by Jenna Black
“So what are you two doing here this morning, anyway?” I asked. “And help yourself to my coffee, by the way.” I glanced at Dominic, slaving over my stove. “And help yourself to my kitchen.”
“Thanks,” Dom called cheerfully, frying up something that involved peppers and onions and filled the air with the most enticing aromas imaginable. Short of coffee. He must have been shopping before he’d come over—no way he’d gotten anything that smelled that good out of my fridge.
“I thought you might want to know that your parents have flown the coop,” Adam said, and I almost choked on my coffee.
“What?”
“When I went to interview them last night, they were gone.”
I figured I must not have had enough coffee yet. Surely he wasn’t saying what I thought he was saying. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”
“I mean packed up everything they own and disappeared.”
“That’s impossible.”
Adam shook his head. “Oh, I assure you, it’s quite possible. Aside from packing up everything they own, they also cleared out their bank accounts.”
Andy came over and joined us, looking as shocked as I felt. “But Morgan was just over there yesterday!” he protested.
“Yes, I know,” Adam said with exaggerated patience. “I was there, too, remember? But I assure you, when we went there last night, they were gone. Naturally, I’m trying to find out where they disappeared to, but no one can disappear this thoroughly and this suddenly without some kind of outside help.”
“Bradley Cooper,” I said, knowing the slimy little weasel had to have contacts all over the place. And that he wouldn’t hesitate to use illegal means to cover up whatever the hell it was he—and the Spirit Society—was hiding.
“His name did spring to mind,” Adam agreed.
“Have you had a chance to talk to him yet?”
“He claimed to know nothing. He said he was given the name of the demon to summon by his superiors, and he didn’t ask any questions.”
“Yeah, and cows grow on trees.”
“Of course, since we know what demon he summoned now, I don’t suppose his knowledge or lack thereof matters too much. I think we’re pretty much on our own with Der Jäger. But I’d definitely like to have another chat with him.”
So would I, not that I’d spoken to him anytime recently. I hadn’t been able to entirely cut my parents out of my life, but Cooper had been a different story.
The problem was, Cooper was in this up to his ass, and that meant the likelihood of us getting any straight answers out of him was approximately zilch. I shuddered as I took another sip of coffee, wondering if Adam would now use his special interrogation techniques on Cooper. Better than on my parents—at least, from my point of view—but still dangerous. If Adam resorted to violence, then he’d have to kill Cooper when he was done. Otherwise, he’d be declared rogue and his life would be forfeit.
I couldn’t stand Cooper, but I didn’t want his death on my conscience.
“Let’s hold off on talking to Cooper for now,” I suggested. “I’d say he’s about the last person we’re likely to get info out of.”
Adam gave me a penetrating look, telling me he’d followed my thought process easily. “And who would you suggest we talk to instead?”
Luckily, I had an idea. “Maybe my pediatrician. We have more than one mystery to solve, remember. I know he retired right around when I went to college, but we can probably track him down.”
Adam arched an eyebrow skeptically. “And what exactly do you expect him to tell us?”
“He might be able to tell me what happened to me at The Healing Circle when I was thirteen.”
“And the reason you expect to get a straight answer out of him is…”
I shrugged. “I probably won’t. But I might be able to tell if he’s hiding something or not.”
I remembered Dr. Williams as a kindly old man, who was nice to me even when I was my usual difficult self. I had a hard time believing he’d have been involved with any kind of evil plan to harm me. But he’d been my doctor at the time of what I now was convinced was a suspicious hospitalization, and he had to know something.
I’d have to deal with the Adam problem no matter who I approached with questions, but with kindly old Dr. Williams, I thought I was more likely to get cooperation—and less likely to trigger Adam’s dark side.
“So you’ve become a master interrogator?” Adam asked.
I kept my temper firmly in check. “I just plan to ask him a couple of questions, not interrogate him. And you’re going to stay here and keep the people I care about safe while I do.”
