Mirrors… check.
Now if only she had some garlic lying around.
“You can drop off the dossiers on the killings, and I’ll look over them as soon as I’m free,” she offered, “but I can’t promise miracles. Not every case I assist with is solved.”
Flynn knew that was bullshit. Every case Jolie had ever touched had been vampyre related, and he knew how they ended. She’d told him all the details.
“Wait!” Montclair stated. “Are you telling me that we won’t be heading to the scenes together? I assumed that you’d want to visit them.”
Flynn tensed again.
“Detective, I have to read the files first, and then decide if I can even help. If I can’t, I won’t waste our time. Since I don’t have a lot of days left here in France, I want to enjoy my vacation. Both Flynn and I have very busy careers back home.”
Flynn noticed that the man didn't look happy at all.
Good.
Screw him.
There was no way he was taking Jolie anywhere, and especially not in the daylight when she was weak. It wasn’t happening.
“If you don’t mind, we have a busy day planned. We need to get moving.”
He stared at her as they were dismissed. Montclair didn't like how they were being sent away. This wasn’t how he’d planned on getting her help.
Flynn leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “Head up to get ready, baby. I’ll escort the men out.”
She ran her fingers across his cheek before purring, “Don’t keep me waiting, sexy. You know you’ve promised to keep me busy, so I don’t think about work.”
Her words screwed with his blood pressure. He only wished they were going upstairs to have sex. While that was a priority for him, Flynn knew Jolie would want to tell Jacques what had gone down.
“Absolutely, baby.”
Jolie was glad to escape. The last person she wanted to be was near Montclair. She loathed the man. If he was indeed a killer of their kind, she would gladly end his life.
The man was one step closer to being dead.
Finding her had been a huge mistake.
Upstairs, she went to Jacques and woke him. Pushing energy into his body, she waited for him to pull from death. When he opened his eyes, he was concerned.
“Why are you dressed? Where’s Flynn?” He sat up in bed and looked around.
“We had a visit from the detectives,” she offered.
He didn't look pleased. When Flynn entered with a look of irritation on his face, Jacques’s feelings of alarm were reinforced.
“Shall we discuss what we’re planning to do with the detective?” she asked, as Flynn kicked off his shoes and joined them on the bed.
“Are we talking other than disembowelment for slobbering all over our woman?” Flynn asked.
“I see that I missed quite a bit,” stated Jacques, his eyes on Flynn, not Jolie. He knew who would be honest and who would try to keep him calm.
As predicted, Jolie shook her head.
“Oh, do you mean when the asshole was pawing at Jolie or when I wanted to rip his arms off and beat him to death with them?”
“He was touching you?” Jacques growled low in his chest. “He actually put his hands on you?”
Jolie gently caressed Jacques cheek. “Flynn, we could have skipped this part,” she stated, still trying to calm Jacques down.
“Hell no, I couldn’t,” he stated. “Jacques is my alibi when I kill him.”
“Exactly,” Jacques stated. “Now, tell me everything,” he demanded.
“My love, I’ll remind you that I can take care of myself.” When Jacques didn't look any calmer, she tried a different route. “If you want the truth, Flynn put him into his place relatively quickly.”
He patted the detective on the shoulder. “Thank you.”
Jolie had to fight to keep from smiling. Her men were so very territorial, but it made her heart skip a beat. While Jolie could hold her own, she had to come to grips with the truth. She had two mates, and she wasn’t alone in the world anymore.
They were her men.
“I love you both.”
They stared at her.
Flynn wasn’t done. “I’m going on record, here and now. I had to deal with that asshole twice. You’re up to bat, my friend,” he stated, leaning back on the bed. “One more time, and he’s dead.”
Jacques understood. “Certainly, because I look forward to it. Do you want to hold him down while I slice him to pieces, or are you taking an out on this one?”
He opened his mouth to begin, but Jolie covered it with her hand. She figured it was about time to tell them her plan. Besides, it would shut down their homicidal plotting--for the time being.
“I intend to go to the crime scenes with him alone.”
Flynn began laughing. It wasn’t a good laugh either. “Like bloody hell you are,” he stated. “This is non-negotiable.”
“Excuse me? Last I looked, I was the ancient one. I’m the one who can defend all three of us against a mere human.”
Brogan shook his head. “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough downstairs. It’s not happening. I don’t care what you say, or how you try to rationalize it. You’re not going anywhere alone with him unless it’s over my dead body.”
Flynn looked around.
“Oh, look,” he said touching the pulse in his neck. “I seem to still be alive.”
Jacques laughed at his mate’s antics, and then sucked in a sharp breath when Jolie elbowed him in the stomach.
“He looks at you like you’re his dinner, and I can already see him picturing her in only her lacy under things,” said Flynn stammering in fury, just picturing it.
Jolie laughed and pulled them both close. “I think you’re both jealous.”
“Oui!”
“Hell yeah, I am!”
Both men made her heart feel as light as air. Jolie pulled Flynn down across her body and kissed him long and slow, a mix of teeth and tongue. The low growl in his chest made her laugh.
“Jolie, baby,” he muttered, when his lower lip was still trapped between her teeth.
