by Kyle, Celia
“Where is he, Elissa?” His tone was almost gentle, though his eyes remained cold.
“I honestly don’t know, Ragan. About two seconds after you rang the doorbell, he shifted and jumped out of the window.”
He followed her nod toward the open window and his jaw tensed. When he finally returned his attention to her, all hints of warmth and affection had vanished, replaced by a hard glint in his eyes. Nothing remained of the sweet, eager, slightly goofy computer nerd who’d kissed the living daylights out of her. It broke her heart.
Stepping forward, she reached out to him, wanting to assure him she wasn’t part of any of this. She was the same person as before, but he recoiled from her touch. Stunned and heartbroken, all she could do was stand open-mouthed as he pulled out a business card from his pocket and stiffly handed it to her, careful not to let their fingertips touch for even a millisecond.
“Call me when he makes contact,” he said gruffly.
Before Elissa could respond, he turned on his heel and walked out of the apartment, letting the door slam behind him. She made it to the window in time to watch him peel out of the parking lot and drive away as fast as he possibly could. Tears burned and she didn’t even try to stop them this time.
The connection between them had been so real, so genuine. She’d never felt anything like it before. It was like some kind of fairytale chemistry that blew her mind and shook her universe to the core. But now, it was gone. He was a total stranger to her, and any trust they’d shared was gone, their bond broken.
There was no fixing what she’d destroyed.
Chapter Six
Ragan had never been so furious in his life. He was surprised he wasn’t trailing a steady stream of smoke behind him. The day had been a real roller coaster, and it was barely lunchtime. His meeting with Elissa had turned his world upside down and inside out. Hell, he’d been fantasizing about having babies with that woman!
To learn she was not only related to the getaway driver from the Bradford burglary, but that she lived with him too had shaken Ragan to his very core. Charlie would be well within his rights to fire his ass right there on the spot for making out with her like he did. On top of that, he’d failed to bring in Cray Pardus for questioning, and even worse, the man knew they were onto him. That would make tracking him down ten times harder.
Anger, shame, and worry blinded Ragan to anything other than his footsteps as he entered Wildridge’s office. He was assaulted by noise first, pure cacophony, and then Elektra grabbed him by the collar and yanked him inside so hard he almost lost his footing. She shut the door behind and spun around, her eyes darting around like a hunter tracking its prey.
“Don’t let them get by you,” she barked over her shoulder as she ran back into the fray.
Charlie stood at the door of the conference room with his arms wide and his stance low, as if he was trying to keep something from getting past him. Ragan caught a greenish flash from the corner of his eye but by the time he focused on the spot, it was gone.
Alice and Allon rushed past him toward the spot while Elektra and Wyntir scrambled around under a desk in the opposite corner. Whatever had escaped Alice’s shop this time must have been twice as fast as the little love bird from that morning. Bellicent was the only person in the office sitting down, chin resting on her folded hands, as she watched the chase unfold with a face so bored she might have been in a trance.
“Another animal?” Ragan asked, sniffing the air for a clue as to what type. It smelled like a mythical creature—something with the body of a reptile and the head of a weasel—but that seemed pretty unlikely. Even for a dragon.
Wyntir interrupted them by lunging at the corner of Bellicent’s receptionist desk, but the now-brown critter took a hairpin turn and darted away, leaving her to plow into a credenza, which sent a pretty orchid shattering to the ground and knocked the coffeemaker over with it.
Elektra leaped over Wyntir and the rubble, hot on the tail of the scurrying animal, which tried to slip past Charlie, but a single growl from the big boss changed its mind. Too much was going on for Ragan to get a clear view, but it was definitely furry and brown, not green and slimy, as he originally thought.
“Animals,” Bellicent finally sniffed. “Plural. A ball python and a ferret. The ferret wants the python for dinner.”
Ragan couldn’t recall ever seeing her smile before.
“Rooting for the ferret?” he asked.
