Liz let out a hiss of a sigh. “Holy hell, J. Slice right through me, why don’t you?” She managed a lopsided half smile in the wake of the emotional bomb he’d detonated. The voices behind them grew louder as the others closed the distance. Liz squared her shoulders, clearing her mental state of mind to hop into the swing of it with everyone else.
“Font of eternal wisdom, here,” Jett said, jerking a thumb toward himself with a grin.
“What are you guys gossiping about?” Kieran asked, stepping in line with them as he butted into the conversation.
Liz didn’t mind in the slightest—she never minded. His puppy dog persistence had endeared her from the start, and she’d never been given more attention or care in her life.
“Liz here is comparing penis size and technique.” Jett’s eyes glinted. “You know, since she took a tumble with both of us.”
Kieran’s hand rested on her shoulder at once, Jett’s taunt prodding the incubus’s eternal competitive streak. “Depends on which performance merits a second round.” Heat crept into his voice, and she enjoyed the way his fingertips skated along her skin. He stepped behind her, his rock-hard abs pressing against her back and making her forget reason. “You know where my bunk is, babe,” he murmured into her ear. His velvet voice drove her wild.
Danica chose that moment to surge beside them, pointing a finger at the sign ahead. “We’re close, guys. Let’s quiet down.”
“Should we do a split up sort of deal?” Trevor asked from behind them.
“Our divide and distract seemed to work well before.” Liz shrugged. “Though either way we should scope out the house beforehand. If he’s got a horde of fae assholes living with him, we’ll need to come back another time.”
They made it to the street corner with the lonely green sign and began walking down the lane. This part of the area, the ocean lay nowhere in sight. Trees towered overhead, brushing against the roofs of these three-story houses with fresh shingles and coats of paint, windows in good repair, everything that screamed normal and suburban. Nothing pointing with flashing lights ‘evil fae lives here.’ Like they’d be so lucky.
All the casual chatter died to a minimum once they stepped onto the shaded streets of this quiet neighborhood. Liz’s hand crept to her side to brush against her Beretta, ready to draw at a moment’s notice. Knives glinted as Jett palmed one, and Trevor slipped his own out.
“He should be at the one on the right,” Danica said, her voice breaking through the hush surrounding them. She pointed to a house with blue shutters and two cars in the driveway, a Toyota RAV and a slick black Mercedes.
Perfect suburban house in the perfect suburban neighborhood, yet the same sinking feeling welled in her stomach as the night they headed into known danger at the Lotus Garden. Liz O’Brien had learned from an early age the worst sharks in the sea were those who appeared the most normal.
At this point, the sun had set, and a few lone streetlights cast dim beams along the path. With the night came cool breezes making her wish she’d brought her hoodie along. Stars glittered overhead, visible across a velvet horizon unstained by smog. Plenty of normals lived in this neighborhood, unaware a fae set up shop here. None of these humans realized how many of the fae worked and wandered among them, and how often their lives were influenced and toyed with by these powerful creatures.
“Ready to face your arch nemesis?” she murmured to Kieran, who brimmed with tension beside her.
“I’d love to find out what this guy’s fixation with me is. I mean, I assume he and my brother are conspiring to form my biggest fan club. Oh, the perils of fame.” He placed a hand over his forehead in mock agony, grinning afterward.
“Poor rockstar, what a tough life you’ve got,” she said, tugging the Beretta out from her waistband the nearer they got to the mailbox. The lights were visible through the windows, meaning folks were home. As much as the impatience in her veins begged her to storm to the door and question the asshole, scoping the place seemed wiser. With the funds being extracted to send these hitmen after Kieran, Vandermere wasn’t his biggest fan.
Fireflies flickered by the bushes in the distance, drawing her attention as they veered around the side. They stayed near the dark pools of shadow created by the tall trees surrounding the place. From where they crept through the grasses, even with the glow of lights from the windows and the movement inside, quiet reigned apart from the hum of cicada and the buzz of other insects performing their summer symphony. Goosebumps prickled on the back of her neck the closer they inched, and the tension threaded through their entire group.
