by C. D. Hersh
Setting down her cup, she took a deep breath. “You’re right. I am hot. Angry, hate-filled hot. And it is about Lila.”
He took another sip of tea then lowered the cup, holding it in front of him. “I’m listening.”
“I just discovered I was going to be a grandmother.”
“What?” He jerked, the tea sloshing onto his shirt. He placed the cup on the table and patted the brown blotch with his napkin. “Lila ’twas expecting a wee bairn?”
“Apparently.”
“She dinna tell ye?”
“Shortly before she disappeared we had a falling out over a man she was dating. A shifter.”
“O’ which side?” Eli asked, his eyes narrowing.
She cast her gaze to the table. “Rogue,” she whispered.
The abrupt sound of chair legs scraping the kitchen floor caused her to cut her gaze to Eli. He stood towering over the table, eyes blazing, his beefy hands curled into fists at his side.
“I dinna know what’s wrong with this younger generation,” he said, his voice rumbling like a volcano about to explode. “Ye taught her better than that, dinna ye?”
“I did, Eli, but the heart wants what the heart wants.”
“’Tis the example ye set her, Delaney. First the lout o’ a mortal husband who fathered her, and now Harry Williams. Ye canna mix us with the other sort, mortal or rogue. Ye taught her, with yer own example, tae find the wrong men.”
“Harry’s not the wrong man. He’s good and strong and cares.”
“And hasnae given ye a firm promise tae protect us.”
“He needs time, Eli. He’ll come through and keep our secret. I know he will. But I’m not here to argue Harry’s worth or the worth of my ex. I’m here about Lila, and the man who killed her, who is quite possibly the man who fathered her child.” She waved him down to his seat.
Scooting the chair under his bulk, Eli said, “Have ye any proof?”
“Not yet, but I will soon, at least about the father of the child.”
He eyed her. “What are ye nae saying? Oot with it, lass.”
“I think I know who killed Lila.”
“By the Druid’s beard! Have ye told the police?”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” He lowered his chin and stared at her. “The captain warned ye aboot taking this on without him. Ye need tae share this with him.”
“I can’t, because the man I suspect is a shifter. One of ours, or at least he’s pretending to be. We have a traitor in our camp, Eli.”
“Who?”
“You’re not going to like this.”
“I havnae liked much o’ what I’ve seen or heard since I came tae this town: The Daughter o’ the Moonless Night roaming around as if she owned the land, rogue shifters crawling o’er the streets like maggots on trash, someone trying tae kill Alexi, and yer own dear daughter dead in another’s coffin. ’Tis as if the entire city has become the bitch o’ some rabid rogue wolf clan. I canna imagine what ye’ve got tae say that will be any more a surprise than what we’ve encountered sae far.”
She wrapped her hands around the cup again. The ceramic sides had gone chilly, like the frosty insides of her chest. One chance. One chance to convince him of Rhys’ guilt. Removing her hands, she briskly rubbed the palms on her legs. Even her pants were frigid. Crossing her arms in front of her, she tucked her hands against her sides and hunched her shoulders protectively.
“Go ahead, lass, tell me what it ’tis. Who do ye think killed Lila?”
“Rhys,” she whispered, not daring to meet Eli’s eyes.
“By the Druid’s beard! Have ye gone daft?” Eli’s voice dripped in disbelief.
Raising her gaze to meet his, she stated firmly, “Rhys. I suspect Rhys Temple of murdering my daughter.” She straightened, placing her palms on the table, fingers splayed.
“Ye canna mean that. He’s our Promised One. I know from my own dealings with the man, he’d nae be doing a thing like that.” He stood and leaned across the table toward her. “Where in the name o’ all that’s holy tae the forest did ye come up with such a crazy idea?”
“I found a picture of him and Lila in her apartment, and one day I came home unexpected and he was there.”
“Could it have been a rogue mimic shifter?”
“No. There was no indication he was shifted. Besides, he admitted to being there when we talked about it later. The doors were locked, although he swore he found them open.”
“Could ye have been mistaken?”
“No. I never leave without latching the handle and locking the deadbolt. He had to have used a key to get in, his own key from when he was with Lila.”
“Circumstantial. ’Twill be his word against yers that the door was unlocked.”
“I have his DNA. If it matches the baby’s you’ll have to believe I’m right.”
“Dinna mean he killed her. Merely that he bedded her. Besides, I know from talking tae Alexi, Rhys has been chasing her for nigh ontae six months. I canna believe he’d be cheating on her.”
“Who’s cheating on me?” Alexi asked from the kitchen doorway. Eli and Delaney’s heads swiveled toward Alexi. Two vertical furrows appeared between her eyebrows. She crossed her arms against her chest and glared at them. “And who’s having a baby?”
