by Erin R Flynn
“Please. Really? Why does everyone keep insulting my intelligence today? She’s worried about my stress levels and basically told me to use this trip like Spring Break—drink too much and make bad decisions. Well, there’s a bunch of work now instead.”
“What can we do?”
“Can you guys go with a few FBI here and talk with Nina’s contact?” I glanced at Robinson. “You guys have a van we can borrow? We’re picking up stuff for a friend, and it might make the contact happy if we make life easy for her.”
“You can borrow our van,” Hull agreed.
“Okay, check if Nina’s friend is ready, swing by here, get the van, get Agent Wu, have her check out the potions and see what they are, and send Nina’s load back. Maybe get extra for Nina on us since we’re using her contact for work.”
“That and you want to buy out Nina’s store.”
“I really do want to buy out her store,” I agreed with a happy sigh. “I honestly wish we’d brought some of her damn tea for me instead of the basket only. I feel dehydrated already.”
“I swear I’m going to hook you up to an IV of that and an IV of coffee in the other arm.”
“Oh god, don’t tease me with my version of heaven.”
“See you soon.”
“Yeah, hurry because the plane has to get home to get back.”
“On it.” He hung up, and I smiled at the phone. Hagan and Reagan made my life worlds easier.
“We going to discuss you bringing a civilian in on a case?” Hull asked, leaning his hand on the table and giving me a hard look.
“Sure. He and his twin are former Marines that my office and the Chicago office has already cleared and both used as consultants and contract help. Plus, they’re my Betas, so they can’t disobey me. Can you say that about your people?”
“No, no I can’t.”
I kept flipping through files and marking them with what was needed to be done as I stuffed my face with the replacement food Wu brought in. Just as Hagan arrived with Reagan and Simone—not that I should have been surprised by that—Levy Sosa and Ms. Villegas came in with her daughter, Trixie, and the new boyfriend for moral support.
Chaos then ensued, especially when Robinson tried coaxing Trixie away from her mom and checking her neck.
“Seriously? And my division is the fake FBI?” I snarled as I headed over to them. I knelt down in front of the little girl and smiled. “Honey, are you afraid of your mom?”
“No, why?” she asked me as if I was nuts.
“Yeah, I’m not afraid of mine, either, and she’s way scarier than yours. Do me a favor, though, because those big men over there are terrified of her—can you go with my best friend Simone here for a minute while I prove that those stinky boys are stupid?”
“You’re funny,” she giggled and took Simone’s hand.
“We think so too,” Simone agreed.
I held up my hand to hold off Robinson, very aware I had the eyes of the whole office as I took off my suit jacket and pulled out the knife I kept in my back pocket for… Well, there were lots of reasons, and I’d lost count of the times it had come in handy. “This is why you’re an idiot, Robinson. Watch Ms. Villegas closely.” I flipped open the blade and sliced my forearm in one swift move so I got a good amount of blood before it started to heal.
“What the fuck, Thomas?” Hull shouted at me.
“Watch Ms. Villegas,” I repeated, moving closer and waving my arm less than two feet in front of her. “Ever smell anything like me, Ms. Villegas?”
“No? What are you?” she breathed, inhaling deeply. “Dear Mother arth, you smell good.”
“Okay, so you’re her type?” Robinson demanded, coming closer. “So? So what?”
“Do you see her fangs out? Does she look out of control in any way?” Reagan drawled, gesturing to Ms. Villegas. “Sera’s a stranger and the best thing Ms. Villegas has ever smelled, the tastiest. You really think Trixie is in any danger if she has that kind of control?”
“Geez, you could have told us without cutting your arm, Thomas,” Hull bitched, tossing me a towel.
“Really? I thought I did, and then Robinson here is trying to lure the kid away with candy from her mom like she’s the devil all the while creeping the kid out. And me.”
“I apologize, Ms. Villegas,” Robinson conceded, giving a nod. “I’ve not been around any new vampires. My concern was for your daughter. An accusation is an accusation.”
