by Karen Lynch
“Sometimes.” I glanced away, having no desire to rehash the past with him. “As far as Prince Rhys goes, Violet and I met him when we were leaving the Ralston after a job. He has some fascination with bounty hunters, so he was curious when he found out I was one. We talked for about five minutes, and then Violet and I left. I didn’t see him again until last night. Does that answer all your questions?”
“He was interested in more than your job at the club,” Lukas replied.
I threw up my arms. “So were other Fae males. That just means they like a girl in a short dress.”
His lips flattened, but I went on before he could speak.
“Did it ever occur to you that Prince Rhys only showed interest in me last night because he saw me talking to you? It’s clear you can’t stand each other. He probably thought I was important to you, and he wanted to piss you off.”
The hardness drained from his expression. “You are –”
A muffled thump came from the hallway, and an angry male voice said, “I live here, goddamn it. Who the hell are you?”
My hand went to my chest. I knew that voice!
I yanked open the door to the sight of a tall black man facing off against Iian and Kerr at the top of the stairs. The man’s long dreadlocks were tied back in a ponytail, and his hazel eyes were livid as he glared at the two faeries blocking his path.
“Maurice?”
Kerr looked at me. “You know this man, Jesse?”
“Yes. He lives here.”
Maurice’s angry expression morphed into a wide smile. Dropping the backpack and duffle bag he was carrying, he strode over and lifted me into a rib-cracking hug.
“Baby girl, it’s good to see you,” he said in his warm Louisiana accent. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”
“You’re home!” I put my arms around his neck and hugged him back. I’d always looked forward to his homecomings, but none more than this one.
He set me back on my feet and laid his hands on my shoulders. Close to my mother’s age, he didn’t look a day over twenty-five, and he had the kind of looks that turned the heads of women of all ages.
His eyes grew troubled. “I only heard about your mom and dad this morning. I took the first flight I could get.”
“Were you on that Everglades job this whole time?”
“Yes. I came out early this morning.” He pulled me in for another hug. “Can’t believe you had to deal with all of this alone.”
A throat cleared behind me. I was so focused on Maurice that I’d forgotten we weren’t alone. Stepping back from him, I turned halfway toward Lukas, whose hard gaze was fixed on Maurice.
“Maurice, this is Prince Vaerik of Unseelie. He helped me search for Mom and Dad when they were missing.” To Lukas, I said, “Maurice is my godfather and my father’s best friend.”
If Lukas was surprised that I’d introduced him by his real name and title, he didn’t show it. I had no intention of keeping it a secret from Maurice.
Maurice eyed Lukas with suspicion. “Why would the Unseelie prince be interested in the welfare of two bounty hunters? What’s in it for you?”
“That is between Jesse and me,” Lukas answered coolly.
“I’m sure her parents would have something to say about that.” Maurice moved closer to me. “And as Jesse’s godfather, I am responsible for her while her parents are in the hospital.”
I didn’t point out that I was eighteen and no longer a minor. I put a hand on Maurice’s arm. “It’s a long story.”
“Then it’s a good thing I have time.” He gave Lukas a pointed look. “I plan to be around for a while.”
“Really?” A smile curved my mouth. For the last few years, Maurice’s home visits had barely lasted a week. He enjoyed being on the road, and he got bored if he stayed in one place too long.
“Yes. And the first thing I’m going to do after you and I catch up is go see your parents.” He took out his keys. “I’m going to drop my stuff at the apartment, and I’ll be over right after.” Translation: Say goodbye to your visitors because you and I are going to talk.
Maurice picked up his bags and walked past Iian and Kerr, who had been silent this whole time. He unlocked his door and disappeared inside, leaving the door ajar.
“That man is your godfather?” Lukas asked, his voice laden with skepticism. “He is not ten years your senior.”
“Maurice is thirty-nine, a year younger than my mother.”
Lukas relaxed his rigid stance. “And you trust him?”
