“Just hired muscle,” he repeated, staring at me. For a long moment I couldn’t tell if he was mad or just processing. I let him think it through while I finished eating and started putting away sandwich supplies. I got a Diet Coke and a regular Coke out of the fridge, went back to the counter, and set the regular soda in front of Eli.
“We’re going to come back to the part where you and Cruz keep putting your life in danger,” he said tightly. “But let me see if I’m getting this. A vampire and a boundary witch came to town to frame Molly. You killed and . . . body-snatched the witch, the vampire’s holed up somewhere making new baby vampires, and Molly’s still going on trial tomorrow night because you can’t actually prove any of this until the witch wakes up, assuming you can make her talk. Is that right?”
“Wow,” I said with genuine admiration. “You should be in charge of all my summarizing from now on. Seriously. Not even kidding.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but Jesse came back into the room, still shoving his cell phone in his pocket. “Good news, finally,” he declared. “I described the tattoo to my friend at the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Department. She thinks the guys we saw are with the Demon Kings.”
I had been taking a sip of my soda at that moment, and while I managed to not spit it out, the carbonation went up my nose, and a few minutes of hacking and coughing followed, while Eli thumped me on the back and I wiped tears from my eyes. The Demon Kings? Were they run by an eleven-year-old?
“Scary name,” I gasped when I could speak again.
Jesse didn’t look amused. Actually, neither did Eli. Tough room. “Jimmy—Jimena Valdez, she’s my contact at the Sheriff’s Department—said the Kings used to be really bad news. Drugs, weapons, street prostitution. The cops went after them hard, so about twenty years ago, the MC made some changes. Brothels and a little porn instead of street-level hookers, pot instead of heroin, no more guns.”
“I swear, that was a cable TV show,” Eli said wryly.
Jesse just nodded. “And a lot of the show was based on real MC culture. The Demon Kings aren’t the worst of MC culture, but they’re still a long way from the Shriners. As evidenced by the assholes we met today.”
“But it doesn’t sound like they’re big into freelance thuggery, and they’re sure as hell not Old World,” I pointed out. “Why would they be working for a vampire and a boundary witch?”
Jesse shook his head. “That I don’t know. But I might be able to find out. Jimmy says Santa Clarita has a confidential informant within the Kings, a low-level guy who the deputies busted for possession with intent. Jimmy called him, and he agreed to meet with me.” Jesse’s smile looked a little like a shark’s. “Or Jimmy convinced him to meet with me. I have to go alone, though.”
“No problem,” I said, checking the clock. “I need to leave for the first night of the Trials in a little bit anyway.”
“I thought they didn’t start until six?”
“They don’t. Kirsten wards the place to keep out humans, and I have to get inside before she can set the wards, so my nullness doesn’t punch a hole through them.”
Jesse nodded, then paused. “Where exactly does one assemble the supernatural forces of Los Angeles for a Trials slash party?”
I grinned at him. “You’ll like this. Dashiell rented out the Los Angeles Theatre.”
“Seriously?” Jesse asked, wide-eyed. Until a few years ago, the Los Angeles Theatre was just another one of Los Angeles’s abandoned movie palaces. Then it went through a major renovation to apply modern amenities to the original neoclassical style. The grand building was primarily used for movie productions now, but anyone could rent it out for the right (very steep) price.
Jesse’s parents and brother all worked in Hollywood, and he’d grown up with one foot in that world. “Now I kind of want to go,” he said, looking a little wistful.
“Excuse me,” Eli interrupted, and I realized that his face had clouded over. “Have you guys thought about what happens at sunset, when the vampire wakes up and his boundary witch doesn’t pick up the phone?”
“Uh . . .” Jesse and I glanced at each other. I didn’t want to actually say, “I have no idea,” but Eli could pretty much read it on my face. “He’s not going to know it was us,” I said lamely.
“Of course he will,” Eli retorted. “If they recruited human thugs and laid a trap at Frederic’s place, they had to suspect you guys were coming. Who else would visit a vampire during daylight hours?”
Jesse and I exchanged a look that pretty clearly communicated shit, he’s right.
