"Not really." Rob shrugged. "With any luck, we can discover whether or not he is, and if not, then who he's working with."
"Or for," Tucker said.
"That too," Rob agreed.
Tucker fixed me with a steady look. "I was right," he said.
"You often are," I told him, "but about what?"
"I told you this guy was trouble." He jerked a thumb toward Rob.
Rob grinned. "You knew that before you met me? Finally, I'm building a reputation."
"No reputation." Tucker shook his head. "I just had a sense of it when she mentioned you. Said to stay away. Here she is anyway."
Rob frowned. "She doesn't seem to be objecting."
"She is smart and tough," Tucker said, "and if you do anything to hurt her, I'll rip your arm off and beat you with your own hand."
I opened my mouth and closed it again.
"Not that kind of beat," Tucker said.
"Ah." I nodded. "Thank you for clearing that up."
"You're welcome." He nodded.
"Fortunately no one is going to need to rip off anyone's anything," I started to say.
"What about clothes?" Rob asked. "You didn't seem to mind that before."
I glanced toward Tucker. Something flashed through his eyes. Was that—jealousy? No, it couldn't be. We were friends for so long. He never mentioned wanting anything more. I thought about it, but didn't want to complicate matters. Things between us were comfortable. Or they were. Who knew how things stood now?
"I think I'll get some more pizza." I shot to my feet and hurried over to the table. I was sure the guys all exchanged glances behind my back, but I didn't turn around until I had two more slices on my plate. But then, they were all sitting back, eyes toward their feet.
"So." I plopped back down on the couch. "I'm going to be bait, aren't I?"
"What?" Tucker's eyes narrowed at me. "No."
"Who else?" I asked. "He knows who and what I am. He'll come after me again. That's why I'm here, remember, to keep him from finding me."
"Which is how it should be," Tucker said firmly.
"As much as I hate to admit it, Marion is right," Rob said. "He'll take the bait faster if it's her. He's suspicious of us, but has nothing to go on unless we show our hand."
Tucker looked at him as if he expected him to do just that.
"There's no need to expose everything else," I said firmly. "I just have to convince him I want to talk somewhere private, but where I feel safe. Where I am safe. Right?"
"Yes," Johnny replied. "You'll be perfectly safe. We'll have eyes on you the entire time." He gave me a soft smile.
My heart fluttered. I smiled back.
"Multiple eyes," Rob added. "We have friends at Merry's. Orla for one. She has no love for Nott or Zeta either. There are others, but it's best not to reveal everyone."
"You think you can't trust us?" Tucker asked, his eyes narrowed.
"To be honest," Rob said slowly, "I don't know you from the next man on the street."
"You don't know me very well either," I pointed out. "You don't seem to have a problem trusting me."
"You're different," Rob mumbled.
"Why?" I challenged him. "Because I'm a woman?"
"Because you're a shifter," he replied. "And because you have a lot to lose. Besides, you wouldn't let yourself get caught by Nott if you were working with him."
"I would if I wanted to put you off the scent," I retorted. I breathed out through pursed lips. "As it happens, I didn't. That was legit." I sat back and sighed. I was full, tired, and didn't want to argue anymore.
"I know it was," he said softly. "You wouldn't have left your clothes behind otherwise." A smile played at the corners of his lips.
I snorted. "No, I wouldn't." I gave him a steely look. "You can trust Tucker. I would trust him with my life and I have in the past. There's no one else I'd rather have at my back. No one."
Rob hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "All right, he stays. But I'm still not going to tell you both the names of everyone I work with. There might come a time when having that secret might be for the better. For everyone."
"They can't torture us for information we don't know," Tucker stated.
"Exactly." Rob smiled. "Now, who wants a beer? I'm thirsty."
Ten
"For the record, this is a bad idea," Tucker said.
"Your opinion is noted," I said. "And for the record, I agree with you." I twirled a strand of hair around my finger. The habit was one from childhood, which I only did when my hair was down. Since I usually wore it pulled back off my face, that wasn't often.