“Let’s head to the window to check and see if anyone’s up and walking around,” Jett suggested as he crept toward the large window offering a clear view of the adjacent room lit with an amber glow. From the glimpse of long couches, big lazy chairs, and the figures sitting inside, that had to be a den or living room. Regardless, it’d be the best vantage point of gauging who waited for them inside the house.
One by one, they veered away from the silver spotlight illuminating half the side of the house while staying in the shadows. Without a clear line of who sat inside, Liz had no idea what fae might be waiting for them or what their abilities were. The grass whispered against her boots, and each footstep sent a prickle of paranoia through her that someone might be watching, waiting in the darkness. She nudged her way to the forefront of the group, edging against the wall until her fingers fumbled with the windowsill.
She lifted herself up until she peered over the sill into the tinted glass. The kitchen coated in darkness spanned larger than the average one, all dark marble countertops and shiny chrome fixtures. Even without the lights on, the Kitchen-Aid, impressive metal freezer, and wide island in the center of it marked this place out as money. Jay Vandermere wasn’t short on cash.
Kieran pushed in beside her, and Jett squashed her in on the other side as they all peered in through the window, making sure to stay as low out of sight as possible.
Three figures sat in the other room, sprawled on the couches and armchairs decorating the living space. Kieran’s hands balled into fists, and when she caught sight of the man on the left, she understood why. She hadn’t seen the smug mug of Kieran’s brother since the night of the Court function, and she’d been relieved of that.
Larsen leaned back in one of the armchairs, a cigar hanging out of his mouth while two other big guys chatted with him.
Another man, if you could call him one, hunched over. His longer than average bones stretched the skin on his frame and gave him a ghastly look. The dusky skin tone resembled ash, and his body tensed at the ready, even while they sat and chatted.
If Liz placed any bets, the guy on the couch was Jay Vandermere based on the crisp white button-down he wore and the suspenders leading to his fitted slacks. Like Larsen, the man had slick businessman looks with the sort of trimmed hair, square jaw, machismo leaking fuel to draw ladies in like moths to the light. He sat with a stack of papers in front of him, leafing through a few while passing the occasional glance to Larsen.
She leaned up, trying to press an ear closer to the cool glass and hear what they were talking about inside. The murmurs were low, so she could only make out wisps of their conversation. Mumblings of the Rembrant offices and unwelcome visitors. The reason Larsen showed up here tonight became clear.
While they outnumbered those guys, they’d be the ones breaking and entering if they found their way inside. And neither the fae Courts nor the human police would swing in their favor. Jett’s fingers tightened on the windowsill as he heaved himself higher to peer at the kitchen counters below them. Stacks of papers had been left there as well, and if they managed to snag any of them, they might find themselves less in the dark. Because right now, they were wading through shadows.
A creak drew her attention, snapping her focus to the living room. Long and lanky stood from his seat and with fast, efficient paces crossed the living room.
Heading straight in their direction.
&
nbsp; Chapter Twenty-Two
At the sight of his brother, Kieran’s blood boiled. Here they were, fighting for their lives on a daily basis while the smug bastard sat back with a cigar, rubbing elbows with some assholes from one of the big fae-run corporations. He squinted, focusing on the guy leaning on the couch, a blond man whose face looked familiar. Even though he couldn’t quite figure where he’d seen Jay Vandermere before, at once he pinpointed the incubus energy. One of his kind.
Except before he tried to read their lips, the big, ugly guy stood from his seat and headed in their direction. And he could’ve swore those limpid eyes flickered to the window. Winter’s breath, he hoped not.
“Duck,” he whispered, as he, Liz, and Jett all crouched. They couldn’t risk peering inside, not while that thing gunned for the kitchen like he’d caught sight of them. Instead, he pressed his back against the wall the moment the rest of his crew made with the same idea. One glance from the ashen beast and they were screwed, but as long as the creature didn’t start surveying the area from the window, they might escape unnoticed.
