Edge of Night

by Crystal Jordan

  Holly held up a hand. “If I’d known about all this and you hadn’t brought in professional help, you can bet your ass I would have narced on you, but since you’ve been sensible about bringing in some big guns, I’ll keep my mouth shut. For now.” Her eyes went wolfish for a moment. “I don’t have to explain to you how pissed I am that I’m finding this out so late in the game.”

  “No, you don’t.” Erin understood. In her cousin’s place, she’d have been pretty livid to have been kept in the dark about something so serious too, no matter how good the justification.

  Holly nodded. “I will find some truly heinous way for you to make it up to me.”

  “I had no doubts on that score,” Erin replied wryly.

  “That’s because you’re smart.” Her cousin’s shoulder dipped in a shrug. “Except when you’re stupid and keep things from me.”

  “At first, I wasn’t sure there was anything to tell.” Erin threw up her hands in an attempt to express the futility of this whole muddle. “Then it was because of your new guy. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to pee all over your happiness. Dragging you into this would have done that, so I still want you to stay out of this. Help Gregor and Luca with whatever they need, but no further involvement than that.”

  Holly groaned. “Erin—”

  “No,” Erin stated. “You could get hurt.”

  “I’m less likely to get hurt than you!” Her cousin shot back. “I’m a werewolf.”

  Stepping forward so she could catch Holly’s hands, Erin squeezed her fingers. “And yet, you’re not invincible. I’m scared enough worrying about my own wellbeing. I’d rather not worry about yours.”

  Holly’s chin jutted and her gaze was stormy with upset, but after a long moment she glanced aside and sighed. “Fine, but if you need anything, or these two bloodsuckers don’t work out, you call me. Is that clear?”

  “Clear.” Erin bent down to give her cousin a hug. “Thanks, honey.”

  “You so owe me,” Holly whispered in her ear.

  “I know. Love you.” With a final squeeze, she let the petite wolf go.

  Gregor leaned back against the exposed brick wall and crossed his arms. “While you’re here, Ms. Kerr, I wondered if you’d noticed anything unusual lately. It doesn’t have to be as overt as slashed tires—just anything out of place or strange.”

  “Strange like being followed or getting weird phone calls? No. If I was followed, I could turn right around and hunt their ass down.” Holly tapped the side of her nose.

  “Good.” The redhead nodded. “Keep your guard up and if you do notice anything…”

  “You’ll be the first call I make,” she promised. “Since I haven’t noticed anything and my senses are appreciably sharper than my cousin’s, is it safe to say whoever is doing this is specifically targeting her instead of, say, our business?”

  Luca spoke up. “We’ll look into it, but I’m guessing that, yes, this is about Erin. However, if you were to stay with a friend until this gets cleared up, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. A person alone—even a wolf—is still more vulnerable. Strength in numbers. Isn’t that what being in a pack teaches you?”

  “Since that wasn’t an invite to move in here, I can tell you that my new guy and I have spent every night together for the last week.” Holly fiddled with a button on her blouse. “I don’t think he’d mind me staying with him if I explained what’s going on.”

  “Oh really?” Erin propped her hands on her hips. “We’re that serious, are we?”

  “It’s not serious yet! It’s just good sex. He’s not my boyfriend or anything. It’s not like he sends me flowers after—” Holly cut herself off, sucking in a breath. “You know what, I did notice something weird.”

  “What?” Erin stomach dropped. Oh God. Was her cousin in danger too?

  Holly tapped her fingertip against her mouth. “You know the roses loverboy sent you?”

  It took her a second to recall the lovely peach blooms. A million years had passed since that morning. “Yeah.”

  “I thought you tossed them out after they’d wilted, but they turned up on the desk again this morning, all brown and gross.” Holly shrugged, a grin twisting her lips. “I was going to harass you for mooning over them long after they were fresh, but…it seemed weird.”