“You think the vampire’s going to respond?” Jesse asked me.
I thought it over for a moment. “He—or she—kind of has to,” I said. “They’re stuck in LA for another two nights while those girls finish turning, and we took away the boundary witch. Katia’s a weapon, and we’ve got it. The vampire’s gotta do . . . something. I just don’t know what.”
“I really wish we knew this vamp’s name,” Jesse muttered.
“Wish granted,” I said solemnly. “From now on, I dub him Count Asshat. If it does turn out to be one of Molly’s sisters, we’ll change it to Countess.”
Jesse held up his hand for a high-five.
Eli glared between us. “This is not a joke,” he said, his voice a near-growl. “What if he comes after you? Everyone in town knows exactly where you’re going to be tonight.”
I shook my head. “True, but it’s also where Dashiell, Will, and Kirsten will be. And a hell of a protection ward. Without the boundary witch, this vampire doesn’t have a chance against all that.”
“What if he has the thugs?” Eli pointed out. “They might not be able to shoot all of us, but they could burn down the theater.”
“No,” I said, “Kirsten’s humans-go-away ward would account for that. Nobody human is going to get on the same block as us, trust me.”
Jesse’s eyes had lost focus, and I knew he was trying to figure out where Count Asshat could attack, same as me. “What about spouses?” he suggested. “Could the Count go after Kirsten’s husband, or Dashiell’s wife?”
“Beatrice?” I shook my head. “No. Kirsten’s house and Dashiell’s mansion have the best security wards in town. Anyway, Beatrice will be at the Theatre organizing the party planning, and Kirsten and Paul split up.”
“They did?” Jesse said with his brows raised. It doesn’t really matter how big a crisis is: gossip is always interesting. There was plenty more gossip about Kirsten, but Eli broke in before I could continue.
“How much does Frederic know about you?” he asked me, looking grave. “Anything he knows, he would tell this other vampire. Could they go after Jack and his family?”
Eli and my brother had actually developed a pretty good friendship, at least as much as a werewolf could be friendly with an unknowing human. He and I had even double-dated with Jack and his new wife, which was so normal it had put a weird taste in my mouth.
“I don’t think Frederic knows about them,” I said, sounding as uncertain as I felt. “But even if he does, Jack and Juliet took the kids to Oahu for their honeymoon, remember? They don’t get back until Monday.”
We kicked it around for a while longer, but none of us could figure out what Count Asshat was going to do next. He or she could try to get out of town, even with four baby vamps in tow, but boundary witches were valuable, and I doubted they would go without at least attempting to save Katia. It made me very nervous.
But not nearly as nervous as it made Eli. “That settles it,” he pronounced when we couldn’t come up with anything. “Until this is over, I go where you go.”
I reminded myself that he was just being protective because he loved me. Again. “We think this house is safe, but there’s still a chance that the Count could figure out where I live,” I pointed out. “And come looking for Katia.”
Eli saw where I was going with this and started shaking his head violently. “No. No. You are not sticking me with babysitting duty while you
run around risking your life.”
“Someone needs to stay here and watch her,” I argued. “Jesse has to talk to this MC guy. Kirsten, Dashiell, Will, and I all have to go to the Trials. You’re the only other person in the Old World I can fully trust.” I reached across the table to cover his hand with mine, but he jerked away like I’d burned him.
“Absolutely not,” Eli insisted. “I’m staying with you.”
“I’ll be perfectly safe at the Trials, Eli,” I argued. “Nobody’s gonna be able to touch me around all those people.”
Eli shook his head like a dog shaking off water. “Maybe that would be easier to believe,” he snapped, “if you weren’t coming home shot.” He pointed at my arm. “These assholes have guns, they’re not reliant on magic, and we know nothing about them. They might not be able to enter the theater building, but are you really going to tell me you’ve got everything under control?”
We’d graduated to yelling voices now, and I realized that Shadow was on her feet, her teeth bared silently in the direction of Eli. She wouldn’t normally attack without a command, but if he made a sudden move toward me all bets might be off.
