The Medusa Files, Case 2: Heart of Stone

by C. I. Black

  Gage shifted closer to Morgan to rinse out the carafe. Her nerves sizzled. God, when would Eoin’s charm wear off?

  “Let’s look at this logically.” She stared into her coffee afraid if she made eye contact with either man she’d lose her mind. “All we have right now is a box with your sister’s signature on it, and that Scarlet was in a relationship with your brother that ended two weeks ago. That isn’t enough to prove anything.”

  “It’s enough to draw suspicion,” Lachlin said. “This is a natural escalation of his M.O. He charms women senseless, has his way with them, and tosses them aside.”

  “Fae aren’t known for their monogamy,” Gage said. “In human terms, you’d be considered a player as well.”

  “Yes, but I play fair. Those women have no idea what they’re doing.”

  A shudder swept over Morgan and she took a long sip of coffee, clutching her mug, desperate to hide it. She was pretty sure Eoin’s women knew exactly what they were doing and wanted to keep doing it, over and over again.

  Another shudder threatened what little composure she had left. “Regardless, that’s not enough proof for a conviction. And he has an alibi for last night.”

  “He has to be lying. Usually his women just sulk off when he’s done with them, but Scarlet has more street experience than Eoin’s usual conquest. She could have come back, demanding a continuation of the relationship, or, more likely, money for the services he charmed out of her. Either one would piss him off.”

  “Enough to commit murder? Lachlin, he’s your brother and you’re jumping to conclusions.” She couldn’t believe he was so determined to arrest Eoin. Something really had to have gone wrong between them.

  “You don’t know him like I do.”

  “And we still have to follow the evidence,” Gage said. “Get Rika to see what she can find out on Scarlet and Eoin and anyone else who might be connected.”

  “Get Rika to what?” the tiny woman asked from the doorway. Today she wore platform boots the same bright purple as her spiked hair and she still didn’t top Lachlin’s shoulder. “Oh good, you’re making a fresh pot.”

  “Figured you’d appreciate it,” Gage said.

  “I’m sure you’d do anything for this goddess.” She flashed a quick smile, her teeth bright against her rich East Indian complexion. “Nick called. Said we have a case. So I started the paperwork to send to Detective Wright.”

  “You are a goddess, my dear,” Gage said.

  The heat within Morgan chilled. Gage wasn’t supposed to be flirting with Rika. He was supposed to be flirting with her. Morgan shoved that thought aside. Gage wasn’t supposed to be doing anything with her except telling her the truth.

  Lachlin snorted. “We don’t have a case. We have my brother at it again.”

  “Are you sure?” Rika’s eyes flashed purple and her ears elongated into delicate points. Her hair remained spiked and purple.

  “I am. Could you convince Mr. Timid over there of that.” Lachlin jerked his thumb at Gage.

  “We don’t have enough evidence to accuse the heir of the House of Fairy. Find me proof and I’ll happily arrest him.” A hint of darkness swirled around Gage. “Rika, run background on everyone involved, and Lachlin, examine that box. Morgan and I will officially take this case off Wright’s hands and check in with the Medical Examiner.”

  Lachlin straightened. “You’re benching me?”

  “You shouldn’t be involved in this case to begin with, but you’re the best at recognizing magical signatures.” The sense of dark power intensified.

  “And you don’t know my family.”

  “I know your family well enough.”

  “You only know what they want you to know. And you—” Lachlin glared at Morgan, sending heat surging through her. “You don’t stand a chance.”

  The darkness billowed and Gage’s power crackled around him. He drew in a quick breath and the darkness weakened. “If Eoin’s responsible, we’ll charge him. But I have no intention of accusing someone from so powerful a House without solid proof.”

  “You did before.”

  Gage twisted the ring on his index finger. “This is not up for debate. Work from the house, or don’t work at all. I can always call in Lee to examine the box.” The darkness returned and electricity snapped across Morgan’s skin. “Come on, Jacobs. We have a case to solve.”

