by Juniper Hart
“Theo is not going to be happy about this,” she muttered again. Suddenly, she rose, and Simone gaped as Lane seemed to hover over her, teeth elongating as her face paled to a near-opaque.
“What are you doing?” Simone choked in disbelief. Her coffee-brown eyes nearly bugged out of her face as she realized that Lane was floating. “Oh, my God…” Simone gasped. “What are you?”
“I’m a member of the Enchanted, Simone, and one of the Seven,” Lane said. “Just like Theo.”
“What does that mean? What the hell is going on?”
“It means that when you’re brought before the Council, you’re going to be put to death,” she answered flatly. “Theo should never have brought you here.”
13
Theo’s first stop when he returned to Boulder was at the office, and when he arrived in the workspace, he paused, hearing a familiar voice which should not have been there.
“—attention at all. I’m on it, Senator. You have my word.”
The second man was clearly Senator Michaels. “I’ll have to have Veriday dealt with when Jackrabbit is found, Cushing. He knows too much about the man, and I can’t have loose ends.”
Theo bristled at the open threat and waited to hear what Matthew would respond.
“You know I’m loyal to you, sir,” Matthew said quietly. “I’ve been on your side since the beginning.”
“I hope that’s true,” Michaels replied shortly. “I thought the same about Veriday, but he’s becoming a bigger pain in my ass than he’s worth. I’ll deal with him personally.”
“I don’t know what’s going on with him lately,” Matthew muttered. “He was on Jackrabbit for months, but suddenly…” He trailed off, and Michaels snorted.
“It doesn’t matter. You have Jackrabbit in your sights now, don’t you? I knew that little bitch was hiding something even if Veriday said she wasn’t.”
“There’s no direct connection between Simone Ruiz and Jackrabbit,” Matthew said nervously. Theo could hear the uncertainty in his voice.
“Didn’t you just tell me that Cinnamon Ruiz was caught on CCTV stealing the Lanthcomb files from the office?”
“Yes, but from everything I have found, Simone Ruiz and her stepmother aren’t on very good terms. I find it difficult to believe that they’re working together.”
A cold chill slithered down Theo’s back.
“I think you need to find the common denominator there,” Michaels said flatly.
“Victor Ruiz?”
“Sounds about right to me. I don’t care what you have to do to those people. Just find Jackrabbit. I don’t know how much clearer I can make myself in this matter!”
Theo could stand no more, and he stalked into the boardroom to confront the Senator and his right-hand man.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in Morocco?” he asked Matthew pleasantly. Matthew’s face paled to an almost translucent shade.
“C-captain!” he sputtered. “I-I thought you weren’t going to be here for a few days!”
“And I thought I could trust you to do as you were told,” Theo countered, his eyes darting back and forth between the two men. “How long has this bromance been happening?”
Michaels smirked, but Theo could read the annoyance in the demon’s eyes. “Since I realized that you weren’t taking your job seriously, Veriday. You can’t fault me for trying to get this matter resolved.”
“I can fault you for pitting my team against me,” Theo countered. “And I do. Tell me, Senator, did you know that someone on the team has been tipping off your terrorist? Did Cushing tell you that?”
Michaels balked, and he looked at Matthew. “What?”
“W-we don’t know that for sure,” Matthew stuttered. Theo could see that the senator was trying not to shift in his fury.
“I knew it well enough to mention it when we were in West Africa,” Theo replied conversationally. “Is that around the time that you two struck a deal behind my back?”
“I don’t know what’s going on here,” Michaels hissed. “But I’m done dealing with you both.”
“No, I don’t think you are,” Theo retorted coldly. “There’s a reason you came to me, after all.”
Michaels met Theo’s deadpan stare. Don’t be an idiot, the demon hissed silently. I haven’t exposed myself to your team. Theo didn’t respond, but his gaze didn’t falter.
“I want answers, Michaels. Real answers. And I want a guarantee for Simone Ruiz’s safety.”
