A lot of the time, she felt like she didn't show enough appreciation for Alec. Because of him, she was able to continue to live the lifestyle she had always had growing up. She wasn't forced to give up her nice things, and she could keep on doing whatever she wanted. Brittney knew she was spoiled. She'd been spoiled when her parents had raised her, and she was spoiled now with Afterlife.
Sometimes it got to her. So when she was done organizing Alec's hall closet towels by color, she went into the kitchen to cook. Cooking wasn't something Brittney really enjoyed doing.
The only real draw back to her relationship with Chloe was that neither one of them were very organized people. Neither of them liked cleaning, and neither one of them really cooked all that much either. They ate most of their meals out somewhere or ordered in. If they ever moved in together, their house would be a mess.
Brittney knew she couldn't cook as well as Alec, because he'd had a century to hone his craft, but she still made him a hamburger with sauteed mushrooms and cloves of garlic. She smirked as she added the garlic; weren't vampires supposed to be allergic to it? She melted some swiss cheese she found over the whole thing, and put it on a plate.
By that time, the smell had woken Alec up. He had taken a shower and came out of the room wearing only a towel. Despite her commitment to Chloe, Brittney couldn't help but check him out. He had rock hard abs, and long, lean, sculpted muscles.
"See something green?" he asked.
"Put some clothes on," Brittney snapped, her face flushing red. There had been a time she might have flirted with him, teased him a little, tried to get the towel off... but she wasn't that girl anymore. "Come on, I made you food."
Alec went back in and changed. He came back out wearing a pair of hip hugger jeans, a loose fitted shirt, and his leather jacket slung over a shoulder. His still wet hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. She noticed the way it curled a little when it was wet. She imagined running her fingers through it.
Then she made a face. She was in a relationship. She definitely shouldn't be having those sorts of thoughts; especially not about Alec. He was her boss, and he was Harper's... well, he wasn't Harper's anything anymore, but he was still off limits.
"Thanks," Alec said, taking the plate.
"You didn't have any buns," Brittney said.
"Don't like them that much anyway," Alec said. He grabbed a fork, dropped down at the table, and ate quickly and cleanly. "Now, are you sure you want to go with me tonight?"
"Yes," Brittney said. "I need a break from Peter."
Peter was her younger brother, and he'd been staying in her and Harper's guest room. His parents had cut him off financially after he'd refused to continue at the university. Now he lounged around all day, complaining that he had nothing to do.
Brittney had him help clear out some goblins from the city who wanted to steal artwork, but she didn't want to get him any more involved in Afterlife than she had to. It was dangerous work, and besides that, she didn't want to work with her little brother.
"Give him something to do," Alec suggested. "He's probably depressed because he's bored. Afterlife needs a new janitor."
"I don't know," Brittney said. "I never really imagined that's what my brother would do with his life, you know? He has so much potential."
"I'm not saying he should be a janitor forever," Alec said. "But a little hard work never hurt anyone. When has he had to do that? Hmm?"
Brittney couldn't argue that; Peter had grown up as spoiled as she had. "Alright," she said. "I'll float the idea past him, see what he thinks."
"You know I'm not talking about the club though," Alec said.
"What?"
"Afterlife needs a new janitor," Alec said. "As in our group. We need someone who will go in behind us and clean up our messes. I'm suggesting that should be Peter. He's got a good head on his shoulders. He'll make sure that nothing gets forgotten or missed."
Brittney frowned. She'd just been thinking about how she didn't want to work with her brother. Then again, she wouldn't really be working with him. He'd be coming in after they were done and cleaning up a place. Whatever that meant. Would he be in charge of scrubbing demon blood off doors?
"Alright."
Alec grinned. "Okay, it's time to go to the hopefully never future mayor Stanley. Let's go. We'll take my car. I don't trust your driving."
"Thanks," Brittney said. "Means a lot to me."
