by Unknown
“I like her.”
That shocked him. He wasn’t expecting that from her after the conversation that they were having.
“I have to say that Jolie goes against everything I know to be true.”
“I completely understand. She once found out I liked Van Gogh’s paintings because my mom used to have the prints in our home when I was a boy. Without a second thought, she gave me one of her own as a gift.”
Mambo lifted a brow.
“Yes, just because I liked it, she gave me it. There were no strings attached to a million dollar painting.” He pointed to the painting over the fireplace which reminded him of his mother every day.
Mambo sighed as she ate more of her breakfast. “I trust her. I don’t know why, but she feels good inside, despite what lives there. I rely on my feelings a great deal.”
Brogan sipped the rest of his coffee. “I used to only rely on my gut instinct. I learned to rely on my heart when it came to them.”
“You do love them both, don’t you?”
“I could leave anytime, and they wouldn’t stop me, but I can’t see myself surviving without them. They’re part of me in here,” he offered, touching his chest. “So, yes, I love them both.”
She looked torn.
Brogan poured them both more coffee and sat back to enjoy it. “You know, some people might ask you how you do what you do.”
She laughed. “Was that to put me in my place, Detective?”
“No, just making a point,” he replied, giving her that boyish grin. “You sacrifice chickens and such to your gods and spirits. They take nothing that isn’t freely given. They only take each other’s blood and energy from a willing donor.”
“Point made, Detective.” She steepled her fingers, “I already told you that I like her, but I have one last question. Is it hard to share her with him?” she asked, pointing at Jacques.
“A first, I admit, it was scary. Now, it’s not. It just is what it is-two men loving her with all they have.”
“Thank you, Detective, for being honest with me,” Mambo added, sharing her toothy grin.
Brogan nodded. Suddenly he paused, his cup halfway to his mouth. When the door to their room opened, he relaxed.
Chloe stepped in and walked to them. “Detective, Louisa’s body has arrived along with the men Jacques has hired. They need a signature and to know where the special grave will be located.”
“I’m on my way down,” he said, knowing they had a long, sweaty day ahead of them, but Jolie was absolutely worth every second of it. He stood and addressed Mambo, “Feel free to stay with Chloe and finish your breakfast.”
“Thank you, I think I will. I feel oddly at peace in here.”
Brogan headed into the closet for a pair of boots, and another gun. If he was going to leave Mambo in there, he wanted to make sure Chloe could defend his mates.
Just in case.
“I want you to shoot anyone, except me, who comes through that door. The traitor might try and kill them during the daylight, so I’m giving you permission to shoot first and question the rest later.”
“Absolutely, Master, I will.”
He corrected her. “Flynn, plain old Flynn, will do.”
From the look on Chloe’s face, Brogan didn't think he’d be winning this battle anytime soon.
“Mambo, see you later,” he added, grabbing his gun from the floor beside the bed. Slipping it into the back of his pants, he leaned down to kiss Jolie delicately on the lips. As if to make a point, he touched his friend on the shoulder, joining them again in symbolic unity.
“Mambo, once you leave the room, stay away from the door. I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt. I know Jolie likes you, and she’ll be pissed if Chloe shoots you.”
“How do you know she is that fond of me, and this all isn’t simple obligation, Detective?”
He didn't need to think twice on that one. “Jolie really hates snakes, and she let you come here and bring yours. I’ll see you at lunch. Oh, and Chloe, I’ll be in the back of the house. The safety is off, so shoot to kill.”
“Yes, Detective,” she replied, knowing she could defend them without the gun if need be.
Chloe didn't need a weapon.
She had secrets that were deadly.
∞ ∞ ∞
Sunday Afternoon
It took the crew they had hired almost three hours to get the special concrete vault lowered into the ground. No one was buried below the earth in New Orleans, but Jacques was insistent on keeping the body’s location a secret from Genevieve. It had cost plenty of money and no one working that day complained.
Money talked, and the Harcourte coffers flowed plentifully when need be.
The burial spot wasn’t where a truck could get to it, so the men had to use their backs and carry the concrete there in pieces, and then reconstruct it. When that was done, Louisa’s decaying remains had been transported to the vault.
That part seemed to freak the workers out the most. It was rare that people were comfortable with death, and this was no different. The looks on the men’s faces told the tale. They thought it was just plain weird to be carrying a coffin through the trees to a secret location.
In his unbonded days, he’d think it was bizarre too.
Before transport to New Orleans, Jacques had Louisa’s remains moved into a new casket when it was exhumed. Two months in the ground still wasn’t pretty on the body. Plus, they needed to have an undertaker confirm that Genevieve hadn’t desecrated the body further.
A missing finger was one thing, but she was sick enough to send a head or other part. She was all about maximum impact.
Once they knew Louisa was intact, they had the hair and finger cremated and placed in a little box. Yes, it would have been easier to place her pieces back in the casket, but this was about healing Jolie’s heart.
They had a plan and were sticking with it.
