It was the best sex of his life, reaching down and taking hold of something deep inside him. Burning off any frustrations that cropped up during this case was going to be a lot of fun.
For the little time they had together, he wanted as much as he could get. It was all he could promise either of them, all he’d ever been able to promise since his wife made sure before she died that Jack knew all the problems in her life began and ended with him.
It occurred to Selina when she woke up later that night and went to the bathroom to pee that she should probably tell Theodore their quarry had resurfaced. Not the best time or place to think of the old man, but it didn’t change the fact that she should let him know. The Normal had retired years ago, after age had slowed him too much to do the job with any hope of success. Though she suspected his wife’s leukemia had done it more than anything else. He’d quit hunting to stay with her to the bitter end.
Skirting past the bed so she wouldn’t wake up Jack, Selina picked up her cell, walked out into the living room, and sat on the couch. Grim lumbered up from where he’d been sleeping in front of the fireplace and came over to rest his chin on her thigh. He made a questioning noise in the back of his throat.
She stroked a hand down his neck. “Nothing’s wrong. Just calling Theodore.”
He yipped, and Selina shushed him.
“I’ll tell him to say hello to your sister. Just don’t wake up Jack.”
Grim sighed but remained silent. She continued to pet him and used her free hand to scroll through her numbers until she reached the one for Theodore Holmes. She glanced at the clock. It was late, but the man lived alone now. He’d pick up.
“Hello?” The young voice of a teenager came through the line.
“Um ... I’m looking for Theodore Holmes. Is this still his number?” It was programmed into her phone, so she knew she hadn’t misdialed. Had he changed his number without telling her? Her heart squeezed—had he died and she hadn’t heard about it?
“Sure, one second.” There was a rustling sound for a moment, and then she heard in the background. “Grandpa, the phone is for you.” A pause. “I don’t know, I didn’t ask. Some lady. Did you pick up any chicks at the grocery store today and give them your number?” She laughed at whatever the response was to that.
The line picked up. “I’ve got it, Riley. Hang up now. Hello, who the hell is calling me at midnight?”
Selina cleared her throat. “Good to hear from you, too. There was a time when midnight wasn’t so late.”
“Grayson.” The tone warmed considerably. “There was a time when I wasn’t an ornery old cuss.”
She grinned at that. “No, just an ornery cuss. Not an old one.”
A grunt was the only reply he had for her.
“So, your granddaughter is visiting? Sorry I woke her.” Small talk with Theodore was like pulling teeth. With no anesthesia. He’d talk your ear off for hours about how best to hunt, trap, and kill a vampire, but idle chitchat wasn’t his forte.
“Riley lives with me now. She gives me a run for my money on ornery.” There was a rich irony and affection in the tone, as if he knew an old bastard like him shouldn’t be raising a young girl, but he liked it all the same.
Selina’s eyebrows almost arched off her forehead. “You’re child-rearing now?”
“Someone had to. She’s a good kid.” There was a wealth of love in that simple statement, but he gave no more explanation than that. No information about whether Riley’s parents had died, or abandoned her, or given up on her as a lost cause. Typical Holmes not to fill in any personal blanks. “Are you just checking in to make sure I’m still kicking or did you need something?”
She hesitated. No matter how much she burned inside to catch the motherfucker who killed her cousin, she found she just couldn’t take the old man away from a child who needed him. A child he obviously adored, in his own gruff style. She knew what it was like to live in a place where you weren’t wanted, and if Holmes came to help her with this hunt and something happened to him, then Selina would be putting a teenaged girl in the same situation she’d been in for so many years of her young life. She couldn’t do it.
“Just making sure you’re still alive and breathing.” But Grim nudged her with his nose. “Oh, and Grim wants me to say hello to Boleyn.”
“She’s right here.” A dog barked in the background. “And I’m not dead yet. That all you wanted?”
“Yep.” She chuckled. Same old Holmes. “Take care of yourself. And Riley and Boleyn. Bye.”