“Not especially,” said the crow shifter in her usual monotone. “Then again, snakes eat birds.”
“Uh-huh,” he said. “Is that why you’re not helping?”
Ragan jumped back as Allon and Alice corralled the snake into a corner. It curled up into a tight ball, tucking its head under its body. They approached it slowly, but before they could get within reach, the thing unfurled and struck at them. A koala shifter running from a pissed off snake was funny enough, but to see a massive dragon shifter squeak like a little girl brought a smile to Ragan’s lips for the first time since he’d left Elissa’s apartment.
“Reptiles and rodents are not in my job description,” Bellicent snapped. “Besides, ferrets stink.”
“We can go over that at your next performance review,” Charlie snarled as he jogged past the desk to help Alice corral the python back into a corner. “Ragan, help the other two!”
Elektra and Wyntir were playing what looked like a game of ping pong with the ferret. They had it contained in the hallway, where it would first run toward one of them, only to flip around and run toward the other, each time gaining ground on the snake. Pretty soon, it would have enough room to escape the hallway and scurry under a piece of furniture.
Ragan shuddered as he watched the furry beast, trying to push away the memory of his second-grade encounter with his best friend’s ferret. Lula had left quite the impression on him…literally. The small scar sat three inches up his right forearm, a permanent reminder that reptiles and ferrets could never be friends.
But if there was ever a time to preemptively get on Charlie’s good side, it was by helping out with something like this. He barreled toward what had to be the biggest ferret he’d ever seen, ready to pounce. Unfortunately, the ferret didn’t take kindly to his approach, hissing in the most terrifying way before tearing between Ragan’s legs.
Before they could react, the door to the conference room opened, and Dyrk stepped out, completely oblivious as he thumbed through a folder. He arched an eyebrow when the ferret shot past him into the room, but Ragan, Wyntir, and Elektra were less graceful. Dyrk’s papers went flying as the three shoved him out of the way to chase their adversary.
The door bounced shut behind them, at least trapping the monster in the room, but they still had to catch it—not an easy task with something so wily. Amid a clamor of shouts and curses, Lula’s larger, nastier cousin leaped onto Ragan’s pants and scurried up his body.
“Get it off!” he shouted, but before the ladies could oblige, the little asshole sank its teeth into his left forearm, giving him a matching ferret scar on his other arm. “Ow!”
Elektra seized it by the scruff of its neck before it did any more damage, and by the time they joined the others in the lobby, Alice had the snake draped across her shoulders, stroking its head like it was a puppy. Charlie grinned at everyone, even as Bellicent scowled at the snake, and applauded them.
“Well done, everyone. I know Alice appreciates the help.”
“We wouldn’t need to help if she kept her damn animals in their cages,” Bellicent groused under her breath, just loudly enough for Ragan to hear.
“What was that, Ms. Bleek?” Charlie asked, his smile faltering.
“Nothing,” she said with an annoyed sigh.
Ten minutes later, Ragan sat in Charlie’s office with a small bandage covering his wound. His stomach churned at what he had to tell his boss, wondering how he’d take it. Whatever happened, Ragan knew Charlie would be fair, and quite honestly, firing him seemed pretty damn fair at the mome
nt.
“So!” Charlie said, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Let’s hear your report.”
“The car is registered to one Cray Pardus, who has a rap sheet taller than Allon. I tracked Pardus to his apartment, but he was tipped off and escaped through the back.”
Charlie frowned. “Tipped off? By whom?”
Ragan was thoughtful for about five seconds before taking a deep breath and ripping off the metaphorical bandage. “Elissa Malkin.”
At Charlie’s confused expression, Ragan explained, keeping his voice as controlled as he could. “Elissa is our prime suspect’s daughter.”
“Oh my god,” Charlie said as he processed the surprising information. “Why didn’t you bring her in for questioning, Ragan?”