  He dumped his coffee down the sink and shoved past Lachlin. Morgan took one last swig, poured out the rest, and rushed after him. Lachlin grabbed her arm as she passed, pulling her around to face him.

  “Don’t ever be alone with him.”

  Heat simmered up her arm from his touch. He was mesmerizing, beautiful. She needed to bask in his perfection.

  She ground her teeth against the urge. This was just his charm. She wasn’t attracted to him and she wasn’t attracted to Eoin. Not. One. Bit… really.

  Now all she had to do was convince her body of that.

  * * *

  The police services building was a new four-story structure on the east side of town, with the medical examiner’s office in the basement. Thankfully, Gage’s aggressive driving from the house to the police station helped dampen the residual effects of Eoin’s charm, and the desire burning through Morgan eased by the time he jerked the SUV to a stop in the parking lot.

  He cut the engine and a shiver of attraction at how close he was slid through her.

  Okay, most of the desire was gone. Not all. “So you want to tell me what the deal is with Lachlin and his brother?” Breaching the topic might make him more angry than his driving suggested, but knowledge kept people alive.

  “Think good twin, bad twin. And the bad twin always seems to get under Lachlin’s skin.”

  Morgan bit back a snort. “You’re telling me Lachlin’s the good twin? I’d say it’s more like evil twin and eviler twin. But save for Eoin’s morally devoid dating practices and Lachlin’s insistence, there’s no solid evidence Eoin gave Scarlet that box and murdered her.”

  “And even if he did, I doubt we’d find it,” Gage said. “Eoin’s too well-connected for that.”

  “And none of this explains why Lachlin hates his brother so much.”

  “It’s not my place to tell you.” Gage reached for the door handle.

  Morgan grabbed his shoulder. “You’re kidding, right? I don’t know Lachlin very well, but even I know he’s a mess. That mess could be dangerous.”

  Gage met her gaze, fearless of the danger. The dark, depthless pools of his eyes pulled her into their vortex like they always did, into him. She could drown in those eyes, forget everything that she was, lose herself. Was that a part of his charm?

  She didn’t know what kind of Kin he was. Sure, she hadn’t seen past his glamour—if he had any—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be Fae like Lachlin. It also didn’t mean he couldn’t be some other kind of Kin with the ability to charm someone. She really wanted to trust him—really wanted so much more from him and that was before Eoin turned on every sensual nerve she had—but there was no proof she could, not when she knew he was keeping secrets. Heat licked around her eyes.

  “That mess could be dangerous.” She forced her gaze away from his to the roof of the SUV, keeping him in her peripheral vision. “For you, me, him. Maybe a complete innocent.”

  Gage ran a hand over his short-cropped hair and leaned back in his seat. “Fae twins are exceptionally rare and identical in every respect save personality and magical ability.”

  “And by identical you mean—?”

  “In all ways recognizable by modern forensics. Eoin is also heir to the House of Fairy.”

  A chill settled in Morgan’s gut. Good twin, bad twin. “What did Eoin do?”

  “He broke Kin law, but because they couldn’t prove between Eoin and Lachlin, the High Council decided both should be punished. Their father wouldn’t stand for it.”

  “And let me guess, Lachlin was told to take one for the family.” Now all that anger made sense. She’d b
e furious, too, if she were forced to admit to a crime she hadn’t committed. “How serious was this?”

  “Serious enough. We all have things we don’t talk about.”

  That was an understatement. But would not knowing continue to put her in danger? At least someone wasn’t trying to kill her with this case. Charm her into sleeping with him, but not kill her. That was an improvement from seven days ago.

  “Let’s get this over with.” Gage got out of the SUV and headed to the front doors of the station.

  Morgan adjusted her sunglasses and followed. “You sure you’re calm enough to deal with Wright?”

  “It would be easier if Lachlin was here.” He offered her a hint of a wicked smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sure you can charm the good detective into handing the case over.”