They got into Alec's car and he drove them over to Rebecca Stanley's resort-like house. There were body guards outside, but they let Alec and Brittney through.
"There are a lot of demons here," Brittney murmured to Alec. "They're not trying to hide it either."
"Of course not," Alec murmured back. "They're trying to show us their strength. Can't do that if we can't tell what they are. Don't worry, I've got your back."
"I'm not worried."
It was true, too. Brittney was almost never scared on a case. Perhaps she should be, most of the time, but she trusted her teammates and she trusted her own instincts. And she trusted the gun she had in her blazer.
Rebecca Stanley was waiting for them in the dining hall. She gestured for them to take seats.
"You brought a guest," she said to Alec. "How lovely." She turned to Brittney. "I recognize you, of course, Miss Conley. You were one of the FBI agents responsible for bringing down a big part of the Trinity gang. Very good work."
Brittney sat down. "Thank you."
"Do you know why I asked you here tonight?" Rebecca asked.
"Probably because you want something," Alec said. "But I told you, we don't work for you."
"And yet, here you are," Rebecca said. She looked between Alec and Brittney. Her gaze settled on the latter. "You seem more reasonable than him. You might know that I am a councilwoman, running for Mayor of Las Vegas."
"I did know that, yes," Brittney said.
"My campaign is focused on cleaning up the streets of Las Vegas," Rebecca said. "You were very helpful in that, crippling the Trinity gang, disabling both their heist and trafficking schemes. You have my appreciation for that."
"I didn't do that for you," Brittney said. "I did that because Trinity was taking young men and women from my club and selling them off. We wanted to end that, and it had nothing to do with politics."
"Of course," Rebecca said. "And yet, it did look good for me. You might not know this, but Special Agent Stephen Eklund and I have a strong working relationship."
There was a pause as she let that sink in. Brittney found herself biting the inside of her cheek to keep from making some snappy remark; it wasn't the time or the place. She and Alec wouldn't be able to fight their way out of this place.
"Anyway, the demons are all out on the streets because of this rain," Rebecca said. "It's making things look bad. I want you to fix it."
"You want us to fix the rain," Brittney said. "You realize we fight demons, not weather, right?"
Rebecca laughed. "We both know the rain is caused by a demon. Don't pretend otherwise. Find out who it is, and end the rain so the demons can go back under the streets."
"We don't work for you," Alec said again.
"You've said that before," Rebecca said. "I know you're going to keep saying it, but I want you to know that I appreciate the work we're going to do together. Don't think of it like you're working for me. Think of it as a partnership."
She turned to Brittney again. "Otherwise, I'll have to take drastic measures. Measures such as seeing that your little lady friend is banished to the fey, that your brother takes the rap for the murders you committed, that you and your friend are exposed as fake agents, and that the little niece of your friend... well, you don't know how hungry she makes some of my friends."
Brittney stood up. "Don't you threaten us."
"Then consider what I'm saying," Rebecca said. "Just do what I ask. It's not that difficult of a request. Like you said, you fight demons. Find the one that's causing this and end the rain. Then we'll move on."
"Come on, Brittney," Alec said. "We're leaving."
"Alec, I said jump," Rebecca said with a smirk, as they left. Her voice followed them out. "Now it's your turn to ask how high?"
FOUR
It had been a long time since Harper had brought anyone home to meet her parents. She had never been serious enough about someone to want to introduce them to her mother and father. Serena and Robert Hawthorne were good parents and good people, but Harper still felt a little weird about bringing boys home.
So when her mother had issued the invitation, Harper had almost refused. She couldn't, though. She had told her mother all about Conner in a moment of weakness on the phone. She'd told her about Alec too, and about the love triangle she'd found herself in. Now that she was with Conner, fully committed to him, she knew it was time to take the next step.
Harper had dressed herself in a pair of gray twill slacks and a ruffled red shirt that brought out the streaks in her hair. She wore the matching scarf that Conner had bought her for her birthday and the silver bracelet that Chloe had given her.
