“Stay here and don’t make a sound.”
Kiernan shot her a wary glance. “What are you going to do?”
She gave him an impish smile. “Improvise.”
****
Kiernan watched as Tabitha ran her fingers through her hair. Leaving her position behind the dumpster, she walked toward the man. Her hips swayed side to side in a fashion that would make any man drool. He couldn’t believe it. She planned to flirt with the pudgy delivery guy. Just the thought of cold-as-ice Tabitha trying to flirt made him want to laugh out loud. As far as personal relationships went, the woman was a disaster. He’d only seen her be affectionate with one, maybe two people. Hell, he’d been flirting with her for years, and it only pissed her off. This promised to be hilarious. They probably wouldn’t get the information they needed, but no way would he stop this show.
He watched as Tabitha approached the man, map in hand. Where did she get a map? Tubby put down the box he held and stood, sucking in his gut. Yeah, that helped. Tabitha pointed to a spot on the map and waved her hand around in a lost gesture. The man smiled at her. He didn’t blame the guy; she was quite an attractive woman. The dockworker took the map and turned it, pointing to the same spot. She tilted her head back and laughed. Kiernan stood in his hiding spot, jaw dropping. He didn’t know Tabitha could laugh. And what a beautiful laugh, like the ringing of bells.
She put her hand on the man’s forearm, smiling at him. Damn, she was flirting and good at it, really good. Who would have guessed feisty Tabby Cat could flirt? He watched as the man smiled, putting his hand on her back and turning her toward the club when she asked a question.
Red haze clouded his vision. He almost surged out of his hiding spot to rip the bastard’s arm off, but he caught himself. She was gathering information. Who knew she would be so good at it? Swallowing the irrational spark of jealousy, he continued to watch as the man pointed things out about the building. She leaned against Tubby, and for a moment, Kiernan thought she might kiss him. If she did, human or no human, he might punch the guy. She whispered something in his ear. The man looked around nervously. Tabitha gave him another brilliant smile, placing a hand on his chest and whispering something else. Shit, he couldn’t take much more of this. When did he get so possessive of Tabitha? Oh that’s right, the moment he met her.
He almost lost it seeing her at her door this morning. Must have woken her straight from bed. She wore nothing but a thin white tank top and a pair of black boxer briefs, which rode low on her hips. He never thought of men’s underwear as sexy, but on Tabitha, it made him harder than any tiny lacy thong ever had. And her hair, her beautiful brown hair, always so perfect and contained, had been unrestricted by that accursed ponytail. It hung loose and tousled from sleep, down past her shoulders. The kind of hair a man loved to bury his face in during lovemaking. It framed her face like a halo, making her even more beautiful. She left it down at his request, which surprised the hell out of him.
Kiernan shook his head, forcing his concentration back to Tabitha and the fat idiot human. He had to keep his head in the game. Lives were at stake.
She laughed at something. The idiot puffed out his chest a bit more, worry replaced by the look of a man trying to work a woman into his bed. He uttered something back, and Kiernan cursed the city noise keeping his sensitive Daemon ears from hearing their conversation. Tabitha smiled once more giving the man a squeeze on his arm before turning and walking back toward him. She turned halfway and gave the man a little coy wave.
As she rounded the dumpster, he pulled her back into the hiding space. He tried hard to conceal his anger, but he couldn’t help the bite to his voice.
“Well?”
“I’d bet my life Stryden owns it.” Back to business, no sign of the flirt in sight.
“Nice performance back there. I didn’t know you could flirt.”
Warm brown eyes gave him a calculating look. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
She arched a brow.
Deciding to get back on topic—before he made a complete jackass of himself—he nodded toward the building. “So what’s the deal?”
She eyed him a moment longer before answering. “Not here.”
