by Erin R Flynn
“This is that courting thing, right?” I checked, my stomach doing flips at the idea of cuddling up in front of a fire with this nice and sweet Aidan as opposed to the one I’d met.
Or assumed he was when we’d met.
He licked his lips as he cupped my cheek. “I wasn’t going to call it that, as you seem ready to flee at the idea even. I was hoping for a chance to redo our dinner but maybe with a drink and some appetizers? A bit of fun when you’ve got so much on your plate. Nothing more.”
“Maybe,” I whispered, my resolve to forget them and move on wavering. It was hard when they weren’t being demanding or acting like they wanted me with them in their lives and just the chance to meet in the middle and spend a bit of time. “You still scare me, Aidan. But maybe. Last night was nice.”
“It was.” He gave me time to duck him, but I didn’t as he slowly leaned in and kissed me. “Enjoy your workout. I have some matters to attend to, but I’ll stop in at home base and keep you in the loop on ISLE if you wish?”
I nodded, thanking him. Then I thought of something. “You guys have like the best cheesecakes, right? Natalia was talking about them once because they’re always trying to get me to expand into New York, but I avoid mixed areas as much as possible since it’s the fastest way to get caught as not being a normal lust demon. She said there’s like a ton of them and with fruit. I like them with fruit.”
He smiled brightly at me, and I didn’t feel as stupid blurting that ramble out. I was trying. It might be stupid, but with finding the angels and possibly a way to feed as much as I wanted and safely, maybe I could try and have… Something?
“With a mug of strawberry hot chocolate sounds about perfect.”
“Shit, I’d eat it naked for you if I got spoiled like that,” I admitted, clearing my throat when he gave me a heated look like I was teasing him. I hadn’t meant to actually.
I gave them each a kiss again before we headed out, the twins convincing me to ride with them since we were all coming back to the same spot and we could bring Dylan lunch then. I felt bad for him. He’d done the right thing with ISLE, but that was hard and he’d forever be the guy who helped push out the director now. It worried me if he’d be okay. I admitted as much to the twins when they asked me what was going on in my head.
“From what O’Malley said, Dylan’s top notch, and I’m sure that’s what’s most important,” Owen comforted. “Besides, he was saying that maybe it was time to take a corner office position and oversee that people are getting it right to keep out the corruption.”
“And so he was more available for a gorgeous woman if she gives him the chance,” Evan added.
“He loves being in the field,” I argued, not able to think he’d push that aside just for a chance to maybe spend more time with me. That was crazy when we barely knew each other.
He shrugged as we got out and stretched. “That is a man all about you, love.”
“And you’re okay with that?” I asked, giving them confused looks. I blew out a harsh breath when they both nodded. “That makes no sense. You’re all confusing me.”
“Life is, so I just go with it,” Owen chuckled, glancing over his shoulder and smiling at the others as they walked up. “Acadia called in a favor to get you a romantic picnic for your date Wednesday with Jade. Our building has hot tubs, and her balcony is killer. If you can’t get closer to your dove with all that help, you’re just hopeless.”
“I really do adore you,” Greg cooed as he came over to me. He hugged me and kissed my hair. “I was totally lost on what to do. What’s your hookup doing?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. He offered because he wants a picnic with me too.” I waved at the twins. “And they’re fine with it. Why are they fine with it if they like me?”
“Are you fine if they’re with other women?” Tomas challenged as if that should give me some sort of insight.
I started to nod but then frowned, letting out a huff and heading for the trail. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore and regretted bringing it up. I’d never been attached to someone in my life and was the type of person who laughed when people were jealous.
Except thinking of the twins using their charm on another woman made me feel sick. That really couldn’t be good.
Luckily they took pity on me and didn’t bring it up, instead talking about the club while we ran. It was only at the halfway point I realized why they were telling me so much. I burst out laughing and almost fell over.
“You want my contact for the cigars or good booze, right?” I asked them, glancing between them. I said more with that look since the humans were around. They knew I was corporate for Heavenly Entertainment and they had the best hookups for everything.
“No, we were just… You’re in the business,” Owen answered vaguely as we headed down the trail. “We don’t normally get to talk shop with anyone but each other, as it’s hard to trust people.”
“Though now I’m thinking about it,” Evan grumbled. “And I was thinking maybe we should hire someone who dances as well as you do to help our dancers. They sort of just wiggle, and it would be nice if they did more or better.” He shrugged. “It just popped into my head, and I haven’t had coffee yet, so there’s no full logic or thought yet.”
“You guys are so damn adorable,” I admitted with a sigh. They were. They wanted to talk shop because I obviously was interested and good at it. They didn’t push me. They made my body come alive anytime they were close to me.
Crap, I was in trouble, and I was already in trouble with Dylan.
Maybe even Aidan if he kept being so nice and didn’t put a tracker in my shoulder or something crazy.
Again.
At the gym I went over to the twins and gestured to Jade to go by Greg, feeling like I was back in high school and that was a long time ago too. Hadn’t we progressed since then?
Apparently not to warm and fuzzies and doubting ourselves.