“With my life. He’s family.”
That seemed to appease Lukas. “Then I’ll leave you to catch up with him. We’ll continue our discussion at another time.”
I frowned. “What else is left to discuss?”
Instead of answering my question, he said, “When do you plan to visit Faris again?”
“In a few days. Why?”
“We’ll talk then.” He walked past me to where his men waited. “If you see Rhys or his guard again, keep your distance.”
And just like that, he left. Iian and Kerr smiled at me and followed him.
“Good bye to you, too,” I muttered.
“Goodbye, Jesse,” Lukas called from two flights down, reminding me once again of his superior hearing.
I was debating whether or not to make a snarky reply when Maurice returned. Seeing me standing alone in the hallway, he shot me a questioning look, but I shook my head.
“You want some coffee?” I asked him as we entered my apartment.
His eyes lit with pleasure. “You have coffee?”
“Of course. I’ll give up a lot of things but not that.” I went to the kitchen and sighed at the contents of the refrigerator spread across the counters. “Excuse the mess.” I put the coffee on and returned the food to the refrigerator.
“Jesse, why do you have a drakkan on your coffee table?” Maurice called.
“That is another long story.”
“Something tells me you have many stories to share,” he said as he came into the kitchen. He reached up and plucked something from my hair. It was a squished blueberry.
“Finch,” I said with a slight scowl.
Maurice looked around. “Where is he?”
I grabbed two mugs and set them on the counter. “Most likely in the tree house with Aisla.”
“Aisla?”
“She’s a nixie.”
Maurice’s eyebrows shot up.
I laughed. “You better take a seat. This catching up might take a while.”
Two cups of coffee later, Maurice stared at me with a mix of shock and concern. I’d brought him up to speed on what had happened from the day Mom and Dad went missing. I left out what had happened between Lukas and me because I didn’t want any trouble between him and the Unseelie prince. I also didn’t tell him about the party at Davian Woods’s penthouse. If Maurice knew I’d taken a risk like that, he wouldn’t let me out of his sight until Mom and Dad came home.
I did tell him about the goddess stone, and it felt so good to finally unburden myself to someone. Like me, he’d never heard of a goddess stone, and he had no idea what it meant.
He rubbed his jaw. “I have a faerie friend in Florida I can ask about it without raising suspicion.”
“You think they will know something?” I asked hopefully.
“No idea but it’s worth a shot.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled at me. “I can’t believe my little Jesse is a bounty hunter, and a damn good one by the sound of it. Not that I’m surprised. It’s in your blood, after all.”
I wrapped my hands around my empty mug. “I hope Mom and Dad take it as well as you did. I haven’t told them yet.”
“You want me to go with you when you tell them?” he asked.
“Would you? Finch and I are going to see them tomorrow, and I can get you added to their visitor list.”
He nodded. “Tomorrow’s perfect.”
“You told Lukas you plan to be around for a while. Don’t you always have an
other job lined up?”
“I do. I’m going to look for that missing ke’tain. I need to stop by the Plaza tomorrow to check in and let them know I’m on the job.”
“Oh, boy. There are going to be a lot of unhappy bounty hunters when they hear the great Maurice Begnaud is getting in on the action.” I wasn’t kidding. Everyone in this business knew who Maurice was. My parents might be the best on the East coast, but Maurice was one of the top hunters in the country. Things were about to get a lot more interesting.
His eyes held a devilish gleam. “A little competition will be good. Keep you all sharp.”
“Maybe I’ll give you some competition,” I joked.
“I’ve no doubt.” He sobered. “Don’t get angry, but I wish you weren’t working on this job. You’re still new at this, and you don’t even have a partner.”
“Bruce and Trey asked me to join them, and another team did, too. I guess I’m a bit of a lone wolf.”
“Like me.” He drained the last of his coffee and stared at me thoughtfully. “You could work with me. I haven’t had a partner in a while, but I could make an exception.”
