by Beverly Rae
I downed the second dose of the fiery liquid before deciding to jump in all the way. “I’m looking for the Bracelet, but I ran into another problem. Blake’s brother, Michael, is involved. He may have the Bracelet or he may not. However, I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s involved in the murder of the mortal thieves who took the Bracelet from the main office.” I swallowed and choked out the first difficult confession. “Michael’s a ghoul.”
“I see. And you’re worried about telling Blake after you bust his brother. Am I right?” She started to pour a third drink, but I’d had my fill. Any more and I’d end up sloshed. “Are you sure about his brother?”
“Michael is definitely a ghoul. I saw him shimmer and he hangs out with ghosts and shifters.”
“Ah, not a pleasant thing to tell your sweet man, is it?”
“It’s worse, Mrs. Wipp. My sweet man is a demon.” I blew out a big breath, thankful to have gotten the worst admission out of my mouth.
Mrs. Wipp paused, took her third drink, and set it on the table. “You’re telling me your husband is a demon.” The kindly grandmotherly type changed into a hard-nosed Protector. “Did you know this when you married him?”
“No.” I winced at the incredulous expression on her face.
“Then when did you figure it out?”
“Not until recently.”
Her expression grew harder. “I find this hard to believe. Oh, I can believe he’s a demon, all right. Yet I can’t get my head around you not realizing until now.”
“I would’ve known, but she hardly ever takes me inside the house. And when she does, she keeps me hidden away. If I’d seen Blake, I would’ve known for sure.” Partner’s muffled voice continued to drone on even after I covered his speaker with my palm.
Ignoring Partner, I kept going. “Trust me, you’re not the only one who finds it hard to believe.”
Mrs. Wipp’s bright blue eyes darkened. “Hmm.” She rested on her elbows and gave me a penetrating look. “Couldn’t you tell what he was after you married him?”
“No.” Did she think I’d married a demon on purpose? “I had no clue.”
“Really? No clue at all?”
“Okay, maybe there were a few clues.” The flush of warmth running up my cheeks wasn’t from the alcohol. “What can I say? I fell in love and I didn’t want to recognize the signs when I saw them. I guess love messes with a girl’s senses. Besides, I searched for his demon numbers and didn’t find any.”
“Does he have a tattoo?”
The image of Blake’s black panther tattoo flashed in my mind, making me lose my breath. “Oh. My. God. How could I have been so stupid? Oh, shit, I’m dumber than I thought I was.”
Mrs. Whipp took a sip and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, honey. Until recently, tattoos weren’t socially acceptable and demons didn’t like to draw attention to themselves by sporting a tattoo. But now, it’s the easiest way to cover the numbers.”
I shook my head, amazed and more than a little embarrassed at how easily I was fooled. “But after today, I can’t deny the truth any longer. Blake is a demon and he’s working for the High Demon Lord Demogorgon.” A cold relief washed through me. I’d finally gotten the words out.
Mrs. Wipp grew quiet, barely speaking above a whisper. “Demogorgon and your husband. Oh, Jenny, I’m sorry.”
I slumped into the chair, defeated by the weight pressing on my heart. Unsure of what to say next, I let the silence take over, giving us time to think about my situation.
“Do you still love him?”
Mrs. Wipp, one of the toughest Protectors to ever work for the Society, was asking if I still loved my demon husband. Lying, I knew, would be useless.
“Yeah, I do.”
Again, we let each other mull over the problem.
“Jenny, sweetie, you know what you have to do. We can’t afford to let that bastard, Demogorgon, gain control of the Bracelet. I know how powerful he is. With the Bracelet, there’ll be no stopping him. The world, our world, would come to an end.”
“I know.” I knew what she said was the truth, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
“No person, not even the man you love, is worth the loss of thousands of lives and who knows how many souls.”
“I know.” Didn’t she realize how much pain I was in? I glared at her, angry at her for making me say out loud what I didn’t want to even think in private. “I have to stop them.”
“You may have to do more than stop them.”
Her meaning was clear enough. I might have to kill my husband.
