I’d already heard this part, but Adrik and Milo both straightened in surprise.
Jax spoke slowly, his expression tight. “Vic warned us Lester was on a list of names the agency would use to take the fall for something they didn’t do. He didn’t know when or how.”
Adrik stared at the wall, his jaw working back and forth. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
“And how did you know to find me in that warehouse in the Ninth Ward?” I pressed.
Jax hesitated. “I was supposed to be meeting Murphy.”
Adrik’s head snapped up at that.
“The lookout?” I asked.
Jax nodded at me. “After your father’s warning, I wanted to keep an eye out for anything suspicious happening in the city.” He snorted. “Or anything more suspicious than usual. As a member of my pack, Murphy agreed to keep me informed on the Ninth Ward. We were due to meet that day, but I arrived too late to save him from—”
He stopped short and glanced at where Fergie was trying to eat an empty noodle carton. Snatching it away, he chucked it into the trash and handed her an egg roll instead.
She squealed her happiness and took a bite way too big for her little mouth.
I kind of hated how great he was with her. And by hated, I meant that my ovaries were tingling as I watched him multi-task between strategizing how to take down a dirty Nephilim and co-parenting our demon baby.
“And that’s why you made the deal with me for information,” I finished.
Adrik scowled at that.
Jax nodded. “It’s my job to keep my pack safe.”
“A pack made up of all the shifters cast off by their own packs,” Adrik said.
Jax glared at him. “My pack welcomes any shifter as long as they’re honest and loyal. Your kind clearly cannot say the same.”
Milo whistled. “Damn. It’s like one big spiderweb of secrets up in here. Gwen Stefani would have to sing the song twice just to do it justice.”
I turned to Adrik. “Your turn.”
His eyes darkened, and the look he gave me was both intimidating and ridiculously cute. If a pouting Nephilim was your thing.
“I have nothing to say.” He turned on his heel, but I jumped up and ran to block his exit.
“Uh-uh. You don’t get to hear all of our secrets and then skip out on sharing some of yours.”
“Damn right,” Jax muttered.
Adrik’s expression turned murderous.
I forced myself to hold his gaze even if the power rolling off him now did make my bladder a little weak.
“What did you mean the other day,” I pushed. “When you said you requested me because of my father? What is your connection to him?”
Adrik stared back at me in stony silence for so long that I fully expected him not to answer.
“Adrik, I need to know.” I could hear the pleading in my whispered words, but I didn’t care. If he left without giving me answers now, I was going to lose my mind.
Behind him, the others remained quiet. I didn’t dare look at Jax. Not when I was standing so close to Adrik. I could feel his irritation from here.
Adrik was either oblivious or unconcerned. He stared back at me, his eyes searching mine intently, and finally, his shoulders relaxed.
“Your father and I worked together, tracking unauthorized portals for several weeks.”
“I already knew Dad was working on that. Why didn’t you tell me you were helping each other?”
His shoulders sagged. “Because then I’d have to tell you we were in the middle of a debrief the night your grandfather died. I was there when your father found him.”
Out of all the things I’d expected him to say, that wasn’t it.
“What?”
I blinked, trying to understand. Jax killed the music and scooped Fergie into his arms. I could only stare at Adrik.
“You knew my grandpa?”
“Not exactly.”
“Okay. Back up. How did you meet my father?”
“I was chasing down a saura demon.”
My eyes widened. “A saura was loose in the city?”
Those assholes were Hell’s version of a dragon. And just as deadly.
He nodded. “It wasn’t the first, either. I’d been tracking greater demon sightings across the state for a year at that point. And in the UK, the sightings date as far back as three years.”
“I’ve never heard about this. The agency—”
“The agency didn’t know.”
I wasn’t surprised by that. Not after going through the Tiff’s training program and realizing how little they actually told us. “Okay, this saura demon—did you catch it?”
“It took out a city bus and several pedestrians before I chased it into the industrial district. Your father was there on patrol. The demon surprised me, got its talons into my gut, and sliced clean through my right wing. I was down, and it wasn’t going to stop until I was dead.”
His expression softened.
“But your father’s instincts were better than any supe I’d ever seen. He shifted into his beast and killed the demon. Saved my life.”
My chest filled with pride and love for the man who’d risked so much to save so many. “That sounds like him,” I said, smiling.
“He was a formidable warrior . . . and a stubborn detective.”
I laughed. “That sounds like him too. Let me guess. He wanted answers.”
“I tried to cover it up. But he wouldn’t let it go. Threatened to go to the council and tell them what had happened. I couldn’t let him do that. They would have killed him.”
I shuddered, remembering how Raguel had very nearly done that to me earlier today.
“We made a deal. A partnership. We would work together to uncover who was behind the demons.”
“You worked with him?”
“For a few months.” His eyes glazed over as if reliving some memory. “He was the closest thing to a friend I’d had in almost two hundred years.”
I blinked, a little stunned. How lonely it must be for an immortal without family. Without someone to love.
