by Vella Day
“Then explain it to me,” she said between gritted teeth, trying to keep from shouting.
“Despite my better judgment, I like you.”
Her pulse shot up. “Does that mean you believe me?”
Once more, he glanced to the side before returning his gaze to her. “I think so.”
She’d been about to say that she wanted him to believe her unconditionally, but then decided that was unrealistic. She needed to be content with baby steps. “Okay, if I have to stay away from those people, what are you going to do to find the person responsible for the hardware store theft?”
Devon finished off his drink. “I don’t know.”
“You see? You need me.” There had to be a way to convince him. Sure, she could go there without telling him, but that would only add another lie to her pile of offenses.
“What if something goes wrong?” he asked. The anguish in his eyes told her a lot.
“I’ll make sure it doesn’t.” Please say you’re okay with this.
He blew out a breath. “Fine, but I want to hear your plan first.”
Excitement raced through her. If she could learn something, it might bring Connor over to her side too. Hopefully, this job would convince Devon once and for all that she’d really changed. “I’ll do the same thing I did before. I’ll enter quietly, listen for a while, and leave. Simple.”
Devon knotted his fingers together. “Fine, but on one condition.”
She had him. “What’s that?”
“Call me as soon as you get out of there and let me know what you’ve learned. No heroics, hear?”
Vinea smiled. “Absolutely none.”
Devon cleared his throat. “Okay then. So tell me about your new job.”
Vinea was thrilled that the inquisition was over, and they could finally get on with their date. “As I mentioned, my skills are rather limited, so when I spotted the help wanted sign at the Silver Lake Café, I applied.”
“I’m impressed you looked for work so quickly.”
She hadn’t expected him to say that. “Why? I do need money to live on.”
“I know you worked as a waitress in Georgia, but it has to be harder for you to do manual labor than the average person.”
She laughed. “Because you think my life was so cushy before?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure what to think, but if you were still up to your old ways, I guess you wouldn’t be working a regular job.”
Vinea sipped her beer, liking the taste. “I’m glad you’re finally willing to see the real me.”
“So am I.”
Molly returned with their meals. Vinea had ordered the breaded chicken breast with a mushroom sauce and Devon a hamburger. Now that he wasn’t shooting daggers at her, she could enjoy her food.
“So, how long will you be staying in Silver Lake?” she asked Devon.
“It depends on what you find. Just today, Connor suggested I return to the branch office in Pennsylvania because we’d reached a dead end, but then the hardware store was robbed.”
“Isn’t finding the perpetrator a job for the police?”
He chuckled and nodded. “They are handling it, but the owner is a good friend of my father’s, and he asked if we could lend a hand.”
So when this mess was cleaned up would he head on home and not give her a second thought? That idea upset her so much that her chicken no longer looked so appetizing. “What would you like me to listen for, or to find, when I visit your friends in the hills?”
“Anything you can find that relates to them having newfound money, whether it’s in relation to the hardware store theft or the armored car heist. Hell, if they discuss anything about a new attack, we’d love to know.”
“That’s a tall order. I can float around for a bit, but my ability to stay invisible for long has always been an issue.”
He leaned forward. “I take it back. I don’t want you to go.”
Shit. Devon really did care about her safety. A warm and embracing liquid shot through her, filling her with joy. However, if she had any hope of being with him long term, she had to do this job. “I want to help you. If I feel myself appearing, I’ll leave. I promise.”
He chewed the inside of his mouth. “Fine, but be careful.”
She smiled at Devon. “I will.”
Maybe he was starting to care for her again. She could only hope.
*
This time when Devon dropped her off at her trailer, he said he had some business to take care of and couldn’t stay. She didn’t believe that was the reason for him bugging out so fast. True, he had received a phone call on the way home, but a few minutes extra to say goodnight wouldn’t have hurt him. Men. She wanted to believe it meant he didn’t trust himself, fearing a kiss would turn into something more, but getting her hopes up meant it would hurt more when he left.
If he had to leave, she’d let him go. Even a goddess couldn’t make someone care if he didn’t.
“Okay, while you’re working,” she said, “I might head on up to Brother Jacob’s house sometime tonight.”
“Shouldn’t you wait until tomorrow?”
“Why?”
“It’s late. Brother Jacob might not be conducting business at this hour.”
Vinea leaned closer. “Are you worried about me?”
“Yes.” His voice came out strangled.
So he was afraid what might happen if he stayed—or so she told herself. “You are a sweet man, Devon McKinnon.”
He cleared his throat. The man definitely had issues with expressing his emotions. “Remember to call me. Okay? And don’t stay too long.”
She ran a hand down his arm. “Don’t worry. What can go wrong?”
“Plenty.”
Quite happy with the way things had turned out this evening, Vinea slipped out of his truck and rushed to her trailer. Anxious to learn something, she decided to head up right away.
But when she stepped inside her trailer, she instantly knew something was wrong. The heat had gone off. After investigating the heater, she realized it was beyond her scope of expertise to fix, and no amount of hand waving would help. Damn. Fortunately, she had the landlord’s number and called him.
