Chicago

by Tiffany Aaron

  Shrugging, she brushed back the hair falling over his forehead. If he turned away and didn’t want to continue what they’d started, she’d move on. All the long years of her life had taught her how to deal with disappointment.

  Resting her head on his chest, she went to sleep, content for the first time in a long while.

  Chapter Four

  Danielle snuggled closer to the warm body sharing her bed. She could get used to it if the same mind-blowing night of sex went with it. She was drifting back to sleep when Grant cried out in obvious pain. Shooting out of bed, she looked around, trying to figure out where the trouble was.

  “God damn, get this fucking cat off me.” Grant’s voice was rough from sleep.

  Looking at the bed, she burst into laughter at the sight of Princess crouched on top of Grant’s groin. His erection had tented the sheet and given the cat something to play with. “Danielle, this isn’t funny.” Grant’s teeth were clenched together and his hands fisted in the sheets.

  Drying her cheeks, she stifled the giggles. She went over and picked up her cat. “Princess, he didn’t come to play with you.”

  Danielle dropped the animal on the floor before making her way to her bathroom. Stopping in the doorway, she looked back. Awareness was dawning on his face as he noticed her lack of clothing. “I’m taking a shower,” she announced as she shut the door.

  Leaning back on it, she called herself a fool. He hadn’t really wanted her. It had been the alcohol. Sighing, she pushed away from the door. She’d take a shower then when she got out and found he had left, she would cherish the memory for the marvelous experience it had been and try to forget him.

  Danielle managed to conceal her surprise when she stepped from the bathroom and Grant was still there. She thought she had given him the perfect chance to leave, but for some strange reason he hadn’t.

  Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she went to her closet to grab some clothes. She could feel him staring at her, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge him. She threw on her favorite pair of jeans and a Chicago Bears T-shirt. After heading out to the living room, she picked Grant’s clothes up, then took them to him.

  “Here, get dressed and we’ll talk. Do you want breakfast?” she asked.

  Why the hell are you offering him breakfast?

  “Yes. That’d be great.”

  Nodding, she walked to the kitchen. She didn’t want to watch him cover up that fine ass. All she wanted was for them to crawl back in bed and have sex for the rest of the day, but she knew that wasn’t happening.

  After joining her in the kitchen, he looked at her with a confused glance. He seemed to be having trouble deciding what to say to her. She cracked the eggs for the omelets and said, “I know you’re wishing we’d never done this, but it happened and we can’t go back.”

  Nodding, he filled two glasses with orange juice. “I know.”

  “Well, I was surprised you acted on the attraction we feel. I thought you didn’t like me.” She handed him a plate with an omelet and some toast on it.

  He smiled. “I like you, but I’m still not sure I can trust you.”

  “You don’t have to trust someone to sleep with them, I guess.” She gestured for him to sit at the table in her breakfast nook.

  “True, but if we’re going to have any kind of relationship besides the occasional fuck, I need to trust you.” He pushed his eggs around his plate.

  “I didn’t poison them. You can eat it.” She took a bite then studied him. “What made you decide to come here then?”

  “A conversation I had with a stranger about regret. He acted like he knew you.” He lifted his fork to his mouth. “This is pretty good. I didn’t think you liked to cook.”

  “How would you know? I’ve never had a personal conversation with you before. I’m surprised you knew where I lived.” Raising an eyebrow, she made her point.

  He flushed. “You’re right. I wouldn’t know. You’re a good chef.”

  “I’ve had years of practice. This guy who seemed to know me. What was his name?”

  He narrowed his eyes, obviously trying to remember what it was. “Meical.”

  “Meical? What did he look like?” Danielle had a sneaking suspicion she knew who the stranger at the bar was.

  “He was beautiful.” Flushing, Grant ducked his head. “I know it sounds weird, but that’s the best way to describe him. He had the most unusual silver eyes.”

  Mika’il, what the hell are you doing?

  She stared at Grant. “What did this Meical tell you?”

  “As long as I wasn’t scared of you, it shouldn’t matter if you were crazy or not.” Grant frowned.

  She laughed at him. “You didn’t mean to say that, did you?”

  He shook his head. “Not really, but you have to admit those comments you made in my office did make me wonder.”

  “The ones about making you do whatever I wanted you to do?” She finished then took her empty plate to the sink.

  “Yes, those comments. No one has mind control except comic book heroes.”

  “I know you don’t believe in the supernatural. I can accept that, but you have to give me the same respect and accept that I do.”

  “I’m amazed at how calm you are about everything.” Grant really did seem surprised.

  She smiled at him. “Did you think I’d pitch a fit and make you pay for sleeping with me when you were drunk?”

  He nodded with a sheepish grin. “Yeah, I did.”

  “You must know some very insecure women then. You didn’t decide to sleep with me because I was convenient, but because you were attracted to me and have been for a while. I’m going to look at it that way and enjoy what we did. Maybe I’m hoping we’ll be able to do it again. I’ve been around long enough to know hate is closer to love than most people think. You’ve never said you hated me, so I figure I have a chance to get some more action from you.” She winked at him.