The uneven bumps of the wall pressed into his back, needling him as he tried to regulate his breaths, making them more even and focusing on quiet. A shuffle came from inside the kitchen, the tread of heavy footsteps, followed by rustling around. The noises traveled closer, and for a moment, his heart stopped in his chest. Liz pressed against him, her focus on the tall cypresses ahead while she kept her cool mask in place. He reached down and brushed his fingers against hers before squeezing her hand.
She passed him a wan smile, and those hazel eyes gleamed in the spare moonlight. Another sharp thud from inside the kitchen startled him.
Danica’s brows furrowed as her gaze kept flitting upward with constant movement even though the rest of them made every effort to be as still and silent as possible.
After a few seconds of it, Trevor reached over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder as he passed her a look. He received a glower moments later.
A trickle of ice cascaded down Kieran’s back. He didn’t dare look up, but menace radiated from the creature’s presence, so close, and still. It stopped rummaging around, and if he had to place a bet, it stood right by the window looking out to the tree line. His breath hitched in his throat as seconds stretched to ages while he burned holes into the cypresses before them with his gaze, trying his best to remain invisible.
Until the footsteps started again with a creak to the hardwood beneath. After several seconds of movement, the sounds faded as the creature left the kitchen. Kieran let out a slow exhale as his muscles relaxed, and Liz’s hand dropped from his.
After a couple of minutes, Jett broke the silence. “What about checking his mailbox?” he murmured.
The creature inside was dangerous and in Larsen and Jay’s employ. Kieran wished he could remember where he’d seen Jay Vandermere before. Deep in his gut, he knew the connection was important.
“Yeah, we’d best save breaking and entering for when he’s not home with company,” Kieran said, keeping his voice low. Tilting his head toward the road, the rest of the crew took the cue. One by one, they slipped away from the sill as the lot of them tiptoed their way through the well-maintained lawn. Longer tendrils of dandelions brushed his boots while he focused on the road ahead. Because until they obtained solid evidence to lobby against his brother, goading Lars proved a dangerous game.
He quickened his pace, walking through the side of the driveway slicked with shadows. Every ounce of him longed to bust into the house and start slinging punches, but his ever-tenuous grip on common sense tamped those urges.
He cast a careful glance to the door as Jett jogged to the mailbox and fiddled with the latch. In seconds, he managed to snag a couple of envelopes and jammed them into his pocket, crinkling the paper.
“As we add to our enemies,” Liz muttered. “Now the postal service will be after our asses.”
Kieran didn’t bother restraining his grin. As of late, their enemies multiplied at an unsettling pace. A rattle in the distance froze him in his tracks. He whipped around in the direction of the house. The slight movement was the one giveaway—the front doorknob started to turn.
“We’ve got to get out of here. Now.” Kieran kept his voice low and controlled as he sauntered forward, leading the way. Though his body screamed run, in a suburban neighborhood like this, no one would blink twice at a group taking a leisurely walk. A bunch of people on the run would toss a red flag right in front of the bull. His heart sped in his chest, but he didn’t look back and forced a measured pace as their group strode away from the Vandermere house.
His throat dried at the distant click of a door shutting, but already, they’d made it a few houses down where the trees and shadows obscured them. The sound of their footsteps echoed in his ears as loud as the regular march of his heart. Danica sped up a bit with her normal anxious tread as she assumed the lead, her hands balling into fists. As for the guys, each one of them had become pros at putting on a stage face, so Kieran didn’t worry in the slightest.
A couple of twigs crunched under the heavy tread of his boots, but Kieran wasn’t listening for that. Since he couldn’t whip around and check the entrance every five seconds, he relied on his hearing. The sound of an ignition starting sent another flush of anxiety through him. The Mercedes in the driveway most likely belonged to one Larsen Blackmore—he knew his brother’s taste.