Brogan followed Jacques’s vision to the letter. Even though the workers thought they were insane, and didn't like being told to be careful with the surrounding area, they still got it done. The garden wasn’t disturbed and most of the flora and fauna were left undamaged.
After supervising the lowering of the casket, Brogan had the landscapers come in to hide the evidence of what had happened in the clearing. New sod was unrolled, leaving only remnants of dirt lying beside the grave. Next, they planted flowers and installed the statue of a Greek goddess carrying a water urn. It had replaced the angel back in Philadelphia. With the flowers surrounding the statue and the white bench, which was also brought in, it looked more like a secret garden than someone’s final resting place.
Brogan left the men to finish up and headed into the house for lunch and some cold sweet tea. As he walked into the Solarium, he was met by Mina, and it was obvious that she was looking for him.
“What’s up?” he inquired.
“Detective, your partner is here. She’s insistent on seeing you. We know you didn't want her here, but she’s making a scene out front.”
He sighed.
“I’m sorry,” she offered, helplessly.
Brogan was still irritated with his partner, but he needed to just get it over with and see what she wanted. “Bring her back here. I need to get out of the sun for a while anyway.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you, Master,” she offered, hustling away.
“Flynn!” he shouted after her.
Once more, he was ignored.
Taking a seat, he enjoyed the cool air circulating around him. For now, he needed to relax and let go of the anger still brewing in his gut. After Lily tormenting him at the ball, he didn't really want to deal with her, but this was his mess to clean up.
Thankfully, Jolie was still with death, or Lily would have one hell of a problem on her hands. Then again, he wouldn’t mind seeing his girl slapping some common sense into his partner.
That visual made him smile.
When the footsteps began heading his way, he calmly opened his eyes
and waited for them to enter the solarium.
“Here he is,” stated Mina. “I told you nothing nefarious happened to him.”
Brogan lifted a brow in amusement.
When Lily saw him, she relaxed. “Wow, this is some house, Flynn,” she said, heading toward him. “I know I saw the kitchen before, but it seems to go on and on.”
He pointed to a chair across from him. “Yeah, I guess. To us, it’s just home.”
“Your mistress is an ancient, and they live differently than the younger vampyres,” she clarified. Deep down, she was sorry that she hurt his feelings, but wasn’t sure how to go about telling him that. Coming there was meant to be an olive branch.
Well, and an interview.
“Since I don’t know many vampyres personally, I’ll take your word for it,” he stated. “So, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to tell you I was sorry for busting your ass at the ball. I didn't think you’d get that upset. If I hurt you, then I owe you an apology.”
Brogan nodded. “I’m okay. This is all new to me, so I’m a little off balance yet.”
They both glanced over as heels came clicking down the hall. In entered Mina, carrying a tray with refreshments for him and his guest.
“I’m sorry this took so long, Master. I’m sure you’re overheated,” she offered, handing him a tall, icy glass of sweet tea.
He shook his head, giving up.
The woman offered some to his company before placing a plate of brownies on the table between them. “Mistress Jolie told us to bake you something sweet,” she offered, when he stared at them.
Oh, he liked sweet alright, but she was at that top of his list.
“Mina?” he called, as she began walking away.
“Yes, Detective?”
“Before the landscaper leaves, can you order three dozen white roses to be delivered as soon as possible? I think his wife owns a florist.”
“I absolutely will, Detective.” She smiled before continuing, “Jolie will like that very much.”
He turned his focus toward his partner, and she had an odd look on her face. “What else do you need, Lily? I know you well enough to figure out that you’re not here to drink tea, tell me you’re sorry, and have idle chitchat.”
It gushed from her. “There was another child found yesterday.”
“Okay,” he said, waiting to see what she expected of him. Reaching down, he grabbed a brownie and was giddy that it was still warm.
It was the little things in life.
“I don’t know what you want from me,” he stated. “I’m on leave for the next few days.”
She was frustrated with it all. It started with him being called ‘master’, and ran the gambit of the tea, servants, and warm brownies. “Well, aren’t you the freaking man of the manor?” she snapped, her temper spiking. “You sit here, acting like royalty, and it’s a little bit irritating. No, it’s a lot irritating. Someone is still killing kids. How the hell did you turn off all your concern for that?”
He stared at her. She didn't know him at all. It still bothered the hell out of him, but what was he supposed to do? They were working on the case, just under the radar.
“If you drove all the way over here to tell me that, I could have saved you the trip.”
“Is there anything not in the files about the killings? Maybe you withheld something or only had a thought? I’m at a loss here, and my partner bailed on me to play ‘King Flynn’.”
He wasn’t going to let her get a rise out of him. “No,” he said, taking the last bite of brownie. “Everything I had, you now have. I don’t hide shit from my partner when I do my job.”
Yeah, she didn't know him at all.
“Come on, Flynn! I need to find out who is doing this!” She paused as Mina returned with the men who worked on Jolie’s surprise.
“They need your credit card, Detective.”
Well, thankfully she didn't call him ‘master’ at that moment. It would have been…awkward.