Releasing him, Jolie turned her head toward her other mate. Pulling him down, she shared the same kiss. Like Flynn, he, too, growled in pleasure.
“As you can clearly see, there’s no reason for either of you to feel jealous. I have everything I want with both of you in my life. For the first time, I’m complete. I have my heart and soul.” Jolie curled up between them and sighed.
It seemed to appease the men.
For now…
“Since the men in my life are all calm, how about we work out the little details?” Deep down, Jolie knew that she had them both where she wanted them.
“Fine,” they mumbled together, knowing the sex card she just pulled in theory shouldn’t work, but it always, ultimately, did.
“I knew you would see it my way,” she admitted, smiling innocently.
“I feel so cheap,” stated Flynn, knowing they’d been had. When she kissed him again, finally pulling away, he could barely think. “Okay, I’m fine with that.”
Jolie laughed, and then they got down to business.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Tuesday Evening
Jacques opted to get the door.
When he’d scanned and realized who it was, he was hell bent on taking his turn. After all, he promised Flynn that he was up to bat.
Besides…he was looking forward to it.
As the banging continued, he calmly headed to the door. The clock on the mantle chimed six, and now Jacques was back to full strength. A part of him hoped that the man would make a move.
He wanted it.
Craved it.
With everything that his mate had told him, his hate was already monumental. It was just going to be a matter of if he could keep himself from snapping the man in half like a twig.
As he opened the door, there stood a relatively tall man with a stack of files in his hands. It was surprising, because if Ja
cques didn't know better, he wouldn’t have thought the individual before him was capable of such horrible atrocities.
He was the average human.
Montclair was just under six feet tall and had bronzed tinted flesh. His eyes were completely black, as if no pigment colored them whatsoever. If anything, it gave him a rat like appearance, and Jacques couldn’t help but think that it fit him rather well.
In his mind, the scales of justice weren’t weighing in the man’s favor. If he killed him now, no one would ever know…
Then a little whisper swept through his head, and he opened for his mates.
‘Jacques? Are you okay?’
‘Yes, Jolie. I’m fine.’
‘You feel pissed off,’ she admitted.
‘No, I’m just dealing with the detective at the door. He came alone.’
‘Be nice,’ she cajoled.
‘I say rip his fuc…’ started Brogan before Jolie jumped in to stop him.
‘Flynn, don’t give him any more ideas,’ she scolded, laughing.
‘I’m fine, but don’t come down. If you do, I can’t promise that I won’t kill him just for looking at you.’
‘Let’s go down,’ said Brogan, thinking the night couldn’t get any better.
‘Flynn…’
Jacques cut them both off, so he could deal with the detective standing before him. “Can I help you?” he asked calmly, hoping the detective would give him any reason to break him in half, or remove his head from his shoulders.
Maybe he would pull a gun…
“I’m here to see, Jolie,” he admitted, glancing around the man as he hoped to catch a glimpse of her. Maybe she would invite him in and they could look at the dossiers together.
“Are you referring to Doctor Harcourte?” asked Jacques, putting the man in his place.
He nodded, finally paying attention to the man who opened Jolie’s door. “Yes, I have some dossiers for her. When I saw her earlier today, she agreed to help me on a few cases.”
“So, she is not expecting you?”
“Pardon?” he looked confused. “I just spoke to her today, and she specifically asked me to drop them off for her.” He gestured toward the pile in his arms. “Jolie knew I was coming.”
Jacques hated how he was using her first name, and he longed to rip out his tongue, and then feed it back to him.
Flynn’s laugher filled his head.
‘Told you so…’
Then the man became insistent as he tried to maneuver past Jacques. “Stop.”
Montclair stared at him.
“I’m pretty sure that the doctor isn't expecting you. If you want, you may leave the files with me.”
“But she said…”
Jacques crossed his arms.
Montclair checked out the obstacle in his way. He was tall, lean, and dressed to kill. The man before him looked rich and pampered, just like Detective Brogan.
“Who the hell are you, anyway? Are you the butler? Doctor Harcourte should send you back to wherever she found you. Your manners are atrocious to her guests.”
Jacques stepped out of the house, forcing the detective to step backward. He glared down at the man. “Do I look like a butler to you?”
“Well, no,” he said, looking more closely at the man before him. In fact, he seemed to look more like a model. “Who are you?”
“Who I am is none of your business. What you do need to know is that I’m in charge of security for Doctor Harcourte and Detective Brogan. As such, I’m officially telling you that they aren’t available to see you. Doctor Harcourte and her fiancé are engaged, having a private dinner and are not to be disturbed.”
“Well, if it’s dinner, surely she can spare a moment.”
It was irritating how insistent the man was. “Maybe you’re not getting my hint. I’m sure they don’t want a third person interrupting their private moment.”
“Ohhhh!” He finally took the hint.
Flynn’s laughter in his mind nearly made him crack. Jacques couldn’t believe that he’d just alluded that his mates were having sex--especially to a stranger.
“I can wait in my car.”
“Listen, it’s not happening. Leave the damn files and get your ass out of here. I’m not asking twice. I’ll be calling the cops to tell them she has a stalker.”