  Blushing, he pushed away from the table before taking his plate to the sink. “I should really be going. I have to stop by my apartment, then get back to the lab.”

  “I’ll let you run away for now, but don’t think I’m giving up on getting you back into my bed.” Laughter bubbled up when he got a panicked look on his face and edged toward the front door. She reached out to touch his arm.

  “I’m kidding, Grant. I’m not going to turn into a stalker on you. You know my number and where I live. Also, you might want to consider telling me what you have hidden behind the vault door.”

  The thoughts racing through his eyes made Danielle wonder, but she wasn’t going to push him. It was enough for now that Nevan knew and she could count on the detective clueing her in when the time came. She pressed tight to Grant then wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his mouth down to hers. Taking her time, she nibbled his lips, making sure he knew she wanted him. When she felt the bulge in his pants grow, she rubbed her hips hard against him.

  “Danielle, you aren’t making it easy to leave,” he whispered, pulling away to rest his forehead against hers.

  She grinned at him. “Good. I want you hard and thinking about me all day. I’ll be wet thinking about what we did last night.”

  After giving her another kiss, he turned and headed out of the door. “Have a great day and thanks for last night.”

  “You too, Grant.” She waited to hear the door shut before she said, “I’m sure we’ll be repeating it again and again.”

  Power hummed through her. She’d never been this charged up. She wondered if this was how the Enforcers felt whenever they replenished their strength. Maybe she’d go for a run then head to the office for a while.

  * * * *

  Grant had been so caught up in remembering the night before, he hadn’t noticed the open door of his apartment until he pulled his key out to unlock it. It was opened a crack, but the feeling of danger made him pull out his phone. Dialing Detective Largent’s number, he stood there and stared at his door.

  He couldn’t
help but wonder if Danielle had anything to do with the break-in. She could have called her accomplice and told them he would be staying with her, but she hadn’t moved all night except for the time she woke him up for sex.

  “Largent,” the detective answered.

  “Detective Largent, it’s Grant Carson.”

  A weary sigh came over the receiver. “Where?”

  “My apartment.” He gave Nevan his address.

  “I’ll be there within thirty minutes. I’ll bring a crime unit with me. Have you been inside yet?”

  “No. I went to unlock the door and noticed it was ajar. I thought it would be wiser to call you and have you deal with it.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  Grant couldn’t help but smile to hear the sarcasm in Nevan’s voice. It was kind of fun irritating Nevan. It might have been wrong to feel that way, but Nevan struck him as a man too intent on making himself miserable. “Well, you are the main guy on this. I just thought you should get the information from me before someone else jumps your case.”

  “I can’t begin to tell you how much I’d love to have someone else take this. Don’t go in there.” The detective hung up on him.

  Chuckling a bit, Grant put his phone in his pocket. He hoped there wasn’t too much damage done. Whoever had broken in was a complete idiot if he thought Grant brought artifacts home from the museum with him. Those items were priceless and irreplaceable—he wouldn’t risk breaking one by taking them to an unsecured area.

  While he waited for Nevan to arrive, he called Danielle, wondering how strange it was that he had memorized Danielle’s number within minutes of getting it from her all those months ago. He tried to calm his emotions, knowing that his reaction to Nevan’s irritation was strange when he should be worried about his apartment.

  “Hello?” Her voice was breathless.

  He felt his cock harden. Maybe calling her so soon after last night wasn’t a good idea. “Danielle, it’s Grant.”

  “You couldn’t even wait an entire day before you called. I must be better than I thought.” She laughed.

  “I wish I could say it was your body that made me call.”

  “What’s wrong?” There wasn’t any teasing in her voice anymore.

  “Someone broke into my apartment last night. How did they know I wasn’t there?” He shouldn’t be accusing her without knowing all the information first, but she was the only one who knew where he’d been.

  “Are you asking me or accusing me of calling someone?”

  Grant had the silly urge to apologize. “I’m sorry, but I think I’m accusing you.”

  “Then would you believe me if I said that I didn’t call anyone and I don’t know why anyone would want to break into your place?” There was no inflection in her voice to tell him what she was thinking or feeling.

  He kept silent for a moment, thinking about her question. If he disregarded the comments about being able to control his mind, she had never lied to him, as far as he knew. Maybe he should take her at face value, for now. “I think I would.”

  “You’re lying, but that’s okay. I didn’t have anything to do with the break-in because I don’t know what those people are looking for.” Danielle changed the subject. “Do you need me to come over?”

  “No, Largent is on his way.” He thrust his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Danielle. I wish I could believe you.”

  He could hear the shrug in her voice. “You’ll trust me sooner or later, Grant. I’m just hoping something worse doesn’t happen before you do. Nevan will take care of you. Call me if you need me for anything.” She hung up.

  “Called her to accuse her of sending someone to trash your place?” Nevan asked from behind him.

  He jumped, then whirled around. Nevan stood there in worn jeans and a black T-shirt with a windbreaker pulled over it. The man’s badge hung from his belt and his gun was stuck in a shoulder holster.

  “I didn’t know detectives could wear jeans.”

  Nevan scowled. “I happened to be off duty today, asshole.”