He grunted a farewell and disconnected.
She hung up, burying her fingers in Grim’s fur. The Normal had something left to live for, and Selina didn’t. She didn’t know if that was sad and pathetic, or just fitting. Shouldn’t she go when she had nothing left to keep her here? What better time was there? One last hurrah and then the show was over. Somehow the thought just made her feel ... empty. So she set the phone aside and went to wake up Jack for another round of distraction.
6
Selina’s feet pounded against the pavement as she ran. Her heart pounded, the blood and adrenaline racing through her veins. Air rasped in and out of her throat, and her lungs burned. Still, she pushed herself harder, faster, one hand clenched around the thick leather of Grim’s leash.
Her familiar had no problem keeping stride with her, his long body stretching into a gallop. So far, running herself into the ground hadn’t made her mind shake loose anything new about this case.
Frustration seared through her. She wanted this to go faster, to catch this guy and give his victims some peace. To give his victims’ families some peace. To give herself some peace. She ignored that that was going to be more Rest in Peace than peace of mind.
“Ready for more, Grim?”
He barked in return, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, his dual-colored eyes gleaming. They’d been stopped a couple of times so people could look at his unique gaze, but Selina just wanted to run today. Sometimes it helped her think, and sometimes it just gave her an hour to outrun herself.
After more miles than she’d bothered to count, she slowed and glanced around. Self-derision jolted through her. She was on the corner of Jack’s block. He’d gone home earlier this morning, claiming that he was meeting someone for lunch. And he’d called the someone a “she,” so Selina was pretty sure he had a lunch date with another woman. She refused to let that bother her. A part of her had wanted to argue against him doing anything other than working with her today, but it was Sunday, and everyone deserved some downtime. They’d get a call if something happened that they needed to handle, but at the moment, they were just waiting for various people to run down paperwork for them.
It boggled her mind that Friday night, she’d been at Merek’s wedding, Saturday morning she’d been thrust back into her worst nightmare, and now the weekend wasn’t even over yet. It felt as though a million years had passed since she’d danced with Jack at the wedding.
Ignoring the urge to jog past his house, she forced herself to keep going a few more blocks to a local park. She’d take a spin around the park, get Grim some water, and then head back to her place before she drowned in her own sweat.
Kids ran around squealing with laughter on the playground, their parents close by keeping watch. Selina did an automatic sweep of the area to make sure nothing shady was going on. Far too many druggies and perverts liked to pick their prey at parks, but she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
The grass and trees were the vivid green she’d grown used to since relocating to Seattle. Someone who didn’t grow old by human standards had to learn to move every few decades or so, and she’d liked the atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. Slowing to a stop at a drinking fountain, she took a swig and then turned on the faucet for Grim to lap up as much as he wanted.
She glanced around at the tennis courts, basketball courts, and softball field. The park was hopping. Everyone seemed to be taking advantage of a morning of nice weather.
“Dude, Peyton! Get the lead out!”
She froze at the sound of the familiar voice coming from the basketball court.
No. It couldn’t be. She’d deliberately avoided his house. It figured that Fate would be such a fickle bitch as to throw him into her path anyway. He’d said he had to meet someone for lunch—a woman—not a bunch of guys for a basketball game. He’d forgotten to mention this part. Then again, maybe his meeting with the other woman got cancelled, and this was Plan B.
That was not relief she felt. It was not. She refused. He meant nothing to her, and she didn’t give a damn if he slept with every female who crossed his path. She had magic on her side, and she took a monthly potion to ensure that she couldn’t get knocked up unless she wanted to. The same potion made sure there were no diseases he could give her either. If he wanted to slut around, then whatever. She hadn’t offered him any kind of exclusivity, and she didn’t expect any.
The writhing mass of ugliness that filled her chest at the thought of him banging another woman made a liar of her, but she ignored that. She didn’t have time left to get truly involved with anyone, and it wouldn’t be fair to do that to him even if she wanted to.
