“Nothing happened. I’m fine.” She spoke over her shoulder. “And I was going to say something. I’m saying something now.”
Mike grumbled.
“Besides, I wasn’t totally naked. I had my necklace on.” Her hand drifted down to touch the stone at the end of the necklace.
Mike groaned. “Like that black spinel is going to save you from harm.”
Bane’s gaze dropped to the pendant in her hands. “Black spinel?”
“Yeah.” She held it toward him. “It’s a pretty black rock. A customer gave it to me.”
Bane’s head dropped back and he laughed, loudly. Obnoxiously, even.
She tucked the necklace under her work blouse, placed her hands on her hips and waited for the Lord of War’s fit of the giggles to subside. He didn’t need to be so condescending. She loved her necklace.
“No simple customer gave you that.” He pointed to her chest where the necklace now hid behind her clothing.
The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood up. Raven had already recognized the man hadn’t been normal, but having Bane state the obvious had dread clambering up her spine like a rabid dog.
“And that’s not a simple black spinel.”
“Is it complex, like you?” she asked.
Mike’s head snapped back and forth to follow the conversation. He needed to be careful. He still had one arm in a cast, he didn’t need a neck brace added to his self-care kit.
Bane shook his head. “That’s not a black spinel at all.”
“What?” She froze.
“That’s not a black spinel.”
She looked down at her chest. “Yes, it is. The man said so.”
Bane let the silence speak for him. The dramatic pause left only a weird buzzing in her ears along with the oldies playing over the restaurant’s speakers.
“And the internet. So, it must be true.”
Bane flashed his teeth at her—pretty and perfect, but far from friendly.
Ice flowed through her veins. Cole took an interest in the gem as well and had it set in this necklace. Did he also know what it was? And if so, why hadn’t he said anything?
“What is it, then?” she asked.
Bane shook his head and refused to answer.
“It’s still a pretty rock,” she said, surprised her voice came out even and controlled.
“On that, we agree.” Bane leaned against the counter. He cringed and straightened, checking the arm of his expensive suit for damage. “This blocker, you mentioned. It flared up when you were trailing a man? Is he an Other?”
“I didn’t get close enough to determine that.” Since training with Cole, she’d improved on detecting dark energy at a distance without relying on her hair curling faedar.
“Could he be from the light?” Bane asked, lip curling up in apparent disgust.
Members from the Realm of Light, known as Rollers, rarely sullied their soles by mingling in the Mortal Realm, so she hadn’t been exposed to their energy. At least, not that she was aware of. She didn’t know if she’d detect Roller energy like she did with beings from the Underworld.
“Doubt it,” she said.
“Me, too.” Bane’s eyebrows pinched in. “Is he a Regulator or a Closer?”
Raven frowned. “I’m not sure what or who he is. He’s met with two subjects of two separate investigations.”
“There are rumours the Closers developed technology to deter Others. This might be it. Be careful, Raven. It would be unfortunate to lose you before you make yourself useful.”
She pursed her lips. “Gee, thanks.”
He nodded and strode out of the diner. The door clicked shut behind him and left Raven and Mike in the empty diner.
“And I thought Cole was an asshole,” Mike grumbled.
The mention of her midnight lover had her spinning and glaring at her brother. He held up his hands in mock defence. His cast appeared almost brown now. Surely, the doctor could take it off soon.
“Bane is an asshole, but why do you think Cole’s one?”
Mike opened his mouth, but she cut him off.
“Because he checked out my ass and saved us from Bane’s trap?” she asked.
Mike waved his hand through the air in front of him as if physically swatting away the words. “No. Because he abducted you and planned to torture you for information regarding the previous Corvid Queen that almost led to your death and Bear getting used as some sort of perverted power source.”
“Oh, yeah. That.” Cole had justifiable reasons for all of those things and did them before he knew her, but when listed together, it sounded bad.
“Yeah. That. And let’s not forget he manipulated you into becoming the current Corvid Queen, which puts your life in even more danger.”
Manipulated was a strong word.
“And now you’re moon-eyed and all wistful, again, which can only mean you’ve let him back in your pants.”
“Ew, Mike. Gross. Don’t talk about my pants like that.”
Mike grumbled and took a deep breath. “Just promise you’ll be careful.”
“Like…use condoms?” She raised an eyebrow. She knew damn well what he meant, but if she had to be uncomfortable with this conversation then so did he. “Or use a safe word, or…?”
Mike squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered. “You fucking know what I mean. Don’t leap in with two feet. Keep one on the ground.”
She clenched her teeth. Now would not be the time to confess to her brother she’d already fallen, and hard. Both feet in and all. He wouldn’t understand. Hell, she didn’t understand, either.
Mike’s expression softened. He shifted his weight and leaned back from the kitchen window. “He makes you happy, though, doesn’t he?”
She swallowed and shrugged. “Maybe.”
Mike shook his head. “You have the worst taste.”
“Is this where I should say something incredibly harsh like at least I have a love life?”
“That would be a douche move.” Mike glared. “And no love life is better than a bad one.”
“Okay, then. Let’s talk about our plan for Friday night and Kelly’s next shift, instead.”