I forced my hand down to my side, but it found its way back to my hair a few moments later.
"Then let's get out of here," Tucker said. "Let those clowns deal with it."
Before I could respond, he held up a thick finger and added, "I'm not saying they aren't reliable or whatever, but we'd be safer out of the city. Let's hop a flight to Melbourne. Start over. Or Perth. That's a good distance."
"That's tempting." It really was. "For all we know, Nott has issued a photo of me to all the airports and bus depots."
"You think I couldn't disguise you?" He frowned at me.
"I'm sure you could, but I'd rather deal with this like I usually do."
"Shift and flee?" he asked. "That would also work."
I snorted. "I meant face it head on. Is that what you really think? That I run at the first sign of danger?"
"You know when to get the hell out," he replied. "That's why you're still alive."
"So when I say this isn't the time to bolt, will you believe me?" I asked.
"Didn't say I didn't believe you." His tone bordered on sullen. "I'd prefer we weren't caught up in all of this."
"You could leave if you like," I snapped, a little more blunt than I intended.
He grabbed my hand. "I would not leave. Especially now." He looked me in the eyes and what I saw there surprised me.
"Tucker, I—"
Johnny's crackled voice in my ear interrupted. "Nott is headed your way."
"He's coming," I said regretfully.
Tucker brought his mouth down on mine, soft and urgent, but quick. Then he was gone, hidden behind a pile of wooden palettes.
I sucked in a breath and leaned against the outside wall of Merry's, as if I could actually relax right now.
Nott stalked around the corner and stopped dead when he saw me. His expression changed from surprise to carefully schooled curiosity.
"Well, well," he said. He closed the distance between us. "I should have known you were the one who wanted to see me. We have a lot to talk about."
"Do we?" I cocked my head at him. "I suppose we do. Do we start with kidnapping, or the whole bit about tying me up?"
"We could skip that and go straight to you telling me what you are," he said. "I missed seeing you when you left."
I smiled. "That was the idea."
He sighed as though my words were a terrible burden somehow. "What do I have to do to make you see I'm not the enemy here?"
"Come inside and I have a drink with me." I straightened up and stepped away from the wall. "If you want to convince me, here's your chance."
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded and gestured toward the doorway. "After you then."
Not being totally silly, I didn't turn my back on him. Instead, I smiled and moved to stand beside him.
He gave me a nod which could have meant anything from approval to acknowledgment that he knew what I did and why.
We stepped inside.
If anyone was supposed to keep an eye on us, they gave no sign. A few curious faces turned toward us, but looked away in disinterest. Conversations continued as if they didn't notice our presence at all. Maybe they didn't. At least some of the people here must be regular patrons. Hopefully they wouldn't get in the way, or get hurt by whatever was about to go down.
"What do you drink?" Nott asked.
"I can buy my own," I said. I hoped
to come off as an independent woman and not one suspicious of what he might put in my drink. "But I asked you here, so I'll buy the first round."
He shrugged and leaned against a table. "Suit yourself. Just a beer, please."
I nodded and walked to the bar. I gave Orla my order and tried not to notice her slip something into Nott's drink.
I know, it's hypocritical, but it was necessary. Or so Rob insisted.
"It will loosen his tongue, nothing more," he said.
He better be right. There were too many witnesses here otherwise.
"Thank you." I paid for our drinks and carried them back to the table.
"I know this is lame," I said, "but do you come here a lot? Personally I find it a bit seedy, but I've been in worse."
To stop my nervous chatter, I took a gulp of my drink.
He sipped at his and shrugged. "The beer is good. The conversation is usually interesting. Most of the patrons are probably paranormals. Those who aren't have no idea."
I glanced around as subtly as I could. To the untrained eye, everyone looked like normal humans. Hells, to the trained eye, they looked normal too. At least to me.