  Given that the last time they’d met Detective Wright, he’d been investigating the destruction of her apartment and had been none too happy to see her with Gage, she doubted she’d be able to sweet-talk the detective into anything.

  Gage marched across the wide front steps, past flowerbeds with twists of early spring foliage poking through the mulch. Darkness and power radiated from him, growing with every step closer to the large glass double doors.

  Morgan rushed to reach the door first. “You know, turning it into a who’s-more-masculine contest won’t get Wright to comply and it’ll make it that much more difficult to sweet-talk him into anything.”

  The power around him rippled. “I would beg to differ on that one.”

  “And you wonder why he’s never warmed to you.” She opened the door before the officer sitting behind the reception desk thought anything was wrong.

  Inside, a perky blond woman in uniform shifted behind the reception desk and smiled at Gage. She gave Morgan a quick once-over and returned to Gage. “How can I help you?”

  Gage showed his identification. “Is Detective Wright upstairs?”

  The woman’s smile deepened. “Let me call up and see, Special Agent,” she said, a purr slipping into her voice.

  Oh boy. Morgan fought to not roll her eyes.

  The woman dialed an extension. “Yes, Detective Wright. Special Agent…” She smiled at Gage.

  He smiled back. “Gage.”

  “Special Agent Gage is here to see you.”

  Wright’s voice growled over the line. Morgan couldn’t make out the words, but his tone was clear: he wasn’t happy.

  The woman’s smile vanished and she hung up. “He’ll be right down.”

  “I bet he will be,” Morgan said, and they moved out of the way to wait near the elevators.

  Wright was down within minutes, stepping out of an elevator, scowling. He wore a grey suit that could have been the same grey suit she’d seen him in earlier that week and his face was flushed all the way to his bald spot. His gaze landed on Morgan and his scowl deepened.

  “Still interviewing for that job, Deputy Marshal?” he asked.

  “You could say that.” More like forced into a job she wasn’t sure she wanted, but since nothing had been made official with Gage and his team, she supposed ‘still interviewing’ for the job was appropriate.

  “So what do you want, Special Agent?”

  “Your murdered prostitute,” Gage said.

  “I assume you’ve sent over the appropriate paperwork?”

  “It’s on its way.” A hint of Gage’s power flickered around him. He shifted, crossed his arms, and the power disappeared.

  “I know it’s your case and you want to handle it,” Morgan said. Maybe if she kept things civil, expressed that they did recognize how Wright felt, he’d be more understanding.

  Wright matched Gage’s crossed arms. “But this falls into some secret special FBI investigation, so too bad, local detective.”

  “Yes,” Gage said.

  Wright glared at him. “This is just going to create more work for me, isn’t it? Like that mess at the old distillery earlier this week.”

  “I hope not.” Gage almost sounded apologetic.

  “Playing cowboy doesn’t just make messes, it gets good cops killed.” Wright glanced at Morgan. “You’ve been a marshal long enough to know that.”

  The energy around Gage billowed. “Checking up on the deputy marshal?”

  Wright straightened. “Yeah, I was.”

  Just great, so now Wright knew she was still on medical leave. She was going to have to make a decision about joining Gage’s team or returning to her job at the marshal’s office soon. It didn’t look good to be seen as psychologically imbalanced, even if she had a good excuse for her reaction. How was she to know monsters were real and she was one of them?

  “Listen, we’re taking the case and you’ll have the paperwork,” she said. That was just the way it was going to go. It seemed making friends, or even a tentative ally with Wright, was wishful thinking.

  “Fine. I know the drill.” Wright pushed the elevator’s call button. “When the paperwork gets approved, I’ll have the file and evidence couriered to your office.”

  “Thank you,” Gage said.

  “You can thank me by not killing anyone. We like to give bad guys trials and put them in jail, you know.”

  The elevator doors opened and Wright got in.

  “Well, that went well,” Gage said. “Come on, let’s talk to the medical examiner, confirm time of death, and see if Eoin’s alibi is solid.”