“I questioned her at her apartment, Charlie. It seems after her mother’s death, Pardus turned to crime to provide for Elissa. Apparently, he’s not very good at it because he’s been in and out of prison most of her life, which she’s not proud of. She went so far as to change her name so she wouldn’t be associated with him after his last conviction. He was released about a month ago and she agreed to let him live there if he went straight. Apparently he didn’t. He jumped out the window when I rang the doorbell, and she says she has no idea where he is.”
Charlie steepled his fingers and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Do you believe her?”
Ragan knew he shouldn’t hide the fact his dragon instincts had flared up several times around Elissa, indicating she was holding something back, but the fact of the matter was that he didn’t know she was lying about anything. Did he trust her? Hell no. Not anymore. But he couldn’t say with certainty that she’d known what her father had done, and he couldn’t stomach the thought of implicating her if she truly was innocent. He’d have to find out on his own first.
“I do,” he answered honestly. “I don’t believe she knows where Cray went.”
They sat in tense silence for a few interminable moments. Ragan finally leaned forward. He had to know. “Are you going to fire me?”
Charlie frowned, seemingly surprised by the question. “Why would I do that? Do you really think you’re the only person here who has lost a suspect? Ask Allon about a certain witch sometime.”
Relief swept through Ragan like a cool breeze on a hot day. He sighed with relief and sat back in his chair. “So what’s my next step? What should I do?”
“You already know where to find the answers, Ragan,” he said, his piercing gaze steady on his employee. “Now you just need to go get them.”
* * *
The panther’s broad, black feet padded through the dry grass, her body creeping along low to the ground. Her nose was nearly pressed to the dirt, sniffing and following the remnants of a scent that would lead her, hopefully, to her father’s hideout. Elissa didn’t often feel the need to resort to shifting, especially because it would mean stripping out of her clothes and then re-emerging somewhere else completely in the nude, but at times being a human simply wasn’t as useful as being a panther. In those times she tapped into that wilder side of herself.
And honestly, it felt wonderful to be on the prowl again. Her velvety black body reflected magnificently in the dappled light as she crossed through backyards with utmost stealth. The last thing she needed was to have animal control called on her. Or to cross Wildridge Security and be caught.
She shimmied underneath fences and squeezed through gates. She crept along the sides of the houses in the neighborhood where she had picked up her father’s distinctive scent, trying to stay safely hidden in the shadows. Being spotted by some terrified human housewife sitting on her couch watching soap operas and eating bonbons in the middle of the afternoon would not turn out well for Elissa.
The panther scent grew more pungent and she followed the trail to a house that seemed familiar. It took her a minute but she finally recognized it as the home of one of Cray’s old girlfriends, from before he went away the last time. Six years was a long time to ask a casual hookup to wait, but it appeared she’d welcomed him into her home again. Or Cray had broken in while the woman was at work. Either way, Elissa knew without a doubt her father was holed up inside.
Slinking up to the back of the house, she popped her big, black head up at the rear window and let her yellow eyes glare through the cracked and crooked blinds to see her father sitting on the couch and drinking a beer like it was some idle Sunday afternoon. After putting her through so much in her life, Elissa couldn’t hold back a snarl of irritation.
Any human in the world would have been terrified and run out the front door screaming. Cray simply looked her way and then stood with a grunt to open the sliding glass door and let her in.
“Hey, sweets,” he said flatly as he padded back to the couch to resume watching the game. He used the beer bottle to point to a door. “There’s a robe in the bathroom, if you want it.”
Elissa gave him another snarl that he ignored and then trotted to the bathroom. When she emerged again, she was in her human form and wrapped in a silky pink robe that only reached mid-thigh. Her father, on the other hand, wore a matching pair of sweats she’d never seen before. At least he’d turned off the game and put down the beer.
“Where is she?” she asked, jerking her head to indicate the owner of the house.
“Work.”
“She know you’re here?”
