"Sure," I replied, wanting to bite my tongue. “I’ll ask my date to drop me at your place."
She mentioned that she was going to email me her home address. I always separated work from personal life, but right now Elena’s husband was missing, and I couldn't pretend I didn't care.
"I need to go and see Rufus’s wife," I told Nathaniel. "Did you want to take me someplace else?"
"I had a place in mind." The corner of his lips inclined into a smile.
"I have an idea of what you had in mind. Did it involve my bed?"
“You're the one suggesting it. If you want, I can come back later." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Stop pretending you don’t want me inside you."
I flushed, and desire circulated through me; the air around us—now tense with our erotically charged atmosphere. We both needed to have sex, but we also knew that this would just messed things up between us.
I smirked. "I won’t beg."
"Trust me, when your magic builds up, you will beg, and you’ll be at my mercy," he whispered. "Come on, let me drop you off."
"Yes, let’s go."
I had problems and I needed to see a doctor. Dealing with Nathaniel was easy, but when it came to knowing what love was, I was a mess. It was safer when we were teasing each other. That way, we didn't discuss what we were both looking for. He needed to show me that he was willing to give me what I wanted; he had to show me that he was willing to love me the way I was supposed to be loved.
Rufus lived in Dratford, which was an hour’s drive from Central London. Whenever Nathaniel had a chance, he kept his hand on my leg and my energy was raving. My body tightened, but I didn't allow him the satisfaction of seeing how much his close contact affected me. He drove in silence. We didn't have to talk; we’d said everything we needed to. Once his Aston Martin pulled outside of a small detached house, I was more nervous than before I’d gone out for lunch with him. I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and jumped out of the car.
"Think about me, firecracker.” He grinned before driving off. I rolled my eyes, but it felt good that I was able to get everything off my chest today.
Elena opened the door before I had a chance to knock. She was a giant, like Rufus, with a pale complexion and long, straight dark hair. She invited me in, smiling lightly, while my stomach made a funny jolt. I hated that she had no idea if her husband was alive or dead. I looked around, searching for the kids.
"Tommy and Jessica aren’t here?"
"No, they’re with my parents."
"How are you holding up?" I asked, taking a seat in the living room. I had to act normal; she was a strong woman in her thirties; she didn't need to be pitied. We both knew that her husband was determined to live.
"I'm all right. The kids are missing Rufus, but they’re too young for me to explain what happened." She looked down at her hand, rolling her wedding ring on her finger.
"My dad keeps saying that they need him, so they won’t kill him."
“He's still alive, I can feel it," she whispered.
"Yes, Rufus is strong, he will keep fighting," I assured her. "My dad had some new evidence—"
"No, hold on. I think you should hear what I’ve got to tell you first," she said, cutting me off. She exhaled and looked away for a moment.
"Oh, right, yes, of course."
She placed her palms on her knees, looking lost. She probably wanted to tell me something important. My chest tightened when I thought about why I was here. If I hadn't started dating Nathaniel, Rufus would still be sitting by his wife, and I wouldn’t be having this conversation with Elena. But thinking about the past wouldn’t change the current situation and I needed to bury those thoughts—they weren’t helping. My guilt over Rufus’s disappearance was mine and I needed to move forward in order to find solutions, instead of dwelling on things I couldn’t change.
"I think Rufus was blackmailed," she said, looking serious.
"Blackmailed?" I choked. "Are you sure?"
She nodded and stood before she vanished into the other room for a moment. I stayed sitting in her living room thinking about Fiorillo. Elena wasn't stupid. Maybe she was aware of Rufus’s actions. Maybe she knew that Rufus was selling information about La Caz Pharmaceutical to a rival agency. I felt ashamed even thinking like that, but the truth was, that if we couldn’t supply him with staff, then he would have no other choice but to use a different agency.
"Look at this." Elena walked back into the room and handed me a mobile phone. "There is a text message from a withheld number. I didn't know that Rufus had two phones."
I looked at the screen, reading the text message she was talking about.
