Shadows & Surrender: A Snarky Urban Fantasy Detective Series (The Jezebel Files Book 3)

by Deborah Wilde

  “I believe you,” I said. “There could be another way.”

  “You think Alfie knows something?” Miles said.

  “Wait,” Mayan said. “You’re not allowed to go back there. The man with the sword and appallingly retro suit said so.”

  “You forgot to mention that part in your debrief.” Levi pushed his chair back. “May I speak with you a moment? Alone?”

  “No,” I said.

  Levi did a double take. “No?”

  “If you’re planning on speaking to Alfie, then in light of this new information, I’m reinstating House protocol on you,” Miles said.

  “Also no,” I said. “After Moran’s warning to stay away, the Queen’ll take any House operatives accompanying me as a show of force. Besides, have any of them been there as often as me? Survived as much? Even met the Queen?”

  Miles reluctantly shook his head.

  “I’ve been useful enough to her that I should be given a little leeway in terms of being heard out, and she was the one who said to surprise her. I go alone.”

  “You’re going to push your luck over there one day,” Levi said, “and—”

  I raised my palms. “And what? You were fine with it when I told you the Queen wasn’t happy with me but you had an agenda to fulfill. You don’t get to pick and choose. I’m going.”

  “No,” Levi said. “You’re not. You’re off the case. Miles, assemble a team.”

  “You said this wouldn’t get messy.” I leaned forward, my hands folded on the table, and calmly met his gaze. “Think very carefully before you play that card, Levi.”

  “Are you blackmailing me?” Levi’s voice had gone dangerously quiet.

  “If you think so little of me that you believe I’d ever do that, then this is a mistake. I want you to make clear decisions that don’t change when your emotions get engaged.”

  “He didn’t mean it like—” Miles looked at Levi and sighed. “Messy.”

  “I’ll hire you,” Mayan said.

  My mouth fell open. “What?”

  “I don’t know what’s going on here, though I’m starting to get an idea.” She moved her chair away from Levi. “Your misguided sense of responsibility is going to blow up in your face one day, Levi. You should have told me about you and Ash.”

  “You were upset,” he stammered.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “If I thought I had to worry about him and other women, I wouldn’t be with him. I trust the big idiot. Completely.”

  “This isn’t about trust,” Levi said.

  “I’m well aware.” I drained my coffee.

  “Still,” Mayan said, frowning at Levi, “by worrying you’d hurt me, you put me in an embarrassing situation. I’m sorry, Ash.”

  “No apology necessary, but thank you.”

  “I meant what I said. I want to hire you. You’re the best person to find Jonah and make sure he never does this to another person.”

  “I am, but I’m also under an exclusive contract with the House on this investigation,” I said.

  “You’d honor that, even with Levi threatening to remove you?” she said.

  I nodded. “It’s Levi’s call. I won’t go behind his back. If I start justifying certain behaviors just because something isn’t going my way, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

  Levi exhaled in disgust. At himself. “Your membership in the support group is revoked.”

  I pursued my lips, halfway to forgiving him. “Do I still get biscotti?”

  “Whenever you want, bella.”

  “Am I off the case?”

  Levi scowled at me. “Miles, give her the tokens. House protocol doesn’t apply. I still get to worry,” he said. “But I won’t cross the line into preventing you from doing your job.”

  “I can live with that. Uh, one other thing? Don’t worry about getting hold of the Queen to pass on the information about the codename. I’ll probably end up doing it while I’m over there.”

  Levi’s eyes flashed, and then he let go and thunked his head against the table. “Fuck balls.”

  Progress.

  Confronting some of the Queen’s guard in Hedon and demanding to speak to their boss worked surprisingly well. They brought me to Moran in no time flat, who was sitting at a marble table in a tiny café.

  “Must I educate you on the definition of a ‘good, long, time?’” He set his frothy cappuccino on a saucer.

  “Where are you?” I waved my hands around like I couldn’t see him.

  Everything in here was white, other than the gleaming copper espresso maker. Even the pretentious barista concocting some hipster brew was an albino.

