by K. A. Fox
I shrugged and sipped my tea, thinking about it. It wasn’t a bad idea and it was a skill that could be helpful in the future. “Okay. But give me a little more time to wake up. It’s still too early for something like that.”
Leaving Callum to finish cleaning up the kitchen, I went back to my room to put on real clothes. It’s always easier to face the day when you feel like you look somewhat decent, so I took a few minutes to wash my face and then smeared some lip balm on. By the time I had pulled my hair back and secured it with a few pins to keep it out of my eyes, I felt like I could do this.
Back downstairs, the kitchen was shiny, and the dishwasher was humming away. He must have used some super speed to do all this because I really hadn’t been gone very long. I found him riffling through my large pantry, some large white garbage bags in his hands.
He glanced at me and waved the crinkly plastic at me. “The luggage of the most worldly travelers. You don’t mind?”
Shaking my head, I asked, “Why didn’t Angus help you bring stuff with you when he sent you here?”
Callum shrugged. “It took a lot for him to send me through. He had to get back Below right away to handle something, but he didn’t want to wait to send you some back-up. Opening your wards and shoving me through left him with enough energy to take care of business. That’s all I know.”
The rush of frozen air when he’d appeared the night before came back to me. “Wherever you were when he sent you to me must have been cold.”
He laughed. “I was hiding in the walk-in freezer of my restaurant. Thought the cold might keep him from sensing me.”
That bit of information was a little bit concerning. “Why were you hiding?” I asked him, trying for innocent curiosity.
He winked at me. “If you’re smart, you always hide from the Devil when you know he’s looking for you.” He handed me the bags and asked, “Ready to go?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Chapter Ten
I tried to hide my fascination, but it was hard. Callum rested one of his warm hands on my arm as he held the other out in front of him. When he spoke, his voice was firm. “Open.”
The air surrounding us rushed forward, and the few strands of hair I’d missed blew into my eyes. A tunnel opened in front of us. I felt the charge of magic prick at my skin as we stepped forward, Cal’s hold on me tight. As we walked, he whispered to me. “Remember this. Each place has a feeling to it that is unique, something you connect to. It can be a picture in your mind, a scent, a desire. Whatever works for you. Just make it distinct in your mind and focus on it when you want to find your way there.”
I nodded, recognizing the practical importance of this learning opportunity. Any time you have the chance to watch someone work magic and they’re willing to share their secrets, it’s best to remember every detail you can.
Stepping out of the windy tunnel, I was surprised by Callum’s apartment. The exposed brick reminded me of some historical buildings I’d seen before, and the furniture was the kind that made you want to sit and stay a while. He saw me trying to take everything in and grinned.
“I know you like music. Why don’t you look through the vinyl I have over there and see if there’s anything you want to take with us. I can load up the system and get everything put together at your house when we have a few minutes.”
I wandered to the stacks of albums he pointed out and began sorting through them. I recognized a lot of old blues albums, the crossroads songs catching my attention. The variety of music he’d collected intrigued me—even bluegrass and some head banger metal I wouldn’t have dreamed he’d appreciate. I set a few aside that I thought we might both enjoy and then followed him into his bedroom. He was laying out clothes to take on the gray silk coverlet over his king size bed. I glanced around the room, noticing that the walls were a dark blue that managed to feel warm instead of inspiring a chill. Everything in the room was welcoming.
“Is there anything I can help you find or pack up?” I asked, feeling like I should do something besides prowl around his home and use it to dissect him.
“Not really. I don’t need a lot of stuff. Clean clothes, some music, maybe a few movies, and some books I’ve been wanting to read.”
“I don’t think you’ll be staying very long,” I said, trying to make him feel better about our situation.
“Oh really. Can’t wait to get rid of me already?”
“It’s not that. But I can imagine it would be hard to be told you have to abandon your life for an unknown length of time and have no choice in the matter.”
He nodded over his shoulder at me before turning back to his clothes. “It’s not easy to be told what to do. The trick to dealing with it is to find the good in the situation you’re being pushed into.”
I snorted at that. “What good is there in this situation?”
He looked at me. “I met you. That’s a good thing.”
I stared at him surprised until I registered that he was staring right back, waiting for me to say something. “Um, yeah. You too.”
He laughed. “Well, that was awkward. But I appreciate the effort.”
I couldn’t help but smile back, his good humor infecting me little by little. “You sure there’s nothing else I can do?”
Slipping the last few pieces of clothing into the bag, he shook his head. “I think we can go. If you want to pack up the albums you chose and the books I have out on the counter, I’ll get this stuff.”
Doing as he asked, I loaded the music into an empty bag, then piled the books in carefully. “Are you sure? We can always come back later for more.”
“Careful, or I’ll think you’re inviting me to move in permanently.”
I appreciated the joke, recognizing his attempt to lighten the mood. Joining him in the middle of the room, he had me wrap my hand around his muscled bicep and then waited while I tried to call up the pathway back to my house. I bit my lip, focused my effort stubbornly on the fact that I wanted to be back in my own kitchen, and called for the tunnel to open before us. I tried to hide my surprise when it appeared right away. As the air swirled over and around us, we walked forward together.