"I hope you thought long and hard about my request. I’m not patient. You know what’s going to happen if I don’t get what I want."
I stared at the message for several moments, then looked at Elena.
“It's withheld; anyone could have sent that," she told me.
“You're right. He must have been blackmailed." I instantly felt relieved. Rufus was probably forced to meet with Fiorillo.
"I don’t know what they expected him to do, but I know he obviously resisted. He refused to cooperate."
"Elena, I need to tell you something," I said. "Before I came here I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but I can’t keep this from you."
"Okay, I'm listening. I don’t think anything can shock me anymore."
I drew a breath and looked straight into her azure eyes. We were similar; we both refused to believe that people could do anything dishonest, so I told her what I found out. I explained how Kelsie, Kate, and I had questioned Fiorillo, and about what he revealed.
"I can’t believe you went there, Julia! That was dangerous," she yelled, standing from her seat.
I couldn’t believe it—she was giving me a lecture. "But I had to find out, and I was right."
"That doesn’t matter. If anyone had caught you, you’d end up in prison."
For a long awkward moment Elena didn't say any more and I felt no remorse. Rufus was missing; I had to do everything I could to help him. Finally, she looked at me.
"I should have gone alone," I whispered.
"Just stay away from trouble, Julia. Leave this to the police." She took a deep breath, her face flushed. "We both know that Rufus wouldn’t sell Paranormal Personnel out. This message only proves that."
"I know he wouldn’t," I agreed. We decided I should talk to my dad about Fiorillo. He knew what he was doing, and he needed more evidence, but I already knew how he would react. After a long hour of intensive conversation, she made tea.
"So, who was your date?" she asked, placing the tray on the table between us. Elena probably heard the rumours about me and Nathaniel. Rufus had more than likely told her that I’d dated him; it wasn't a secret anymore.
"Nathaniel. He showed up at my apartment, unexpectedly rescuing me from a hangover."
"La Caz?" she asked, and I nodded. "So, you’re back together?"
"No, we aren’t back together. He’s trying to win me back after he dumped me." I smiled weakly.
"Well, good luck to you,” she said, hesitating for a moment. "Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I don’t think he will make you happy."
"I started this whole mess with Rufus," I said. "I ruined McGregor’s business after discovering he drained fairies and elves in his club, so he went after me and he still wants revenge."
“There's more to it, Julia." She sighed. "You don’t know this, but Nathaniel La Caz and I went to the same university."
I blinked rapidly, wondering if she was winding me up.
"You went to Oxford?" I asked in disbelief.
She turned around, watching me intensely. "Yes, I got my major in English up there," she explained. "Caleb McGregor also studied there—he used to hang out with Nathaniel."
I had to swallow, but my throat went dry.
"Hold on," I said, rising from my seat. "What do you mean, "they used to hang out?""
"I met Rufus after I gra
duated, but Nathaniel and Caleb were in the same year. As far as I can remember, they used to be best mates." I stared at her, speechless. Nathaniel never said that he’d been a friend of McGregor’s.
"So, that’s how they met? At Oxford?"
"Yes, a few years ago it was much easier to attend prestigious universities. A lot of paranormals had wanted to graduate before the humans tightened their rules. McGregor and Nathaniel were the best in their year. They had money, power, and they often fed on humans. I kept away from gossip, but everyone wanted to hang out with them."
"He never mentioned he used to be best friends with McGregor," I said bitterly.
Elena smiled. "He wouldn’t have after what went on between them."
My chest tightened. "Which is?"
"They were both a year above me, but I'm only telling you what I heard from rumours. I don’t know if this is the truth. A girl caught McGregor’s eye; she was beautiful and intelligent, and he wanted her. Well, I heard that Nathaniel started dating her, snatching her out from under McGregor’s nose."
I stared blankly at my hands; my heart pounding. I felt sick, hearing the news about Nathaniel from someone else. "So, what happened after that?"
"They dated for a while and then McGregor vanished."
"Who was the girl?" I asked hoarsely. "A vampire?"
