by Sadie Waters
“Think this will be enough to convince him to leave with us?” Ryan asked her.
Ember wanted to say she hoped so, but she didn’t know--and she wasn’t even sure that was true. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Zach in her own apartment where she could keep him safe. It was the simple fact that the man was slowly driving her crazy, and not in a good way, that made her want to say “Who the hell knows, and who cares?” But instead she shrugged. Ryan’s guess was as good as hers.
It took a lot longer than Ember had hoped for the police to say they were free to go. Even then, the coroner hadn’t arrived, and there were still cops all over the building. She had a feeling it would eventually be ruled a suicide, just like the neighbor Zach had mentioned from when he was a boy. Under other circumstances, Zach might’ve been able to convince himself it was a suicide, but surely he’d seen enough now to know better.
“Why don’t you grab your bags, and we’ll head back to our apartment?” Jake offered, squeezing Zach’s shoulder once the cops were gone from his home.
His cheeks were still tear streaked. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. I just… are we sure? Maybe Myke did do this?”
“There it is,” Ember muttered before Jake gave her a sharp look, and Ryan nudged her with his arm.
“Zach, we can’t take those kind of chances right now, can we?” Jake said, returning his attention to the man on the couch who was starting to cry again. “Come on. You’ll feel better with your own stuff, and with any luck, Carson’s got the guest room cleaned up so you can have your own place to stay.”
Ember’s eyes widened. The idea of Carson cleaning anything up was enough to shock her by itself, but then, she realized what Jake was saying--there was a good chance Zach would be moving in with them. Indefinitely. Her mouth popped open, and a protest formed on her tongue, but Ryan’s elbow caught her attention again. Now wasn’t the time. She’d have to take this up with Ruby later. There was no way in hell she was letting this whiny, spoiled, neurotic, would-be-accountant move into her home full-time.
“Can I ride with you?” Zach asked, finally pulling himself up off of the couch. “Ember’s not a very good driver.”
“Hey!” she shouted. Ryan had her by the elbow, pulling her back. Zach glanced over at her, but she didn’t continue her protest.
“Sure, that’s no problem.” Jake said, glaring at her again. She returned the icy stare, wishing she could show Zach what it was like to ride with her when she wasn’t trying to be careful, and then headed out of the apartment, her keys already in her hand.
She was halfway to the elevator when she heard Ryan ask, “You wanna wait for me, or did you want to be alone?”
“Sorry.” She slowed her pace and reached the elevator just before him, pressing the down button.
“You can’t let him get to you, Em. He’s a little different, but… we’ve got to be nice to him, make him feel comfortable. I know how hard it is to understand what it’s like not to know about any of this. He’s had some major shocks to his system all in a short amount of time.”
The elevator doors opened, and she was glad there was no one else inside. They stepped in, and Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I know, I know.” She took some deep breaths, leaning her head against his chest. “I just… God he’s so aggravating.”
He chuckled. “You felt the same way about Carson when you first met him.”
“Carson is still aggravating,” she reminded him. “Who the hell put him in charge of cleaning up anything?”
“I did,” Ryan said with a shrug. “It was my only option. He’s the only one home, and it had to be done.”
She didn’t like it, but she couldn’t think of any argument that would make any sense.
Once they reached the ground floor, Ryan took her hand, and they headed out to their vehicles, thankful neither of them had been towed away since they’d been in visitor parking way too long. He opened the door for her, and she got in before he went around and got in the passenger side.
Ember started the car, hoping to get out of the parking lot before Zach and Jake came down. She just didn’t want to see him again until she had to.
“Let’s just get home. We’ll get Carson’s info from Lane and Ruby, maybe ask them over if we need to, and we’ll get a plan in place. This doesn’t have to last forever, Em. It’s just until we figure out a better solution.”
Ember nodded and shifted into gear, praying he was right. The idea of sharing her house with Zach indefinitely made her stomach lurch. That was not going to happen, not if there was anything in the world she could do to stop it.
