by AE Jones
“I almost forgot what it looks like when someone has had some good loving.”
“Sheila!” Alex hissed, grabbing her arm and yanking her into an empty office. “Not so loud.”
“So it is true!” She grinned wickedly. “Hot damn.”
Alex so needed to change the subject. “Why are you here?”
“I wanted to check on you. The last time we spoke, you weren’t getting along with Devin. Now you’re practically glowing.”
Heat rushed up Alex’s neck and onto her face. “I’m not glowing.”
“Sweetie, you’re a walking advertisement for the little blue pill. Not that Devin needs one. Fill me in. Did it happen last night or this morning?”
Alex rolled her eyes. “I’m not telling you a thing.”
Sheila stuck her lip out. “Give me something. I’ve been celibate for too long.”
“Fine. I was helping them with the case, and Devin and I got into a disagreement.”
Sheila snorted. “That’s nothing new.”
“Can I tell my story, please?”
“Sure. But skip to the good stuff.”
“Devin threw me in his car and drove me to the house they’re renting.”
Sheila smiled. “Then he jumped you?”
“No! We argued some more.”
Sheila put her hands on her hips. “You’re torturing me to death here.”
“He got really upset, and I tried to relax him.”
Sheila’s eyes popped wide open. “You made the first move?”
“Yeah. But he jumped right in. He’s an amazing lover.”
Sheila interrupted her, “I just want to make sure I got this right. You made the first move?”
Alarm bells went off in Alex’s head. “Why does it matter who started it?”
“Um, I guess it doesn’t. I was just curious.”
Alex narrowed her gaze on Sheila, who suddenly couldn’t look her in the eye. “Were you in on the bet with the guys?”
“Crap! How do you know about that?”
“I overheard them talking about it. Jack won the bet on the date and Charlie won about who would initiate it. I can’t believe you bet against me.”
Sheila pouted. “I’ve known you for years, honey, and you never make the first move. Actually you don’t make any moves. As for timing, I bet today. You couldn’t keep it in check for one more day?”
Alex laughed. “Sorry I couldn’t help you on that one.”
“Well, I’m happy for the two of you, but I hate to lose, especially to that slimy sea nymph.”
“Sheila!” Alex exclaimed. “Charlie’s not slimy.”
“Let’s agree to disagree about him,” Sheila answered, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Alex held up her hands. “I’m not giving you any more details.”
“That’s fine. I just want to know if it’s serious.”
She paused, at a loss for words, and stared at her best friend. She was still basking in the afterglow and hadn’t allowed herself to think too far into the future. There were so many things stacked against a long-term relationship. California vs DC. She was human, he was supernatural…and opinionated…and overprotective and… No, Alex hadn’t let herself think too much about it, but now that Sheila had asked, her insecurities surfaced and were very busy undermining her newfound confidence.
She had declared that fear would not rule her anymore, but was she ready to trust someone with her heart again?
* * *
Alex jerked awake when her phone rang. “Hello?”
“It’s me,” said Devin.
“Did you find Richards?” She sat up. “Gizmo said you were staking him out.”
“Yeah, but he’s dead.”
Alex sucked in a sharp breath. “Dead? What happened?”
“We staked out his place for hours. We had no idea we were watching a dead man.”
“Where are you now?”
“At the warehouse. We had to drop off the body.”
The room started to spin slightly, so she closed her eyes. “Why did you take the body?”
“We couldn’t leave him at his house…” Devin hesitated. “If the police or coroner saw it, they wouldn’t have been able to explain the bite marks.”
Alex covered her mouth. “He worked for the gang. Why would they kill him?”
“He probably outlived his usefulness. They wouldn’t want to deal with humans any longer than absolutely necessary.”
“I don’t understand. Why do they hate us so much?”
“Supernaturals are the minority, and have been persecuted by humans for centuries. It’s one of the excuses used to build hatred. Some supernaturals think humans are inferior and should be controlled.”
Alex shut her eyes. “You’re right, it doesn’t make sense.”
“No it doesn’t,” Devin said roughly.
He sounded so tired.
Well, she could fix that. “Why don’t you come to my place tonight?”
A few hours later, Alex burrowed further into Devin’s embrace. Her back was tight against his chest and his arms were wrapped around her. Her body was warm and pliable, every muscle having melted from their marathon lovemaking. Once he’d gotten to her apartment, they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Most of their clothes were out in the living room, because they hadn’t made it into the bedroom till quite a bit later.
Alex giggled. “I don’t think you made a good third impression on Cat.”
“We probably traumatized her in the living room, and then locking her out of the bedroom more than likely sent her over the edge. I half expect to find my clothes in tatters when we get out of bed.” He kissed the edge of her ear. “What’s with the stars?”
Alex gazed up at the ceiling. “They were here when I moved in. The landlord painted over them twice, but they keep coming back. I don’t mind them anymore. They remind me of camping as a kid.”
“You don’t strike me as the rugged outdoor type.”