Still, she couldn’t stop herself from staring at the group of four men glistening with sweat while they played ball. They were all well built, so it wasn’t any kind of hardship on the eyes. Jack and Peyton seemed to be on the same team, playing against two other dark-haired men. One had had his nose broken more than once and the other was so good-looking he was almost pretty.
Grim tugged on his end of the leash, and she released the water fountain to stop the flow. He nudged her leg with his shoulder, trying to move her along with their run. She just glanced down at him and arched her eyebrows. “Hey, you might not be interested in shirtless guys, but did I stop you from doing a little prance past that cute poodle a few blocks back? Or stop you from letting her owner pet you and tell you what a pretty puppy you were?”
He made an indignant noise in his throat, then glanced at the men, gave a resigned sigh, and sprawled onto the ground at her feet. She chuckled and bent to rub him between the ears. The grunts, swearing, and squeaking tennis shoes brought her attention back to the men on the basketball court.
Jack slapped the ball out of the pretty boy’s hands and bounced it to Peyton, who was making an obvious effort not to use his superhuman speed. The two men they played against were clearly Normals. Some Magickals could disguise their abilities better than others, even from other Magickals, but there was always that shiver to the senses, that awareness, that another wielder of magic was nearby. Selina felt none of that with these two. They, like Jack, were Normal.
Which meant Peyton had to be careful not to be too strong or too good or have reflexes that were too swift for the human eye to follow. He was doing a good job of slowing himself down, Selina thought. Which was probably why the guy covering him managed to elbow him in the face while they both dove for the basketball.
The wolf staggered back, covering his nose with one hand and bending over to brace his other hand against his knee. He shook his head and said something Selina couldn’t hear when the guy who’d hit him tried to pull him upright.
“Dude, just let me look. It’s not nothing. I felt your nose give under my arm. It’s definitely broken.”
Or at least it had been before Peyton’s werewolf healing abilities had taken care of that little problem. And that sounded like a good cue for her to step in.
“Come on, Grim.” She jerked on his leash, and he groaned as if she were torturing him, even though he’d been the one wanting to move a few minutes before. Damn dog.
He made a funny little laughing noise in the back of his throat before he ambled forward with her.
“Hey, Jack. Hi, Peyton. I didn’t know you guys would be here today.” She lifted the bottom of her T-shirt and hastily swiped at the sweat on her face.
When she let her shirt drop, she found every man’s eyes glued to her midriff and chest, their gazes displaying varying levels of interest. Okay. Not the distraction she’d been going for, but she’d take what she could get. Peyton shot her a grateful glance as his unbroken nose was forgotten.
“Hey,” said Jack in greeting, his gaze sliding up from her breasts to meet her eyes, his voice a low growl that sent goose bumps down her skin. He shot a pointed, territorial glance to the other men, which was pretty rich considering he’d told her he was having lunch with another woman. “Guys, this is Selina Grayson.”
“Honey, you need to stay away from these Feebs. Try a real cop on for size.” The guy who’d elbowed Peyton gave her a cocky grin.
“Nah, she’d like the CIA better.” Pretty Boy ducked into her line of sight. “Ever taken a spook for a ride?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “She is a real cop, jokers. Detective Grayson is with the Seattle PD, but she’s using her expertise to assist Peyton and me on a case.”
She gave them a cool nod. Even though she was far too sweat-drenched to pull off ice queen, she’d give it a try. “Gentlemen. And I use that term lightly.”
“Probably for the best.” Mr. Cocky Cop gave her a slightly less lecherous smile and a solid handshake. “I’m Rick Tanner.”
“Hi.” She let his hand go the moment civility allowed it, but then she had to repeat the process with Pretty Boy, who tried to touch her longer than was necessary.
“I’m Stephen Mitchum.”
“Hello.” She extracted herself from his grip, and if she zapped him with a tiny spell that would feel like an electric shock, no one was any the wiser. He jerked a little and shook out his fingers.