Feeling the tension, Jesse looked at his watch, or pretended to. “I’m going to hit your bathroom,” he said. “And then I need to go meet this guy. I’ll leave your vest by the van, Scarlett.”
Neither Eli or I moved. When Jesse had retreated through the kitchen doorway, I spread my hands on the counter. “What else can I do, Eli?” I asked. “Do you have any better ideas?”
“Stop trying to save Molly,” he said immediately, and I realized I’d walked right into that one. Stupid, stupid Scarlett. “You’re the only person in this whole mess who’s trying to get her out of it. If you let it go—”
“Molly dies,” I interrupted.
“She did it, didn’t she?” he countered. “She admitted she killed those girls. She should be punished. And you don’t owe her anything. She’s barely spoken to you in years, over something that was never your fault.” For the first time, I realized that Molly keeping her distance from me had actually offended Eli, on my behalf. It might have been really sweet if he wasn’t being pigheaded and stupid.
“So because Molly hurt my feelings three years ago, the people who are actually responsible for killing eight girls and turning four against their will should just . . . go free?” I said hotly. “No fucking way.”
“Have you considered that pushing to save Molly could actually make things worse?”
“What?”
“Honey.” His voice gentled. “Look, at the end of the day, Molly killed a bunch of girls. She goes on trial, she’s sentenced to death, that’s clean. The system works. But if you wade into this mess and tell everyone that someone’s controlling vampires in LA and Dashiell can’t stop them, that causes chaos. At the exact time when we can’t afford it. And I don’t know about Kirsten, but Dashiell and Will know all this.”
“They said I could—”
“What? Look for clues?” he said, his tone derisive. “Dashiell has about as much faith in your crime-solving abilities as I have in Scooby-Doo’s. He might have moved Molly’s trial until tomorrow night, but think about what he didn’t do. He didn’t mobilize his security team to help you, or delay the Trials for a few nights, or even put the word out for vampires to be on their guard against this boundary witch. Because he expects you to fail.”
I sat there openmouthed, staring at him. But it wasn’t enough to stick the knife in. He had to twist it. “Scarlett,” Eli said in a pitying tone, “he sent you on a wild goose chase to keep you calm and well-behaved before the Trials. So you wouldn’t kick up a fuss.”
I scooted back in my chair abruptly, causing it to squeak on the linoleum. “I need some air,” I said through my teeth. “While I do that, how about you call your alpha and see where he wants you tonight?”
Without waiting for a response, I stalked out the back door, which I did not slam, because I am a motherfucking grownup.
Chapter 23
Jesse was out of the cottage and nearly to his car when he heard Eli’s voice behind him. “Hey, Wunderkind! Wait up!”
Jesse rolled his eyes and turned around to see the werewolf jogging—no, loping, he thought, that was definitely a man-shaped lope—toward him. Jesse waited next to the car until he caught up.
“I thought you and I had an understanding,” Eli practically growled.
Jesse was taken aback. “Is this like a ‘stay away from my girl’ speech? Because I promise you, the last thing I’m interested in right now—”
Eli batted a hand in front of his face. “That’s not what I mean. You’re no threat to our relationship.” Jesse found himself feeling weirdly insulted. “But I thought you and I were both committed to keeping her safe.”
Jesse shrugged. “I want her to be safe, yes. But she’s strong, man. She can handle this.”
“She thinks she can handle this,” Eli corrected. “But she’s never really been tested, and the people she’s up against—the people we’re all up against—they don’t play fair. They’re not going to be impressed by one knife trick, and Scarlett refuses to see that. I thought you would know better.”
Jesse leaned against his car for a moment, collecting his thoughts before he answered. “Three years ago, after she cured you,” he said finally, “and the nova wolf was running amok killing women, you were stuck on the sidelines.”
When Eli started to protest, Jesse raised his hands. “I know, you had no choice. I’m not blaming you. But because you were sidelined, you didn’t see how she conducted herself during the investigation, or how well she handled herself against physical threats, even when she needed a cane to walk. She did great, and from what I can see, she’s only gotten stronger since then.”