The twins paid again for lunch even after I said I’d been teasing them for just the first time, and even got lunch to bring to Dylan since he was in limbo. They didn’t try and follow me to my apartment or push, instead saying they’d see me tomorrow and to be safe at work.
Dylan wasn’t in the apartment when I arrived, but there was an assortment of chocolate covered strawberries and fruit from Aidan. I grabbed the smaller box of them and went through the portal, only to find Dylan buried in the case.
“He’s really good,” Kyle told me as I went to check on them. “Like really good.”
“Yeah, he is,” I agreed. I gave each of the guys a strawberry and then brought Dylan his lunch, sharing my haul with him too as we discussed the case and what he’d noted.
“The tats were a dead end,” Kyle informed us as he came over. “Only two had one from the past year, and the others were much older, three from before they even lived in Denver.”
“There’s just no overlap,” I sighed, biting into another strawberry. “They’re different gyms, different professions, different physical profile—different everything. It’s like he spins around blindfolded and the first girl he lays eyes on he goes after. Assuming it’s a he. It most likely is, but there’s nothing definite on that yet.”
“Let’s try a list of places people go,” Dylan suggested in between bites of his sandwich. “So what can one person do the same of? Get your license renewed. Dentist. Doctor. Chinese restaurant. We need some sort of overlap.”
“We thought of that, but the hard thing with these sorts of victims is they pay a lot of everything in cash,” Kyle told him.
“Yeah, but I think we’re there,” I said, agreeing with Dylan. “Let’s at least do the ones we can. We have seen weirder things than they all went to the same dentist.”
“Remember the vet one?” one of the guys groaned.
I nodded, glancing at Dylan who was confused. “There were four murders of dancers that were killed by their vet. He killed their pets and then them because he felt that strongly that exotic d
ancing was wrong he even murdered their pets.”
“That is so fucked up,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “Damn, you might have crazier cases than I had with ISLE.”
I flinched internally at the past tense and wondered how much more was going on that I didn’t understand. He seemed to want to focus on the case and maybe the distraction, so I didn’t push it. Plus, I wasn’t the most emotionally constant person to try and help others sort out their feelings.
“Are you working with vice tonight?” he asked when it was time for me to get ready for work.
“No, Badin called and said they’re still buried with that other club owner and the mess there. I guess it was a score. The club is closed until further notice and everything.”
“Okay, well, I’d love to come in and visit, but you’re right that I should lay low. I’ll watch on the video just in case there’s any problems or backlash.”
“I’m not sure if that makes me safer or that you’ve got a new hobby as my stalker,” I teased him, glad when he looked amused.
The owner of the club wasn’t amused when I arrived, looking equal parts shocked and pissed. I went right for his office, and he followed, kicking one of the other guys out.
“Are you a cop?” he demanded. “Nick says you’re a cop.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a cop or I would have busted you for shit around here.” I waited until he seemed to buy that. “I got a message yesterday after the gym saying I was to come for an interview or they’d come ‘pick me up,’ and it didn’t sound like it mattered if I was willing. When I called on those guys before that threatened to rape me after work, I met a detective that wasn’t the normal douche.
“I called him and told him I thought I was caught in something bad. He tells me that Hugh’s been busted for running girls and all kinds of shit, and I could honestly be stuffed in a truck to wherever to be sold, and they were looking at him for the murders because one of his dancers is dead. So yeah, I let the cops cover me, and then Nick’s there—not that I knew his name—and telling me all this crazy.”
“Like what?” he pushed.
I gave him a bored look. “One, the cops told me not to talk about it because I’m gonna have to testify. Two, I don’t exactly want to give you ideas on how to treat women.”
He snorted. “Like you’d let me.”
“Smart man. It was fucked up.” I sighed when he gave me a doubting look. “Like eight guys—including Nick—were going to gang bang me and hold the tape over my head and shit like that. He was selling unwilling girls out of there.”
“I could see that of him,” he admitted with a wince. “Fine, whatever, Nick’s no loss. I’m down two security now.”
“I might know someone,” I muttered, shrugged when he shot me an annoyed look. “I met a group of bouncers and dancers. One’s out of the military and looking for a job. He seems like he’s got his shit together. Better than your guys.” I hurried on when he gave me a look like he was thinking of smacking me. “I mean, if he was watching parties in that corner, I would think about taking my top off over there.”
And suddenly the owner was interested. He told me to call the guy and have him come in tomorrow.
Well, that worked out when normally all we did was get more hurdles.
The bartender flagged me, and I gave him my iPod… And he gave me roses.
“They’re not from me,” he chuckled. “Florist just dropped them off for you.”
“Pretty,” I whispered, checking out the rainbow roses. I frowned as I looked for a card. “No note. I can’t thank who sent them.”
“Like you don’t get flowers all the time,” he teased me but then frowned. “Do you not get flowers?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t ever remember getting flowers actually and certainly not such gorgeous roses out of season. “I’m an exotic dancer. People pay to try and see my tits and shake my ass, not woo us with flowers.” That and I didn’t stick around long enough to get such attention.
Maybe?