  Grant felt a twinge of remorse. “You should have told me to call someone else.” He saw the dark circles under Nevan’s green eyes. “Have you been sleeping all right?”

  Snorting, Nevan drew his gun before cautiously pushing the apartment door open.

  “I don’t think anyone’s still in there. I’ve been standing out here for thirty minutes talking on the phone. Do you really think they’d have waited that long for me?” Grant pointed out.

  “Shut up and stay out in the hall until I tell you to come in,” Nevan ordered.

  Leaning against the wall across from his doorway, Grant shut his eyes and tried to stop thinking for a minute. He was starting to get a headache.

  “Okay, you can come in. Just look around, but don’t touch anything. The crime unit will check for fingerprints, but I don’t think we’ll find any. This guy is a professional, though he tends to lose his temper when he can’t find something.” Nevan pushed the door open wider, gesturing for Grant to come in. “Don’t worry. It isn’t that bad.”

  Grant braced himself for the destruction of his home. His desk drawers were pulled out and papers strewn around the floor. As he walked through the apartment, he saw clothes thrown all over, empty closets and drawers. His computer had been destroyed. After making his way back to the living room, he stood in the middle of the mess. His shoulders slumped and Nevan moved to stand next to him.

  “He knows what he’s looking for and when he doesn’t find it, he gets mad. That’s his failing and the way for us to catch him.” Nevan sounded sure, but exhaustion was evident in his face.

  “You ignored the question the first time, so I’ll ask it again. Are you not getting any sleep?”

  Indecision warred with anger in Nevan’s eyes. “It’s hard to rest with spirits talking to you. When I sleep, they can come into my dreams and touch me.” A shudder raced over the man’s body.

  “So a spirit touching you is bad?” Grant remembered what Danielle had said about respecting what other people believed, even if he didn’t believe.

  “I don’t know if a spirit can do anything to you, but with someone like me, they could suck my essence dry if I let them. In sleep, there’s no way I could stop them. So I tend not to sleep until my body can’t take it anymore. Then I go and hide.” Nevan slid his gun back in the holster.

  “Where can you hide from a spirit?” Grant watched the crime unit come in to start fingerprinting things.

  “My condo is built on what was once hallowed ground. I have a room close to the earth that protects me. I don’t use it very often because I’m afraid someone will find out about it and destroy it.” Nevan looked uncomfortable, so Grant decided to let him off the hook.

  “So you think it was the same guy who broke into the lab?”

  Nevan nodded. “Sure do. Same MO and everything.” Those tired green eyes pinned him and Nevan said, “You’re not thinking that Danielle had anything to do with this, are you?”

  Grant didn’t know why he felt ashamed, but the look in Nevan’s eyes said the detective thought he was an idiot for believing that. “I basically accused her of it.”

  Nevan whopped him in the back of the head. “You’re an idiot. What did she say?”

  “She said she didn’t know who broke into my apartment. Since she doesn’t know what they’re looking for, she can’t help them.” Grant shrugged. “I can’t help it. I don’t trust her yet.”

  “God, save me from stupid people. I hope you get your head out of your ass before it’s too late. I don’t want to have to attend your funeral. Something’s telling me these men play for keeps.” Nevan looked at his watch. “Are you going to be okay here?”

  “Sure, I’ll start cleaning up as soon as these people leave. I’ll have to check what can be salvaged and what needs to be thrown away.”

  “Okay. I’m going to go home and try to get some sleep. Spirits aren’t as active during the day.” Nevan turned to walk away. “Don’t
call me unless you’re dying.”

  “Thanks,” Grant said as he followed him to the door.

  “Don’t thank me, man. Thank Danielle. She’s the only reason I’m standing in this doorway. I would have gotten a uniformed officer to take the incident report if she hadn’t called me personally.”

  “I thought you didn’t like her or what she was.”

  “Some of her other brethren, I have a problem with. Danielle herself doesn’t bother me. She’s kept her nose clean, plus has helped me out when I’ve gotten into tight spots. I’m just tense because I know bad things are coming and I’m not sure how to stop it.”

  “Bad things? It’s not the end of the world, Detective.” Grant laughed.

  Nevan shot him a glance. “You’re right. It’s not the end of the world. I’ve got to stop taking all this shit so seriously. It’s just so hard sometimes when you have spirits trying to drain you, ghosts dancing in the shadows and fallen angels hanging around. I’ll try not to worry you with my problems.”

  Jesus, how was it possible for him to feel bad about a silly comment? Yet he did and he wanted to apologize again, but Nevan disappeared before he could say anything. This day had gone straight down the tubes and it wasn’t even noon yet. He’d clean up, then maybe get drunk, because that seemed to be something he could do without upsetting anyone.

  Chapter Five

  “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with that bastard,” Nevan’s voice came over her phone.

  Danielle pulled it away from her ear to stare at it for a second. Putting it back, she said, “Did you just call him a bastard?”

  “Yes, I did. I hate people who hide their head in the sand, Danielle, and this guy is going to suffocate if he doesn’t pull it out.”

  The exhaustion coming from Nevan was overwhelming. “Nevan, I think you need to get some sleep. Grant isn’t that bad. He doesn’t understand what’s happening.”