Elena pursed her lips and I waited.
"No, she was a human."
"He went out with a human girl?"
"Yes," she replied. "Are you sure you’re okay with me telling you this?"
"Yes, I need to know what I'm getting myself into," I said stiffly, feeling dizzy now that I knew why Nathaniel was so reluctant to explain his relationship with Caleb McGregor.
"They got engaged quickly after that; people kept saying McGregor was pissed off that Nathaniel took the only girl he’d apparently ever loved."
"No wonder McGregor wanted to ruin his business," I muttered.
"Everyone knew that La Caz would succeed. After he graduated he left the country with his fiancé, but when he came back, he was alone."
"So, after all these years, now McGregor finally found a way to get his revenge. He found out Nathaniel was dating me, and he wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine," I said, thinking aloud.
"Your theory fits, but bear in mind that this is just gossip. You need to ask him about it." I felt betrayed; Nathaniel had hidden this away from me. I knew he’d been engaged before, but I never asked him why he wasn't with that girl anymore.
"How is it possible that he was engaged to a human?" I asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
"I don’t think he ever followed the rules. He had a reputation in Oxford—he was handsome, arrogant and smart. He could have any girl he wanted, but he chose her. McGregor wanted to compete with him, but Nathaniel won."
"And you don’t know what happened to McGregor after he vanished?"
"No, but people kept seeing him hanging with the wrong crowd. He left the country as soon as La Caz got engaged to that girl."
We talked a few more minutes, mulling over possible reasons why Rufus was the target. After that she called me a taxi, I went home. My head was spinning, and I couldn’t quite comprehend why Nathaniel kept all this information about himself from me. He didn't even tell me that he’d gone to Oxford. I hated that I kept finding out things like that from other people. Pure rage rose within me. He was with me all afternoon; telling me how much he wanted to fix things between us, but deep down, I knew he wasn’t entirely honest with me.
Chapter 14
The bar talk.
I was glad I hadn't heard from Nathaniel after I left Elena’s house. I needed time to process what Elena had told me about his previous relationship with Caleb. The next day I was like a zombie, unable to concentrate on my work. I was asked to take care of the office in London while Rufus was absent. Nathaniel called just before I went to work, but I didn't answer—I didn't know what I was supposed to say to him. To take my mind off my problems with him, I called Ella. Her phone went straight to voicemail. Maybe it was too early to even consider trying to talk to her.
My mum asked me to come down for a dinner on Sunday, so I agreed just to keep her happy. In the afternoon, an email from Nathaniel popped into my inbox. He wanted to know if we were all right. I didn't reply; I was scared to listen to the voicemail messages he left me today; I needed to clear my head.
“What's up with you today?" Kate asked when Sara vanished to make us a cup of tea—her fourth attempt today. "You keep jumping in your chair like a dog with fleas."
I sighed. "I'm sorry; it’s Nathaniel—again."
Our short conversation was interrupted by the phone ringing; I gave Kate an apologetic smile and answered it.
“What's up, my dear friend? Fancy a drink tonight?" Kelsie asked before I had a chance to speak.
"No, thank you. I need to cut down on alcohol." I laughed. "By the way, how can you afford to go out all the time? I thought you were out of work?" I asked, whispering to Kate that Kel was on the phone.
"I'm not taking no for an answer. I thought that we could catch up. Besides, I never pay for my own drinks. Men are always there, right?"
"I guess so," I said, shaking my head. "I can go out but only for one drink."
"Great and could you bring your witchy friend? I like her."
"All right, text me where and we’ll be there after seven."
"Okay, bye, sweetie."
I knew that I really shouldn’t drink after what happened Saturday, but with the endless drama in my life I figured I might as well become an alcoholic.
"Kel wants us to go out with her for a drink today," I told Kate.
"Do you really want to get close to that shifter?" she asked, wrinkling her forehead.
"Well, she’s nice and she makes me laugh."
"She seemed a bit—"
"Crazy?"
Kate nodded.