Shock permeated the senator’s face. “Is that what you’re worried about?”
“Matthew, can you step outside? Actually, you can pack up your things and leave the building? The senator and I have some matters to discuss, don’t we, Senator?”
Michaels said nothing as Matthew looked between them, but the two immortals continued to stare at one another unblinkingly. “Captain, I’m sorry—”
“Get out, Cushing. I’ll be in touch with you later.”
Matthew opened his mouth to argue again, but he didn’t protest, perhaps sensing the palpable animus flowing between the men. When Theo could no longer sense Matthew’s presence inside the building, he permitted himself to shift fully, falling back onto his hind legs and snarling viciously at the Senator.
“Oh, calm yourself,” Michaels snapped. “You know I could kill you without any effort.”
“You could try,” Theo hissed. “But I still outrank you. You’ll be killing yourself if you did.”
“Veriday, stop acting like a fool!” Michaels barked, his breaths escaping in short rasps. “We were on the same team once, weren’t we?”
“That was before you dragged Simone Ruiz into whatever the hell this mess is,” Theo spat back, snorting angrily through his snout. “She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“She got her stepmother the job at Harper-Morris, and Cinnamon Ruiz stole the hard copies to Lanthcomb’s accounts. Tell me that’s not one hell of a coincidence.”
“Simone got played by her father,” Theo insisted. “She had no idea.”
Michaels glared at him. “I don’t give a rat’s ass how you find Jackrabbit, Theo, and I don’t care who I have to ruin to get to him. He owes me—” He abruptly stopped talking, and Theo’s own eyes narrowed.
“What do you mean, he owes you?”
“Nothing. I mean I want that guy in my hands. Your job is not to ask questions. Your job is to find him!”
“You…” Before the sentence was out of his mouth, the realization dawned on him, and Theo understood everything with blinding clarity. “You made a deal with Jackrabbit.”
Michaels gnashed his teeth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is it a political stunt? What could he possibly give—? Oh, my God…”
“It’s not what you think!”
“You paid him to stage a terrorist attack,” Theo realized. “How did I not understand this before? What happened? He took your money and disappeared?”
“It wasn’t that bad!” Michaels muttered. “It was just going to be a little explosion, no one would get hurt.”
“You’re a sick bastard,” Theo choked. “Why would you do that? To fuel your racist campaign agenda? To feed the fear that you created?”
“I’m a demon, Theo, and you’re a bear. We don’t abide by the same moral compass as the mortals. You know that as well as anyone does.”
“Speak for yourself, Senator. You can’t blame being evil on your immortality.”
“You’re weak,” Michaels growled in response. “And if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will see you dead. And your little girlfriend, too. I hope she doesn’t know about your abilities. That would mean certain death for her, wouldn’t it?”
Michaels leered at him, and before Theo could stop himself, he threw himself over the table to lunge for the senator’s throat.
“Get off me!” Michaels howled, shoving him back, his own teeth flashing. “If you come near me again, I will kill you, Council or not!”
&nb
sp; “If I ever see your face again, it will be too soon,” Theo hissed. “Get out.”
Michaels rose and brushed himself off, smirking casually. “I guess this means you’ll be sending me my money back for the incompetent job you’ve done.”
Theo didn’t answer, but he watched as the senator turned to leave the office, the wheels in his mind turning frantically.
Oh, I’m going to find Jackrabbit, all right, he vowed. And I’ll take you both down at the same time.
“Rachel?”
The girl looked at him with dark circled eyes and did a double take. “You’re Simone’s friend, right? You were at Toni’s on Saturday?”
Theo was vaguely flattered that she remembered him, and he nodded. “I’m Theo Veriday.”
“Rachel Masters.”
“Yes,” he replied, nodding toward the coffee truck. “I’ve been waiting to speak with you. Can I buy you lunch? I mean, you weren’t just going to grab a sandwich, weren’t you?”