“Little do you know. I was a huge tomboy growing up. All my friends were boys. Girls wanted to play with dolls and dress-up. Once they knew what my family did for a living, they wanted to play make-believe weddings. I didn’t want anything to do with it.”
Devin circled her belly button slowly with his thumb. “You were rebelling against your grandmother’s influence even then.”
Alex turned onto her back so she could look him in the face. “I never thought of it that way, but I guess you’re right.”
He smiled, his eyes dancing. “I wish I had a tape recorder, I would make you say that again.”
“Funny.” She thought some more about what Devin had said. “You know, I never saw myself as a rebel before, but when I was younger, I didn’t want to be part of the family business. Now I’m worried all my grandmother’s hard work will go to waste. Especially…”
“Especially what?”
She sighed. “Especially since I couldn’t help before. I couldn’t be at the weddings.”
“What do you mean?”
Her stomach twisted, but she plowed on anyway. “After Steve left me at the altar, I couldn’t go to weddings. Any weddings. I would break out in a sweat and have trouble breathing. I guess you could say I developed a wedding phobia. That’s part of the reason I’ve been seeing a psychiatrist.”
Devin pulled her tight against him. “I’m sorry you’re involved in all this.”
“It’s not your fault. We called you, remember? Besides, if this hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been able to get past my fears. I mean, being left at the altar is nothing compared to a bride turning into a seal or a best man being shot by an ape demon. My fears have been summarily dismissed.”
“Even so, I think you should walk away.”
Alex tensed. “No. This is about protecting my family and others from getting hurt. I’m not backing down.”
Devin’s hand ran along her stomach and started to roam. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Alex arched toward
him. “I’m not upset.”
“Good. Then let’s enjoy this starry night.”
Her breath hitched as his hand went lower. “Since when did you become a poet?”
“You bring it out in me.”
She smiled. “Now I wish I had a tape recorder.”
“No way. I don’t want the guys to hear stuff like that. I’d never live it down.”
She turned toward him and whispered in his ear, “I can still tell them.”
He growled before biting her bottom lip softly. “I plan to keep you too busy to blab. You won’t be able to talk for some time.”
Alex laid her hand on his stubbly cheek. “That’s a bit cocky. You want to wager on it?”
His green eyes bored into hers. “I would say more confident than cocky. If I win, you owe me another Mexican dinner.”
His hands started exploring again. He was right. Within seconds, Alex lost the ability to say anything intelligible, but this time she didn’t mind losing the bet.
Lorinda’s Wedding Tip: Encourage the groom to trust the bride’s decision-making ability. Otherwise he will drown in wedding minutia.
Chapter 32
She was asking for trouble. Could feel it in her bones before she said the words that needed to be said. But she had to say them.
“I need to spend more time with the simian.”
Devin’s jaw clenched and his face flushed. Yep, trouble.
“You said you were wrong about meeting with him.”
“No, I said I was wrong to do it behind your back. I don’t think meeting with him was wrong. I was able to extract information from him when no one else could.”
“It didn’t help. He was already dead.”
She could feel heat rush to her own face. “Maybe if you had let me talk to him earlier, you would have found Richards before he was killed.”
Charlie walked into the living room, interrupting them. “Wow, you two amaze me.”
Devin turned his scowl toward Charlie. “If you’ve been watching us on that damn monitor…”
Charlie shook his head. “We don’t need to. We can hear the two of you through the wall. Let her talk to the simian again. We need her help.”
Alex jumped in before Devin could protest. “He won’t hurt me. You’ll be right outside. I don’t know why you’re so upset about this.”
“He calls you pet! He looks at you like you’re his own personal treat.”
She was touched by his overprotectiveness. “Don’t you see? I can use that to our advantage. We need to stop them from killing again.”
Devin closed his eyes, and Alex held her breath. When he finally opened them, a look of resolve settled over his face. “Fine. Let’s stop these bastards.”
* * *
Devin gripped the back of Gizmo’s chair while he leaned forward to watch Alex on the computer monitor. Charlie and Gizmo sat in front of the computers as well while Jack and Connor stood by the door Alex had just entered. They would be in there in seconds if need be.
Alex entered carrying a Styrofoam plate of food. The simian turned, eyes widening.
“I didn’t think I would see you again, pet.”
She set the plate down on the table, staying just out of his reach. “They’ve been watching me closely, so I haven’t been able to risk it.”
The simian’s eyes roamed her body and Devin ground his teeth.
“Did you get in trouble for seeing me?”
She shrugged and made a point of not looking the simian directly in the eye. She really was a natural at this. Without saying a word, she had effectively conveyed that she had been punished. She would let the simian fill in the blanks. His imagination would be far worse than anything she could fashion.
“Did you make that for me?”
“Yes. I wanted to make sure you were getting enough to eat.”
“Thank you.”
She pushed the plate forward and stood too close to him for Devin’s comfort. Luckily, she backed away before Devin listened to the voice in his head shouting to bust down the door and drag her out of there.
