by Deanna Chase
“Good. Use as little as possible. I want to hand over enough to Allcot so that his researchers have plenty to work with.”
“You got it.” She gestured to Talisen to help her and the pair put their heads down and got to work.
I turned to Dax. “Any luck on bringing in the rest of the shifters?”
“We got all three and a spare,” Harrison said.
I glanced at him, then back at Dax. “A spare?”
“Yeah,” Dax said, his tone weary. “We also snagged the girlfriend of one of the guys who OD’d last week. When we showed up at his door and explained he might be in danger, he got really upset and led us to his girlfriend. She was passed out in one of his spare rooms. He said she lost her shit the night before and when she wouldn’t calm down, he spiked her drink with an overdose of sleeping pills.”
“Let me guess. She used the same batch of Scarlet he OD’d on,” I said.
Dax nodded. “She’s locked up in the basement. The director has ordered tests.”
“Any results yet? Are they tainted?” I asked, my entire body tense as I waited for the news.
Dax gave me a grim nod, confirming my worst fears.
A small shudder ran through me, and I had to fight to not scream. How many more shifters were out there who didn’t realize they were ticking time bombs?
Imogen jerked her head up and spun around. “This is it! A hot sample.”
I grimaced, ready to tear Strix’s head off. It was both good news and bad news that we’d found what we were looking for. That meant the vampire was still distributing the toxic drugs. I glanced at Harrison. “Can you deliver the rest of the sample to Allcot ASAP?”
Harrison unfolded himself from his chair. “Sure.”
“Imogen and Tal?”
“Yeah?” they said together.
“Can you go with him? Since you’ve hit a wall on finding an antidote, see if Allcot will hook you up with his researchers. Hopefully what you’ve discovered can help speed up the process.”
Imogen nodded, but Tal hesitated.
“What is it, Tal?” I asked. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“Halston is going to be seriously pissed,” he said, frowning.
“True. But in this case, I think it’s probably better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Don’t you?”
Everyone was silent while we waited for his answer. We all knew that if I went to the director with the request, she’d shut that idea down hard. But Imogen and Tal were getting nowhere fast. If we didn’t join forces, who knew how many more shifters we’d lose?
Tal ran a hand through his auburn hair. Then he blew out a breath and nodded. “You’re right.” He glanced at Harrison. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
Harrison nodded then led the way out the door as the other two followed.
I turned to Dax and Leo. “Should we split up? Interview the shifters you brought in separately and see if we can speed this part up?” If there was a network of dealers pushing Scarlet, we needed to know about it and shut them down as soon as possible.
“Yes. That sounds like the best plan,” Dax said, already moving toward the door.
“I’ll take Brian.” Leo moved past Dax and quickly disappeared into the hall.
“Why does he want to interview Brian? What difference does it make?” I asked Dax. All three of the shifters were college kids who, despite being enrolled in the same school, didn’t appear to have a connection to one another.
“He’s the one with the girlfriend down in the basement,” Dax explained. “I’m guessing Leo feels a connection since Brian’s girl is in trouble.”
“I see,” I said, my heart aching all over again for Leo and the fact that he’d only lost Rhea a few days ago. We’d both been so focused on saving Dax, there hadn’t been any time to grieve. “Do you think he can handle it?”
Dax frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know. But since they have something in common, it might not be the worst idea.”
“All right,” I said with a nod. “Let’s go see what the other two have to say, then we’ll check in on Brian and Leo.”
Dax opened the door for me. “After you, fearless leader.”
Fearless. Right. Just about the only thing keeping me going in that moment was the overwhelming fear that I could lose Dax to the toxin in his bloodstream. Fearless was a crock of bullshit. I was just doing what I had to in order to make sure he didn’t end up locked in a cage for the rest of his life.
18
I slipped into one of the exam rooms. A young shifter, no older than twenty, was pacing the tiled floor. The moment he spotted me, he froze. “Did the tests come back? Am I clean?”
Shit! No one had told him the news yet. I sucked in a deep breath and walked over to him, holding my hand out. “Hello, I’m Agent Kilsen. You must be Ethan.”
His shoulders relaxed slightly as he clasped my hand in his and nodded. “Ethan Charles.”
I squeezed his hand, then let go and gestured for him to sit down.
Panic flashed in his dark eyes. “I’m infected with the toxin, aren’t I?”
“I’m afraid so,” I said, holding his gaze, hoping that my calm demeanor would keep him from falling apart. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to learn you could go insane just like that while having zero hope of stopping it.
“Fuck me,” he said softly. “Tanner told me that shit would fuck me up. I guess this is the one time I should’ve listened to him.”
“Tanner?” I sat up. “The one who works for Cryrique?”
He gritted his teeth and averted his gaze. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
I stood, adrenaline flooding my veins, ready to pounce. If Tanner knew Strix was selling this shit and hadn’t done anything to stop him, I was going to stake his ass so hard there wouldn’t even be any vampire dust to clean up. “Has Tanner been dealing this to you and your friends?”