“Oh…” She looked around nervously. “I… uh, Simone’s not here today. I heard she called in sick, but…”
“She’s not sick,” Theo assured her. “She sent me to talk to you, actually. I was hoping we could do that privately.”
“What? Why? I don’t know anything! I swear, I didn’t—”
“Rachel, I’m your friend,” he told her calmly, steering her away from the cart and potential eavesdroppers. “I know about the hack, and I know that only you and Simone know about it. I also know about Lanthcomb.”
“Are you NSA?”
“Hardly,” he snickered. “I’m in private security, and I’m looking for the man who owns those accounts, the one behind the shell corporations. I’ve been told you’re quite the computer genius yourself. Do you think I could commission you to help me?”
“Commission me? I have a job!”
“Think of it as a side job,” Theo told her easily. “And I’ll take all the risk. You’ll be doing your searches from my servers. No one ever needs to know your name.” Rachel peered at him nervously.
“Why me?” she whispered. “Don’t you have someone else you can trust to do this?”
“No,” he said with conviction, “I don’t. Moreover, I know Simone trusts you, which makes you automatically okay in my books.” Rachel eyed him warily, but Theo read the glimpse of appreciation in her eyes.
“Simone trusts me?” she asked with awe.
“That’s what she tells me,” he replied.
Suspicion clouded her face. “Where is she? How do I know this isn’t a trap?”
Theo laughed and nodded. “That’s fair. How about you talk to Simone first and let me know how you feel about helping me afterward? She’s staying with my friends in New York for a while, but we can call over there.”
Rachel continued to look at him, but Theo could see her resolve dissipating.
“Okay,” she muttered looking around the sidewalk. “But…”
“What?”
She exhaled and folded her arms over her chest. “Are you really going to take me for lunch, or was that just a Segway to getting me to help you?”
Theo chuckled and shook his head. “No, meals are fully included.”
“All right,” Rachel announced, beaming. “You’ve got my undivided attention. Take me for lunch, and I’ll call in sick this afternoon. We can get started right away.”
Theo gaped at her in surprise. “Just like that?”
Rachel snorted and continued walking up the sidewalk.
“It’s not just like that,” she sighed. “I’ve been working on nothing else all weekend. I’ve already got a name for you, but you’re not getting anything until you feed me.”
Theo exhaled in a whoosh of air, relief flooding his bones.
This chapter is almost over, he thought with some relief, but it wasn’t nearly good enough. He would deal with Jackrabbit and expose the Senator for what he was. Even so, there was still the Council to deal with, especially now that Lane undoubtedly knew who Simone was. The Council can’t hold the descendants responsible for what has happened with the Collingwoods of the past, can they?
“Are you all right?” Rachel asked, bringing him back to the present.
“I will be,” Theo promised her and flashed her a quick smile.
“I can see why Simone likes you,” Rachel said.
“Oh, yeah?”
“There’s something safe and trustworthy about you.”
He tittered. “Thanks,” he replied, but in his heart, he was consumed with guilt.
You have nothing to feel guilty about, he told himself. I will always protect Simone, just as I promised her. She’s in good hands right now…
On a whim, he reached for his Council phone as he and Rachel paused in front of an Italian restaurant.
“I’m just going to make a quick phone call,” he told her. “Go grab a table and order your appetizers.”
She gazed at him warily. “You’re coming, right?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’m just calling Simone.”
Rachel nodded and headed inside as Theo dialed Lane’s number. There was no answer, and he didn’t bother leaving a voicemail. He was slightly troubled that Lane hadn’t picked up, but that didn’t mean anything in and of itself. He contemplated calling Henry, but he didn’t want to warn the other Council members about Simone until he was there to walk her through everything that was going to happen when she learned that she was the descendant of a long-lost coven. He wondered how she would react. Then again, there was time enough for that concern later. The only thing that Theo could do was hope that Lane was taking good care of her Enchanted sister.