  “Are we hoping for Lachlin’s sake that it is or it isn’t?” Which would be better, knowing your brother was or wasn’t a murderer? And did that put more or less suspicion on his sister, Bearnas?

  CHAPTER 5

  They headed downstairs and had a quick visit with the medical examiner. He’d found skin under Scarlet’s nails and sent it to the lab, and aside from that, there was nothing new to report. Scarlet had indeed been stabbed through the heart with a blade fitting the description of the phantom sword, sometime between 9pm and midnight, and her body hadn’t been moved.

  Now their investigation waited on Wright to release the evidence he’d collected at the alley and from Scarlet’s house, or for Lachlin and Rika to find another lead.

  Gage parked in the multi-car garage at the side of the house. Two of the spots were still empty, missing the sedan that had been trashed and Gage’s Mustang, which was still in police evidence—Lachlin’s destroyed SUV had been replaced the day after saving Kate.

  “You should get something to eat,” Gage said, getting out of the car. “It could be a long night.”

  Was that an invitation? And did she really want one? “There are a few more things I want to get from my apartment.”

  He stared at her through the open SUV door as if he could read her thoughts.

  Would he reveal the truth about his intentions if he knew she didn’t trust him? Or did that put her in danger? He’d said there were Kin out there who wanted to use her. Other Kin wanted her dead just because she was a gorgon. She might not have proof there were those out there who wanted to use her, but she knew first-hand people wanted her dead. Where did he fall on the spectrum?

  “Jacobs.”

  Her heart skipped a beat and she struggled to keep it steady. She couldn’t show fear. She had no idea if she should even be afraid. That was the problem. She had no proof about anything. “What?”

  “Don’t scratch the paint.” He tossed her the keys. “You really should just give your notice and end your lease.”

  “I’m waiting for the month to end.” She climbed into the driver’s seat, closer to Gage.

  “The sooner you make the move here permanent, the safer it is for everyone.” His intoxicating scent wrapped around her. But was that just a manipulation as well?

  Heat welled around her eyes and she forced her gaze to the air beside his head. “The lease says two months and if I don’t give notice at the end of the month, I still pay for a full two months after that.”

  “That’s a crappy lease.”

  “Only if you’re not the landlord. Besi
des, I still need to figure out a storage situation for my stuff.”

  “You can keep your belongings here. There’s lots of room in the basement.”

  Ensuring everything she owned was under this roof. “That’s very generous.”

  “Why pay for storage when we’ve plenty of space?” He leaned back and tapped the roof of the SUV. “You should get going. I’m sure Rika will have worked her magic and found something by the time you get back.”

  It was likely the truth, but it still felt like a command.

  He strode to the door leading into the house exuding confidence, a hint of sex, and a flicker of darkness. His scent lingered in the SUV, caressing her senses. A shiver of desire that had nothing to do with the aftereffects of Eoin’s charm raced through her. In a way, Gage had more power over her than Lachlin did. But again, she had no idea if it was genuine attraction or some kind of Kin magic.

  She’d already done a generic online search for Alexander Gage and come up with nothing. She didn’t expect there to be much openly available on the web about an FBI agent, but she’d also done a search using her marshal’s access and found next to nothing. His file was confidential and she didn’t have the clearance to look at anything past his basic information—that he was in his mid-thirties and an FBI agent assigned to a Special Investigations task force. And she didn’t have clearance to find out anything more about the task force.

  All of which meant she needed to call in a few favors. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Kate’s number. Gage had said the Kin’s glamour wouldn’t let Kate remember exactly what had happened in the old distillery seven days ago, but Morgan was betting Kate still remembered being kidnapped and seeing Gage and Lachlin. And Kate had FBI connections, an ex-boyfriend to be exact, but they were still on talking terms—at least they had still been talking four months ago.

  “I’m not even a full day back from visiting my mother and you’re calling to check up on me already,” Kate said.

  “Hello to you, too. How are you feeling?”