“No, I understand. I’d rather you take any accusation seriously instead of blow them off,” she replied with a small smile. “We’ve had that problem before, haven’t we, baby?”
Trixie nodded, pulling back to her mom. Simone let her go, and Ms. Villegas picked her up.
“Robinson, care to take her statement and get the report going, put out the APB on the ex-husband?”
“Of course.” He gestured for Ms. Villegas to follow him, giving the sucker to Trixie he’d offered earlier.
“Impressive, Chief Thomas,” Levy Sosa complimented.
“More like impatient,” I chuckled. I extended my hand, and he shook it. “Give me two seconds, and then I’ve got something for you if you’re okay with leaving Ms. Villegas alone with Special Agent in Charge Robinson? I promise the door won’t be locked, and she’s free to leave.”
He gave me a wide smile. “We both know she could rip the door open if she wanted to.”
“Yes, but then she’d have to replace it and piss off a lot of people.” He laughed as I headed over towards my group, and apparently I was pulling everyone’s funny bones. “Hagan, this is Special Agent Wu, he’ll be with you and the van to Nina’s contact.”
“Nice to meet you,” he greeted, shaking Wu’s hands. “I talked with Nina and told her the plane was making two trips, one with as much as a van could carry the first trip if she wanted. She wanted and said she loves you and will send tea.”
“I love her too,” I chuckled. “Have fun. Don’t get lost in the desert, and hurry back because the plane needs to go.”
“Right, got it. Reagan, you fill her in.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek, his eyes going wide when he realized he did it in front of everyone. I laughed and shoved him away. Idiot.
“What are we filling me in on?” I asked Reagan, smiling. “Anything good? I could use good news.”
“Yes, we told Alpha Stud about the change of plans and you were now on an active case so drinks could be changed if problems arise, and he was gracious about it. He also offered adjoining suites for your team. Will that be a conflict?”
“No, I haven’t seen anything wolf in their open cases. That’s awesome, thank you.” I turned to Simone. “And you? Why are you not by a pool or having fabulous blended drinks?” I groaned. “I want blended drinks.” I shot a nasty look at Hull over my shoulder. “This was supposed to be a damn vacation.”
“I’m here to help. I have contacts. Who do you need to question?” I raised an eyebrow at that, and she simply shrugged. “The sooner you finish or at least get through the bulk so your underlings can finish, we can get this trip back on track.”
“Awesome. I need a couple actually, but let me ask Mr. Sosa a few things first.”
“Do you want me to tell you a lie, Chief Thomas?” he teased, mischief in his eyes.
“We can always play I Never,” I chuckled. It was easy to tell when young shifters and vampires were lying unless they were trained. I wasn’t going to insult the Vegas Master and treat him like someone young, especially because I was the new one and couldn’t always tell who was lying or not.
“I doubt you have time for it when you came for an easy trip.” He gave me a respectful nod. “I haven’t been to Greece before and smelled someone like you.”
“Then you know why I’m off the menu.” He gave a nod. “Anyone in your coven that you’re worried about going off the deep end? Making messes to clean up?”
“No.”
“Anyone who’s asked permission to visit?”
“No.”<
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“Anyone you know of in town?”
“Know of? No. Been hearing rumors of? Oh yes. Someone old, but not ancient, well within your abilities I’m sure. Young ones forget to ask permission; their masters normally do for them until they’re out of their teens, but then they’re used to being coddled.”
“Old ones don’t forget.”
“No, no they most certainly do not, Chief Thomas. They do not ask when they do not want to be denied or people watching over them.”
“You have a name?”
“No, we have a few descriptions that might help beyond ‘unstable,’ but I cannot lend credence to the validity of them. My people have already been looking into the matter,” he worried, glancing at Hull. “If you have more, I know several of the casinos and hotels are already trying to find him or could very likely give a name if they had a face.”
“We have an obscured satellite shot of someone leaving at about the time of death, but it would be hard to match surveillance without too many knowing or talking about it.”