He laughed, as I’d figured he would. Brian, freshly scrubbed, his hair slicked back with water, emerged from the guest bedroom. He looked back and forth between me and Adam like he was trying to figure out the joke.
“Dominic?” I asked, raising my voice to something just under a shout to be heard over Adam’s laughter.
Dom seemed to have finished cooking and was now opening random cabinets in the kitchen, probably looking for dishes. He stopped with his hand still on a cabinet door.
“Yes?”
“Can you talk your boyfriend into staying here on guard duty while I go do a little investigating?” I tried not to emphasize the word “boyfriend,” and I also tried not to glance at Brian to see his reaction. I failed on both counts. When I accidentally caught his eye, he flashed me a rueful smile that could have meant anything.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Dom asked from the kitchen. He’d located the plates, and was now scooping something out of the pan.
“As long as I stay out in the open where people can see me, Der Jäger wouldn’t dare come after me. Not unless he wants a date with the state of Pennsylvania’s cremation ovens!”
“That’s true, I suppose,” Dominic said, carrying a pair of plates out to the table, which was barely big enough to seat four average-sized people. None of my unwanted visitors was average-sized—not that I was, either—and I didn’t know how we were all supposed to fit at the table.
Since I was asking for a favor, I decided to make myself useful and help serve. I saw the plates were laden with extra-fluffy omelets and home fries, and I was tempted to take two of them for myself.
I set the plates in my hand down on the table, then turned to go get the last one. I almost ran smack into Adam, who’d come up behind me like a sudden summer storm.
“Leave Dom out of this,” he said. “If you have to argue, argue with me.”
“All right, fine. I do not want your company when I go talk to Dr. Williams. I don’t want you—” I almost said exactly what I didn’t want him to do, then remembered just in time that Brian didn’t have the faintest idea what was going on. And despite the fact that Lugh had given me “permission” to tell him everything, I knew I wasn’t going to.
I glanced over at him and saw him watching—and listening—with silent curiosity. Damn it! We’d already said way too much for my comfort. That’s what I got for talking before being fully fueled up on coffee.
“Look,” I said more quietly, feeling almost defeated. “I need to do this my way. Let me at least try. I’ll be careful. I’ll take a Taser. I’ll stay in public places where Der Jäger won’t dare attack me. And I need to know these guys are safe.” I made a sweeping gesture to encompass Brian and Andy and Dom.
Dom grabbed the last plate from the kitchen. “Everyone sit down and eat,” he said, leaning a hip against the kitchen counter as he dug into his own breakfast.
I tried not to hold my breath as the rest of us sat at the table and I awaited Adam’s verdict. He, of course, had to stuff his face full of eggs and savor them before he spoke.
“All right,” he finally said, and I let out the breath I’d been trying not to hold. “But if you don’t get anything out of him, we’re going to have to do it my way.”
I grimaced in what I hoped he’d take for agreement, then took a page from his book and ate like
a pig so I wouldn’t have to talk anymore.
CHAPTER 15
Finding Dr. Williams turned out not to be as easy as I’d hoped. His first name was Ned, but I didn’t find anyone in the phone book under that name. I then looked under Edward, and found a depressingly large number of names. I went through the list and called each one. No luck, though there were a few who hadn’t answered the phone. I realized my methods were going to take forever—and we didn’t have forever. Reluctantly, I called Adam, who’d gone back to his house with Dom. I was under strict orders to call before I left my apartment, and much though I hated being given orders, I couldn’t help agreeing with these.
Adam didn’t pick up until after his answering machine had started its spiel. I was just starting to get worried when his real live voice came over the line and the machine cut off.
“You ready to go?” Adam asked, never one to waste time with greetings.
Even in four words, I could hear that he was out of breath. I didn’t think it was from running to get the phone. When he’d left my apartment, he’d made up some lame story about how he had some paperwork to do at home, but the sly, secretive look he’d shared with Dom told me more than I’d wanted to know about what he was really up to. So to speak.