"Yeah, I thought so, but hey, not everyone is normal. Besides, she asked for you. She said that she likes you."
"Really?" Kate asked, looking bewildered. "Shifters normally hang with packs. Don’t you think it’s a bit strange that she wants to hang out? You’ve only known her for what, about five minutes?"
"I don’t know. She seems genuine, despite her whacky character. I saved her butt in the alley so maybe she’s just grateful." I shrugged. Kate shuffled the bulk of papers on her desk.
"All right, why not? I'm working late shifts for the next week, so I won’t have a chance to go out then," she said. "Besides, that way I can keep an eye on the two of you."
I nodded, happy I could go out and take my mind off Nathaniel for at least a few hours. Lucinda called requesting a few more workers for a night shift as production was going full speed. Rufus, Nathaniel, and Ella were still important, but I didn't want to go crazy thinking about problems twenty-four seven.
By six o’clock I’d had enough of work and waited impatiently for Alexandra to arrive. Sara smashed our latest collection of mugs and was sulking in the corner. Kate and I were out of the office as soon as our other co-workers arrived. Kelsie had asked us to meet her outside the cinema. We spotted her straight away, wearing our killer heels. She wore a short denim skirt and a black top that revealed her impressive cleavage. The energy surrounding her was enigmatic and I was curious to get to know her a little better.
We didn't go to our local pub; instead Kelsie took us to some shabby dark club in Hackney. She assured us that all the paranormals hung out in Ghotic. Kate looked reluctant, but after a few minutes of convincing, she agreed to enter. The club was dark, filled with many leery-looking paranormals. People were squeezed together on dark leather sofas, drinking; a few others danced. Kelsie greeted a group of werewolves who were chatting by the entrance. I was surprised to see that Ghotic was quite busy since it was still early. We found a small table in the back, so we could keep an eye on the entrance.
"I'm going to get us drinks," Kel announced, looking excited.
<
br /> "Cosmopolitan for me, please," I said.
"Same for me," Kate agreed.
Kelsie didn't look overjoyed with our choices, but she went away to get what we requested. I put my phone on silent; I didn't want to be distracted by Nathaniel’s phone calls. Maybe I shouldn’t keep avoiding him, but I couldn’t help but felt cheated and betrayed. I knew it might be somewhat irrational, but I couldn’t stop the overwhelming emotions rolling through me after what happened last time. Five minutes later, Kelsie looked like she’d already forgotten about us. She was chatting away with a tall, handsome shifter standing by the bar. He seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere.
"So, tell me what’s going on between you and Mr. La Caz," Kate said, scanning the crowd. We didn't have a chance to finish our conversation from earlier on.
"It’s a long story." I sighed.
“We'll be here for a while, so you might as well start."
Kate was right: Kelsie looked like she wasn't planning to come back any time soon. Kate would understand more than Ella. Nicky was too busy with her own problems, and I couldn't keep calling her and boring her with my stories about Nathaniel. Within ten minutes I filled Kate in with the latest news. I told her about my quick catch up with Elena and the unexpected revelation about McGregor and Nathaniel.
“You're kidding me, right?" she asked, looking at me with an incredulous expression.
"Nope, according to Elena, Nathaniel and McGregor used to be best buddies," I said, dejected. "When I brought up the subject, Nathaniel didn't want to talk about it."
"No wonder McGregor is pissed off. I would be if my friend had stolen the guy I loved."
"Yeah, this is messed up," I admitted. "So, Elena is convinced that Rufus was blackmailed. She thinks that he didn't want to cooperate, so they decided to teach him a lesson.”
“Maybe she’s right. Rufus loved his job; he wasn't a snitch," Kate said.
"Ladies, we need to head to the bar. I met a cute paranormal and he has a few friends with him," Kelsie said, unexpectedly appearing in front of us. She placed our drinks on the table.
"You dragged us here, so we could talk. I'm not going to hang at the bar, so we can get laid. There is time a and place for that," Kate said, sipping her cocktail.
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