“One night, during our debriefs, he got a phone call from your grandfather. Someone had taken him hostage. They were going to kill him if—” He broke off. Took a breath. “They demanded your father trade himself. Whoever it was knew about our investigation. That we were getting closer.”
My stomach dropped. “That’s impossible. My grandpa died of a heart attack.”
Adrik didn’t look at me as he said, “That was the official report.”
A lump built in my throat. I pressed my hand to my mouth. If I’d thought the conspiracy against my family was bad before—
“And Gran?” I asked, my voice strangled. “She’s stuck as a June bug. Claims it was grief.”
“I think your grandfather did it to her,” he said quietly. “So they wouldn’t find her when they searched the house.”
I stared up at him, horrified. “That’s why she can’t change back. Because a warlock spelled her, and only a warlock can reverse it.”
He nodded; his expression strained. “Your father offered to find one for her, but she refused. Said she would return to her body when your grandfather’s killer was found.”
“She was there,” I said, pacing now. “She must have seen who it was.”
“Your grandfather spelled her and closed her inside a jar in their pantry. She didn’t see anything.”
“Why didn’t she tell me? All this time—”
“We all agreed not to.”
I stopped pacing to stare at him, stricken. “You all decided,” I repeated slowly.
He nodded, guilt flashing in his otherwise unreadable expression. “You knew who I was even then?”
“I did. Your father cared about you and your mother. He made me promise—”
He broke off and looked away.
I stalked angrily to where he stood. “Made you promise what?”
“When your grandfather called that nig
ht, it was to warn your father. He had no intention of letting your father come take his place. Instead, he gave your father the wrong address, and then the line went dead.”
My eyes filled with tears at what must have happened next.
“He died protecting his family. Your father was determined to do the same.”
Something about his tone jarred a memory.
“The goon who threatened me right before I reported to the Tiff,” I said, eyes widening. “You sent him.”
“He made me swear to keep you safe. And to him, that meant keeping you out of it.”
“My dad didn’t want me to follow in his footsteps,” I said softly.
Adrik didn’t answer.
He didn’t have to.
I swallowed hard. There were more questions. More cards to lay on the table. And just as soon as I accepted that I’d gone against my father’s dying wish, I’d make sure we did exactly that.
“Gem.”
Adrik reached for me, and I stepped back. In the back of my mind, I was aware it was the only time he’d ever attempted to touch me out of tenderness. But I didn’t care.
“I need some time.”
I turned on my heel and marched to Jax’s bedroom, shutting the door behind me with a decisive click.
From the kitchen, low conversation drifted back. If I’d wanted, I could have listened. But eavesdropping with my fae hearing wasn’t going to make this any easier to accept. Tuning them all out, I pulled out my phone and punched in the code Starla had given me for emergencies.
Screw all this “team player” bull shit.
While I wasn’t naïve enough to think I could survive this insanity all on my own, I still had a mission to complete. A list to find. A corrupt Nephilim to track down. Gran and Dad and Adrik had all tried pushing me out. Sure, they’d wanted to protect me, but that didn’t change the fact that they’d all lied. Even Gran.
I had a few things to say to her especially.
Not to mention Adrik. Were his feelings real? The way he’d looked at me the day I’d patched him up in Jax’s kitchen . . . like he was undressing me with his eyes. Was that part of the promise he’d made to my dad?
I snorted.
Probably not. But until I could separate my feelings from my promises, I had to focus. What I wanted was space. And the only way I was going to get that was to steal it.
Chapter Twenty
Five minutes went by. Any second now, Jax was going to come looking for me. I considered re-sending the text but knew better than to wear out my smoke signal. I’d never used it before, and I kind of hated that I was using it now, especially to get away from my BFF, my Nephilim crush, and my baby daddy. Not to mention the fact that my secret demon baby was probably twerking herself into exhaustion three rooms away. If Starla saw her, I’d have a different sort of emergency on my hands.
But desperate times called for—
“Hello, Miss Hawkins.”
I whirled, clutching my thighs together to avoid a serious bladder control problem.
“You scared the piss out of me,” I hissed then immediately berated myself for my use of the word “piss.”
“Apologies.” The Nephilim standing in front of Jax’s walk-in closet was familiar, but only from the photos and television appearances he’d appeared in. I hadn’t seen him during today’s visit to the Delta building, and I had no idea what that meant for his presence here now.
“You’re Azrael.”
“Please, call me Az.”
I was most definitely not calling him what sounded suspiciously like the backside of our shared anatomy.
“All my friends do,” he added, and something about the way he said it clicked into place.
“Starla sent you here,” I blurted.
His brow rose. “To be clear, Starla doesn’t send me anywhere. I was with her when she got your text and decided to check on you myself.”
“You’re the one she works for.”
He smiled, a cheeky sort of expression that was surprisingly normal. Especially for an angel. “I guess you could say that.” He looked around. “Now, what’s the emergency?”
“I need to get out of here.”
“And by here you mean . . .” He sniffed, tilting his head as if mentally calculating. “Away from a panther shifter, a male fae, and . . . a demon?”
Shit.
This was a bad, bad idea.