Chapter Sixteen
The scent of chocolate chip cookies wafted into the foyer the moment Ember opened the door. She paused, turning to look at Ryan. “Are we in the wrong place?”
He smiled. “I hope not. Those smell really good.”
Still confused, Ember entered the apartment, Ryan taking her hand. Chatter and the sound of baking came from the kitchen. Ember peeked her head around the corner into the kitchen to see Ruby dishing warm cookies onto cooling racks while Carson sampled some from a plate Ember assumed had been sitting there long enough not to burn his tongue. “That explains it,” Ember said, folding her arms. “I knew Carson couldn’t be baking.”
“Hell, no,” he said, finishing off the cookie. With food still in his mouth, he said, “I love eatin’ ‘em but I ain’t cookin’ them.”
Ember snickered, wondering what Ruby was doing there, but before she got a chance to ask, Jake and Zach walked in, carrying Zach’s bags. The accountant surveyed the scene in the kitchen and then nodded. “Oh, okay. I did not get that last night.”
“Get what?” Ember asked, but Ruby turned with a cheerful smile on her face when she realized he was there.
“Hi, Zach! How are you?” She came over to give him a hug. “Hope I didn’t get any flour on you. Are you okay? I’m so sorry about your roommate.”
“Uh… neighbor,” Zach corrected as Ruby stepped away. His face flushed as he released her. “I’m… managing.”
“I know how hard it is to lose a friend.” Ruby’s red mouth turned down in a sympathetic frown. “All of this has got to be really tough on you. But I’m glad you’re here, where you’ll be safe.”
“Thanks.” Zach was still red as he took another step backward.
“Speaking of here….” Ember looked at Ruby for a second, waiting for her to finish the sentence.
“Well, when Carson told me about what happened, and Zach was coming back with you, which is great, by the way,” she looked at him with a grin, “I decided he’d need some cookies.”
“You baked these for me?” Zach’s eyes widened, and he smiled for the first time in a long time. Following Ruby into the kitchen, he thanked her and tasted her famous chocolate chip cookies.
“What is this really?” Ember asked no one in particular. Carson grabbed another cookie and moved away from Zach like he might have the plague, headed her direction. Ember desperately wanted to speak to him but didn’t want Ruby to overhear.
“Hi, beautiful.” Carson kissed her cheek. “Oh, chocolate.” He licked off what she could only assume wasn’t really there, and she swatted at his orneriness.
“Hi. Why is Ruby really here?”
“Nice to see you, too. Yeah, I’ve had a bit of a long day, what with moving all that shit out of the guest room, but I managed.”
Narrowing her eyes, she said, “Is Ruby here because you made her help you?”
“No! I would never… make her do anything. She volunteered. I think she felt bad about dumping Zach on us.”
“Yeah, I think she’s here because Lane wants to add a Seer to his team,” Ryan surmised.
Ember turned her attention to him. The thought had entered her mind.
“How?” Jake asked. “Zach’s a dude--a straight dude. As far as I know, so is Lane.”
“They don’t have to charge, remember?” Carson reminded him, glancing over his shoulder to see
Ruby casually rubbing Zach’s arm.
“Gag.” Ember shook her head. “Surely, Lane wouldn't stoop that low. First he dumps the menace on us, now he wants him back? Would Ruby really go to all that trouble to try to win him over?”
“I have no idea,” Carson said, arms folded. “But… I wouldn’t put it past her. All I know is, she cleaned up most of that room and baked cookies.”
“Would you care?” Jake put his hand on Ember’s arm. “You don’t seem to like him much.”
“I don’t!” Ember’s answer may have come too quickly. “But I don’t want him stolen from me under false pretenses.”
“We need to get a plan together for tonight.” Ryan was looking at the window as if he could see the sun going down already. Ember checked the time on the clock across the room. It was only 4:00 in the afternoon. They should have plenty of time. “We’re going to need someone to watch Zach.”
“I say Ruby.” Ember shrugged. “She seems to like him.”
Jake chuckled, “I think that’s fake.”