  “I did toss them, several days ago.” Erin balled her fists in the hem of her shirt. “So someone went through the trash to retrieve them, then managed to get into the restaurant’s staff area and into our office to put them back.” Rage and terror splintered into her soul and she gave a bitter laugh. “Well, that certainly proves a point about how easily they could get to me, doesn’t it?”

  “That’s fucking creepy.” Holly shivered.

  “The boss’ll keep you safe, Erin. Don’t fret too hard,” Delta soothed. “Even Gregor’s not entirely useless in situations like this.”

  The redhead’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he was wise enough not to respond to her grudging compliment.

  Holly shook her head, looking to Luca. “But, why? If it’s not crazy Asher again, why would anyone stalk my cousin? She’s a low-key kind of girl, barely sticks her nose out of the kitchen.”

  Luca sighed, the sound weary. “Sometimes there’s no good reason for a stalker to do what he or she does.”

  That answer made Holly appear even more troubled. “Should we hire more than just the two of you to look after her?”

  Erin huffed out an exasperated breath. “Well, I hired Gregor. Luca just insisted on stepping in to lend a hand.”

  “He did, did he?” Holly looked him over as if sizing him up. Then her gaze speared Gregor. She pointed at each man in turn. “Either of you let anything happen to my cousin or do anything to hurt her—physical, emotional, doesn’t matter—and I don’t care if it unleashes the biggest vamp-wolf war this planet has ever seen, I will hunt you both down and rip you limb from limb. Then I’ll beat what’s left of you to death with the bloody stumps. Do we have an understanding?”

  “A very clear understanding, Ms. Kerr.” Luca appeared mildly amused and remained in his reclining position against the counter.

  “Excellent. Then have a nice day.” She motioned to Delta and then headed for the door.

  Gregor held it open, offering a slight bow as Holly passed, his gamine grin in place. “You, too.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Friday morning, Erin woke bright and early. Luca was wrapped around her in some convoluted position, their legs tangled. Balthasar served as a living foot warmer, despite the fact that Luca had locked him out the evening before. The familiar had been barred from the bedroom every night for the last week, but he never failed to be curled up on the mattress with them come morning.

  “Hey, kitty cat.” Erin grinned, wiggling her toes in the tom’s silky fur to tickle her feet.

  “Prrp.” Draping one paw over her ankle, he resettled with his head on her calf.

  She tried to stretch, but the large vampire snuggled against her back tightened his grip like a boa constrictor. Preventing her from escaping or protecting her in his sleep? Probably a bit of both.

  She nudged him until he muttered and held her even closer. Not that the cuddling wasn’t nice, but Erin had business to attend to. She poked him, hard. “Hey, get up.”

  His sigh was a gusty sound in her ear. “I’m awake, but I was hoping you’d go back to sleep if I ignored you.”

  Pulling away to look at him, she saw that his eyes were still shut. “I need to go to the fish market today and select some stuff for the special tonight. I also want to do a little browsing through the produce at the farmer’s market.”

  “Okay.” He blinked and appeared alert, though he didn’t look pleased. “Right now? It’s not even dawn yet.”

  “The early chef gets the best fish.” She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not going to argue with me about security being a problem there?”

  “It is a problem, but Gregor and I can handle it. You just keep on with y
our usual routine as you have all week.” He sat up and scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’ll be there to watch you; Gregor will be there to watch everyone else…especially whoever might be watching you too.”

  In the last week, the three of them had settled into a routine. One of the men guarded her while she was working or at home and the other did some sleuthing. Luca had wanted to stash her out of town, but she’d put her foot down at letting anyone disrupt her life to that extent. The bistro and bakery were her livelihood, and they’d suffer if she disappeared indefinitely. Gregor had argued that her stalker might get spooked if they made such an obvious change, and Luca had grudgingly given in.

  There’d been no new leads so far. Luca had sent the returned roses off to a lab, which hadn’t revealed anything concrete. Only ten of the twelve roses had been put back on her desk, so either they were still in the trash or her stalker had them. Gregor and Luca were voting on the latter.