Reasonable request. They didn’t want to be caught so close to the club discussing Stryden. The Kako might actually show up, and then they’d be in a whole lot of trouble. He couldn’t wait to come face to face with the bastard, but he wanted to do so on his terms, knowing what he was going into. Stryden had already proven smarter than the average Kako. They had to plan this much more carefully.
“Coffee?” He indicated to the street with a sweeping gesture.
A smile turned up the corner of her tempting pink lips. “You read my mind.”
The tiny smile made his heart pulse faster. Man, the woman was a knockout when she smiled. He made himself a vow then and there to do everything in his power to make Tabitha Culver smile every day.
Chapter 9
They left their hiding place behind the dumpster and walked down the street to the nearest coffee shop. Lucky for them, the city bustled with people needing a caffeine fix. Coffee houses filled nearly every block. Some had two. Chains, locals, even carts alongside the street.
Tabitha led the way to her favorite locally-owned shop. The tiny coffee house served a small variety of coffee, teas, and pastries. She’d discovered it once after an all-night stakeout. The owner opened the shop half an hour early just for her. Ever since, she’d supported his business by coming in anytime she was in the area. He also let her hang flyers for the animal shelter where she volunteered. She loved the warm, cozy little coffee house like another home. One far superior to hers, since it smelled of coffee and a fresh cup waited.
The bells on the door chimed as they walked into the little store. Jay—the owner—stood at the front counter wiping out a coffee mug. He smiled when he saw her walk through the door. Small in stature, Jay stood five foot five at the most, his hair thinning on top, but the color still a vibrant red. His girth rounded, but not overweight, and his black-rimmed glasses constantly slipped down the bridge of his nose. He looked like he should own a computer store as opposed to a coffee house, but Jay told her once looks could be deceiving.
Didn’t she know it.
“Hi, Jay.”
“Hey there, Tabitha. How you doing, sweets?”
“I’ll do better once I have some caffeine in my system.”
Jay gave her a disbelieving look. “You haven’t had any coffee yet?”
“Hardly any. Just one cup.”
The small man laughed, the sound much deeper than one would think from such a small man. “Well, that’s just about nothing to your system. Sit down. I just got in a new blend. I’ll make you a fresh pot.”
“Thanks, Jay. You’re a lifesaver.”
She went to her favorite table, the one in the corner. There, she could sit with her back to the wall and watch everyone else. Kiernan followed, taking the chair across from her with his back toward the room.
“Come here a lot, do you?”
She shrugged. “Jay makes a good cup of coffee.”
“Ummm hmmmm,” he murmured, his gaze intently focused on her.
She shifted under his scrutiny. She did not enjoy this new partnership with Kiernan. He discovered far too much about her personal life. Not that she had much of a personal life, but what she did have she wanted to keep to herself. Letting people in only got her hurt. She had a feeling if she let Kiernan into her life, the inevitable pain had the potential to overwhelm her.
She was saved from his probing gaze when Jay arrived at their table holding a tray filled with a variety of delicious-looking pastries, cream, sugar, two mugs, and a fresh carafe of steaming, glorious coffee.
“Thanks, Jay. You’re the best.”
“I know, sweetie. That’s what I keep telling my wife.”
“How is Annemarie?”
“Doing just fine.
Can’t say the same for her fern though.”
She felt a grin curl her lips. “Killed another one?”
Jay’s wife, Annemarie, had a black thumb, but the woman refused to give up houseplants.
The coffee shop owner shook his head, his glasses slipping down his nose. Pushing them back up, he sighed. “I keep telling her the plastic ones look just as real, but she insists it’s something in the air killing the plants, not her gardening skills.” He smiled, love for his wife showing on every inch of his face. “I love the woman, but I’m glad I’m not a houseplant. She keeps trying, bless her heart.”
She gave him another smile, pouring cream and sugar into her steaming mug of coffee. What would it be like to have a man talk about her while looking so love struck? Ugh, what was with her lately? Mooning over romance was so not her thing. Jay’s gaze wandered over to the source of her recent hormonal upheaval. His eyebrows hitched up, and he indicated to Kiernan with his head.