He shrugged. “Not exactly, but I’m hoping she won’t mind too much. She kept all of my clothes in the guest room, so she can’t hate me too much. Not like you.”
The concern in his eyes broke her heart. Despite all he’d done, she knew he loved her deeply. And she loved him. Slumping onto the couch next to him, she grabbed his beer and downed what remained.
“I don’t hate you, Dad. But I do need to know the truth. All of it, not just what you want me to hear. I’m a big girl now. I can handle it.”
Cray nodded and looked thoughtful for a while as she waited patiently. “I guess I should start with what really matters. And that’s love. Love got all this crap started in the first place. Your mother was the light of my life. I was over the damn moon for her. Most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Still is, except for you. And boy was she strong. And smart. Again, just like you. She kept me on the straight and narrow, made me…good. And god, I wanted to be good. To be good enough for her, to earn her love and keep it. We had such a good thing going and I never would have done anything to risk it. You believe that. Don’t you, sweets?”
She thought back to the first half of her childhood and all the happy memories of a loving family. A favorite was the Christmas they’d trekked to Othercross, just so she could watch the lighting of the tree. She couldn’t have been older than nine, but even at that young age, she could tell her parents were supremely, deeply, eternally in love.
“I do, Dad.”
Satisfied, he nodded and continued, his tone turning sad. “And then she got sick. We tried all the treatments the doctors suggested. We even went to Othercross one winter to seek treatment from their specialists. Remember that? We watched them light that big tree?”
Tears burned as she nodded and squeaked out, “I remember.” But she hadn’t known the rest of it, and that broke her heart. To think they’d battled her illness for so long on their own was almost more than she could bear.
“In the end, she was too perfect for this world, sweets.”
Elissa grabbed his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. Together they cried over their loss. Not for the first time, and probably not for the last. But this felt different, as if they were finally mourning together.
“Do you remember the promise she asked you to make before she passed?” he asked gently.
She nodded and sat back up again. “That I go to college and make something of myself.”
“That’s right. What you don’t know is that she made me promise to make it happen, no matter what. I know I didn’t go about it in the best possible way, but it was the only way I could think of at the time. No
way was I going to let her down—not her and not you.”
Elissa sniffled and nodded, finally understanding Cray’s choices, if not approving of them. “That promise was the only reason I even applied for school. I assumed I wouldn’t get in or we wouldn’t be able to afford it, but then I got that damn scholarship.”
“My friend did good with that one. Not even the college people suspected anything was amiss,” Cray’s voice held a hint of pride. “I know I did it the wrong way, sweets, but the outcome was right. You got your degree and that was the whole point.”
“With dirty money,” she pointed out none too gently.
“Money is money, sweets. Usually, I stuck to the smaller jobs. Smaller payoff but way less risk. Stealing jewelry or cash here and there, never enough to make a big impression. Never wiping people out. That’s not my style, you know. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. That also helped when I got caught. Small crimes meant smaller punishments. I consider my shorter stints in jail and the occasional visit to Othercross Judiciary a tax for living outside the law.”
“Of course that left me with crazy Aunt Sanne,” she muttered and he ignored it.
“Everything was fine until you went off to college. Suddenly, it became a lot more expensive supporting you.”
“So it’s my fault?”
“No, not even a little bit. I promised your mother I’d take care of you. I went outside the law to do that. Around the time the scholarship fund started running low in your junior year, Buddy came to me with a big job. Big enough to fund the rest of your schooling and living expenses. I didn’t feel like I had any other choice, so I agreed.”
“Dad, I could have—” she started to argue but he cut her off.
“Water under the bridge, sweets. But you have to understand that Buddy isn’t small-time like I was. He’s got friends, Elissa. Bad people. Really bad. Buddy assured me I wouldn’t have to deal with them or even help with the break-in. I only had to drive. That was the deal. Seemed simple enough and if it got you through the rest of your schooling, it was a risk I was willing to take.”