Conner looked extremely handsome. He was dressed in slacks as well, with a button-up blue shirt and a blazer. He even wore a tie. Somehow he still managed to come across as casual though, and the bottle of wine he carried in a lackadaisical manner helped seal the deal.
"Are you sure about this?" Conner asked Harper as they approached the door of her parents' house.
"I'm sure," Harper said. "I want them to meet you, Conner. Don't worry. You're important to me, and so you'll be important to them. Now, stand up straight. Give a good first impression."
Conner leaned in to steal a kiss. Harper returned it with enthusiasm, her mouth exploring his. She never got tired of kissing Conner. Every time it was like something out of a romance book.
The door opened and Harper quickly pulled away. Her father let out a wolf whistle, and her mother clapped her hands in delight.
"Sorry," Harper said, blushing a light pink.
"Oh, don't be sorry for young love," Serena said. "You must be Conner. It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Harper. Come here, give me a hug."
Conner shifted the wine, and then allowed Serena to hug him, returning it politely. He gave Harper a look over her mother's shoulders. Serena was a short, olive-skinned Filipino woman that looked nothing at all like Harper, yet had a happy face and a pleasant demeanor. Harper shrugged at him, grinning. She felt a little like a high school girl getting caught kissing her boyfriend when he brought her home late.
After the hug, Conner shook her father's hand. Robert was the exact opposite of Serena; he was huge. He stood at least six foot five, and weighed over three hundred pounds. He had the look of a football player who'd retired a few years ago. He was bald, but had a giant gray beard that used to be brown. Harper remembered how much it would tickle her when he'd kiss her goodnight as a child.
"Oh come in, come in," Serena said. She stood back so they could all file in to the house. Conner looked around at Harper's childhood home. It was bright and colorful with knitted afghans and shelves of knick-knacks. There were dozens of framed photographs of Harper up on the walls. They showcased her through her many stages of childhood.
Conner went right to them, despite Harper's protests and took a long look at each one. He couldn't help but smile. There was one of her riding a horse that he adored. She was laughing in it, her hair tied in a French braid down her back. She wore long, leather boots and a cropped top that showed off long, tanned, freckled arms.
"You were a cute kid," he said to her. Then he turned and saw that she wasn't there. He blinked. He'd been left alone in the hallway. He frowned and turned in a circle.
"We're in here," Robert said, sticking his head out from the dining room. "Come on in, Conner."
Conner followed Robert into the room and smiled at the atmosphere. He'd been expecting something formal and serious but there were mismatched plates on the table, which had no cloth, and colorful cups. Serena was opening the wine.
"I hope you like Filipino food," Serena said. "It's been so long since Harper's been home that I made all her favorites; pansit, lumpia, caldereta, and pan de sal, of course. With real butter. None for your father, though -- he's watching his cholesterol. He can have some margarine."
"I'll be damned if I'm going to eat my bread with margarine," Robert said. He hugged Harper again, and spun her around in a circle. "If I can still pick up my daughter, then I don't need to worry about my heart much, now do I, woman?"
Conner smiled. "I haven't heard of these dishes before," he admitted.
"Harper doesn't cook for you?" Serena asked. "Well, I'm not surprised. I tried teaching her, but she never got the hang of it. That's alright. You can come here and get fattened up. You're far too skinny, Conner. Sit down, let me get you a plate."
Conner sat down next to Harper. Robert poured the wine into the cups and Serena fixed them each a plate of the Filipino cuisine. To be polite, Conner had a little of everything. He found, to his surprise, that he actually liked it all. Serena was a good cook.
Harper was happy with the way dinner was going. The wine loosened everyone up some, and her dad and Conner got into a conversation about college football. Neither one of them liked watching professional football. They found it too boring. Her father had always said the money made it to where they could just buy the best teams, and that ruined the fun of it. It was the coaches they discussed now, talking about one who'd just been fired for sexual assault. They were wondering who was going to replace him for the new season.