“So, Tabby. Are you going to introduce me to your gentleman friend here?”
Kiernan sent a scowl her way. “How come he gets to call you Tabby and I don’t?”
She shot him a dark look. “He’s my friend. And besides he calls me Tabby, not Tabby Cat.”
“Ouch.” He pressed a hand against his chest. “After all these years, how can you say we’re not friends, Tabby Cat?”
An irritated growl rumbled deep in her throat. “Jay, this is Kiernan. He’s not a gentleman, and he’s certainly not my friend. He’s a coworker.”
The small man’s eyes brightened with amusement as he watched them volley insults at each other. “Oh, so you work at the shelter with Tabitha?”
Oh crap! Her breath hitched realizing what she’d just done. She forgot Jay was a part of her human life, the life that knew nothing of Daemons, Vampires, and other creatures of the night. The man simply thought she worked part-time at an animal shelter. She sent Kiernan a pleading look. He smiled that arrogant smirk he always reserved just for her.
“Yeah, I work at the animal shelter.”
A breath of relief eased out her lips. At least the smug jerk had the decency to lie.
“I love working with all those cute cuddly animals.” He sent a big grin her way. “Of course, I love working with my cute and cuddly coworker even more.”
He did not, however, know when to stop. Swiping out a foot, she kicked him under the table.
“Cuddly, huh?” Jay rubbed his hand over his face obviously to smother a grin.
Kiernan grimaced, rubbing the spot on his calf where she kicked him. Hopefully, it left a bruise.
“Did I say cuddly? I meant feisty.”
Jay laughed, glasses slipping down his nose again. He pushed them back up with a single finger. “It’s all this caffeine. I tell her we have some nice decaf brews, but does Tabby listen?”
Kiernan shook his head, affecting a very serious look along with Jay. Since when did the men in her life decide to gang up against her? Since when did she have men in her life?
“Can you two please stop talking about me as if I weren’t here?” She let out an exasperated sigh.
“Definitely feisty.” The small man agreed with a laugh.
She gave them both a fierce scowl while contemplating taking her coffee business elsewhere. Jay gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, easing her mood slightly.
“I’m just glad to see Tabby out with someone.” He gave her a stern look. “You are far too young to spend all of your time alone, young lady.”
“He’s just a coworker,” she groaned into her coffee.
“For now.”
Kiernan said it so softly she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. One glance at his smirk told her she had. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Jay chuckled, stepping away from the table.
“Oh Tabby, my girl. I do believe you have met your match.” He stuck out his hand toward Kiernan who took it and shook heartily. “Nice to meet you, Kiernan. You look after our girl now. And try not to work too hard.” He winked as he said the last part. She wished his glasses would break. How much could the old man wink if he couldn’t see? That would show him.
“Will do,” Kiernan replied with easy grace. Though to which question he answered, she had no idea.
As Jay left them to step behind the counter once more, Tabitha turned her gaze to her temporary partner. Smug bastard, but he had saved her butt with his lie.
“Thanks,” she mumbled regretfully. “For saying we work at the shelter together.”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth now, could I?” He took a sip of coffee and smiled. “Man, this stuff is good.”
She nodded in agreement. Jay always had the best coffee around. Lucky little worm too, because right now his fantastic coffee was the only thing keeping her from reaching across the counter and slapping him silly. Stupid men.
“So tell me what Mr. Tubby had to say.”
“Huh?” Her thoughts of the many ways to pay Jay back for his invasion of her private life interrupted by Kiernan’s question. It took her a moment to realize to whom he referred. Mr. Dockworker
“He seemed very…eager to talk to you.”
Was that jealousy she heard in his voice? Impossible. The man drew women like shoppers on Black Friday. Why would he care if she got male attention? Once again, the little voice in the back of her mind nagged her, saying her attraction to Kiernan was something deeper, something mutual. She told the voice to take a hike and take those lusty thoughts with it as well. Too bad it never listened.