“Zach doesn’t seem to think so.” He was giggling now like a little girl as Ruby brushed his hair back out of his eyes. Ember thought she might throw up.
“What did Lane say? Anything helpful?” Ryan asked Carson.
“No, not really. Same thing Ruby said last night. He did seem excited that Ryan thought Zach was a Seer, though.”
“Clearly. He sent his little vixen in to woo him away.” Jake seemed both amused and annoyed.
“All right.” Ember sighed loudly and took a few steps back into the living room, tossing herself down on the couch. The men followed, taking seats near her. Ruby shouted from the kitchen, asking if anyone wanted a cookie, but they all declined. It was obvious Ember was irritated and wanted to get things worked out. “We go out tonight, see what we can find out. Ruby can stay here with our little cherub until we get back.”
The redhead was moving into the living room now, platter in hand, Zach following, chewing on a cookie. She set the plate down on the coffee table before moving to sit next to Ember on the couch while Zach resumed the seat he’d had the night before. “Me?” she asked. “I can’t stay here tonight. I’ve got my own team to go out with.”
“Yeah, well, your boss can sacrifice you. If he wants me to handle this problem, then, he’s gonna have to give me something to work with.”
Ruby was shaking her head. “He’ll never go for that.”
“He doesn’t have a choice.” Ember hoped her demeanor was enough to show she meant business.
“Why can’t I just go with you?” Zach asked.
The room erupted in laughter. “Are you shitting me?” Carson asked for all of them. “You’d piss your pants and run away the second we saw a Scale.”
“Fuck you,” Zach said, only half sounding like he was playing. “I can handle it.”
“You can’t handle it.” Ryan’s voice was sympathetic. “And we can’t leave you here alone either. You know that.”
Zach nodded, though he didn’t look convinced that he couldn’t go.
“I’ll call Lane. Maybe there’s someone else who can stay here. Don’t you know anyone you can ask?” Ruby already had her phone out.
“No, I don’t, and it’s not my problem. Lane can figure it out, or he can come over here, and I’ll hash it out with him.” Ember wasn’t playing. It was Lane who’d dumped this mess on her to begin with, so he could fix it.
“Fine.” Ruby got up and walked toward the balcony, her voice low as she started to talk to Lane.
“You’re gonna go toe to toe with the big guy?” Carson asked with a smirk.
“Hell, yeah, I am.” Ember finally gave in and picked up one of Ruby’s cookies. She took a bite and remembered just how delicious they were. “He can come at me, brah. He wants a Seer, he’s gotta earn him back.”
“What?” Zach asked, confused, but Ember just kept on chewing as if she hadn’t heard him at all.
Chapter Seventeen
Lane Griffin entered her apartment like a courtier invited to a rival king’s palace, his flowing black hair wafting about his shoulders on the breeze his own momentum created. Ember always imagined him like some sort of a raven or an angel with lush, black wings. He was wearing designer black slacks, shoes more expensive than Ember’s monthly rent, and a silky black button-down, open far too wide in the collar so that a tuft of black hair could entice all of womankind to fall on their knees and beg him to sweep them up into his strong arms and carry them immediately to bed.
“Oh, good. You’re here,” Ember remarked, leading him into the living room. “Thanks for coming over.”
“You gave me little choice.” His accent was thicker than it should be since he hadn’t lived in Europe in at least his last three lives. It was a mix of Spanish and Eastern European. She’d never cared for it.
He followed her into the living room. Ryan and Jake shook his hand and said hello. Carson stayed in the kitchen behind the counter, a tumbler of whisky in his hand. He stared at Lane for a moment, took a drink, said nothing.
“Carson,” Lane said, his hair stopping its movement a full two seconds after his feet.
“Lane.”
“You two, quit.” Ruby shook her head and came to hug Lane. He did more than embrace her, however, kissing her passionately as if he were reminding Ember’s men that Ruby was not on loan.