A thrill of excitement went through me. Maurice was in a league of his own among hunters, and I could learn so much working with him. There wasn’t anyone else, after my parents, that I trusted more with my life.
Then I remembered why he was a loner. He wanted to do things his way and on his own time, and he hated answering to anyone. Mom and Dad were his best friends, and he rarely worked with them anymore. The only reason he was asking me to work with him now was so he could keep an eye on me.
“I love you for asking, but I think I’d cramp your style.” I stood and collected our mugs. “But I am going to brag to everyone that you asked me to be your partner. Trey will never get over it.”
Maurice laughed. “Maybe I’d be the one cramping your style.”
“Well,” I drawled. “Have you ever gone for a ride with a kelpie?”
“Can’t say that I have. But I did spend two months in the Everglades hunting a rakshae.”
My mouth fell open. “No way! Did you catch it?”
“Did I catch it?” He shook his head. “Girl!”
“Tell me everything.” I rested my chin on my hands in anticipation. A rakshae was a creature most people thought was a Fae myth, like the boogeyman. Its upper half resembled an elf but with green, scaly skin, and from the waist down, it was a serpent. It lived in lakes and swamps, and its bite turned humans into mindless zombies. These zombies didn’t moan or crave human flesh, but they could spread the incurable disease to other people. Rakshae were nearly impossible to trap and were classified as a level Five.
I didn’t think I could spend two months trekking through wetlands, even for a fifty-thousand-dollar bounty, but roughing it didn’t bother Maurice. He lived for the thrill of the hunt no matter where it took him.
Maurice leaned back in his chair. “This might take a while. You have any more of that coffee?”
I jumped up eagerly. “Give me five minutes, and then I want to hear everything.”
* * *
“Are you going to say anything?” I shifted restlessly as I moved my gaze back and forth between my mother and father, who sat on the couch across from me in their suite. Finch sat on the back of the couch between them, and Maurice was a quiet bystander near the window.
I had just finished giving them a condensed story about my search for them and my bounty hunting. I’d had to gloss over a lot of the details about Lukas and what had happened at Rogin’s because that would only cause my parents too much stress at this stage of their recovery. Seeing their troubled expressions, I was glad I’d followed my gut and not told them more.
They had interrupted me with questions, but now that I was done, they seemed to be determined to torture me with their silence.
Dad spoke first. “Why didn’t you tell us this before now?”
“Dr. Reddy told me to go slow and not say anything that would upset you. I had to wait until your doctors here said it was okay.”
He clasped his hands in his lap, and I couldn’t tell if it was frustration or disappointment I saw in his eyes. Never in my life had he shown disappointment in me.
My stomach twisted. “I should have figured it out sooner. I should have made the Agency take me seriously.”
“You should not have been put in that position at all,” Mom said harshly. “None of this is your fault.”
Dad shook his head. “I don’t know of any other teenager who could have done what you did. You took care of your brother, and you kept your head in a terrible situation. We couldn’t be prouder of you if we tried.”
“You don’t mind that I’m a bounty hunter?”
Mom’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t know if mind is the right word for it. I’m sure you’re doing a great job, but I’m not happy about you working alone.”
Finch whistled for their attention and signed, She’s not alone. We’re a team, and I help her get ready for jobs.
“She couldn’t ask for a better partner.” Our mother patted his leg as she shot me a look that said we would discuss this further when Finch wasn’t around.
“I’m surprised Bruce didn’t have something to say about you going out alone,” Dad said.
“He tried to get me to work with him and Trey, but you know Trey would have driven me insane in a week. I honestly don’t know how Bruce has kept his sanity, or how Trey has survived this long.”
Dad smiled. “I think Bruce was hoping Trey would go to college and not follow in his footsteps.”
“I bet you never thought I’d be joining the family business either.”
Mom frowned. “You’ve given up on college?”