Brogan pulled out his black credit card, the limitless one that Jolie and Jacques had given him, and handed it to the man. “Thank you for doing this today. It looks great. She’s going to love it.”
When the man saw the illusive black card, he grinned before sliding it through the reader. Handing it back, he offered him a pen. “Thank you, sir. The total was fifty seven thousand, two hundred and twelve dollars.”
Brogan nodded and signed the slip. He took his copy and slid it into his pocket. “Thanks again.”
“If you need anything else, just give us a call,” he added, checking out the fat tip that the man had included.
Brogan returned to his seat. It wasn’t lost on him that Lily was staring at him. He would have preferred to handle that in private, keeping their business out of the vampyre fodder, but he didn't have a choice.
“You just paid almost sixty thousand dollars for something for your mistress?” she asked, looking shocked and horrified.
“Yes, we had a garden installed for Jolie, and she isn’t just my mistress. I hate when you say that to me.”
“A garden? That is a bit much for a garden.”
“Not really, Lily. Jacques and I think it is well worth it as long as it makes her happy. I don’t know how the younger vamps roll, but we treat our woman really well.” It was a cheap shot at Lily, and he knew it. Maybe he sunk to her level, or possibly he wanted retribution for her overall shittiness.
Either way, it felt good.
“She must really be good in bed.” The minute Lily said it, she knew a line had been crossed.
Brogan slammed down his glass and ominously leaned forward. “What’s your problem, Lily? Is it that she’s an ancient and powerful, or that we have money?” he demanded, ready to lose his temper.
“Neither.”
“Then, what the hell is wrong? Because you have done nothing but make comments about her and me since you met her. It certainly can’t be that you hate vampyres. You’re mated to one.”
“I just don’t trust her.”
“Well, then you should go,” he said, fighting to get back in control. He wasn’t going to tolerate this nonsense anymore. Standing, he headed toward the doorway, signally their conversation was as good as dead.
“Flynn!” she called, following him.
“No! This is our home, and I’ll be damned if you’ll come here and talk shit about the woman I love. I don’t come to your home and tell you the man you’re mated to comes across as a lecherous asshole, who has a superiority complex, do I? I don’t expect you to come into mine and make innuendos and insinuations about the vampyres who I’m mated to either!”
“Wait, I’m sorry! I didn't come here with the intention to pick on her. She just really makes me nervous.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Can I say something to you as a detective and not as the mate to a vampyre?”
He stared down at his arm, getting angry, but willing to hear her out.
“Fine.”
“I think that vampyres are responsible for the slayings,” she admitted quietly. Lily watched his face, trying to read him, but he was completely blank. She wasn’t sure if that was the detective or vampyre influence.
“Go on,” he said, leaning against the wall of their foyer.
“I did some research, and I found out from some of our society about the Dubois vampyres and the legend behind it.”
Brogan played dumb, managing to hold it together even as his heart raced. That was the track they were following. This had just gotten trickier. “And?”
Lily began, “They were a powerful society that was using Voodoo to drain souls to be powerful.”
“I see.”
“Don’t get mad, but try to see it from my perspective.”
He didn’t like where this was heading. In fact, he knew exactly what she was building up to, and Flynn prayed she had the common sense to not go there.
“Your mistress comes to town and these kids start dying. It just so happens that she�
�s pretty damn powerful.”
Yep, Lily had no damn common sense whatsoever.
The fury rose in him as her words soaked in. “Get the hell out of our house!” he exploded. This was officially the last straw.
Lily jumped at his tone.
“You come to our home and accuse us of participating in the slayings of children? Are you insane? These are the same children I had to stand over and look at in their pajamas!” His voice rose an octave higher as the anger beat at him. “That is the most asinine thing I have ever heard. Just get out of here.”
“I’m just…”
“Get out! When you have evidence that it’s my family, then come back. Until then, I don’t ever want to see you again. Don’t come near me or my family. I won’t sit idly by while you slander the people I love in your proof less witch hunt!”
“Flynn, I’m just trying to point out a correlation.”
“OUT!”
She stared at him.
“I don’t know how I can make this clearer to you. I never want to see you again.” He started for the door. “Leave my family out of this filth!”
“But you’re my partner. When you come back, you’ll have to deal with me.”
Something in Brogan snapped. “No, really I won’t. I’ll either transfer, or I’ll quit. You won’t trash Jolie and Jacques’s reputations. Not while I’m alive.” He opened the front door and pointed. “Get out, Lily, and don’t come back, unless it’s to apologize for the accusations you just threw at us.”
“But Flynn…”
It was too late.
The second she cleared the threshold, the door was slammed in her face.
He’d had enough.
The line was drawn and Flynn wouldn’t tolerate it.
Beneath it all, there was hurt. Now, he knew how Jolie felt when family betrayed her.
He’d just had his partner do the same damn thing.
∞ ∞ Chapter Eighteen ∞
Brogan stormed back into the Solarium to cool down.
What he wanted to do was go after Lily and wring her neck. What he could do was calm down and try to get control over his emotions.