  “Hilarious,” Moran said drolly.

  Mrs. Hudson, who’d accompanied me on this jaunt, ran around in circles, thinking once again that my hand movements were the beginning of some new game. I tied the leash around the arm of the chair and sat down at the table, calming her down..

  Moran bent over, examining the puppy like it was a small explosive device. “Is your life not hectic enough that you seek to incorporate dog ownership into it?”

  “The pug is temporary. I bring gifts.”

  “Of the Trojan Horse variety?” He dismissed his guards.

  “Ye of little faith. 26L1.”

  “Should that mean something to me?”

  “If not now, hopefully soon. It’s a codename for a member of Chariot. We’re working to decode it from our end.”

  “Ah. This is part of her deal with Mr. Montefiore. I’ll pass it on to the Queen. Is that all?” He picked up his coffee, holding the cup with such precision that one snap of his wrist and my nose would be toast.

  I adjusted the angle of my chair to avoid that possibility. “That’s not all,” I said. “The Repha’im I took down? Gunter? He was the contact person for a necromancer who went by the handle of Shidduch. I’d like your help in finding him.”

  He laughed. “Ashira, this is the black market. I’m not about to curtail the activities of any of our citizens.”

  “The Shidduch wasn’t a citizen. He operated in Vancouver.”

  “Then I fail to see how this concerns me.”

  “Remember how I asked the Queen about Mayan? She said that Mayan must have come through before, but she hadn’t. She was able to get into Hedon for her first time through the fixed entrance—undetected—because she had a former resident inside her.”

  Moran abruptly set his cup down on the saucer.

  “I’m assuming that’s a security breach you’d rather not have,” I said. “Surprised?”

  “Not enough to offer you an alliance.”

  “Come on. The Queen needs someone to act on her behalf as this originates outside her territory. Just like she did with Omar. I took care of that for her. Let me deal with this. I’ll ensure the breach is shut down. All I ask is any information she has to locate Jonah.” I smiled and spread my hands wide. “Quid pro quo is a beautiful thing.”

  “Why not ask Alfie where this Shidduch is?” Moran said. “He took over the bar. Perhaps he took over other aspects of Gunter’s business as well.”

  “That was my first stop here today. He didn’t know anything about it, and considering how grateful he is that I saved his life, he wasn’t lying to me.”

  Moran blotted his lips on a pristine white napkin. “The Queen does not wish to involve herself further with matters outside Hedon at this juncture.”

  My hands twisted on my purse. Before I could second guess what my gut was saying, I’d unzipped it and laid the envelope down on the table between us. “What if I had something the Queen never expected in a million years? Would you guarantee the alliance and help me then?”

  Moran regarded the envelope with suspicion. “Such as?”

  “Serafina’s DNA.” I took a breath, expecting ten more seconds to explain myself, but my words had barely left my mouth when the café disappeared and I was engulfed in darkness.

  My breath was harsh in this confined space, the tip of my nose brushing… stone? I
tried to batter at my prison but my hands were frozen at my sides. I was entombed as a statue. I began hyperventilating, then screaming.

  But no one heard my cries.

  Chapter 23

  How long before I’d go mad locked away, able to hear people talking and laughing outside my tomb as though all was normal, when I was alone for eternity?

  I’d never feel the sun warm my face, the grass tickle my bare feet. Never hear braying laughter or smell that oaky amber scotch and chocolate scent. Adrenaline flooded my system, my muscles locked tight with no release and my heart threatening to explode out of my chest. I bit my lip, the blood beading on my tongue, salty and hot, in counterpoint to the cold sweat rolling over my skin.

  I’d yelled myself hoarse when a strip of light pierced my eyes, revealing the Queen.

  Mrs. Hudson was barking. The Queen couldn’t have hurt the puppy, could she?

  “You showed your hand too soon, chica.” She made a tsking noise that was devoid of all mercy and held up the napkin with the lip print and the lipstick tube. The envelope would have been destroyed when she opened it.

  “You jumped to conclusions.” Talking hurt. My voice was a growly rasp. The air inside the statue was dank and tasted of soil.