Chapter 36
Roc sat nursing his beer, back to the wall in Rogueman’s Bar, watching the blinking auras around him. All these shifters surrounding him, his subjects as his dad referred to them, and he felt alone.
He should be ecstatic. He was poised to be the leader of the rogue shifters, and eventually the world. He had a newfound brother who would be ruling with him, if he played things right. And, he was screwing one of the hottest, most powerful women he’d ever seen. A woman who could almost be his equal.
What wasn’t to love about his world?
Except Lila wasn’t in it.
If he’d only known the mind-shifting thing wasn’t a power play. But how could he? Dad had never told him. For no reason he’d killed the only woman who ever really loved him, and whom he loved. But wait, Lila wasn’t dead. He’d seen her with his brother.
He drained the last of the brew and signaled Johnny for another. He needed more to drink to clear his mind.
Johnny appeared at his elbow and sat another drink on the table. “Not that I’m counting, mind ya, but maybe ya should slow down a bit, or at least get something to eat.”
Roc chugged down the beer the redheaded server had brought then demanded another.
“I’ll be taking yer car keys, Mr. Decker, if I’m bringing any more to drink.” He held out his hand.
Roc’s fist struck the table. “Like hell, you will. Do you know who you’re serving?”
“Aye, I do. That’s the very reason I can’t give ya any more unless I know ya won’t be driving.” He leaned in closer and whispered, “Falhman would have my head if I let The Promised One get killed driving drunk, or arrested on a DUI. I’m kinda fond of my head.” Johnny waggled his fingers at Roc. “The keys, Mr. Decker. Please.”
Digging in his pants pocket, Roc swore and withdrew his car keys then dropped them in Johnny’s hand. Slapping the table he exclaimed, “That’ll cost you two more beers.”
“Yes, sir,” Johnny said as he cleared the empty beer mugs. “I’m bringing ya a burger. On the house.”
Slumping against the wall, Roc deliberated about how to approach Rhys over Lila, his no-longer dead, although Dad swore she was dead, fiancée. The mind-shifting memories replayed in his head, jumbled, no doubt from the excessive amount of alcohol he’d consumed. Lila’s and Sylvia’s faces kept floating in out as he replayed the love scenes between the two women, until he no longer knew who was who. Had he been in a rose petal-filled bed or
on the bathroom floor making love to Lila? He squeezed his head between his hands in an attempt to force the swirling, elusive memories into some sort of order.
“Need some ibuprofen?” a familiar voice asked.
“No thanks, Sylvia,” he answered.
Waving her hand in front of her, she said, “You smell like a brewery, Roc. How many have you had?”
“Not enough to drown my problems, apparently.”
“I’m going to assume you don’t mean me,” she said, sitting.
He scrubbed at his chin then raked his hands through his hair. “What do you want?”
“Oh my, but you look like your brother when you do that.” She motioned to Johnny and ordered a martini. “I’ve got some news.”
“Good or bad?”
“Good.” She slid a plastic vial across the table toward him.
Eyeing the vial, he asked. “What do you expect me to do?”
“Spit into it. I need your DNA.”
He slid the vial back. “Don’t think so.”
She dug in her cavernous handbag and removed a paper bag. “I’ve got Rhys’, and I need yours.”
“You don’t need my DNA. We’re brothers. I know it, and the birth certificates are proof enough for me.”
“But not for your father.”
He nearly shot out of his chair. “You found our dad?”
“I’m pretty sure I have, and he’s going to want DNA proof you are both his sons.”
“Rhys gave you his DNA?”
“Not exactly. I dug his coffee cup out of the trash. Owen’s going to run the tests for me.”
“Who is our father?”
“As soon as I know for sure, you’ll be the first to know. Well, maybe second. I think I should tell your father first.”
Roc’s hand shot out and grabbed hers, squeezing hard. “I’m the first one you’d better tell, Sylvia.”
Her face contorted in pain. “You’re hurting me, Roc.”
He squeezed harder, twisting her arm.
“Let go of me. Now!” Her mouth drew into a straight line, red-stained lips disappearing under her whitening skin.
He held on as she tried to wrest out of his grip. “Have you forgotten our deal? I’m risking everything so we can rule together. That means I know what you know as soon as you know it.”
“Okay, fine. Let go. Please.” He released her, and she rubbed the red line he’d put on her wrist.
“Good.” Taking the vial, he hawked into it and handed it back.
“You’re drunk,” she said as she slipped the vial into the paper bag.
“You betcha, and I get real mean when I’m this way. Don’t forget it.”
Pushing away from the table, she said as she rose, “Trust me. I won’t.” Then she spun on her heel and left the bar.