“You think I don’t know she’s strong?” Eli demanded. “Who do you think got to be her practice dummy when she was learning aikido throws? You see all those tiny scars on her fingers from the knives? I was the one putting on the Band-Aids. I know she’s strong. But I’m pretty sure a bunch of biker thugs are stronger. Plus they have guns, and they’re not exactly bound by strong ethics. Scarlett’s overconfident.”
Eli stepped forward. He’d already been fairly close, like two friends having a conversation, but now he was in Jesse’s personal space, trapping Jesse against his car. “And she cares about impressing you,” he said through bared teeth. “You’re egging her on, making her think she can play detective and walk away unscathed. It’s going to get her killed.”
Jesse found himself suddenly exhausted. He half-wanted to be mad, but Eli looked so upset and worried that Jesse just pitied the guy. He’d known plenty of cops’ spouses, and a lot of them were like this: half-blinded with terror whenever their husband or wife wasn’t right in front of them. They were the same spouses who would urge their cop partners to transfer to a safer district, to wear Kevlar all the time, to be more careful. What they really meant was be something else.
But although Jesse wasn’t upset, it was obvious that Eli was spoiling for a fight. His nostrils were flaring, and when Jesse took a quick glance down, he saw the man’s hands balled into fists. Werewolf, he reminded himself. Whoops. They had a hard time controlling their emotions, and Scarlett wasn’t here to negate the werewolf magic.
Jesse dropped his gaze and took a careful step sideways, sliding away. “I’m not your enemy, man,” he said to Eli. “And I’m not going to fight you. That won’t keep Scarlett safe.”
Eli’s body relaxed a little, and he shook his head with a sheepish look. “You’re right. I’m out of practice with keeping a lid on . . . things. Sorry.”
“No problem,” Jesse said, but he took another step for good measure.
Eli blew out a breath, pacing a few feet away and then turning back. “Look,” he said, “you’re a good guy. I’m just the overprotective boyfriend, but Scarlett trusts you and she cares about what you think. If you tell her to drop all this, she would listen to you.”
Jess
e laughed out loud, prompting a look of surprise on the werewolf’s face. “No, man,” he said. “She wouldn’t. And even if she did, I’m not going to tell her that. Like it or not, Molly needs her, and so do those missing girls.”
Now it was Eli who took a step back, looking surprised. “You’ve changed,” he said after a moment. “Three years ago—”
“A lot of things were different,” Jesse cut in. “I was her partner then, and yeah, I wanted something more. I would have done a lot to keep her safe. But now I’m her friend, and she needs someone to believe in her a lot more than she needs my protection.”
The anger returned to Eli’s expression. “Fine,” he said, his voice a half-snarl. “But if something happens to her . . . I’m going to remember this little talk. And we will have a very different conversation then.”
Something in his eyes, or maybe his tone, made Jesse’s stomach clench. He hadn’t spent much time around werewolves without Scarlett, and none at all for years now. He’d forgotten how unnerving it could be. There was something very primal about talking to someone who could literally rip you in half.
Eli spun around and began stalking back toward the house.
Jesse got into the car and locked the door. But he couldn’t help himself. He rolled down the window. “You see the irony here, right?” he called.
Eli paused. His shoulders were tensed, his fingers curled like claws. He turned around slowly, scowling.
“Three years ago, she picked you,” Jesse went on, not without sympathy, “because I wanted her to be something she wasn’t.”
Eli actually stumbled back, just a step, as though Jesse had shoved him. Before he could recover, Jesse jerked the gearshift and drove away.
Chapter 24
I had a practice area behind the house, with a big foam target I’d gotten from a sporting goods store and a small bucket of throwing knives. Shadow, who had followed me outside, recognized what we were doing and trotted over to her usual spot, a stone bench that was part of the landscaping. It was close enough for her to keep an eye on me, but far enough away that even when I’d first started out, I didn’t accidentally send a knife her way. She leapt gracefully onto the marble, turned around four times, and curled into a surprisingly small ball with her eyes on me.
Midnight Curse (Disrupted Magic Book 1) Page 16