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “You were rooting around in my past.”

  “You root around in mine on a regular basis.” My voice was muffled inside the stone, but loud enough to be understood. “The letter was sealed with a blood ward. Not mine.”

  “You can undo wards, chica.”

  “Undo them. Not reseal them with that same person’s blood.”

  Her eyes narrowed. Two slits of unimpressed violet. “And so?”

  “Knowledge is power.” I coughed. My muscles were knotted up, my limbs trembling. “But not all knowledge is worth having. You wanted to be surprised. Hence the contents. I wanted to prove I could be trusted. Hence the unbroken seal. I want you as my ally, Highness.”

  Something in her features shifted, like a predator moving through the tall grass and stilling, trying to assess prey or competitor. Her manicured hands tapped the tube. Two, three taps. A pause.

  “You do surprise me,” she said. “Perhaps that is your greatest strength.”

  The stone disappeared. Without the support, my legs buckled, and I collapsed on the vast expanse of lawn in her garden, staring up at an eerie yellow crescent moon and unfamiliar constellations, feeling very far from home. I averted my eyes from the other statues, fighting to get my pulse under control.

  The Queen loosened Mrs. Hudson’s leash enough for the pug, who was unharmed, to scamper over to me and lick my face. I scooped her up, her warm little body a welcome comfort.

  Her Majesty was resplendent in red leather pants and a red sweater that hugged her curves. Her dark lustrous hair was pulled into a high ponytail. “Do you plan to continue to dig up my past?” she said.

  “No.”

  “And what of your present, Ashira Cohen? Were I to ask you about Jezebels, how forthcoming would you be?”

  A sense of calm settled over me. “If you were my ally? Entirely.”

  She quirked a brow.

  With one final pat, I released Mrs. Hudson, who immediately attacked a stray dandelion.

  “You’ve always kept your word. I can’t—no, I don’t want to undertake this fight on my own.” I stood up. “For now, will you help me find Jonah?”

  The Queen handed me the leash, along with my purse that she’d also been holding. “It’s doubtful I’ll find him faster than you.”

  I swallowed the knot in my throat. She didn’t want the alliance. Nodding, I started off across the lawn with the puppy, bound for the tiny plaza and my way home, when the Queen called my name.

  “That was a compliment, chica. Learn to recognize them.”

  A flash of gold flew at me. I caught the item one-handed. It was a token, the same as Moran had, heavy and permanent. The all-access pass.

  My giddy grin was barely professional. “Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship?”

  She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips as she walked away.

  I was practically skipping as Mrs. Hudson and I emerged at Moriarty, still parked in the parkade next to Harbour Center. I’d won over this mysterious, smart, conniving, and dangerous woman. Think she’d lend me her stylist?

  I checked the time on my phone and winced. I hadn’t been gone as long as I’d feared, maybe three hours, but parking fees around here were a bitch.

  As I got the pug settled in the car, a photo came through of a man with half of his face puckered in old burn scars, carrying groceries.

  Arkady: Avi Chomsky. Zihuatanejo edition. This him?

  I zoomed in on the photo, but while the general facial features matched my memory, I couldn’t make a definitive call. He was definitely a contender. This was the most real that my reunion with Dad had ever been. I was excited for this new door, this new chapter in our relationship to open up.

  Me: I’ll see you in Mexico.

  Arkady wouldn’t be in Zihuatanejo to greet me because he had to dash back to Ottawa to deal with a family issue that had come up. Levi did not throw a shit fit when I phoned him upon hearing what had happened in Hedon, which I gave him all the credit for. But he was so relieved that I’d gotten out in one piece that he didn’t seem capable of any other emotion. Even the alliance and my shiny new token only warranted a faint “way to go.”

  Shock and joy warred within me. I had the gold coin, I’d secured a valuable ally. But at the same time, all I wanted was to ask Levi to cancel all his meetings so that he could curl up under the covers with me. I wanted to forget about my dad and Mexico and Rafael and codenames, just stay in, eat biscotti, watch Netflix, and try to remember how to breathe fully without worrying that I’d run out of air.