“Stryden owns the club.”
More of a statement than a question.
“I believe so,” she replied. “From the description Hal told me, I believe he is the owner.”
“Hal?”
His tone implied he thought little of the dockworker. She ignored his criticism or jealousy or whatever and continued on.
“When I asked about the club, he said this guy who just moved here from out of state bought it. The description he gave of his boss matched Stryden’s. He also mentioned the boss’s special bodyguards.” She gave him a pointed look. “Two men and a woman who sometimes speak with a Cajun accent.”
Now they knew The Basement belonged to Stryden. They could take action. Her mind already formulated ideas and plans to get into the club and get the Kako leader alone.
“You’re working on a plan, aren’t you?” Kiernan asked, grinning.
Everyone loved working with the overachiever when plans had to be made. Story of her life. In school, she always had kids begging to be in her group because they knew she would do most, if not all, of the work, and they could sit back and enjoy the free ride to an A. It never bothered her. The work had to get done, and she trusted no one but herself to do it.
“We have to get to Stryden alone.”
She stirred her coffee absently, chewing on her bottom lip.
“We can’t decapitate him in front of a club full of humans.” She spoke softly, almost to herself, working the plan through her mind. “We need a way to lure him out of the club and into the alley, without his lackeys following him, or get to his lackeys first.”
“How the hell did the bastard manage to get other Kakos to follow him?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea, but I hope he doesn’t share it with anyone.”
The thought of more Kakos discovering how to dispel the madness and banding together made her stomach turn. If they kept the power human souls gave and disposed of the madness that made them self-destruct, there would be no help for mankind. A good Euadaemon Enforcer could take down one, maybe two, Kakos, but an army of them working together…there weren’t enough Enforcers to fight those odds.
“We could ask Racine to give us a few more hands.”
She shook her head at his suggestion. “We’re stretched thin already. Half the team is up in Washington dealing with that situation.”
An outbreak of Kakodaemons in the dense population of the Portland area required immediate atte
ntion, reports of dozens of Daemons suddenly turning Kako within a few weeks of each other. Things like that rarely happened. In the present light, it seemed highly suspicious. Kiernan gave her a look that said he agreed with her thoughts.
“Think there’s a connection?”
“Definitely.”
Time for more research, her favorite. They had to get into the club, a given. Not hard to do. They would have been there last night if not for the little police escapade. Hopefully, tonight would be less eventful.
“We need to go back to the club.”
He nodded his head in agreement. “But the plan has changed.”
He said it as more of a statement than a question, but she answered it anyway.
“Yes. We know where Stryden is now. We don’t have to ask around for him.”
His eyes narrowed in excitement. “So we’ve gone from informative search to recon.” He smiled devilishly, causing Tabitha’s heart rate to accelerate. Damn stupid thing.
His eyes focused once again on her, scrutinizing. He frowned. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She did not like that look.
“What?”
Long fingers scratched his chin. “We need to get you something to wear.”
She scowled, glancing down at her jeans and sweater. Sure, not prime club-hopping material, but they had hours until they had to be at the club. She did own other, more appropriate clothing at home. After all, she was a woman and however dedicated she was to killing the evil guys, she enjoyed getting all gussied up once in a while.
“I have clothes, you know.”
Stupidly tempting lips curved up. “Not the kind you need to get into The Basement. Did you see what those people wore last night?”
She had. The men looked typical in dark slacks with polo shirts or trendy button ups. The women ranged from the must-need little black dress to is-that-a-celebrity-or-a-street-walker outfit. Sometimes she wondered who decided what was considered “in” regarding woman’s fashion. And for that matter who decided thongs were so great? Every time she wore a thong, it felt like her butt ate her underwear. Guys may think they were sexy, but she sure as hell wasn’t suffering all day long for any man.
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