“What the hell?” Zach muttered, confusion washing over his face. Ember tried not to laugh at him. He was so mixed up, trying to figure out the dynamics of their situation. It was apparent earlier that he thought Ruby was with Carson. Now, he was baffled again.
“You remember Zach?” Ruby asked, once Lane allowed her to come up for air.
Lane looked at Zach the way a buyer observed fine art. “Ah, yes. Zachary. How are you? Has Ember and her band of rogues been taking good care of you?”
Jake and Ryan exchanged questioning glances, as if to say they weren’t sure how they got lumped into that category with Carson, and Zach stepped over to shake Lane’s hand. “They’ve been… nice.”
Raising an eyebrow, Ember stared at him for a moment. All she’d done for him that day, and that’s all he could think of? She shook her head. “Lane, have a seat. We need to chat.”
“So I understand.” He pulled up his slacks and sat down on the sofa across from Ember. Zach took his seat again, and the others looked at their leaders for directions. “Ruby--scotch.”
“Yes, Lane.” She smiled politely and headed into the kitchen to fix his drink while Carson scoffed.
Ember pulled Ryan and Jake over with the tip of her head. She didn’t bother trying to get Carson to come over. The chasm between him and Lane was far too deep to reconcile at the moment. Jake sat next to her on the smaller sofa, and Ryan took the chair across from Zach who was fidgeting nervously with his fingers, lacing and interlacing his hands.
Ruby brought over Lane’s drink and then waited for him to signal it was all right for her to sit next to him. Ember tried not to shake her head. One of things she really disliked about Lane was the way he treated his women like a harem, like they were his servants.
Leaning forward to ensure she had Lane’s attention, Ember said, “As you know, we have substantial evidence to suspect that Zach is a Seer. How that’s possible, I don’t know--we may never know. The death of his neighbor is a good indication that our enemies are after him. Since you’ve involved my team in this investigation, we need to go out tonight and see what we can find. That means, your team needs to stay here and protect Zach.”
Lane was shaking his head before she even finished. “No, that cannot be. We entrusted you to keep him safe, not to investigate. You stay here and keep him from being harmed, and we will go investigate.”
“You did task us with investigating, Lane. You suggested Dr. Ford. You assumed Ryan would figure out how Zach saw what he saw--which he did.” She glanced at the gorgeous, brilliant man to her left, knowing he was more than willing to jump in if she needed him, as was Jake
who was sitting right next to her, keeping her composed. Unlike some people, she did her best to treat her teammates as equals. “You involved me, so now, we do this my way.”
“Your way?” Lane chuckled and finished off his drink, setting the tumbler on the coffee table. She felt Jake tense up next to her since he hadn’t used a coaster, but he kept his mouth closed. “Ember, no offense, but your way is seldom the best way.”
“Excuse me?” Ember asked as Carson warned, “Better watch yourself, Laney.”
Lane looked into the kitchen for a second, meeting Carson’s gaze before he returned his attention to her. “We both know you have a tendency to leap before you think, to run into danger without pulling your pants up, if you will.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ember scooted forward on the couch. “That’s not true.”
“It is. How else do you explain the fact that Lil has killed you dozens of times, and you’ve never managed to end her?”
“Lil is one of the most powerful demons ever to walk the face of the earth,” Ember reminded him.
“Yes, and if you were as strong as you seem to think you are, you would find a way. But you haven’t… not even with certain weapons you have at your disposal.”
“You haven’t found a way to kill her either,” Jake reminded Lane, ignoring the mention of weapons. Ember wanted to circle back to that but didn’t. What was he getting at?
With the penetrating gaze of man in heavy boots about to squash a bug, Lane stared at Jake. “It is not my responsibility to kill Lil. I have not been trying.”
Ember put her hand on Jake’s knee to keep him from retaliating. “This has nothing to do with Lil. This has to do with the fact that you involved my team, so we’re going to play by my rules.”
“And I say no.” Lane was already shaking his head.
“Why don’t we let Zach decide?”
All eyes turned to Ryan who had been quiet and collected the entire conversation. He looked from Ember to Lane and then back again.