And also a fitting start to a terrible joke.
Wait. Did that mean Adrik had left already?
In my panic, I forced myself to concentrate and hurried to cover Fergie’s presence.
“Jax burnt dinner, but I hardly think the charred smell is as bad as a demon’s stench.” I batted my lashes in mock innocence.
Azrael just laughed. “Oh, this is much more fun than investigating illegal portals and level seven hell-monsters.”
My mouth fell open. “Wait. You know about the level seven?”
“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” he said, waving me off. “Now, about this emergency exit.”
“If I leave, my friends will track me, and I need to do something off the radar.”
“You mean track down that list Starla mentioned.”
I nodded.
“Don’t worry about the list,” he said. “Starla’s got someone else on it.”
Starla had someone else?
“Fine. If not the list, then I’ll track Raguel. I slipped a device into his pocket earlier. It’s only a matter of time before he leads us to a portal—”
His smile turned sharper. “Why would you think Raguel is behind the portals?”
I crossed my arms, fully aware this guy was Nephilim, no matter how friendly and gentle he seemed. “He’s the one who ordered the wipeout to frame Lester. And he tried to kill me earlier today.”
Azrael laughed.
I glared at him.
“Suppose you’re correct, little fae. You think—what? You’ll just show up and tell him about his crimes and he’ll surrender to you? Darling, come now. You’re smarter than that.”
I scowled. “I’m not going to hide forever.”
“Of course not.”
“Whoever’s opening these portals killed my dad.”
Azrael fell silent. Judging by the look on his face, I wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t know. But he let me talk anyway.
“Starla knew it,” I went on. “And you know it too. After he died, I made a promise to him.” I swallowed hard. “Or to his memory. That I would avenge him. So, I can’t hide, and I can’t walk away. But I also don’t want to put anyone else I care about in danger.”
“You’re a noble soul, Gem Hawkins. A rarity. Is it your deeply caring nature that led you to adopt the demon child, I wonder?”
“Fergie’s off-limits,” I said quietly, hoping my threat wouldn’t piss him off.
“Relax. I don’t intend to interfere.”
A beat of silence passed between us.
“Does that mean you’re going to help me?”
He studied me for so long I was sure he meant to refuse me.
“Does my brother know you’re working with us?”
“Your brother?” I repeated.
“Adrik. Your . . . handler, I believe he calls himself now.” His mouth quirked like he knew something I didn’t.
“Adrik’s your brother?”
“And Selaphiel is our sister.” He cocked his head. “He didn’t tell you?”
Sister?
My ovaries did a happy dance at that news, but I forced my expression to remain blank.
“He doesn’t tell me a lot of things,” I mumbled.
Azrael didn’t ask, and I didn’t offer any more than that. Instead, he only studied me some more. I squirmed underneath the weight of his gaze. Nephilim power roiled between us. It wasn’t angry or violent. In fact, Azrael was, by far, the most peaceful Nephilim I’d met yet. But even so, the amount of strength and force he emanated was enough to send adrenaline pumping through me at a constant
rate.
I didn’t dare interrupt whatever it was he seemed to be weighing.
Finally, he nodded, his eyes gleaming with a mischief that reminded me of Milo with an adventure up his sleeve. “In that case, I think I have the perfect assignment for you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
My boots stomped heavily against the pavement as I stepped from the cab. The streets were already filling with tourists too eager to wait for dark. Music spilled out of the bars where the doors already hung open in anticipation of another night of revelry. New York might have been the city that never slept, but the Quarter never stopped partying. Even drunk and blacked out, if you could hold a hurricane in your hand, you showed up.
I ignored the humans and kept my expression carefully grumpy. This wasn’t my first time wearing a man’s skin, but it was definitely my least favorite. And since I’d almost died the first time, that was saying something.
But it was a necessary disguise.
For more reasons than one, hopefully.
I barely allowed myself a glance at the yellow tape blocking off the entrance to the dead zone on my left. The remnants of the wipeout were impossible to ignore. An entire city block just . . . gone. I still couldn’t quite believe the Neph had done something so obvious. Not the Neph. Just one of them. Whoever was behind the portals and greater demons had ordered the wipeout. After meeting Az, I couldn’t believe the order had been voted on.
In fact, the assignment he’d given me suggested there were a lot more moving parts to this than I’d realized. No wonder he and Starla hadn’t gone after the guilty party directly. There were a lot more Nephilim than just Raguel to take down.
Maybe after tonight, there’d be one less.
I felt the prickle of eyes on me as I walked. A quick glance revealed agents stationed at nearly every corner. They didn’t do more than glance my way, probably thanks to their supe senses pegging me for one of them and their inability to recognize me for who I was. But there was definitely a jump in the number of agents patrolling compared to before.
All thanks to these secret portals.
Like supply and demand.
Up ahead, my building came into view, and I kept my steps even, my chin up. To anyone watching, I was a highly regarded—if not secretly pervy—SSF agent. No need to hide or hesitate.
Knock Em Dead (Supernatural Security Force Book 2) Page 21