"Can you tell a normal from a paranormal?" I asked.
"Just by looking, no," he replied. "From their reaction to my presence… That tends to be a giveaway. Take that man at the next table. The one with the red hair. He looks like he's about to shit himself."
My gaze settled on the man in question. He certainly did seem uncomfortable.
"He could be a regular criminal," I said. "Or maybe he just ate a curry."
Nott chuckled. "Any of that is possible," he conceded. "I suppose we'll find out when he gets up."
The red haired man rose a couple of minutes later. Rather than head toward the toilet, he went out the front door, his steps hurried.
Nott shrugged with one shoulder. "When you're right…"
"Do you get off on having that kind of power over people?" I asked before I could stop myself.
His brow creased. "Over people, maybe. Over paranormals, no. I might be a cop, but I'm still one of you. One of us."
I was halfway to buying his story when Johnny snorted in my ear.
"Rob said he's full of shit."
I struggled to keep the surprise off my face. How the hell could they hear what Nott was saying? Where were they?
"Don't look around," Johnny said. "He'll know something is up."
"Are you all right?" Nott asked.
Too late.
I smiled. "I'm fine. I'm just not used to being referred to as "one of us" myself. I'm used to going it alone."
Nice save, Marion.
Nott nodded. "It's the safer way to be, more often than not. I'm a bit of a loner myself."
"I never would have guessed," I said dryly. "Apparently you have to gas girls to get them alone."
"I explained why I did that," he said, his voice tight.
Was whatever was in his drink working?
"Yes, you did, but that doesn't mean I buy it." I toyed with the base of my glass. "If you're so dependable, so… on our side, then why are paranormals hurrying out the door, away from you?"
"Because they don't know," he said simply. "They just see a cop, who would have them arrested if they broke the law. They don't understand the risk I'm taking being around normals every day."
"Why don't you explain it to me?" I suggested.
"Don't you live it everyday as well?" he asked.
"I'm not out chasing paranormals," I replied, "and putting them in that special place you mentioned for paranormal felons. It sounds like you're walking on top of the fence between two worlds."
"A barbed wire fence," he agreed. "With us on one side and Zeta on the other."
"So you admit you're working with Zeta?" I pressed gently.
He frowned. He looked like he was at war with himself and the drug was winning.
"I used to," he admitted.
"Gotcha, bastard," Johnny said through my earpiece.
"But not anymore," Nott went on. "When I was young and angry, I thought paranormals were my enemy. I wasn't exactly one of them and I wasn't a normal, either. I hated the world and myself. I wanted to see the smiles wiped off the faces of those who teased me as a kid."
"Revenge is sweet?" I suggested uneasily.
"I thought it was," he agreed. "Then I realised paranormals had families, too. Instead of working against them, I decided to work for them. I'm starting to think that was also misguided."
Where was this going?
"How so?" I asked.
"Because of whatever you put in my drink." He gave me a flat stare. "I didn't think you were here to make amends, or to give me a chance to do the same, but you couldn't even hear what I had to say? You had to resort to…" He smacked his lips and grimaced. "Whatever that was."
A sliver of guilt slipped into my mind before I shoved it away. "I don't think I owe you the benefit of the doubt, after what you did to me."
"I see you're the kind to hold a grudge," he said.
"I'm also the kind to kick you in the nuts if you don't stop being a dick," I replied. "Supposedly you can't lie with that stuff in your system, so here's your chance to tell the truth and be believed."
He eyed his beer. I thought he might push it away and leave. Instead, he raised his glass and downed the rest to the last drop. He placed the empty glass on the table with a plonk.
"What do you want to know?" Before I could respond, he added, "And who else wants to hear it? I know you have someone talking to you, I saw you listen to them."
He was astute. Of course he was, he was a police detective, it was his job to notice things. Or maybe I just sucked as an actor.
"I can't tell you who," I said.
