about to maul me with kisses too. “It’s so good to meet you. Milo speaks so highly of you from your time together at the academy.”

  “Thank you for letting us hang here,” I told her. “I appreciate you taking the risk.”

  “We won’t be here long,” Milo added. “As soon as we figure out our next move, we’ll be out of your hair.”

  I didn’t miss the collective “we” he’d used, but I let it go. Milo had made it clear when he’d taken the trip home that he wanted to help, but I wasn’t going to let him do anything that might jeopardize his position at the agency. Hiding me here with his family was more than I could ask.

  But Trish waved a hand, dismissing our words. “Stay as long as you need.” She leaned in, smiling. “Any friend of Milo’s is a friend of mine. Besides, we have so many people here, no one will notice a few more.” She winked at Jax. “Except for you. Everyone notices you, am I right?”

  “Delicious, isn’t he?” Gran purred.

  Hoping to distract her, I held up my bottle. “Gran, it’s all yours,” I said.

  “Oh, don’t mind if I do.” She buzzed into the bottle’s neck and perched on the inside of the glass, drinking carefully from the liquid inside.

  Careful not to slosh the liquid over her insect body, I set the bottle on the table to let her have her fill.

  “Do you mind if I use your restroom?” I asked.

  “There’s a bedroom with an attached bathroom through that door,” Trish said, pointing.

  “Thank you.”

  I made my way to the bedroom and started to close the door behind me, but a hand reached out and grabbed it, holding it open.

  Jax walked in and pressed the door closed behind him.

  “What are you doing?” I asked warily.

  “Checking on you.”

  “A habit you should break,” I said, but I could taste the lie on my tongue.

  Jax smiled and took a step toward me.

  A predatory step. My heart beat faster, and I couldn’t decide if it was nerves or anticipation. My brain decided to stall.

  “How did you find me earlier?” I asked.

  Jax hesitated. “I may have slipped a tracking device in Fergie.”

  “In?” I repeated, jaw-dropping.

  “I meant to put it on her back, just an adhesive label, like a sticker, but she ate it before I could snatch it away from her.”

  “You GPS chipped our daughter?”

  He smiled broadly.

  “And you’re happy about it?”

  “You called her ‘our daughter.’”

  Shit.

  I had.

  “What do you want from me, Jax?” I asked, exhaustion thinning my patience for all the banter.

  Instead of answering, Jax reached out and pulled me into his arms.

  I stilled, too surprised to pull away.

  Or maybe it was the way he smelled.

  His manly musk stunned me. Like a
weapon. A sex-weapon.

  God, I needed to get laid.

  As soon as I had the thought, I realized we were alone in a bedroom. Out of the corner of my eye, I couldn’t help but notice the very inviting queen bed. A lace-trimmed comforter was pulled neatly over the matching pillows. Shit, Trish’s room then.

  Not a good idea.

  “Are you all right?” Jax asked, pulling away far enough to look down at me.

  “I’m fine,” I said, trying to shake him off.

  Concern pulled at his features, and he cupped my face in his rough hands.

  “I was worried. When you left, I tried tracking you, but the device stopped working after you left the state.” He paused before adding, “I shouldn’t have given away your secret to the Nephilim.”

  Shit. Adrik.

  I stepped back, and Jax released me.

  “Was he pissed about Fergie?” I asked.

  “We had words.”

  Something about his voice made it clear there was more to the story. Maybe a lot more. But I couldn’t quite handle the mental stress of knowing what it was. Besides, it wasn’t like Adrik could be killed. And since Jax was standing in front of me, clearly in one piece, I decided it might be better to not know.

  And I was still mad at him for not telling me who he was from The Monster Ball.

  “Is Lester okay?” I asked instead.

  “He’s fine. I’m keeping him hidden at my winter home. Why?”

  His winter home. Of course.

  “I have a plan to expose the council for their cover-up,” I said. “With any luck, it’ll draw out whoever’s been opening these portals. But the only way it works is if you keep Lester out of sight.”

  “No one knows where he is. The house is listed under another name. He’s safe. You’d be safe there too.”

  I sighed. “Maybe, but I don’t want to hide and run forever.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you and that fae playboy out there have some half-baked scheme up your sleeves?”

  “It’s not half-baked.”

  Lie.

  He groaned. “Gem—”

  We both turned at the sound of a sharp knock on the window.

  I peered through the gauzy curtains at a figure standing on the fire escape outside.

  Beside me, Jax tensed, but recognition made me more curious than worried. I hurried to the window and threw back the curtain. Starla stared back at me through the glass.