  Asher had dropped off the map after his transfusion. None of his neighbors, co-workers, friends or family knew where he was. Dead end. All of the employees and other people Erin associated with at work had checked out. No one in her family or the wolf pack had developed a sudden animosity toward her. The past few days had been remarkably unremarkable.

  “Okay then. Let’s go.” She bounced out of bed, stuffed herself into clothes and pulled her hair into a loose topknot. The benefit of curly hair was that when it was messy, it still looked deliberate. Worked for her. “Hurry, Cavalli! Fish don’t stay fresh for anyone.”

  “Cristo santo.” Grumbling under his breath, Luca dragged himself to his duffel bag and somehow managed to suck down some elixir while getting dressed at the same time. He wore long sleeves, long pants and a baseball cap. Very little skin showed, and she was about to tease him for being afraid of sunburns when she remembered that—duh!—yes, he was afraid of the sun and with good reason. Charred vampire was not on the menu today.

  “Do you need some sunblock? I have some sweat-proof SPF 50 in the bathroom.”

  He glanced back. “It doesn’t help much and just makes me feel slimy, so no. Desmodus Industries is supposedly working on a skin cream that will help with the sun allergy though.”

  “That’s the company Chloe works for, right? They invented the vampire elixir and funded her research to treat werewolves’ full moon rampage?”

  “One and the same.” He bent down to lace a pair of tennis shoes. “Let’s hope they have as much success with vampire-strength sunblock. It’d be useful.”

  Gregor was already awake and dressed when they left her bedroom. He waved from his spot on the couch, a steaming mug already cradled between his palms. “There’s a pot of very strong, tar-like coffee in the kitchen if you want it.”

  “Caffeine.” Luca made a beeline straight for the coffeemaker.

  Erin propped her hands on her hips and stared at Gregor. “Do you sleep?”

  “Usually.” He nodded, his hair sticking up like a rooster’s comb, attesting to the fact that he had slept at some point. Or at least that he’d tried.

  “Seeing Delta made it a rough night for you?” She made sure only a tinge of sympathy colored her question, so he wouldn’t take it for pity.

  Delta had brought files over a few times—which Erin wasn’t entirely sure was kosher considering her stalking was not an FBI case, but she wasn’t going to complain. Inevitably, the southern belle had hissing, spitting arguments with Gregor that Erin thought were a way to avoid their unresolved sexual tension. Gregor could have avoided the run-ins since Luca always warned him when Delta was coming over, but the redhead seemed unable to stay away. Delta seemed just as incapable of not engaging whenever Gregor was around.

  Who knew there could be a couple with even less of a chance than Erin and Luca? The thought made her wince, but she couldn’t deny it. Then again, Delta and Gregor were both vampires, so maybe they did have a better chance. The whole federal agent and hired assassin thing could be a serious obstacle.

  Gregor grunted and kept his gaze focused on the cup in his hands. “I never fail to make an ass of myself where she’s concerned.” He shook his head. “You’d think you’d get over it after thirty years of someone hating your guts.”

  “Ouch.” She slid her hands in her pockets. “Well, maybe someday she’ll—”

  “No.” His eyes met hers. “She won’t, and I don’t deserve to have her treat me any differently. I’m a far worse person than even she knows.”

  There was resignation in his voice, but no regret or shame. He’d done what he’d done, and that was the end of it. Erin wasn’t sure if that attitude was admirable or deplorable. “We should get going.”

  “Of course.” He smiled his easy smile, took a final swig of coffee and took his mug to the sink to rinse it. He slapped on a Seattle Seahawks hat that had been sitting on the counter. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  Luca was chugging down his coffee as if it were a lifesaving antidote from the poison of wakefulness. She fetched a travel mug and filled it with the caffeinated tar, then let Gregor and Luca do a security sweep to make sure it was safe to leave. Apparently, there were no boogey men or stalkers in the vicinity because the trio was on their way in short order, Luca and Erin in her car, and Gregor in a nondescript rental.