Rick made a bid to recapture her attention. “We met Laramie in the marines. Before he went Feeb.”
“Semper fi,” Jack replied.
“Oorah, Devil Dog.” Stephen growled the words, while Rick made a weird barking noise that set Grim off. Selina hauled him back before he could lunge at the cop.
“I was never military.” Peyton’s normally impassive face showed incredulity for a brief moment. He glanced at Selina as if she were the voice of sanity.
She shook her head. “I did some time in the navy.”
Way back when the U.S. was fighting Nazis, but she kept that to herself.
Stephen’s face lit with a smile. “Oh, yeah? I’d like to see you in uniform.”
Or out of it. The words were unspoken, but everyone could read the sentiment on his expression. She should have zapped him harder.
Jack apparently decided to jump in before anyone else could hit on her. “Actually, guys, since Grayson’s here, I had a question for you that might help out our case.”
“Oh, yeah? Shoot.” Stephen bent over to retrieve the ball, tucking it under one arm.
“I’m looking for a pattern, a weird one.” Jack swiped the sweat from his face. “I’m wondering if anything has come across either of your desks recently.”
Rick chuckled and met Stephen’s glance. “He always wants the weird ones. His life has been a lot more interesting than mine since we left the corps. Okay, what brand of freaky are we talking about this time?”
“Someone attacked, roughed up bad, and drained of blood.”
Rick snorted. “Yeah, we had one of those. Wasn’t my case, but they caught the guy. Some loser ex-boyfriend who thought he was a vampire or something. Went to those fetish blood-drinking clubs and shit.”
Well, that would explain why it hadn’t popped on the Magickal PD’s radar. Selina idly rubbed between Grim’s ears. “Yeah, the loser might not be the loser you’re looking for.”
“You got another one?” Interest stirred in Rick’s voice.
“Yep.”
“I’ll let you guys be the ones to tell the detective you’re taking over her case.” Rick went over to a gym bag on the side of the court and dug around until he came up with a cell phone. “Let me get you her contact info.”
“Appreciate it.” Jack fished his phone from one of the deep pockets on his shorts and punched in the number
his friend gave him. “I’d like to talk to this wannabe-vampire loser, too, just in case he knows something useful. What’s the detective’s name?”
“Connie Wright.”
He tapped more buttons on his phone. “Great, thanks.”
When he flashed a triumphant grin at Peyton and her, she arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, yeah. Your hunch paid off.”
Not that she’d doubted it was a possibility that Mary Winston wasn’t their first victim in Seattle, but she’d been hoping. The fewer people who died, the better. That familiar wash of shame and failure crashed over her, Bess’s face flashing through her mind.
She jerked a bit when Stephen brushed up against her. When had he gotten closer? His gaze dropped to her chest. She gave Grim’s leash a twitch, and he let out a bark, muscling his big body between hers and Stephen’s. The dog licked his lips as if spook was his favorite meal, and Stephen backed off, his face going pale. Yeah, Grim and his evil eye had that effect on people.
Good doggie.
She stroked her fingers over her familiar’s silky forehead, swept the men with a glance, and decided it was time to bow out of this conversation.
“Jack can let me know when he gets in touch with Detective Wright.” She gave a short wave at the FBI agents. “I’ll see you guys at the office tomorrow. Bye.”
“Nice meeting you, Detective.” Rick gave her a polite nod, but there was still a glint of interest in his eyes. She refused to look at Jack and see if his gaze showed any interest. He’d planned to see another woman for lunch, and she didn’t give a shit if that made her sound jealous.
“Come on, Grim.” Turning on her heel, she jogged away from them, and ignored the fact that she could feel them scoping out her ass.
She’d barely managed to make it around a copse of trees and out of their line of sight when she heard footsteps pounding up behind her.
“Selina, wait.” Jack pulled even with her, his long legs keeping pace. “You barely even looked at me back there, and I got us a huge break in the case. What was that about?”
Night Games Page 11