Chapter Eleven
Moose was undoubtedly happy to see us, his stubbed tail twitching back and forth excitedly as he jumped up in greeting.
Cal smiled. “Thank you, Hound.” His voice felt formal as he spoke to my dog. “I’ll put my things away upstairs and then we’ll play. Agreed?”
Moose gave a short bark that sounded happy and stepped out of the way so Callum could pass him. I settled into a chair, setting the bag I’d carried back with us on the table. Moose quirked his ears at me, a curious look on his face. I did my best to answer his unspoken question. “Opening portals, check. Uncle Newt will be proud of that one.”
He walked to my side and licked my hand, like he was as happy with my accomplishment as I was. I looked into his sincere dog eyes. “I know Cal said he could talk to you. Promise me you won’t mention that little karaoke session the other night, and I’ll forgive you for not letting me know you’re really a Hell Hound.”
Moose sat back on his haunches, head cocked to the side as if he was considering my words. With a small sigh, he stretched out fully on the ground, his nose brushing the tops of my shoes before he rested his head on them. Then he looked back up at me, waiting.
“I’ll take that as an agreement.”
He hopped up from his submissive pose and bobbed his head up and down, then proceeded to his food bowl. I was forgotten again as he crunched away at the kibble.
A few minutes to myself, I idly pulled the books from the bag in front of me. I swallowed my shock with a grin as I saw the titles and vivid colors on the covers. Romances. I couldn’t hold back my laughter. This wasn’t what I would have expected Cal to be reading. If anyone had asked, I would have guessed he probably read biographies or history books. Never romance novels.
Shaking my head, I returned to my
meandering thoughts. Thoughts about my father and his reasons for throwing us all together. I tried to puzzle out exactly why he felt a dog and a guy I’d never met would be able to protect me from whatever he feared was lurking outside my door. From all the stories I’d heard of Hell Hounds in the past, they were strong, fast, and deadly when they needed to be. And the way he’d tried to take down the door when Callum suddenly appeared in my bathroom the previous night had proven he was willing to do whatever he could to keep me safe. That made sense.
But Cal I didn’t understand. He’d hidden when Angus had come looking for him. His home had been clean and comfortable. He could cook. And apparently, he read a lot of romance novels. I’d seen little that would seem to indicate he was a big scary guy with magical abilities that could protect me, although the fact that he had opened a portal between his home and mine so easily was impressive. Why had my father wanted him here? Everything pointed to me not having enough information to see the answer. I doubted that Angus was going to be willing to answer my questions anytime soon. Moose, Callum, and I were an unlikely trio, and there was nothing to explain why we’d been thrown together.
When Cal came back downstairs, I was waiting with a fresh cup of coffee for him. As he took it from me, he seemed to read the questions on my face and sighed. “So, we need to have a talk, don’t we?”
“Please.”
He sat at the table while I waited by the counter. He sipped his coffee before looking back to me. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know about you. What you are? And why Angus would send you here?”
He stared into his cup for a moment that seemed to draw out longer and longer. Eventually, he raised his eyes and pinned me with his gaze. “Are you afraid to sit over here with me?”
I walked to the table and pulled out a chair across from him, sliding down into it, never taking my eyes from his. “Tell me.”
He nodded and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock at my front door. I glanced toward the sound then back at Callum. His face was closed, empty of emotion and the animation I’d already come to associate with him. Instead, he was on guard, alert. Moose was at attention as well, a quiet growl vibrating the air around him. There was a louder, more demanding knock as I pushed myself away from the table. Before I left to answer the door, I told Cal, “We will have this talk.” I expected a response, but instead he just stood up to follow me as I moved to the front door.
There was a third knock, proof that whoever was standing outside wasn’t going anywhere. And that they were strictly human, no magic in them for the wards to react to. Reaching for the handle, I was aware that both Moose and Callum had arranged themselves protectively around me. I opened the door to a tall man, his fist raised to knock again. Dark hair curled around a tanned face with the faint shadow of stubble, his eyes hidden by the dark lenses of his sunglasses. At my appearance, he smiled slightly, tiny lines forming at the edge of his lips. I stopped breathing for a moment, knowing exactly who was at my door. This couldn’t be good.
“Miss Murphy? Detective Torren Bishop. Would you mind if I came inside?” He started to step forward over the threshold but froze as a loud growl erupted from behind me.
I hesitated. Then I realized I’d have to play this game, for a while at least. “I’d like to see your badge, please.” I wasn’t happy to have this detective at my door, but it would be suspicious if I didn’t at least talk to him.
“Of course,” he said. “It’s right here, inside my jacket. If it’s all right with you and your dog, I’m going to pull it out.”
I nodded, very aware of the various muscles tensing behind me.
He moved carefully, deliberately pulling his badge out and opening it for me to see. I reviewed it, and the picture printed on it matched what I could see of him. He pulled off his glasses as I looked at his face, showing me the same bright blue eyes that stared out from his badge. Everything looked the way it should.