  Pike Place was a bustling menagerie of people even at the crack of dawn. She managed to snag a parking space, but Gregor was nowhere in sight. She assumed he’d make himself scarce and follow Luca and her around from a distance. She’d hired a stalker to get rid of another stalker. Weird, but okay. Her life was just too complicated to make sense anymore.

  Having Luca at her side made her feel more relaxed than she had in a long time, but she squelched that thought. It was just because he was armed and dangerous and playing the role of her bodyguard.

  Yeah, right. Even her mental protestations were weak. She was so going to get her heart drop kicked before this was all over.

  “This way.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her favorite vendor. He followed along easily enough, but she noticed his gaze swept the people around them constantly, and he positioned himself between her and the crowd. Protecting her from any possible attack. Her heart tripped and she had to fight the urge to shove him out of harm’s way—to protect him.

  A foolish idea, considering their wildly divergent training and abilities, but the need to keep him safe was strong, and she wished once more that he hadn’t insisted on sticking around. What would she do if anything happened to him? Emotion tightened like a band around her chest, squeezing the breath out of her. It was all she could do not to double over with the sudden lance of pain to her heart.

  “Tesorina mia?” Luca’s warm hand closed around hers. “What’s wrong?”

  She realized she’d stopped in the middle of the walkway, and she had no idea how long she’d been standing there, staring into space. Shaking herself, she tried to smile, but doubted it came anywhere close to the real thing. “Sorry. Let’s get moving.”

  She made a beeline for the fish market and tried to tug her hand free from Luca’s but he held firm. The turmoil within her was overwhelming. She wanted to escape the developing feelings she had for him, and she wanted to keep him closer and quit fighting a losing battle with her heart. It was a relief to be slapped in the face with the scent of fish, to haggle prices over rockfish fillets and live oysters, to see familiar faces that welcomed her with a smile—to feel like her usual self for just a little while.

  Luca stayed close but didn’t interfere. Not that a man as imposing and gorgeous as he could ever be ignored, but she was able to focus on her job while she let him do his. How sad was it that she’d become a job for him? She sighed, agreed on delivery times for her purchases and turned to leave.

  “Did the fish bargaining go as well as you hoped?” He leaned closer so she could hear him over the crowd.

  She nodded. “They had some good seafood today. Friday is fish day at the bistro, and I like to buy fresh and know exactly w
hat I’m getting. Plus, seeing what’s here can inspire me to try new stuff, create new dishes.” She gave him a sheepish grin. “Which is why I’m going to drag you through the farmer’s market to snag some fruits and veggies next. This will be for us instead of the restaurants, but if I come up with anything good, it goes on the list for future specials. Don’t worry, I promise to buy you brunch—and Gregor, if he shows up.”

  “He won’t. He’ll drink some elixir and watch from a distance.” Luca’s arm slid around her waist, and their hips bumped as they walked. It should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. “You can bring him some leftovers after we get back to your place, if you like.”

  “From here, I go to the café to start my shift.” She shrugged and paused to pick up a tray of strawberries. Not ripe enough. She set the berries down. “I split my time between the two restaurants, and with Holly clamoring to open a third, I’m going to have to start promoting some of my sous chefs.”

  “Will it be strange not to be the main chef at your restaurants?” His hand slipped down to clasp hers again, their fingers twining as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I like running my kitchens. But I’m going to have to learn to step back a little to let other people run them while I oversee the new endeavor the business whiz wants to launch. She’s thinking about opening a tearoom, with scones and pastries for high tea, plus sandwiches, soups…stuff like that.” She shrugged. “It’s a lot of work, and I can’t do that and run two kitchens.”

  “Choosing team members is challenging, but getting it right and having it all come together has its own rewards.” His smile was a little self-deprecating. “A leader can’t be in charge of every little detail, no matter how much she or he might want to.”

  “The voice of experience,” she teased. She doubted anyone could hear her in this crowd, with so many people talking and the fishmongers nearby yelling as they tossed fish back and forth over their counter, but she lowered her voice anyway. “Is it weird to have werewolves on your team? Aren’t they, you know, kind of your enemies?”