That seemed to get his attention.
Jacques knew that if he was indeed a hunter, and the last thing he’d want was more attention.
“Now leave the files, and I’ll give them to Doctor Harcourte when she’s available or at her nearest convenience, which won’t be until tomorrow.”
He looked completely abashed but handed them over to Jacques. “May I leave my number, so she can contact me if there’s a problem or she sees something in the files?”
“Yes.” Jacques waited for the man to scribble the number on the top file before taking a step back.
“Does the doctor always need this type of security?” he asked, looking up at Jacques.
“Detective, you would be amazed at the riff raff that tries to get close to the doctor on a regular basis.” There was no doubt who he was talking about.
The man looked insulted.
“Good evening, Detective.” With that, Jacques closed the door in the man’s face.
Flynn was the first one down the stairs to meet Jacques, and he looked completely amused. “Did you actually call him riff raff?”
“I was so angry that I couldn’t come up with a better word. I was trying not to rip his heart out.”
Flynn patted him on the shoulder. “Try having a conversation when he’s drooling on Jolie. Trust me…you got off easy on this one.” He paused, glancing over his shoulder. “You still have to deal with him again, and then we’re even,” he stated, enjoying the appalled look on Jacques’s face.
“Great.”
“Uh oh, here comes Jolie,” he stated, moving into position next to his friend. Together, they were going to make a stand against the asshole.
When Jolie appeared, her face was completely blank. She’d heard their entire conversation, and she was amused.
“Are you mad, mon amour?” asked Jacques, as he still was working on controlling his temper.
Jolie stopped in front of him. “How can I be mad when I’m entertained by you two cavemen? I would like you to remember, though, that it’s no longer the dark ages, and we, women, are allowed to take care of ourselves and not stay hidden away.”
Flynn stared down at her. “Hey, I’m happy with him thinking that I was upstairs screwing your brains out. Maybe I’ll tattoo my name on your ass next.”
She hit him.
“Shit! That hurt! Pull the punch, baby. I’m still half human.”
Jolie laughed.
“If he wasn’t a possible hunter, and this was just a male testosterone led tirade, then I would have been…” She searched for a word.
“Pissed?” supplied Flynn, grinning wickedly. “Mad, irritated, irate, bothered...?” he supplied.
Jolie playfully went into his arms. “Yeah, pick one, handsome. In both of your favors, is the little fact that I can’t stand the creepy detective near me, so no harm done.”
While Jolie stayed under his one arm, protectively against him, Flynn threw his other arm over Jacques’s shoulders. It was a way to offer him calm, plus keep them linked together. Like his mates, Flynn was getting more touchy feely with every blood sharing.
In the living room, they took a seat on the newly placed furniture that Chloe had replaced after her meltdown.
Jolie took the files from Jacques and began flipping through them. She had to admit that curiosity had gotten the best of her. Both men took their spots beside her, letting Jolie dig through the papers.
As she was just getting engrossed in the first one, her phone rang.
“If that’s him, I’ll hunt him down,” stated Jacques.
Jolie laughed. “It’s your sister.”
That calmed him right down.
“
Hello?”
“Bonjour, darling, how are you?” asked Jasmine sweetly.
“I’m sitting in front of a fire between two sexy men, so I’m really good.”
There was laughter. “You had me until I started thinking about sex and my brother. Now I’m grossed out.”
Jacques lifted a brow. “I heard that.”
Flynn snorted as he began nibbling at Jolie’s neck. He’d heard it too, and now he was thinking about sex.
“What’s up, Jasmine?” she asked.
“I received your message about the Halloween ball, and I wanted to let you know that there are plenty of seats for the Harcourte society, especially for the guest of honor. Think of it as your re-coming out party.”
“Jasmine, you’re too much. Who’s going to be attending this ball?”
“There will be societies from all over the country. It’s a way for us to network.”
Jolie wanted to laugh at the idea of centuries old vampyres getting together to chitchat, all while dressed in Halloween costumes.
It entertained her, but when in Rome…
“Are you still in need of a donor? If so, I’ll have one sent to you tomorrow. She can be there sometime after dusk. She’s from our family, so you have nothing to worry about. You can trust her.”
“Thank you, Jasmine. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“It’s nothing, Jolie. We’re family, since you’re essentially married into ours.”
Jolie couldn’t help, but glance over at her mates, her heart skipping a beat. She wondered what marriage would feel like, and then when Jacques’s eyes met hers, so she let it go. Her predicament was that with two men, she couldn’t pick one over the other to officially marry.
He watched her. Jacques swore he saw disappointment in her eyes.
Jolie changed the subject.
“I have a question about the slain family.”
Jolie heard her intake of breath.
“What were their names?”
“Jolie, darling, why do you want to know?”
“I’m now neck deep with one of the suspects, and I need the names.”
Jasmine understood. “Do you have paper ready?”
Jolie waited for Jacques to make a pen appear.
Flynn was impressed. He’d yet to master some of the vampyre trickery. Jacques was like a magician at times. It was entertaining.
Dangerous Misery (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 3) Page 17