A shiver passed down my spine as I wondered whether Adam was breathless from pleasuring his lover or from hurting him. Not that I actually wanted to know. That uncomfortable train of thought made me slow to respond.
“Anything wrong?” Adam asked.
I snorted softly. “Is anything right?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah. Nothing’s wrong. Except that with my brilliant investigation techniques, it’s going to take me three weeks to locate Dr. Williams. I don’t suppose you’d be able to help me with that, would you?”
His breathing steadied, and I could almost see the ironic lift of his brow. “You’re willing to risk letting me know this paragon of virtue’s address?”
“It’s not like you couldn’t find it anyway,” I retorted. “Besides, you’ve already agreed that we’re going to try it my way first. Right?”
“Sure. I’ve got some, uh, loose ends to take care of first, but I’ll get back to you this afternoon at the latest.”
I suspected it was a tight end he planned to take care of, but I tried not to think about it. “Thanks,” was all I said before I let him get back to his regularly scheduled activities.
I didn’t want to be alone with Brian, so I asked him to keep watch while I had a private word with my brother. It was something I needed to do anyway, and if it would save me some awkwardness to boot, I was all for it.
I think both the boys recognized what I was doing, but they didn’t call me on it. I dragged Andy into the spare bedroom, which he had already branded with his testosterone-fueled decorating tastes. Meaning un-made bed, chair buried under discarded clothing, and dirty socks on the floor.
I leaned against a wall—I wasn’t touching his dirty clothes to make room for myself on the chair—and crossed my arms over my chest. “You do know you’ll be fumigating this room before you move out, right?”
He smiled at me, then grabbed the clothes off the chair and dumped them on the floor. “Have a seat.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I think I’ll stand, thanks very much.” I’m not what you’d call a girly-girl, but I’ve always been tidy.
Andy shrugged, then sat on the edge of his bed. “So, what did you want to talk to me about? Or was that just an excuse to run away from Brian?”
I grimaced. “A little of both, actually.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve been very good so far about not pushing you to tell me your secrets.”
“Uh-oh.”
“But there are some things I have to know.”
I could almost see his mental doors slamming shut. Every muscle in his body seemed to tighten up, and he watched me with the wary caution of a tabby cat facing down a ferocious pit bull.
“Oh, relax!” I snapped. I hated having my own brother look at me that way, like I was the enemy. “I don’t need you to tell me everything you know. But I’m going to go question my doctor this afternoon, and if Adam doesn’t like the answers I get, he’ll take matters into his own hands. You haven’t seen Adam at work before. I have. He is not a nice guy.” Understatement of the century. “You are a nice guy.” At least, he was back when I knew him ten years ago. “And I’m really hoping you won’t let some poor old man get tortured just because you don’t want to talk about what you know.”
Andy didn’t look at me, instead staring at the carpet. “I don’t know anything about what happened to you at The Healing Circle.”
“Then why the fuck won’t you look me in the eye when you say that?”
He winced, like my harsh tone had hurt his feelings. Maybe it had, but under the circumstances, I felt I had a right to be angry with him. He kept his gaze pinned firmly on the rug.
“I’m sure Adam is a real badass,” he said. “But Raphael is, too. And Raphael has been inside my head for ten years.” He finally found the courage to look up, and the terror I saw in his eyes banished my anger. Andy had been through a kind of hell I couldn’t even imagine. What a judgmental bitch I was for getting angry at him!
He visibly swallowed hard, then sucked in a deep breath. He looked away once more. “Imagine what a skilled torturer who knows every one of your hidden fears and nightmares can do. Then tell me you’d be willing to risk pissing him off.”
“What does Raphael have to do with The Healing Circle?” I asked.
He gave a snort of bitter laughter. “You don’t quit, do you?”