The purr of the car as it set in motion made Kieran clench his fists. He refused to run. The street sign stood out a couple of houses away, and once they made it to the end of this road, they could turn off in a different direction than his brother. Except, cars moved faster.
Tires clicked across the street, the sound approaching quicker than he liked. Even though his focus should’ve remained on the road ahead, he couldn’t help sneaking a look to the side. The sleek black car accelerated, picking up pace as it zoomed past them.
Kieran glanced in the direction in the same second the Mercedes whizzed by.
The same moment Lars chose to scan at the group from his window. Their eyes locked, and his brother’s widened in recognition.
But the car revved into motion, whizzing by as it reached the street sign and whipped around the corner to the right.
“He saw us. Run,” Kieran commanded, his legs snapping into motion. The breeze swept strands of his hair across his forehead, and the energy pumped through him while he raced ahead, galvanized by the flash in his brother’s eyes. He didn’t trust the bastard for a heartbeat. As he increased his speed, he passed by tall, towering cypresses right before he whipped to the left in the direction they’d come from. The beat-up strip mall they’d passed resided at the top of the hill and beyond that lay the parking lot they stationed the RV in.
Liz kept up with him, her cheeks flushed and determination in her eyes as her ponytail bounced with the movement. Danica surged ahead, the woman’s survival instinct something else. Asphalt pounded under his tread, and at this point, his heartbeat thundered in his ears. Any moment, his brother might be turning the car around and coming for them. Except that would be direct involvement, something Lars never did.
Sweat trickled from his temple, crawling down his cheek. The breakneck pace grew more challenging with the increased slope of the hill. After several minutes, they burst onto the blacktop of the strip mall.
Many of the shops had closed for the night. Kieran listened, but no rev of an engine and no hum of tires cut across the pavement from behind. Even when he glanced back, stray leaves skittered across the street they’d just raced along. If his brother had been wheeling around after them, he would’ve caught up at this point.
He slowed his pace to a jog. The rest of the crew followed suit as soon as they noticed, even though Danica continued booking it across the parking lot like someone lit her ass on fire.
“Did your brother catch sight of us?” Trevor asked as he walked in time with him.
Kieran nodded, his face grim. “That can’t spell
good news. The fact we’re closing in on his trail might push him into desperation, and people do stupid things when they’re desperate.”
Jett shrugged, catching up with them. “Stupid things, yes, but sometimes desperation works in our favor. If he’s making mistakes, he’ll be easier to catch in the act.”
Kieran slipped his hands into his pockets. “Either way, let’s haul our girl back into the city proper. I’ll feel better when we’re not parked alone in suburban central.”
****
Kieran pulled the RV into the parking lot and braked so hard the whole vehicle shuddered. He ignored Jett’s complaints behind him. Renn joined in the whining as well, for once the two agreeing on something. They’d dropped Danica off in central San Fran, but since they didn’t have a gig tonight, the idea of bar hopping again didn’t strike his match. So instead, he pulled into one of the lots inside Golden Gate Park. Twofold idea on that one anyway—they’d be much tougher to track here in case his brother sent fae after them.
Trevor didn’t argue with him—his brother loved the outdoors and would take any chance he could get for some solace. And to his surprise, Liz had been uncharacteristically quiet all day. It pushed him to the edge of discomfort, because after the silence came the inevitable rejection. His own family didn’t want him, so why would she?
“Both of you can shove off.” Kieran addressed Renn and Jett as he rose from his seat. “Enjoy the night. If you’re desperate for a drink and a fuck, catch public trans and troll the town. I’m going to enjoy not jumping at every shadow for a hot minute.”
Trevor strolled past the lot of them to the door. “I’ll be enjoying myself on a hike. After spending so much time crammed into the RV with you lot, I’m taking my breathers where I can get them.” He gave them a wink before he pushed the doors open and exited, tossing a hand up in the process.
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