  “You can’t just take off,” I said to Levi’s grumble that I was taking Rafael to Mexico. “You’ll give Veronica a brain aneurysm.” I pulled the emergency brake up, cutting the engine, but leaving the radio on. I patted the passenger seat and the pug scrambled forward with a happy bark.

  “Isn’t that your life goal?” Levi said.

  “Obviously, but I have to be the one to make her head explode. It’s no fun if I only get an assist and not the actual score on goal. Besides, I’m not taking Rafael for his stellar company. He’s a contingency plan. If the scroll is there, he has to handle it.”

  “All right. Hey, maybe we could get away for a weekend? I find myself thinking fond thoughts of a certain hot tub in Tofino.”

  God, yes. That would be my reward, after the Queen, and all the emotions surrounding finally seeing Dad. Alone time with Levi.

  “It’s a date.” I eyed my apartment window. “I should go upstairs and pack. The flight’s in three hours.”

  “Don’t you just heave things into a suitcase? I don’t see this as a stressful issue for you.”

  “Priya’s home. I haven’t spoken to her since last night.” Today had proven that life could throw a deadly curveball at any moment. Relationship issues were not to be put off, not when you valued the person involved.

  The traffic report ended and the radio announcer moved into the news. The first story was the passing of local philanthropist Richard Frieden, age seventy-nine. It cut to a sound bite from Jackson Wu.

  “As you all know,” Jackson said, “Richard was a lifelong friend, mentor, and business partner of mine. Not to mention a great supporter of the Untainted Party.”

  Levi snorted. “Try one of the original founders of the party. The guy was a weasel.”

  I snapped off the radio. “Okay Coach, I’m going in.”

  “You got a plan?” Levi said.

  I glanced at Mrs. Hudson. “Even better.”

  Given the amount of kisses that Priya lavished on the pug, you’d think they’d been stranded on a desert island at some point with only each other for company, and after a tragic separation where Priya feared the dog lost at sea, were to
gether at last.

  She wore a teal sweater. I could have cheered. I never wanted to see her in some version of blah again, which made it all that more imperative for this to work.

  I opened my handbag and pulled out the remnants of her tiara, setting it silently on the coffee table.

  She swallowed audibly. “How…?”

  “On a case. I’m so sorry. I should have taken it off, but everything happened so fast.” I put Mrs. Hudson on the sofa and steeled myself. This was going to be the hard part. “How about you keep the pug?”

  “Excuse me?”

  I took a deep breath. “I know I can’t replace the tiara, but the two of you have bonded. I’m happy to help you take care of her.”

  Priya let the puppy lick her fingers. It was working. I’d ruined her tiara and I felt awful, but I’d given her something else that was special to her. Animals were a great source of comfort and could help her move forward.

  “I would have forgiven you, you know,” she said. “If you’d allowed me the space to feel sad and angry for a couple of days, this would have blown over. It was an accident. But giving me the dog? God, Ash. How clueless are you?”

  This was a great plan. Wasn’t it? Hadn’t I gotten better at seeing others more clearly, and in turn anticipating their emotional needs? “I was trying to make it up to you,” I said softly.

  “You can’t. But instead of acknowledging that fact and letting me have my space, you treated me like a child, bribing me with a freaking puppy, and completely invalidating my feelings. I don’t want your dog.”

  “She’s not—” At Priya’s hard stare, I shut my mouth.

  Shaking her head, she walked into her room and closed the door.

  I stayed there in the common area, Mrs. Hudson panting amicably at my feet. This was supposed to have gone so much differently. “I really blew that one, huh?” I said to the dog. “I pulled the same overprotective crap on her that Levi pulled on me. I can be pretty dense for a smart woman.”

  Mrs. Hudson put her head on my shoe consolingly and then scrambled into my lap. I sighed and checked the time. If I hurried, I could drop her off at the animal shelter and still make it to the airport since I was only taking a carry-on. Except I’d have to gather all her stuff and she needed a quick walk and a feed and the thought of her whimpering in a cage all alone instead of on her comfy bed in my room left a dull ache in my chest.