I finally forced myself to sit down. “I’m sorry, Andy. I get that you’re scared of Raphael, and I know you have every reason to be. But despite all that, he’s supposed to be one of the good guys. Sort of.”
Andy shook his head. “Take my word for it, little sister. He’s not one of the good guys.”
“But he saved my life. And Lugh’s life.”
Andy met my gaze again, and I could practically see the gears turning in his mind as he carefully considered what to say to me. His words came slowly, each one chosen with meticulous care. “He’s…loyal to Lugh. He doesn’t like Lugh, but he loves him, if that makes sense. He’ll protect his brother at any cost. But that’s the extent of his commitment to the cause.”
I thought about that for a long moment and decided I knew what Andy was trying so hard not to say. “Meaning that whatever the hell’s going on, he’s in it up to his ears?”
Andy wouldn’t answer, not even with a nod or shake of his head. His body language screamed “leave me alone,” and though I wished I could get him to open up and trust me, I knew it wasn’t happening.
With an aching lump in my throat, I gave him a hug, which he returned only halfheartedly. Not knowing what else I could say or do, I slipped out of the room.
My confidence in Adam’s ability to locate Dr. Williams was well justified. By mid-afternoon, I had an address and phone number, delivered to me personally by Adam. With Dominic as a potential victim for Der Jäger, Adam wasn’t about to let him out of his sight.
I was embarrassingly glad to get out of the apartment and away from the guys. All of them. It was a major testosterone overload in there, even though two of the guys were gay. Or at least bi. I was pretty sure Adam liked women just fine, based on some of the wolfish looks he’d given me, but I had no idea about Dominic. He wasn’t your stereotypically campy gay man, but then he was with Adam, and he didn’t seem to care who knew it.
I shook my head at myself as I walked the eight blocks between my apartment and Dr. Williams’s condo. Why was I even speculating on their sexual orientation? Yes, they were both good-looking, majorly sexy men. However, they were obviously devoted to one another, so even if I’d been in the market for a new man in my life, neither of them was a candidate.
I dismissed them from my mind as I entered the lobby of the exclusive condo building on Rittenhouse Square. I had called Dr
. Williams in advance, so the guy at the security desk was expecting me. I signed in while he called Dr. Williams to let him know his guest had arrived. There was a mirror behind the desk, and I caught a glimpse of the doorman giving my ass the once-over. He was a wizened little old man, but he still seemed to appreciate the view, and I couldn’t help a little smile. I was wearing low-rise jeans and a clingy top that was almost long enough to tuck in. If he’d gotten a look at me in my leather pants, he’d probably have swallowed his dentures.
Dr. Williams had obviously retired wealthy, for his condo took up the entire top floor of the building. I needed a special key-card just to make the elevator go up that high.
He met me in the doorway, looking almost exactly as I remembered him from the last time I’d seen him, which had to be at least ten years ago. His hair was a gorgeous, snowy white, and the big, droopy mustache that had always fascinated me as a kid still adorned his upper lip.
His smile produced a dazzling collection of crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes, and he held out a hand for me to shake. “How nice it is to see you again,” he said as I obediently shook his hand. His grip was firm and sure. He looked me up and down, then nodded approvingly. “You’ve grown up a bit since I last saw you.”
“And you look exactly the same,” I said, because it seemed like the right thing to say at the time.
Dr. Williams patted my hand, then let go and led me into his condo. “All an illusion, I’m afraid. You just remember me as an ancient geezer, and I look the part.”
If his eyes hadn’t been sparkling with humor, I might have been embarrassed, because I suspected he was right. I followed him out into a small but cozy sunroom with a breathtaking view of the square. The room teemed with greenery, plants hanging from hooks in the glass ceiling, sitting on the floor, and adorning the many shelves set into the single brick wall. I sat in the wicker chair Dr. Williams pulled out for me, and he sat in its twin, across a glass-topped wicker coffee table.