She must’ve seen the understanding in my face because she nodded, picked up a bank pouch from the side of her desk and stood, as steady on her feet as a sober judge. “Come on. I have to make a deposit at the bank and we need to talk more.”
“What more is there to discuss? I know what I have to do.” Was the old Protector planning on drilling my duty into my head? Was she afraid I wouldn’t choose duty, honor and the safety of the world over my own happiness?
I followed her from the room and out into the sunshine. I glanced around, noticing the people going about their lives with no idea of the evil around them. Instead of enjoying life they way they did, I ached, my heart twisting against the thought of what was to come. “Why couldn’t I live like these people do? Why can’t I have a normal life?”
Mrs. Wipp looked at me as though I’d grown a third arm. “Because you’re special, Jenny. You’re a Protector.” Giving me a comforting hug, she whirled around and hurried down the street. For an old woman, she sure could move!
She jaywalked across the street, heedless of my running to catch up with her, and waltzed into the bank. She was already in front of the cashier when I slid in line behind her. “What do I do? How do I take care of…of him? Of them?”
Mrs. Wipp thanked the teller for her help and started for the front door. “You keep doing what you’ve always done. You’re his wife and he doesn’t think you do what you really do, right?”
“I don’t think so. Or at least, he told his master he didn’t think I was a Protector.”
“Then make him believe his own words. Keep acting like a loving wife.” She glanced at me, then hooked my arm in hers to rush us around the corner.
I swallowed and forced out the question I hated asking. “Including in the bedroom?”
“Including in the bedroom.” She laughed before sending me an apologetic look. “Honey, most men don’t know anything’s wrong unless the fun in the sack stops. That’s why you have to keep up the act─especially in the bedroom.”
I skidded to a stop before hurrying to catch up with her again. “How can I pretend I don’t know?”
“You simply pretend.” She confronted me, taking my hand in hers to pull me near. “Haven’t you known, down deep, what he was before now?” She gazed into my eyes, forcing me to tell the truth with my nod. “You say you still love him, right? So what’s to pretend? Besides, you can’t tell me you haven’t hidden things from him before this. Like how you’re a Protector sworn to exterminate his kind?”
She was right. I’d lied enough times to Blake about my secret life and my real job. What were a few more lies? “I guess I can do it.”
She started her fast pace again. “You can and you will. However, your primary focus should be finding the Bracelet. I doubt you’ve done your best in your search, what with learning about Blake.”
Mrs. Wipp was right. I’d spent too much time worrying about my husband and his brother. I was a Protector with a job. I owed it to the Society and my fellow citizens to get back to work.
“Jenny, sweetie?”
I snapped out of my short-lived pity party at the tone in Mrs. Wipp’s voice. “Yes? What’s wrong?”
“I trust you’ve made a tour of visiting all the pawn shops in town, correct?”
Although she kept walking in the same direction leading us to the bakery, I had the sudden impression her destination had changed. “Sure
I did. But I didn’t find anything.”
“And the television set the Bracelet was hidden in was found in the thieves’ house, correct?”
She already knew the answers to her questions, but wanted me to come to a conclusion by myself. What the conclusion was, however, I wasn’t sure. “Right. But it was broken into lots of little pieces with no sign of the Bracelet.”
“Have you checked the flea market?”
“Other agents did, but with no luck. What’re you getting at, Mrs. Wipp?”
She stopped walking, hit the button on the traffic light to cross the street, and didn’t look at me. “Where else would you find a bracelet?”
“Can I play? I love playing detective, but Jenn never lets me play.”
“Quiet, Partner.” I stumbled at her question, knowing I should have the answer, but I didn’t. “I’m not sure.” What did she want me to say?
“Check out the store over there.”
I followed her gaze to the nearest store on the other side of the street. A smile widened her mouth and she waited for me to get up to speed.
“A jewelry store?” Although I understood part of her reasoning, the rest of the answer was still lost in limbo. “I don’t get it. A jewelry store manager wouldn’t take stolen goods, would he?”
Mrs. Wipp gestured toward the store again. “You’re correct except for one fact.”