Mike’s face brightened. Yeah. He’d like this plan.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Everyone knows that if you’ve got a brother, you’re going to fight.”
~ Liam Gallagher
Raven dove into her car and slammed the door shut on the rain. She reached for her folded clothes on the passenger seat as rain pattered against the windshield. The jeans stuck to her damp legs. Raven cursed and hoisted the stretchy material over her ass and zipped the fly. The shirt tangled and caught on the rear-view mirror. Despite the frigid air outside, sweat broke out over her entire body.
Banshee’s tit, getting dressed in a car sucked. Raven contorted like a pretzel, unhooked her shirt from the mirror and pulled the cotton-polyester blend down to cover her body. Safe in the confines of Jean Claude, she dug her phone out from the secret console under the passenger seat and dialed Mike.
He picked up on the third ring. “Yeah?” Loud bass blasted from his end of the line.
“She’s headed in. Are you in position?”
“Oh yeah.”
Raven scowled at her phone. “How are you holding up?”
“It’s been rough, Rayray.”
Hah! Sure. He’d spent the last half an hour sitting in a strip club, banking on Kelly showing up for work. He’d probably have to wait even longer before she made it to the stage. Assuming she was a stripper and not there for something else.
“There is a small hitch in our plan,” he said.
“What?” Raven straightened in her seat and stretched her neck. The rain outside stopped as suddenly as it started.
“Sign says no photos or video.”
Raven cursed again, but only half-heartedly. Prohibitory signs weren’t a surprise. Most strip clubs had the same or similar rule. Sure, taking photos for evidence wasn’t against any Canadia
n criminal laws, per se, but if Crawford Investigations obtained surveillance photos or videos procured from inside the strip club and the prosecution used said evidence to charge Kelly in a court of law, as a private establishment, the strip club could sue Crawford Investigations for violating their rules.
No thank you.
Crawfords were rule followers. Mostly.
“Plan?” she asked.
“Well, I’m not in animal form. If I observe her often enough and we get enough footage of her entering and exiting the club, my testimony should be enough.”
“Yeah, but geez. That sucks for you. You’re going to have to spend hours watching beautiful women peel their clothes off and dance in front of you. There must be another way…”
Mike laughed and hung up on her.
She threw her phone on the passenger seat and slid the key into the ignition. Jean Claude roared to life. Maybe Cole could whisk her away to the Shadow Realm and make her forget tomorrow existed. Not that she had anything against tomorrow, she just craved the timelessness that overcame her when Cole’s single focus in life seemed to make her body hum his name.
Warmth spread across her skin.
Mike’s warning replayed in her head. Was she moving too fast? Probably. Was she making the right decision?
She drummed her fingers along the cold steering wheel. The problem with that question was the answer often didn’t become obvious until well into the future. Hindsight was always 20/20.
A little reservation wouldn’t hurt, and she had another relationship in dire need of mending.
She plucked her phone from the worn seat beside her and dialed a different number.
“Hello?” Her twin’s deep voice vibrated against her ear.
“What are you up to tonight?”
Raven shut the car door and winced at the door hinge shrieking in outrage. Jean Claude would never be a stealthy vehicle. Ever.
The cold fall wind breezed by and she stepped onto the sidewalk in front of Bear’s building. The trolls who controlled the one remaining bridge to the North Shore allowed favour and fare free travel only one night a week. Tonight, specifically. The troll toll was astronomical on any other given day. Those who lived on the north side, like her brother, found other ways to travel across Burrard inlet during regular days or avoided travelling to the other side altogether.
The sharp tang of the neighbouring forest burned her nose. Her senses prickled as a subtle note of an Other flittered around her. The dark energy pulled at her own and made her scalp tingle.
She straightened. “I don’t know where you’re lurking, Rourke, but you may as well come out.”
He cursed and stepped from the shadows of the nearby alley. The same alley where Cole had thrown her against a sticky wall.
Aww. Memories.
“I wish Cole hadn’t taught you how to recognize dark energy signatures. Cramps my style.”
She didn’t have the heart to tell him she learned how to identify fae energy with her hair curling trick long before Cole. Surely, some dark force joke was in there somewhere, but it would be wasted on Cole’s henchman. Most Mortal Realm references were. “Worried about job security?”
“Worried about you giving away my location and ruining the element of surprise.”
“It will be easier for you to guard me from inside the building.” She swept her arm out in a wide arch at the apartment entrance.
Rourke scowled but walked with her to the front door. “What are your plans?”
“Hanging out with Bear.”
“Doing what?”
She hit the buzzer.
“What?” Bear’s voice rumbled over the scratchy speaker.
She leaned forward to speak into the small microphone under the speaker and pressed the button. “Prepared to lose?”
Bear didn’t reply. He hit the buzzer instead and Raven wrenched open the door.
“You’re hanging out with your brother on a Friday night?” Rourke’s scowl deepened. “That’s sad.”
“The troll bridge is free on Fridays.”
Rourke grumbled but followed her through the lobby. She veered away from the questionable elevator and headed for the stairs. Her bodyguard’s loud, suffering sighs trailed behind her.