“I can send someone over in a half hour.”
That would give her enough time to head on up to Brother Jacob’s, listen for a few minutes, and return before the repairman showed up. “That would be great. Thank you.”
Not bothering to take off her jacket, she nodded once, and to her delight, she found her prey in his study again. He was on the phone talking to someone about buying more sardonyx. Perfect timing!
His conversation certainly sounded promising, however that alone didn’t mean he’d stolen the hardware money. She should have asked Devon how much was taken so if Brother Jacob haggled over the price, and the two prices matched, it might indicate he’d been the thief.
From the casual way they were talking, he was calling the same man who’d sold him the stone in California the last time. Before she would traipse out to the west coast again, she’d ask Devon first if his crew wanted her to get a hold of some of the money and the stone like she had the last time. If the Changelings lost their precious sardonyx a second time, no telling what kind of retribution they’d engage in.
“If you do,” Brother Jacob said, “call me.” He tossed his cell phone on his desk and leaned back.
Guess that didn’t go as planned. The man looked tired, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She couldn’t imagine being responsible for a large group of people, especially since he believed he needed something as rare as sardonyx to ensure their existence. That would put a toll on anyone.
Vinea waited a few more minutes, but he just seemed to be surfing the Internet. As she was about to call it a night, a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Brother Jacob said. The scowl on his face implied he wasn’t in the mood to be disturbed.
John Ernst walked in with his chest puffed out. “I have
some news.”
Well, she couldn’t leave now!
Brother Jacob stood and came around to the front of the desk and peered down at the newcomer. He was a good four inches taller than Ernst, so perhaps this was his way of intimidating him. “What is it?”
“Were you able to secure any more sardonyx?” Ernst asked.
“No, but Archer says he’ll explore other avenues.”
Archer? Having a name might help Devon.
“I might have a lead. I spoke with the realtor about buying the craft store.”
Brother Jacob waved a hand. “The hardware store safe didn’t yield even enough to buy a hunk of stone, let alone a down payment on the craft store.”
Bingo! Too bad she hadn’t thought to record the conversation. She was slipping.
“We’ll have to find more money,” Ernst said.
Now things were heating up. In her excitement to find out more, she lost focus and appeared. Oh shit. Vinea tried to become invisible once more, but it seemed she needed a moment to regroup. This was bad. Really bad.
“What the hell?” Brother Jacob said as he grabbed her arm.
The shock of being exposed enabled her to activate her flight mechanism, and a second later she was back in her trailer, her heart pounding so hard, she thought she might go into cardiac arrest.
Shit, shit, shit. While he hadn’t captured her, he’d seen her face. Jacob would be more careful now than ever. She hadn’t prayed in years—make that hundreds of years—but she believed now might be time to start. If she caused these men to go underground or go on a witch hunt for her, Devon would never forgive her.
Vinea paced her living room, knowing Devon was waiting for the call. If she told him she’d found out nothing while in Brother Jacob’s house, he would think she was in cahoots with those evil Changelings. Telling the truth was the only option, and the sooner the better. Calling wasn’t an option. She would need to tell him in person, and then calm him down when he began shouting.
With a nod, she disappeared and reappeared in the McKinnon and Associates office. Devon wasn’t there, even though he said he was heading to the office to do work. Using her cloak of invisibility, she searched the other offices and spotted Sam and Connor at their desks. While she wanted to tell someone about her fiasco, she believed neither of them would be likely to hear her out.
Next stop was Devon’s house. She’d never been inside, but she knew where he lived. In fact, she might know more about Devon McKinnon than he did—other than where he was at the moment.
Her arrival was a little misplaced however, and she landed in his unlit bathroom. Whoops! That would have been embarrassing if he’d been in the shower or worse on the john.
The rest of the house was dark, implying he wasn’t home. While she doubted he was on a date, given her frazzled state of mind, it might be better if she headed home and waited. After all, the repairman would be there momentarily.
Because she didn’t have time to search, she should just call him, but she was a chicken. Not talking to him in person would be disastrous. Maybe after the heater man came and went, she’d call, assuming she’d figured out what to say to him.
Chapter Ten
‡
When Devon arrived home after his meeting, he debated calling Vinea to see what she’d found out at Brother Jacob’s house. She’d promised to call, so why hadn’t she?
Because it was close to ten, he decided not to disturb her. Most likely, Brother Jacob either wasn’t home or he wasn’t divulging any Clan secrets. Devon was sure that if she learned something earth shattering, she would have contacted him.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to speak with her and find out. And while he never doubted her sincerity in trying to convince him she had changed, whether she really had was up for debate.
I believe her, his wolf said. And so do you. Stop being so fucking stubborn and tell her you do. That way she won’t have to put herself in danger.
For once, his wolf might be right.
No sooner had he removed his coat than his cell rang. Thinking it was Vinea, he didn’t bother to check the ID. “Yes?”