I racked my brain to come up with the one fact and failed. When had I turned into such a mush-head? “Okay, I give up. What fact?” Studying her face didn’t give me the answer, either.
“You should have said no reputable jewelry store manager would take stolen goods. However, a crooked manager might.”
Again, I followed her gaze to the store. “You think this manager’s a crook?”
“Those two demons make me think he might be.”
“Demons?” Partner beeped a series of excited beeps. “Let me out, Jenn. I want to help.”
Ignoring Partner’s request, I kept my attention on the two men, one dressed in a business suit and the other dressed in casual, low-riding jeans and torn T-shirt. Demons? “How do you know they’re demons? I mean, how can you tell from this far away? Without seeing any signs first?”
Mrs. Wipp chuckled. “Trust me, sweetie. My demon radar has never failed.” She shot me a soft smile. “Stay alive in this job for a couple more decades and you’ll be able to spot one quickly, too.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I knew she wasn’t putting me down or anything, but I still felt like a new recruit right out of the Society’s academy.
Mrs. Wipp patted me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Sooner or later, everyone goes through a period of being off. What with all you’ve been through and who you’re married to, your radar is bound to be out of whack.” With a wave of her hand, she bolted across the street, defying anyone’s definition of an elderly pace.
“Mrs. Wipp! What’re you planning on doing?”
She scooted against the wall of the building and gestured for me to press close to the bricks on the other side of the entrance. “We’re going to take a couple of demons down, Jenny. And maybe, if we’re really lucky, we’ll find the Bracelet at the same time.”
“You think those two have it?” I peeked around the corner and saw the two demons speaking with an attractive redheaded saleswoman. From the perplexed expression on her face, the woman was obviously thrown by the odd couple. At last, however, she nodded and went through a rear door, leaving them waiting at the counter.
“What other reason would those two have for being at an upscale jeweler like this? If they have the Bracelet, they know it’s too valuable to sell at a pawn shop.”
Why I hadn’t realized the same thing instead of spinning my wheels running from one pawn shop to the next was a mystery. I groaned at the mistakes I’d made with this case. In fact, I’d screwed this up so badly I wondered why Mac hadn’t called me into his office and booted me out of the Society.
“Don’t get down on yourself, sweetie. Like I said, you’re off right now.” Mrs. Wipp leaned around to spy on the demons. “Well, well. It appears our two boys do have something valuable to sell.”
“Really?” Excited, I peeked again. “I think you’re right. But I can’t see what it is they’re showing the manager.”
“Then I guess we’d better get a closer look.”
I nodded and punched a button on Partner. “One word and you’re on eBay.”
Before I knew it, Mrs. Wipp pushed through the front door of the shop and I hurried to catch up. Seems like I’m always hurrying to catch up with her. Where does she get her energy? I grabbed her elbow and whispered, “You’d better let me handle them, Mrs. Wipp. After all, you’re retired.” I nodded at the manager and the two men who’d turned around at our entrance. In a loud voice, I added, “Don’t let us interrupt you. We’re just looking.”
The manager, a slim middle-aged man of Asian ancestry, gave me a haughty look. He called behind him without taking his eyes off us. “Melissa, you have customers.”
“Coming, Mr. Yang.” The redhead shuffled out from the rear of the store and swayed over to where Mrs. Wipp and I were pretending to look at men’s watches. “Hello, ladies, may I help you?”
Mrs. Wipp put on her best “I’m a vulnerable elderly lady” expression and tipped her head to peer over her glasses. “Oh, aren’t you nice? And pretty, too. Isn’t she pretty, Jenny?” Without waiting for an answer, she explained, “Jenny’s my granddaughter and she’s looking for a special bracelet for her mother’s birthday. Would you have anything special, dear? I’m thinking something in gold?”
I smiled a dutiful granddaughter smile. “A gold bracelet would be great. What do you have?” I swiveled away from Melissa, pretending to head for the case across the room containing bracelets and necklaces. On my way, I stole a glance at the piece of jewelry the demons held in front of Mr. Yang. The middle-aged demon in the suit kept his hand on the gold bracelet and I trembled with excitement. Could this really be the Bracelet?