He quickly shook his head. “No. Not at all. When he found out we were getting it from one of his runners, he put a stop to it right away. That’s why we had to get it from someone else.”
Tanner didn’t want shifters to have the drug? That was a twist. I sat down on one of the rolling stools, piercing Ethan with my stare as I pulled out a small notebook. “Listen, I need you to be completely honest with me right now. Can you do that?”
He crossed his hands over his chest and set his lips into a grim line. “I am telling you the truth.”
Good. There was nothing about his body language that indicated he was lying. Maybe I was finally going to get the answers I needed. “Can you confirm that Tanner is a dealer of Scarlet but that he didn’t want shifters to have it?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay. What about anyone else? Witches, fae, humans?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I have to guess that would be a no-go too. He was very firm that he didn’t want it in the wrong hands.”
I scribbled down the information, wondering how Simone had ended up with the green syringe that matched Rhea’s. We knew Rhea had gotten her stash from Strix. But Tanner had been the vamp on the scene during Simone’s attack. If Tanner didn’t want the stuff in the wrong hands, it didn’t make sense that he’d attack her with it. Or was she a user and had tried to attack him with it? There were no answers when it came to Simone. Not yet anyway. “That’s good. What happened to the runner who was supplying you with the drug?”
He shrugged. “How should I know? One day he was there with the drugs, and the next week it was Tanner telling me it was over. I wouldn’t be seeing another ounce. He was pissed as hell too.”
“So you found another supplier?” I asked.
“Yes.” He clasped his hands and started to fidget, pressing his thumbs together. He lowered his voice and in a barely audible whisper, added, “My fucking drug-addicted ass couldn’t stay away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, trying to hide my frustration. It didn’t matter that Tanner and Cryrique had tried to do the r
ight thing by only selling to vamps. That shit they sold was ruining lives.
“Me too,” he said, sounding completely dejected.
My heart was breaking as I watched him, and as much as I wanted to reassure him in that moment that everything would turn out okay, I couldn’t lie to him. And I still had a job to do. “I need to know who you went to for the new batch of Scarlet.”
He stopped fidgeting and glanced away again. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”
“Goddammit, Ethan!” I slammed my hand down on the counter, making the young shifter jump. “People’s lives are on the line, yours included. If I don’t have the information I need to stop this shit from circulating through this city, more shifters are going to die or go insane.”
His throat worked, but he still didn’t say anything.
“There’s no honor among insane shifters, Ethan,” I said quietly. “Do you want whoever you’re protecting to be responsible for more shifters being hurt?”
He shook his head.
“Fine. Then tell me what I need to know.”
He closed his eyes for just a moment, then said, “She works at Sinful, and she goes by Luscious.”
“Do you know her real name?” I asked, giving away nothing. He didn’t need to know that I was already acquainted with the stripper.
“Jesus,” he muttered. Then he met my gaze with an anguished look. “Mary Carol Michaels. She’s a student at Tulane.”
I stared him in the eye even as I scribbled in my notebook. “Did you meet her at school?”
“Yes.”
I studied him, noting the sadness in his blue eyes. “Did you date her?”
“Last year. She broke up with me after she got involved with some vampire who hangs out at her club.”
Strix. Of course. I wondered if Mary Carol Michaels was one of the reasons Iris had dumped his ass. Probably, as well as any number of other reasons. “Do you know where she lives?”
“Not anymore. She used to live in my dorm, but she moved out last semester.”
That was no problem. I knew where to find her. I handed him my notebook. “Write down her phone number.”
He scratched out a number and handed it back to me.
“Is there anything else you can think of that I should know?” I asked as I got to my feet.
“About Luscious?”
I nodded. “Or anything else you think is important.”
His expression turned hard and he said, “Mary Carol isn’t herself.”
“How do you mean?” College girls went through a lot of changes during their four years at school. Especially if they fell into the stripper life.
“She’s just… not the same. Not since she started working at that club. It’s almost as if… well, as if she’s being controlled.”
“Why do you say that?” My skepticism was off the charts. Had he told himself that she’d dumped him because someone told her to? Was he so insecure that he just couldn’t believe that she’d leave him willingly?
He let out a humorless snort. “Because, Agent Kilsen, Mary Carol broke up with me because she didn’t agree with my occasional drug use. And now last week she’s the one who scored some for me after my friend told me she had a contact. Does that sound like the same girl to you?”
Son of a bitch. I hadn’t seen that coming. Instead of focusing on his ex, I zeroed in on the other piece of information he’d just dropped on me. “Who’s your friend?”
He waved a hand. “Russ. He’s in the other exam room… unless he’s already gone crazy and you have him locked in a cage.”
“As far as I know, he’s still okay.” I slipped my notebook and pen into my pocket. “Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, you’ll have to stay here until we find something to counteract the toxins in your bloodstream. Someone will be in to escort you to your accommodations shortly.”
His eyes flashed amber before shifting back to their normal blue as he said, “I assume that means I’m being locked in a cage until further notice.”