“This is really cool,” I muttered, sniffing them. I glanced up and saw David, gesturing to the roses. He shook his head. Shame, that would have been sweet. I handed them back to the bartender. “Can you keep them safe?”
“Look at you being all swoony. Yes, yes, I’ll protect your flowers.”
I changed my mind when I had to lock up my stuff in my car since I’d come right in and ready for the owner to possibly toss me back out. I had my costume on under my clothes and got into place just before I was up.
A guy went to grab my costume when I dropped it, and I was about to chastise him, but he winked at me. It took me a second, but then I recognized him as the guy who had protected it before. After I finished, I went to him first, thanking him.
“You’re welcome. They’re nice costumes, and you really want to make us smile, so I don’t like someone trying to take them.”
I nodded. “People come to unwind, and it’s fun with the right costumes and music. It’s fun for me when people get it.” I turned to someone else, and about halfway through the group I felt some dark desires, but there were so many other ones around I couldn’t tell who it was.
I also didn’t like the darkness of them, making a mental note to see who was there that night. I finished and went to David, feeling stupid when I needed my jacket again. He walked with me to the door, and right before we moved out of sight of the main floor, I felt that darkness again. Glancing around, I didn’t see anyone even focused on me though, so maybe someone was just seriously pissed or getting bad news?
It was probably one of the dancers since they were such gems after all.
“Can I sneak a kiss if we’re outside?” David teased me.
“I would never kiss customers, good sir,” I chuckled. He slid on my jacket, and then I turned, moving his hand over my breast when I was facing away from the club. “I’m shocked you didn’t bring a toy like Nathanial.”
“Well, now that we know your true job, we agreed it best we not distract you when it’s not safe and instead help your cover and hope we can do the naughty things later,” he admitted, rubbing his thumb over my nipple before moving away. “Though it is difficult.”
“I don’t know if teasing makes it better or worse,” I admitted, understanding he meant more than behaving like that and that they couldn’t ever have sex.
“It’s our issue. We understand and accept that. Please don’t alter how you act because of it. That would upset us.”
I nodded as I hit the key fob. “As long as that’s how you all feel.”
“It is. We discussed it.”
Fair enough. It was their call and their problem to handle how they could. I had my own, and yeah, people treating me differently because of them would make me feel extra odd. If that made any sense because I wasn’t sure I ever made sense some days.
Neither of us had cigars this time, so instead I listened to him talk as we sipped whiskey. He tried to pay me when I had to get back inside and take care of that party, and I couldn’t hide my shock.
“You know the truth now, it’s fine,” I muttered, pushing the money towards him.
“It’s fine, I don’t need it.”
I chuckled, amused at how sweet he was. “David, neither do I.” I kissed his cheek when he argued and told him which club Jade worked at and what she looked like. “She could use the money, and she’s good people.”
“Your heart is so pure and good it makes me rethink everything I thought about us having children,” he admitted after a moment. I didn’t know what to say to that so I just let him walk me outside to lock my jacket up again.
The party was fine, a few got grabby, but I warned them I would call it an early night if they misbehaved, and they seemed to settle down. They did, however, want to follow me home and keep the party going, not hiding very well that they were leaving the same time as me for that reason.
“We dropped a lot of money on you,” one reminded me.
They’d been pretty cheap actu
ally, so it was hard not to roll my eyes. “If I see any of you driving after me, I’ll make sure to let the police know how much you’ve all had to drink.” I gave a soft smile when a few winced. “Go home, sleep it off, or call an Uber. Be safe and then we can have fun another time, not you in lockup for drunk driving or banned from the club for stalking a dancer.”
“But you need someone to keep you warm tonight,” one argued.
I snorted. “The guy I’m crawling in bed with tonight would eat you all for breakfast. Literally. He’s a bear shifter.” I blinked, and suddenly they were all heading home.
Well, that was a good line to use going forward whether Dylan was there or not.
I picked up food on the way home and felt a bit funny when he was really there waiting for me, looking over some files. He seemed so sad, his emotions and the darkness around him letting me know that this crazy with ISLE was much harder on him than he was letting on.
“Find anything good?” I asked.
“Ruled out some stuff,” he sighed, closing the folders. “Three different cell phone carriers, so they weren’t all going to the same cell store. Different salons. A few other things, so that was helpful.” He frowned, and I remembered what else I was carrying.
“So the roses aren’t from you?”
“No, sorry.” He cleared his throat as I brought over food. “Would that be welcome?”
It was my turn to get a bit fidgety. “It wouldn’t not be welcome, but it’s honestly the first time I’ve received flowers. I’m not sure anyone should send them to the club I’m undercover at, but um, I wouldn’t be upset if you gave me some.”
He nodded, opening containers and then going for drinks. “I like flowers, but I always feel bad they’ll die. I like plants better.”
“I’m never home and would absolutely forget to water them.” That sounded dismissive so I hurried on. “Besides, we both know my stomach is what rules me.”
“It is.”
We made quick work of the food since I’d been mostly full and had only taken a small feeding to top off the tank from the party. Once everything was cleaned up, he seemed hesitant. I took his hand, and he let me lead him to the master bathroom that had the huge tub I wanted to spend some time in.