“Here’s your order,” Johnny said as he set the hamburger and beer down.
Roc stood to leave. The room spun, and he plopped onto the chair. “Get me some black coffee, Johnny. Lots of it.” He had to get sober so he could talk to Rhys.
Rhys’ cell phone rang as he drove onto the house driveway. He retrieved it from his pocket.
“It’s me, Roc,” the voice on the other end said. “We need to get together. Tonight.”
“I’m kind of busy,” Rhys answered as he shut off the truck engine.
“Too busy to find out what Sylvia’s planning?”
Don’t like the sound of that. “Since when did you become a snitch?”
“I’m not snitching. You’ll find out what she’s doing sooner or later. I thought you might prefer sooner. Consider it a measure of my trust in you. Meet me tonight at eight at Rogueman’s Bar.”
“If I say yes, how will we know each other?”
“Surprise me. I’m sure you have my aura memorized. I know I do yours.”
“Hardly comforting.”
“Wasn’t meant to be. Just a fact, bro.” When Rhys didn’t answer Roc continued, “You don’t have to worry. I won’t let my people bother you. You have my word.”
Did the word of the underworld Promised One mean squat? But if he didn’t show a little trust in Roc, how could he expect to draw him to the good side? “Okay. Eight it is.”
He glanced at his watch. He had two hours to figure out how to get past Alexi. Steaks, cheesecake, and a night without Eli in the house were on her agenda. She would not be happy about him bailing on her at the last minute.
Closing the front door behind him, he called out, “I’m home, hon.”
Alexi appeared in the kitchen doorway, her yellow rubber gloves on and a pink, soapy sponge clutched in her hand. Suds dripped on the floor.
“Are you cleaning?” He sniffed the air and the faint scent of ammonia filled his senses. Not a good sign. Alexi always scrubbed like mad when something was wrong.
“The kitchen is filthy,” she proclaimed.
Upon hearing her signature despair phrase, he dropped his hat on the front hall table and rushed to her side. “What is it? What’s happened?”
Wrapping her arms around him, she said, “I had a horrible talk with Eli and Delaney today. She tried to convince Eli you killed her daughter. She thinks you had an affair with Lila, got her pregnant, and killed her to hide the baby. Did you know Lila was pregnant?”
“I was there when they told Delaney. Why would she think it was me?”
“Something about DNA, and fingerprints, and a picture of you and Lila in some cozy pose.”
“The one Captain Williams told me about?”
“Captain Williams knows about you and Lila?” Alexi slapped him on the back with the wet sponge. “The jilted woman is always the last to know.” She broke contact with him, ran into the kitchen, and started scrubbing the counter.
He followed and stilled her frenetic hands. “There was no affair, and I am never going to jilt you.” He pried the sponge from her and led her to a kitchen chair. After sitting, he drew her onto his lap. “Tell me what happened. From the beginning.”
“She thinks you are a murderer. You should have seen her eyes, Rhys. They were black with hate and revenge. She’s bent on tracking down whoever is responsible for Lila’s death, and I don’t think she will stop until she’s killed them herself.”
“She said that in front of Eli?”
“No. I got the feeling from her when I went to visit her the morning after they found Lila.”
“What?” Rhys exclaimed, jerking in surprise. Alexi nearly tumbled off his lap with the motion and he grabbed her to keep her in place. “Are you nuts, woman? You are not supposed to leave this house. You know how dangerous it could be if someone saw you.”
“I was shifted. No one would know. Anyway, I tried to dissuade her, but she wasn’t having any of it.” She rose from his lap and stood over him. “She thinks you are the one, Rhys, and I believe you’re in real danger from her.”
“Eli won’t let her hurt me,” he said soothingly. “It’ll be okay.” He reached for her but she backed away, shaking her head.
“You didn’t see how convincing she was. She almost made me believe you had been with Lila. DNA is a powerful argument, and she said she had yours.”
“How? Did she grab some hairs from my brush? Steal a toothbrush?”
“She claimed they came from a beer bottle she caught you drinking in Lila’s apartment one afternoon when she came home unexpectedly from the precinct. What were you doing in her apartment?”
Rhys raked his hand through his hair. “I wasn’t in the apartment, but Roc was. She thinks it was me because I didn’t tell her otherwise.”
“We’ve got to tell her and Eli about Roc before she tries to kill you.”
“Not now. I’m getting closer to Roc. In fact, I’m supposed to meet him
tonight at Rogueman’s Bar. He’s going to spill some secret Sylvia’s working on. I’m close, Alexi. Real close, and I don’t want Delaney getting in the way by going after Roc.”
“What about you? I don’t want her killing you, either.”