“Ah, but in Vegas, we know the meaning of discretion. The establishments owned by our kinds share alerts, so if I put out the warning to find the person at The Venetian and who to contact when they’re located, it will automatically search without informing everyone who’s being looked for and why. Extra layers of protocols, you understand.”
“Yes, I wish we had such tight systems,” I admitted. “And you would input the picture we have with my direct number if I asked you to?”
“Yes, you have my word, Chief Thomas. As you said, messes are bad for all of us.”
“Thank you. I’ll get it to you before you leave with Ms. Villegas.” I gave him a nod, and he headed towards where she was still being interviewed by Robinson.
Hull was in my face seconds later, hissing under his breath as if that mattered. “Just like that you believe him? Are willing to give him crucial information on a case? And you wonder why people call you the fake FBI?”
“Fine, you want to play the game we just played? Why not? I have a minute to kill between handling all your cases,” I drawled, adjusting my neck and winking at Simone and Reagan, letting them know to join in. “Ever cheat on your wife, Hull?” He wore a ring, so I assumed at least he was married.
“No, of course not. What does that have to do with—”
“Lie,” Reagan and Simone called together.
“Ever hire a hooker?”
“No, but it’s legal here.”
“Lie, then true,” Simone purred. “Oh, he’s fun.”
“You can’t possibly know that,” he snapped.
“Yes, we can. It’s in the books, Hull. Hell, it’s not just your heart leaping when you lie or the amount you’re sweating, it’s like you vibrate at a different damn frequency.”
“Some people give off different pheromones when they lie,” Reagan added. “For vampires, their blood slows. Not rapid heartbeat, but their fight or flight instinct when they have to lie dies and their bodies basically play possum.”
“Huh, I didn’t know that’s what it was, but they just vibrate differently to me.”
“That’s because you’re weird and too powerful,” Simone teased me. “Now what do you need?”
“Cheetahs. We’ve got cheetahs in third form robbing banks.”
“Men?”
“Yes, why?”
“Then not the Vegas cheetahs,” she assured me, pulling out her phone. “They’re all women and own a strip club, a high valued one. They have a deal with the wolves for muscle. I believe they all have issues like some of the females from your pack did, but when they knew it was a losing battle, they came here and made their own female-only pack, trading help with the wolves for a cut of the club’s profits.”
“Smart. No one would screw with the Vegas wolves. Old pack. I’d like to talk to the Alpha cheetah. Warn her Harris is coming, but he’s, well, he’s a kitten.”
“Cute,” she drawled, walking away as she tapped her phone.
I turned back to Hull. “This is how we close cases. We can smell lies, and vampires don’t protect vampires when they kill because it’s bad for business and someone’s on their turf. The cheetahs don’t want criminals here, either, so if someone who can handle the situation, won’t get them killed in the process, and they can trust handles it, they will all but lead us to the door. Now the other murders I saw are going to be difficult because you guys fucked up.”
“How so according to you?”
I ticked off fingers as I went. “You didn’t take a cast of the claw marks. You didn’t call us in because one of us could have smelled what species or, shit, tracked them. You’ve already released the bodies to the families. And from what I’ve seen, you didn’t look into any other murders across state lines to build movement or a pattern. I’m not sure I can help on that one without another body, not that I want there to be another murder.”
“Take a cast of the claw marks. Why does that matter?” Hull demanded, narrowing his eyes at me.
“You guys seriously haven’t ready any of the reports or updates, and you’re trying to handle paranormal cases on your own,” I snarled, about ready to punch him this whole situation chapped my ass so bad. “Reagan, do you mind?” He nodded and moved next to me. We held our hands out for him and changed just our hands. “See the difference in claw size? It’s relative to our size. Same would be true in straight animal form.”
“Got it. So when do we go cheetah hunting?” Hull asked, glancing around as if unsure what to do.