“Ooh, I likey!” Breaking between the two demons, I reached out to snatch the bracelet, but the older demon moved faster, yanking it away before I could get my hands on it.
“Excuse me, lady, this is our bracelet. It’s not for sale.”
“Don’t you mean it’s not for sale yet?” Mrs. Wipp sidled up next to the grungy young demon and gave Mr. Yang a pointed look. “Aren’t you gentlemen attempting to sell this piece to the store? Because I’d love to make a counteroffer.”
“Hey, you stay out of this!” Mr. Yang was not happy at her interference, especially when the demon holding the bracelet decided a possible bidding war was brewing. “These gentlemen are handing the bracelet over to me.”
The older-looking demon’s eyes glistened with greed. “Hang on a second, Yang.” He turned to give his full attention to Mrs. Wipp. “You want to make me an offer, lady?”
An offer? Why would we want to make an offer? I tried to get Mrs. Wipp to look my way, but she stayed focused on the demon holding the bracelet. I had to wonder why we didn’t bang these two on their heads and take the Bracelet. The Society could take care of Mr. Yang and Melissa later.
“Perhaps I do. Do you mean to say you’re giving the bracelet to Mr. Yang? For free?” Mrs. Wipp held up her purse, pretending to dig out her checkbook. “Instead, could I persuade you to change your mind by asking you to name your price?”
A phone rang in the rear of the store and Melissa, who up until now had done her best to act busy in front of her employer, headed into the other room.
“Mrs., uh, Grandmother, what’re you doing?”
Mrs. Wipp sent me a comforting smile before crooking an expectant eyebrow at the demon.
The demon nearly salivated at the prospect of pulling a huge number out of thin air. “How about you suggest a price, lady? Make it in the five figures or we’re not doing business.”
“Now hold on a second, Grimsley.” Mr. Yang reached out for the bracelet, but Grim
sley slapped his hand away. Mr. Yang, however, wasn’t about to give up. “You-know-who wants that bracelet. Do you really want to disappoint him?”
“He’s right, dude. I’m not double-crossing Demogor—”
“Shut up!” Both Grimsley and Mr. Yang yelled at the skuzzy demon.
“Okay, okay. Calm down.” The young demon slouched, pulling his backward cap lower on his forehead. “Don’t get all wound up, man.”
The demon’s acceptance appeared to placate Grimsley. “Maybe we can do better than letting you-know-who have it. Besides, if we keep our mouths shut, he’ll never find out.” Grimsley pointed at the other demon. “You’re always spouting off about how you’d like to stick it to him. Well, here’s your chance, Buzz.”
“Ah, I see. You, Grimsley, are a shrewd businessman who recognizes a good deal when he hears one. With my price for the bracelet, you could purchase several nice pieces for your, um, friend. How about I write down a number and you tell me if you want to give this lovely piece to your friend…or sell it to me? Hmm?”
Not knowing what Mrs. Wipp had in mind, I kept my mouth shut. Did she really want to buy the bracelet? But why buy it when we could just take it? Mrs. Wipp had to have something up her sleeve. I wished, however, she could tell me what her plan was. Under the circumstances, however, I’d have to go with the flow.
“I’m starting to see the logic behind your thinking, lady. Remember, make the number with lots of zeros or no deal.” Grimsley held the bracelet up as though to adore the sheen from the gold. “It’s a wonderful piece of work and I’m not taking a lowball offer.”
“Dude, we’re fucked big time if you do this.” Tiny beads of sweat broke out along the top of Buzz’s upper lip.
“I understand. Now if I can find a pen and paper…” Mrs. Wipp lifted her purse, opened it, and rummaged inside as if hunting for the elusive pen. After a couple of minutes digging around in her purse and placing a knitting needle, keys, and her makeup case on the counter, she stopped abruptly, snapped her purse shut, and shook her head.
Grimsley, who’d been peeking into her purse, jumped at the snap the closure made and snarled, “What’s the holdup?”