If there was a problem, someone would have called me by now. He slipped the cell back in his pocket and opened the door to the bistro, his pulse quickening. Hang in there, baby, he told Simone silently. I’ll be with you soon, and after that, we’ll never be apart… Or at least, not as long as you live.
Theo swallowed his mounting apprehension and found Rachel already seated in the dining room, snacking on bread.
“How is she doing?” Rachel asked. Theo smiled.
“She’s great,” he lied. “She says hi.” Rachel cocked her head to the side and studied his face closely. “What?” Theo asked when she continued to chew on her bread, unspeaking. Rachel shook her head and laughed.
“Nothing,” she responded when she gulped back the bread in her mouth. “I was just thinking that Simone is a lucky woman.”
I hope she feels that way when all this is over and done with, Theo thought grimly.
14
Amir Fassot was not at all what Theo expected, and he had to double check his GPS several times to ensure he was in the right place, watching the Civics professor passionately discussing politics from the podium. It wasn’t that Theo doubted Rachel’s intel. He had seen her work himself, the traces through the shell and umbrella companies which led back to the same place: Jackrabbit.
Who is this guy? What makes a university prof go hired gun? The answer was surely more complex than anything Theo had interest in delving into. There was only one reason he was there, and that was to confront Fassot about Senator Michaels. Michaels is a terrorist, too, he reminded himself. Neither one of these men is better than the other.
The class was just ending when Theo cornered the mild-mannered, clean-shaven man at the head of the lecture hall.
“Mr. Fassot,” he said quietly. “May I have a word with you?”
Intelligent brown eyes met his, and the professor tilted his head to the side, a wry smile forming on his lips.
“Dr. Fassot,” he corrected. “I have a Ph.D. in political science.”
“My apologies,” Theo replied, even though there was no contrition in his voice. Inherently, he knew he was staring at the man who had tried to kill him in the desert all those months ago, despite never having seen his face. “You know me, don’t you?” Theo asked. “We’ve met before.”
Fassot smirked and shuffled his papers into his briefc
ase.
“I meet so many people,” he sighed. “You can’t expect me—”
“You’ve also murdered so many people,” Theo replied sweetly. Fassot’s head jerked up, but he didn’t lose the half-smile on his face.
“Murdered?” he echoed. “That is a bold statement.”
“And a true one, but I’m not really here to argue semantics with you.”
“Why are you here, Mr. Veriday?”
Theo felt a shiver run through him. “Ah. So you do know who I am.”
“I try to keep an eye on those who are stalking me unjustly.” Theo scoffed. “What? Do you think you are better than me, Mr. Veriday? Being a mercenary for the highest bidders?”
“How is that any different than what you do, Dr. Fassot? Or do you prefer Jackrabbit?”
“I prefer to be left alone,” Fassot replied easily, pulling his attaché case off the podium. “I know you’re not here to arrest me, because you have no authority nor any proof. So why don’t you tell me what you want?”
“I know that Senator Michaels hired you to stage an attack on American soil.”
Genuine surprise lit the professor’s eyes, and for the first time, Theo saw a glimmer of respect in him.
“If that was true,” Fassot offered, “that would make your employer a terrorist, would it not?”
“He’s no longer my employer,” Theo explained, “for that reason exactly.”
“Ah. Such a nice moral code you have, but the bears were always the gentlest of the Enchanted, were they not?”
Theo’s back tensed so tautly, he thought it might snap. “What?”
“They argue that it’s the fairies, but we all know that’s not true. They’re evil at the core, aren’t they?” Theo didn’t speak, unsure if Fassot was digging for information or if he was a member of the Enchanted himself. “It’s all right, Captain. I would not expect you to speak out of school. But you still haven’t explained what you are doing here.”
“I want to bring down Senator Michaels,” Theo told him in a low voice. “Ideally, I’d like to bring you down, too, but you’re no longer my problem.”