“You don’t. Me and mine will because all you are on a bust with shifters is cannon fodder.” He opened his mouth to object, and I held up my hand to cut him off. “Look, Hull, I’m not going to throw you under the bus or keep ribbing you about this if you just let me do my job. I also won’t lie for you if I’m asked to explain what happened here because you are in way over your head trying to take the cases on when you’re not even updated on the information the FBI puts out. So help or get out of my way.”
I turned on my heel and headed back to the conference room. I was tired of Vegas, and I hadn’t even gotten to any of the good stuff yet. So not fair.
10
“Hair regrower and thickener, like Rogaine but always works and within days, not months,” Hagan explained, setting down a jar on the conference table. “Hair remover, though she was specific it shouldn’t be used on intimate parts but the ass would be okay.” Another jar clinked on the table.
“Why are we listening to your boyfriend give the report and not Agent Wu?” Hull demanded.
I rolled my eyes and wrote what Hagan said on a label, slapping it on the jar along with a case number and evidence ID tag. “Boyfriend? Are we fifteen?”
“I’ll be your boyfriend, lover,” Hagan purred, and I stuck my tongue out at him. “She didn’t want to talk to Wu. He had to wait in the van. His aura would hurt the plants.”
“Which I would have found offensive if I didn’t have a long-standing history of killing every house plant ever given to me within record time,” Wu agreed with a sigh, kind of pouting. “Even any cut flowers never last around me. I never understood it, but now a witch has told me why. Wish she had told me how to fix it. I like plants.”
“Maybe if you call her from a safe, respectful distance, she might point you in the right direction,” I offered. He raised an eyebrow at me as if checking whether I was teasing him, but I nodded to really do it. I couldn’t have been more serious. “What else, Hagan?”
“This is an additive for cattle feed so the food goes twice as long.” Another jar came at me. “Basically, it’s all benign stuff that just smells like crap. They are magical. She said it was a weird combo, as if someone bought up everything they could get their hands on without any knowledge or true need.”
“Oh, you guys aren’t just trying to handle cases you get, but are actively investigating paranormals in your area? Why? Why give yourselves more cases you can’t solve?” When no one answered me, I tried to give the
m a valid out. “Did you hear of some kind of complaint? Were there rumblings of unlawful animal sacrifices or anything?”
“Besides the wares come like this?” Wu offered, pointing to rusty and crappy looking large mason jars with gross looking contents.
“Hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so far I’m not hearing anything valid. It’s spelled, not something you have to worry about contamination with.” No one tried to defend it after that, so after Hagan went over another half a dozen jars that were marked and logged, case closed.
Along with a warning that if they opened investigations into territory that wasn’t theirs, I wouldn’t be so friendly next time. Assholes. It wasn’t even as if they were being bigots really, just trying to prove they didn’t need my division before we branched out further.
Well, that was an epically failed experiment. Hell, they were proving mine and Monroe’s argument. Which was why I was texting him case numbers as I went.
I got a copy of the not awesome picture from the surveillance around one of the murders of our vampire suspect to Mr. Sosa before he left with Ms. Villegas, her boyfriend, and daughter. Robinson had his hands full with that case, a shitty trail to follow to find out if the death certificate was faked and that was who was in trouble, or someone logged a death certificate and there wasn’t one, blah, blah, oh, headache time. Either way, Robinson was going out with two guys to pick up the ex-husband.
At least he understood who was in the wrong now.
So that was two of the stacks down. Granted, the rogue vampire accounted for four other files, mystery other murderer had three, and there were six banks hit. Seriously, that was a hell of a stack just with those all having different jackets but actually the same cases.
Just as I was about to call it a day until I got word from Sosa or my team arrived, a woman was brought back to the conference room. One who walked with the grace Simone did.
“Regina, thank you for coming,” Simone greeted as I stood. “This is my friend, Chief Thomas. I promise she will handle the situation with great care.”
“Of course, thank you, Regina,” I echoed, shaking her hand. I offered her a seat and something to drink. One of Hull’s people ran to get a bottle of water when she asked for it. “We’re looking for some cheetahs, and Simone says your pack of females are the only natives in Vegas. Is that still true?”