He nodded slowly, then shrugged. "I can guess anyway. You were with two men the other night when your bike exploded. Then Rob just happened to turn up near the warehouse. And Tucker Priestly has gone to ground. I don't believe in coincidences." He looked around. "Where are they?"
"I have no idea," I said honestly. "Not far, I suppose." There seemed little point in pretending.
"Bastard has turned this whole thing around on us," Johnny grumbled.
Nott smiled. "Someone spoke in your ear again." He leaned forward across the table. "Listen, asshole, I'm not the enemy."
"Tell him to fuck off," Johnny said.
"I don't think he believes you," I said dryly.
Nott chuckled. "I can't lie, remember?"
"Unless he's found a way around it," Johnny said.
"You wanted to see me?" Rob appeared at the table, a congenial smile on his lips. "Ahhh, Detective Nott. How nice to see you again. Did you find the person who blew up poor Marion's bike? Is it the same person who kidnapped her?" His expression didn't change.
"I have some leads," Nott replied.
"Was someone trying to kill the shifter who tried to steal her bike, or Marion herself?"
That was blunt, but I wanted to know the answer myself.
"Who knew your bike was owned by a shifter?" Nott asked.
I frowned. "Rob and Tucker. Maybe a friend or two."
"Well I know I didn't do it," Rob said.
"Tucker would never have," I said firmly. I eyed Nott. "What about you?"
He held his hands up. "What would I have to gain?"
"That's not a no," Rob said.
Nott sighed. "Fine. No, it wasn't me either. I think somehow Zeta knows what you are."
Eleven
"Did you tell them?" Rob asked. "Did you tell Zeta about all of us? Is that why you're here?"
I glanced uneasily toward the door, but to his credit Rob didn't. His eyes were steely and fixed on Nott's face. I noticed, for the first time, a scar which slashed across Rob's forehead. Mostly faded now, it showed as a shallow furrow from this angle. What had happened to leave a mark like that?
Nott sighed again and drew my attention back to him. "No. How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not working with them. I'm worki
ng against them." His tone was firm and light on patience.
I might have felt sorry for him, but he made his own bed before I ever met him. He would have to lie in it for a while.
Silence fell for a few, long moments.
Then Rob broke into a smile. "All right then. Can I buy you a drink? With nothing nasty in it this time." His expression was pure innocence, probably bought by exactly no one in the room.
Nott eyed him doubtfully, but nodded. "Sure, but excuse me if I watch more carefully this time. And remember, drugging a police officer is against the law." Before I could say anything, he added, "I know, I know, it's just as against the law as abducting someone, but it was necessary. I couldn't be sure you weren't working with Zeta."
"Okay, I think we've established that none of us are working for them." I nodded my thanks when Rob placed a drink in front of me. "And apparently we're all trustworthy."
"I know I am," Johnny said in my ear.
I smiled. "You can probably come out now."
Nott gave me a funny look until Johnny appeared at Rob's elbow, a drink in his own hand.
"Ahhh, I should have guessed you'd be close by," Nott remarked.
"You're not much of a detective if you didn't," Rob said. He smiled sweetly when Nott smirked at him.
"Rob does have a point," Johnny agreed. "So, I guess we won't be kidnapping him after all."
Nott's mouth drew back, but he said nothing.
"I don't think that's necessary," Rob said. "Our little truth serum did what we needed it to. By the way, that'll wear off in a few hours. You should have no ill effects. I would avoid trying to lie for a day or two though, just in case."
"Oh goodie, I can't wait," Nott said sarcastically.
"That must be the truth," Rob said.
Nott gave him a look as though he wanted to knock him on his ass. "You keep some dubious company," he told me.
I smiled slyly. "Yes I do, don't I? Present company included."
Rob and Johnny chuckled.
Nott rolled his eyes. "I walked right into that."
"You did rather," I agreed. "But you make a good point. If Zeta knows what I am, I shouldn't be seen with any of you. It'll put you all at risk."
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