“God, no. Bounty hunting is great, but I’ll happily hand the reins over to you when you’re ready to go back to work. By then, I should have saved enough to get me through a few years of school – if Levi keeps giving me the good jobs.”
She shook her head. “I still can’t believe he gave you one in the first place. Levi doesn’t have much tolerance for new hunters.”
I gave her a secretive smile. “I can be pretty persuasive.”
“And you brought in a level Three on your first job,” Maurice reminded me. He grinned at my mother. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Caroline.”
The three of them laughed, and I looked around the room in confusion. “What?”
My parents exchanged a look, and Dad said, “When we started out, new hunters had to apprentice with an experienced one for six months. My uncle agreed to take me on, but he refused to train your mother.”
Her lip curled. “He said bounty hunting was no career for a woman. I went to every hunter in the city to ask if one of them would take us on together. A lot of the bounty hunters thought the same as your dad’s uncle, and some of them laughed when I said I wanted to be one of them. They all turned me away. But I wasn’t going to let a bunch of narrow-minded fools hold me back.”
“What did you do?” I scooted forward on my seat.
Dad smiled proudly. “She bought a police scanner, listened to their chatter, and found out a couple of trolls were mugging people on the Flushing Line. Then she went out by herself, caught them, and dragged them to the Plaza. She caused quite a stir.”
I stared accusingly at them. “You never told me this.”
She shrugged. “What I did was illegal because I didn’t have a license to hunt. I could have been thrown in jail. That’s not something you tell your child.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Did you get into trouble?”
“I would have, if it wasn’t for one of the hunters. He had just moved here from Louisiana, and he was impressed by my tenacity. He covered for me and said I was his new apprentice.”
“Mr. Begnaud?” I knew she and Dad had gotten their start hunting with Maurice’s father, Vincente, but I never would have guessed it had happened like that.
Maurice laughed. “When my father came hom
e and told me he’d taken on not one but two new apprentices, I was so jealous I couldn’t see straight. I wanted to be the one hunting with him.”
“And a year later, we were all working together,” Dad said.
Mom reached over to take Dad’s hand. “Jesse, we don’t like the circumstances that led you to bounty hunting, but we can’t fault you for doing exactly what we would have done. We raised you to be independent and to think for yourself, and we’re proud of you.”
“That doesn’t mean we won’t worry about you, no matter how smart and resourceful you are,” Dad said.
Maurice came to sit with us. “I’ll be around for the next few weeks at least, and Jesse knows she can call me at any time.”
My parents visibly relaxed, and I shot him a grateful look.
“Now, tell us more about this goddess stone,” Dad said. “You said it hasn’t done anything, but I’m wary of most objects that come from Faerie.”
“Lukas said it’s a Fae legend. No one knows what the stones do, and to his knowledge, no Court faerie has ever been goddess-blessed. I took the stone from a kelpie, so it might have attached itself to me by mistake.” I touched the stone in my hair. “I can tell you there’s no mention of it in any book I’ve read or in the Fae archives at the Library of Congress. The only other place to look is at the Agency, and I’m not telling them about it.”
Mom nodded. “The Agency tends to overreact to things they can’t understand or control.” She looked at Maurice. “What are your thoughts on this?”
“I agree with not telling the Agency until we know more. I’m going to ask my friend Melia if she’s heard of it, but I’m not sure what she can tell me that the Unseelie prince cannot.”
“You say that like there is only one prince in the Unseelie court.” I knew seven, and Lukas had mentioned a brother.
“There are other princes, but only one crown prince,” Maurice said, stretching out his long legs.
It felt like the air had been sucked from the room. “Lukas is the crown prince of Unseelie?”
Maurice gave me an odd look. “You didn’t know that?”
“It never came up.” I wanted to smack myself for once again being an idiot when it came to Lukas. A lot of the royals had bodyguards, but only the monarchs and their heirs had a full personal guard.