“No. Not unless they have to.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “You mean if I lose my shit, I’m headed to the basement.”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” I said, sympathy and irritation warring for pride of place as my dominant emotion. It sucked that his life was on hold, and I certainly didn’t think he deserved to lose his mind because he was an idiot for taking Scarlet. But if he had just stayed away from the drug, he wouldn’t be in this situation. None of them would. I grabbed the doorknob, pulled the door open, and slipped out into the hallway without another word. There was nothing left to say.
“Get anything?” Dax asked. He was leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for me.
I relayed the information about Tanner and Luscious.
He nodded. “Russ’s story matches up. It looks like all roads lead to Strix.”
“Looks like it.” I quickly checked my phone, hoping for some sort of communication from Iris. Nothing. I was really starting to regret not sending a tracker with her. If Strix was more than just a small-time dealer, I’d sent her right into the lion’s den like a sacrificial lamb.
“Is Felix still locked up downstairs?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Come on. I want to see what he says now that he’s had time to stew in his cell. Now that we’re armed with more information, that might help us shake something lose with him.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Dax led the way down to the basement.
The moment we stepped into the pale light, Felix jumped to his feet. “You have to let me out of here. Drug or no drug, I’m going to go insane being locked up.”
“All you need to do is tell us who you got your stash from and we’ll let you go,” I said.
“But I’m clean. The shit I was selling was clean,” he whined. “Why does it matter?”
“Because, Felix,” I said, sitting on the stool, “shifters aren’t supposed to be using or selling Scarlet. We could press charges against you for dealing, but to be honest, we’re more interested in who’s supplying it to you so we can shut that down. But if you refuse, we’ll just make an example out of you and let you rot in jail until there’s room on the court docket for your case.”
He closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his head. “If I out him, he’ll come for me.”
“What if we can provide you with some protection?” Dax asked.
I quickly shot him a what-the-hell look. He just shrugged.
“You can do that?” Felix asked, interest sparking in his dull eyes.
“Sure,” I said. We could, but it was unlikely the agency would devote a lot of resources to such a minor player.
He let out a sigh of relief. “Good. That’s good.”
“But only if you’re honest. No bullshit. We need names, and if you’re lying, we’ll add an obstruction charge to the list,” I said.
He paled but nodded. “His name is TR and—”
“You already told us that,” Dax said, his expression blank. “What does TR stand for?”
“I— Shit!” Felix grabbed his hair with both fists and shook his head. “I don’t know, man. He just goes by TR Franklyn. He works for the vampire they call Tanner.”
Dax and I shared a glance. Then I turned my attention back to Felix. “We have witness testimony that says Tanner isn’t down with selling to anyone but vampires. Are you saying that’s not the case?”
“No. No!” There was panic in his tone now. “I’m not saying that at all. That’s exactly why I’m not supposed to out TR. He’s selling the shit on the side. Don’t you get it? He’s skimming off the top as a side hustle. If Tanner and Allcot find out, heads will roll. TR’s specifically, and mine if he gets to me before Allcot gets to him.”
“TR is one of Tanner’s dealers? Who’s he supposed to be selling to? Random street vamps?” I asked, still confused. If they were just selling to vampires, why did they need extra dealers in the first place? Couldn’t they just get it
from Cryrique like the rest of the vampires in the city?
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. TR is a runner for Tanner, who makes deals with other powerful vampires. Ones not in the region, so they can distribute the shit to vamps all over the world.”
And TR decided to make a little extra on the side. I nodded, finally understanding. “I see. Well, that certainly puts everything into a clearer perspective.” I turned to Dax, feeling a tiny bit of the weight I’d been carrying around with me lift off my shoulders. The toxic drug and its effects were still a shit show, but I was relieved to know that Allcot wasn’t purposely having his people push it to just anyone. “Tanner’s guy might not be distributing toxic drugs, but he’s stealing and getting shifters hooked on the stuff. Allcot will want to know ASAP.”
“We’ll talk to him tomorrow morning. Come on.” Dax placed his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s find Leo and then get some food while we wait for word from Iris.”
“What about me?” Felix whined. “You said you’d let me out of here if I spilled my guts.”
“We will,” I said. “After we get a signed and sworn statement.” I glanced at my watch. “Looks like Legal has left for the day. Maybe tomorrow if they have time.”
“If they have time?” I heard him call after us as we climbed the stairs.
When we reached the brightly lit hallway, Dax started to guide me toward the exit.
I shook my head. “I can’t go. I need to scour the archives for any records on Strix. There might be an address or information on his known associates. Now that Allcot and his people are cleared, Strix is our only lead. I need to devote my full attention to finding him and his lair.”
“Phoebe,” he said softly, “you need to eat.”
“I need to find this asshole and end him before the entire city is overrun with mad shifters we have to put out of their misery.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could stuff them back in. What the hell was wrong with me?
Dax stiffened beside me, and I wished the floor would open up and just swallow me whole. Dax didn’t need to be reminded of what was waiting for him.
“I didn’t mean you,” I said lamely. “Besides, I’m positive Allcot won’t let us down. They’re probably working on a viable antidote right now.”