I opened the door wider and stepped back, only then recognizing I’d been using the door to block half of my body; that I’d been peering around it. “Come in,” I said. “I’ve got just a little bit of time right now.”
He followed me inside and then stopped when he caught sight of Callum, standing in a dark corner, at an angle to the door. If the detective had tried to do anything when I turned my back to him, Callum would have been in the perfect position to intercept him. That was obvious to me, and apparently to Detective Bishop as well.
When I was sure the situation had been clearly communicated to all parties, I nodded my head toward the couches to our right. This man wasn’t getting any further into my home than I had to let him. I’d be polite, but I had my limits. Until I knew what he wanted from me, I wasn’t about to give anything away by trying to guess.
I sat down and Callum perched himself on the arm of the couch I’d chosen. Moose curled up by my feet, a position that seemed relaxed, but I could tell he was on guard.
As the detective took a seat across from me, I asked, “So, what was it that you wanted to talk with me about?”
He pulled a notebook and some papers out of the inside pocket of his jacket. He opened the notebook and slid a picture into his hand, laying it down on the table between us. It was clear he wanted me to reach for it, but I stayed where I was. He smiled at me, pushing the picture closer to me until the weight of it balanced on the edge, threatening to tip off. “I wondered if you might recognize this young lady.”
I looked down at the picture about to spill onto my floor and saw my own face looking back at me.
Chapter Twelve
There was no denying that was my face, topped by a curly blond wig. The image was grainy, obviously pulled from some surveillance cameras back in Angel Falls. And that was my body barely covered by a red sequined corset and tiny shorts. Pretending it wasn’t me was pointless. But I did it anyway.
“I’m afraid I don’t know her. I hope she’s okay?”
He laughed harshly, shaking his head. “She looks just fine to me,” he said with a pointed look at my face.
I fought the anxiety clawing at my insides, forcing it down so it wouldn’t show. “I don’t understand. If she’s all right and nothing’s happened to her, why are you trying to find her? And why here, of all places?”
He shifted slightly, angling himself like he was ready to jump from his seat if needed. “Ms. Murphy, you need to understand something. I already know the answers to a lot of the questions I came here with so lying to me will do no good. For example, I know the woman in that picture is you. I know you were working in the bar when that dancer was attacked, and I know you killed the man who attacked her.”
“If you think you know so much, why are you here talking to me then?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Because I don’t know everything yet. And neither do you.” His bright eyes locked with mine and a current zipped between us. I knew he’d already surveyed everything, especially the way that Callum and Moose had protectively arranged themselves around me. Silence reigned for a long moment, broken only when Cal cleared his throat out of politeness.
This time, when the detective spoke, his voice was softer, almost like he was trying to ease the coming blow. “Delaney, we don’t have time to lie to each other, so let’s stop pretending and just be honest.” He tapped the face in the picture before me with his fingernail. “This is you. I know it’s you. What I don’t know is why you were there.”
I was perfectly still, trying to reason everything out. He’d found me, figured out who I was. He also had a suspicion that I’d been working in the club for a specific reason. Angus was going to kill me.
“You’re right. This is me.” My fingers traced the lines of my face briefly before I looked back up at him. “I was there because I thought someone might try to attack one of the girls. I wanted to prevent that if I could.”
He looked surprised for a moment but then smiled, a real smil
e this time that lightly creased the skin around his eyes and made them shine a little. “But how did you know?” he asked.
“I saw a pattern, reports of women being attacked at similar clubs over the past nine months. I traced the path of attacks and Angel Falls seemed to be the most likely place for him to go next. So, I went there.”
“You just went there? By yourself? To confront someone you believed had murdered other women?” he asked, disbelief coating his words.
I didn’t let my frustration show. Always underestimated. “Yes, I went there by myself. I wanted to stop him. Keep him from hurting anyone else.”
“How?” he asked.
“I do know how to take care of myself, believe it or not. I’ve been trained in self-defense. Just in case something ever happened. I used that when I had to. And I’m glad I did.” I knew I sounded defensive, but I couldn’t spare the energy needed to keep it from coloring my voice.
“Knowing self-defense doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble. Why didn’t you call law enforcement, tell them what you’d found?”
I shook my head, a brief laugh at his suggestion. “How exactly would that have turned out, do you think, Detective? The crazy, hermit daughter of a dead rock star calls and tells police that she’s found a disturbing pattern of dead women and knows where the murderer will strike next. You really think that would have been taken seriously? It would have made all the gossip shows, headlined in the tabloids, but that’s about it. Nobody who could do anything about it would’ve listened.”
His eyes tracked every movement I made, his gaze making me aware of the heat growing under my skin. I looked at Callum, but he didn’t look back at me. He was staring fixedly at the detective and I understood from the fierceness in his eyes that there was a strong possibility this meeting was about to go very wrong. The kind of wrong that ended with another hole dug somewhere on my property.