“Dev, its Finn. You need to get down to the pub right away.”
Finn was never this serious. Something bad must have happened. “What is it?”
“Vinea is here with John Ernst.”
His heart nearly turned to steel. “Are you sure?”
“Sure, I’m sure. She’s the same woman you came in with a few hours ago.”
Fuck. “I’ll be right there. Call Rye.”
“I already did.”
Devon dragged on his coat but didn’t bother with the buttons. He dashed out to his truck, hopped in, and took off. He might have taken a few of the turns too fast, but that couldn’t be helped. As much as he wanted to rant and rave at Vinea the moment he saw her, approaching her when she was with John Ernst would put her life in danger—and possibly his. Was she there because she believed she could get Ernst to divulge some secret? Shit. She better not be trying to convince the Changeling that she could help them.
He slammed his hand against the wheel. He didn’t know whether he was angrier with himself for believing what she’d told him or royally pissed at her. Mostly likely it was a little of both.
Screeching to a halt in front of the pub, Devon yanked his keys from the ignition and stormed inside. Just before he entered, he forced himself to calm down. He wanted Vinea to think he just happened to stop by for a drink—nothing more. With his vision straight ahead, he strode toward the bar.
She’s not here, his wolf said. I would have sensed her.
Nonsense. How can you say that? She isn’t my mate.
Seriously? You’re in denial, his animal responded.
Finn rushed over to the end of the bar. “She’s gone.”
“What? When?” Finn would have never pranked him.
“She and John Ernst left right after I called. I figured you were on the road already, so I didn’t contact you.” He nodded toward the door. “Here’s Rye now.”
His brother slid onto the seat next to him. “Where is she?”
“Conveniently gone,” Devon answered. “I wonder if she knew Finn had called us.”
Finn shook his head. “I purposely ducked into the storage room before contacting you. She couldn’t have seen or heard me.”
Rye placed a hand on Devon’s arm, probably hoping to calm him down. “Finn, tell us exactly what happened,” Rye said.
“There’s not much more to tell. Vinea came in here with John Ernst, and they sat in one of the back booths.”
“Who waited on them?” Rye asked.
“I did.”
Finn never left the bar. He must have known something was up. “Did you hear anything?” Devon asked.
“Just bits and pieces. When I neared the table, I heard the words thanks for your help. That was all.”
Acid burned in his gut. “How could I have been so stupid?” Devon asked to no one in particular.
Rye faced him. “You need to find her and ask her what she was up to. Maybe she was trying to learn something, and she believed coming here would give her some safety.”
He hadn’t thought of that. “I will ask her, but I don’t expect anything more than a claim of innocence.”
“You won’t know until you try,” Rye said.
His brother seemed to be on her side. “If she fucking conned me yet again, I just might kill her.” Not wanting to listen to either of his brothers tell him not to overreact, he pushed off from the stool and strode out. He just hoped he didn’t implode before he reached her. If Vinea wasn’t home, which he suspected she might not be, he might drive up to the hill and confront John Ernst himself.
By the time he arrived at her place, Devon was having a hard time thinking straight. Nothing made sense. He couldn’t imagine why she would have a meeting with one of the Changeling council members in the family pub. Why not stay on Changeling ground? The only explanation was that she feared for her life, as R
ye said. Her plan had been to remain invisible, so what had made her change her mind?
Devon shut off the truck’s engine in front of her trailer and then sat there, trying to come to grips with what he’d found out. He always prided himself in keeping his cool, but this time he wasn’t so sure he could do that.
The lights were on in the trailer, implying she was home. Needing an explanation, he shot out of his truck, strode up to her door, and pounded instead of lightly knocking. “Vinea, I need to talk to you.”
A second later, she pulled open the door dressed in full winter gear—jacket, wool cap, scarf, and gloves. Most likely she’d just beaten him home.
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t expect you.”
“I’m sure you didn’t.” He stepped inside, readying for the confrontation. Before he could even form the scathing words, the lack of warmth startled him. “Why is it freezing in here?”
“The heater broke.”
“When?”
She rubbed her arms. “Maybe two hours ago? After you dropped me off, I walked into a freezing trailer. When I couldn’t get the heat to turn on, I called the landlord. He came over a half hour later, checked out the heater, and said it was caput. He promised to have a new one installed by tomorrow—assuming he can get a hold of someone at this late hour.”
His head swam. “Are you saying you’ve been here since I dropped you off? In this cold?”
She glanced to the side. “Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?” He failed to keep the anger from his tone since he knew where she’d been.
“After you left, I made a brief stop at Brother Jacob’s house.”
“And?” It was all he could manage to say.
As she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, she winced. “Things didn’t go quite as I planned.”
“You don’t say.” He wondered if she’d mention that she ended up at McKinnon’s Pub.
Devon needed to discuss a lot of things with her, but he didn’t want to have this conversation here. It was too damn cold. While he was insanely angry, he wasn’t so much of a heel to let her sleep here tonight. She’d freeze.