“I need to ask you something.” She hesitated, running her fingers along the table top. “Were you serious about taking me with you if you escape?”
He leaned forward, the chains rattling, a gleam in his beady eyes. “Yes.”
“What about your friends? They won’t like me because I’m human.”
“I would protect you.”
She smiled at the demon and every muscle in Devin’s body locked.
“Where would we go?”
“There’s a safe house we use.”
Devin held his breath. Don’t ask him for the address, he might get suspicious.
She nodded. “What if I could get word to someone for you?”
The simian paused for several, drawn out moments.
Come on, tell us something!
“I thought you said they were watching you?”
“They are, but not every second. Is there someone I can call for you? Let them know what’s happened. Maybe they could help us.”
He shook his head and before he could respond, she continued in a breathy whisper. “Wouldn’t your friends come and help you?”
“Call the Crow’s Nest Bar and ask for Stan. Tell him what’s happened and where we are.”
“Okay.” She turned toward the door and Devin let out the breath he’d been holding.
“Wait!” the simian blurted.
She turned back slowly as Devin swore. They weren’t out of the woods yet.
“I’m still going to need your help getting loose.”
“How can I help with that?” Alex asked.
“Have you been making my food?”
“Yes.”
“If you could get the keys, you could hide them in my food.”
Alex bit a fingernail before responding. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Charlie leaned back in his chair and smiled. “She’s good.”
Devin agreed, but unfortunately that didn’t make him feel any better.
* * *
They were barely going to make it.
While they sat at the stoplight, Sheila worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
The light turned green and the cars in front of them began to move while Alex glanced at the clock on her dashboard. “Devin wants me to call the bar at nine sharp—which is fifteen minutes from now—and ask for Stan. The team should be in position then. They’re hoping he will either call someone or, better yet, go see someone. Then they’ll follow him.”
“Devin wants you to call from a position far away from the bar, not go to it.”
Alex weaved in and out of traffic. “We’re not going in. We’re just going to observe from outside.”
“Devin’s not going to be happy.”
Since when had Sheila joined Team Devin? “Believe it or not, my actions do not revolve around making Devin happy.”
Sheila huffed and stared out the window. “Yeah, more like making him crazy,” she mumbled.
“I heard that.”
* * *
Devin nursed his drink. He’d been sitting at the bar for twenty minutes, getting a feel for the surroundings and the people. The place was just north of a dive. The clientele was a mix of rough-looking humans and supernaturals. It was busy, and multiple bartenders worked the bar, making it hard to identify Stan without drawing attention to himself by asking.
Charlie perched at the other end of the bar and Connor was sitting near the pool tables. Gizmo was out in the van, having tapped into the restaurant phone so he could hear Alex’s conversation.
The phone rang behind the bar, and Devin glanced at his watch. Nine sharp. Alex was following the plan. A young guy with tats and multiple piercings answered it. After a second, he turned and hollered. “Stan, you got a call.”
Devin glanced nonchalantly down the bar. A huge bear of a man turned at the sound of his name and lumbered toward the phone. Why did
the bad guys always have to be so big?
He tried not to stare while Stan talked on the phone. Hopefully Alex was following the script. He’d told her exactly what to say. They even rehearsed the call. She was supposed to tell him about the simian, but up the ante by telling Stan he was close to breaking under interrogation. A stretch of the truth, but it would hopefully speed things up.
Devin had to grudgingly admit Alex had been invaluable on this case. If not for her, they wouldn’t have gotten their two leads. They had been too late with Richards, so hopefully this one would pay off.
A couple minutes later, Stan hung up the phone, scowled for a moment, and then picked it up again. He dialed a number and turned his back to the crowd. If Gizmo’s techno gadgets worked, they could tape this call as well as trace it.
Stan slammed the phone down and called out to the man with the tats.
“I’m taking my lunch break.”
“Jesus, Stan. You just got here.”
“So fire me,” he growled.
The young guy held up his hands and backed off. Stan headed down the hall leading to the bathrooms and the alley door. Devin threw money on the bar and followed him.
For a big man, Stan moved pretty fast. When he saw Devin pass the bathroom and continue toward him, he slammed open the back door and hurried outside. Charlie came jogging up behind Devin, and they both followed Stan.
Stan hurried over to a group of men shooting craps at the mouth of the alley. He didn’t say a word, but stood over them for a second. As if answering a silent call, the men stood up simultaneously, turning toward Devin and Charlie.
Devin held up his hands, palm out. “We’re not looking for any trouble, guys.”
The men advanced on them slowly with curiously blank expressions.
Charlie murmured, “Do you see that? Do you think he’s a telepath?”
Devin nodded. “If he is, then these humans aren’t in control. We need to subdue, not kill.”
“Right. If that’s the case, we could use Connor back here with us.” Charlie put his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle.
Devin grimaced. “Connor’s going to kick your ass later for whistling for him like a dog.”
Charlie shrugged. “He can stand in line.”