This left Harper open to talk to her mom. After dinner, she followed her into the living room. They sat on the mismatched sofas and chatted about Afterlife. Harper didn't tell her anything about the demons, but she did tell her about the FBI course that she and Brittney had supposedly taken, and how they'd all but shut down the Trinity gang.
"I saw that on the news," Serena said. "You looked very serious in your bullet proof vest, Harper. Don't you know how dangerous that line of work that is? I would have preferred that you stay working at that bar, Patrick's."
"My supervisor was a lech," Harper said. "I'm glad to be out of it. Besides, now I get to work with Brittney every day."
"That must be nice," Serena said. "I saw her mother the other day at the supermarket, you know. She looked quite pleased with herself over the whole thing. She's really proud of Brittney. Speaking of which, how is she? How's her girlfriend? What did you say her name was?"
"Chloe," Harper said. "And they're good. They're both good. I'll bring them over for dinner sometime. Actually, no, Brittney and I will have a dinner party, and you can come to that. Then you can meet everyone that I work with."
"That sounds wonderful," Serena said. "I want to meet Sarah, too. She's the one who works with battered women?"
"Yes."
"I couldn't do it," Serena said. "But good for her. And there's Alec..."
They both went silent. Her mother knew about Harper's feelings for Alec, which made him sort of a taboo subject with Conner right in the other room.
"Yeah," Harper finally said. "He'll be there too. We're good friends."
"Good," Serena said. "That's good. I always thought it best to remain so after a relationship ended. Besides, he's your boss, in a way, isn't he?"
"In a way."
"Then it's good that you can remain on good terms with him," Serena said. She leaned over and kissed Harper's cheek. "And as long as you're happy, of course."
"What do you think of Conner?"
"He's charming," Serena said. "He's much more handsome than I expected. Tall, too. Not like your father, but still tall. You did well for yourself. Now, I was thinking we could play charades."
"No."
"Harper..."
"No," Harper repeated.
They shared a laugh. It was an inside joke between them. Three out of the four boyfriends Harper had brought home had played charades with her parents. All the relationships had ended shor
tly after. Harper liked to tease her mother that the charades were the reason behind the failed relationships.
"Fine," she said. "But let's get the boys at the very least. We'll sit and we'll talk and we'll get to know him even better. I do have to make sure he's good enough for my little girl, you know."
"Mom," Harper said seriously. "He's perfect."
FIVE
Sarah waited patiently for Elizabeth to finish getting dressed. She was holding her newborn, Regina, making soft cooing noises to her. The baby was a good one. She didn't cry a lot, and when she did, it was because she needed something. Sarah was in love with her already, and was going to miss her when they went back home.
Elizabeth had been discharged that morning, which was fortunate because her scheduled flight left in just a few hours. Her blood pressure was back in normal range, and her fever had broken. She was prescribed antibiotics in case of any lingering infection and she had to continue to take blood pressure medication, but otherwise, she was ready to leave the hospital. Sarah was glad she had good insurance; she could only imagine the bill her sister would be getting otherwise.
When she was done putting on her clothes, Elizabeth came out and took the baby. She strapped Regina into the new car seat and handed it over to Sarah to carry. Hospital policy stated that Elizabeth had to go to the front door in a wheel chair.
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Sarah said. "I was worried about you, you know."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You're always worried about something. Alright, so now what? It's a few hours until my flight."
"We need to make a stop," Sarah said. She helped Elizabeth get the baby buckled into her car, and then they both got in the front seat. Sarah drove over to Karen Style's house. She was a woman that Sarah had known for many years.
She knocked on the door and waited. Karen opened it a few minutes later. She was badly bruised, and her lower lip was bleeding. "Come in, quick," she said. She looked at Elizabeth and the baby a bit suspiciously but allowed them in as well. Her house was completely trashed. It looked like someone had taken a hammer to it.
Make it Rain (Afterlife Book 10) Page 2