Bear opened the door on the first knock with a smile. “Rayray.”
His arms circled her for a giant hug.
Mmmph. “Brother Bear.”
Her twin froze against her.
Ah, he must’ve spotted Rourke over her shoulder. Guess it was kind of hard to miss an assassin with jagged teeth.
“I picked up a stray on the street.”
Bear remained frozen.
“No, seriously. Cole sent him to guard me, so I invited my babysitter to join us. Don’t scowl at him.”
Bear released her and stepped back. An expressionless mask slid across his face, but he didn’t ask why she had a bodyguard. He didn’t need to. He’d realized before she did how much her new role plunked her in danger.
She flung up her hands. “It was that or have him lurk in the shadows spying on us.”
Bear stared at Rourke.
The assassin waited, stance easy, expression blank.
“He has to play, too,” Bear said.
“Of course.”
“Excuse me?” Rourke leaned in, all manners. “Play what?”
Raven pulled her bodyguard into the apartment. He let her, otherwise, he wouldn’t have budged. Rourke didn’t’ seem like the type to go somewhere he didn’t want to go.
Bear snorted and closed the door behind them.
Kissa, Bear’s demonic cat from hell, spotted Raven at the entrance and hissed.
“What is that?” Rourke said.
“Housecat,” she answered. “She hates me.”
Kissa continued to hiss, arching her back and hopping toward her, but kind of sideways at the same time.
“Shoo.” Raven flicked her hands out.
Ears back, tail down, Kissa streaked into the nearby bedroom.
Rourke watched the entire exchange, his brows furrowed and his mouth twisted down. He shook his head, collected himself and turned to Raven. “So, what are we playing?”
“It’s movie night,” she answered. “I won last time, so it’s my choice. You have to watch whatever movie I choose, and you can’t groan, mock or insult the movie or else I win and get to pick again.”
Rourke’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a horrible game. Is everything a competition between you two?”
“Yes,” they answered in unison.
“Hey, Bear. Before I forget, can you look into someone’s personal finances for me?”
“Personal finances not accessible through legal public inquiry?” he asked.
She nodded.
Bear’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “My, my, Rayray. How the mighty have fallen.”
His tone was complete bullshit. Though she followed the rules when working for Dad, Bear knew she bent them sometimes if the case warranted it.
“Who’s the person?” Bear asked.
“Robert.”
He didn’t hesitate to respond. “Consider it done.”
Raven nodded and sat on Bear’s couch next to Rourke, while her brother took the armchair. He’d already popped the popcorn and brought out the chips. His living room smelled like a cleaner version of a movie theatre. With a side of cat.
Rourke lasted five minutes before he started tearing apart the rom-com Raven strategically selected. Bear made it another three. Accepting their loss, the two decided they couldn’t lose any worse than they already had and spent the remaining one-hundred and fourteen minutes proving how truly obnoxious they could be.
A vibrating phone interrupted Raven’s laughter at Rourke and Bear’s scrunched up faces. Mike’s face popped up on her screen.
“Hey,” she answered.
Bear leaned forward and snatched the remote from the coffee table.
“It was rough, but someone had to do it,” Mike said.
&nb
sp; Raven snorted. “Did you witness enough?”
“Oh yeah. There’s nothing wrong with that woman’s back.”
Bear cast her a sideways glance while pushing the buttons on the remote. The movie stopped and a sports show popped up on the screen.
“Is there anything wrong with her?” she asked and rolled her eyes at her twin.
“Not a damn thing.” His words were light and his tone wistful.
“Hey, Romeo. You have to testify against her, you know.”
“Huh? What? Yeah…yeah. Sure. I know that.” His voice grew distant.
Oh dear. Maybe sending in the kid was a bad idea.
The men on the television yell-talked at one another about the last hockey game. Mike said something.
“Huh?” She snatched a chip from Bear’s hand. The bowl was too far away.
“That necklace Robert always wore. What’s it look like again?” Mike asked.
“Kind of like the outline of a diamond shape with two lines sticking out. I always thought it looked a little like a crude vertical fish drawing, stickman style. He said it was a Viking rune for something. Wore it with a gaudy thick chain. Why do you ask?”
“I thought I saw something similar on someone else, but I must’ve been wrong.”
“He got it from his mother, so it’s unlikely. Or plot twist, maybe Robert has a half sibling from his mom having an illicit tryst.”
“Is that a possibility?”
“Probably not. His mother rarely had a hair out of place.” Raven tried to shake the bitterness trying to seep into her chest. Robert’s mother had never approved of her and made her opinion of Raven known. Often.
“You and I both know it’s always the strict, strait-laced ones that have the most surprising closets,” Mike said.
He had a point. The face of her boss, Dan, flashed in her mind. While Dan looked like he might’ve killed a bunch of people and stashed their bones in his closet, Raven actually had killed someone. Appearances were deceiving.
“Are you still on for tailing Kelly tomorrow?” She had to work at the diner, but Mike booked off so they could close this case.
“You bet!” Mike’s over eager voice preceded the dial tone.
They needed to work on his phone etiquette.
Nevermore Page 14
