Chapter 66
Gryph
It was hard to keep my wolf under control while sitting in the enclosed conference room with the two asshole shades. The fact that they’d forced Julia to move her client meeting pissed me off. If I didn’t distrust them so much, it might not bother me. I knew the police had a job to do, and they couldn’t always work their schedules around others. With these two, I was certain they were doing it to fuck with Julia.
“We need to put you in protective custody, Miss Dupree,” Detective Hardy began.
“No,” was Julia’s calm reply. It was a lot more polite than what I’d been about to say.
“There is no other option,” Detective Mason added in a condescending tone.
“We’ll be right back,” I growled, motioning for Julia to go with me.
“We aren’t done here,” Detective Mason argued.
“And he said we’d be back,” Julia snapped.
Before they could say more, we hurried out of the room and down the hall to Allie’s office.
“What’s going on?” Allie asked, instantly on alert. “Is there a problem with the police?”
“The detectives are being their usual charming selves,” Julia muttered.
“They’re trying to put Julia in protective custody and telling her she has no choice in the matter,” I explained. “Can you get Dylan or Trevor down here?”
It was just our luck that the detectives had decided to be a problem on a day Dylan wasn’t at Bliss.
Allie nodded. “I’ll call them now. If I don’t get an answer, I’ll run upstairs to grab one of them,” she assured us.
“Thanks, Allie,” Julia told her before we headed out of the room.
“Why do you think they’re suddenly pushing for protective custody,” Julia asked in a low tone as we walked back to the conference room.
“If one of them is Desmond, like we suspect, having you in protective custody would make it easier for him to get to you,” I told her.
“I am so tired of this,” she muttered, stopping to let out a frustrated sigh. I understood how she felt. The situation was getting on my last nerve, too. Having Julia at my home was no problem for me. In fact, I loved that Julia was staying with me, and I’d be more than fine with that continuing. My issue had to do with constantly looking over my shoulder. There was a time when that wouldn’t have bothered me. As an enforcer, I’d always been looking over my shoulder. That thought made me wonder if I’d gotten soft.
“We’ll figure this out, Sass,” I promised. “I’m beginning to think it’s time to shake things up with the police.”
“How do you mean?” she asked.
“I think we should tell them our suspicions and see how they react,” I explained. “Maybe it’s time to stop just working from a defensive stance and go on the offense. With any luck, we can make the real detective suspicious.”
“It’s always possible neither of them is Desmond,” she pointed out.
“You don’t believe that, do you?” I asked.
“No,” she admitted. “I’m certain one of them is Desmond. I just can’t tell who since neither seems all that interested in solving this case. How do you want to handle this?”
“I think we should tell them we know one of them is really LaCroix,” I replied.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked hesitantly.
“It seems we don’t have much to lose by telling them our suspicions. It would be best if we waited for Dylan or Trevor to get here,” I added.
“I hope it’s not Trevor,” she muttered as she began walking again. “I can’t imagine my brother handling this well.”
“That might not be a bad thing,” I mused. “I’m beginning to think we’ve been far too nice to these assholes.”
When we entered the conference room, the detectives fell silent. They’d been speaking in hushed tones, certain we wouldn’t be able to hear them. Many in the preternatural community make that mistake. While Julia couldn’t hear them, my werewolf ears had picked up enough of what they’d said to know they were getting ready to make threats if Julia didn’t comply.
Needing to buy some time until Julia’s legal representation arrived, I decided to play nice. “Sorry about the delay.”
“We don’t have all day to sit around here arguing with you,” Detective Hardy ground out. “We’ve already got another missing witch to look for.”
“Another missing witch?” Julia asked.
“Beatrice LaCroix is missing,” Detective Hardy replied. “Based on the anonymous tip we received, she was kidnapped. We suspect her brother may have already killed her.”
“You can see why we need to take you into protective custody, Miss Dupree,” Detective Mason added. “We can’t trust a wolf to keep you safe.”
“Gryph is doing fine keeping me safe,” Julia replied in a clipped tone. “At least, he seems interested in solving this case.”
My witch was definitely at her wit’s end. I really hoped Dylan or Trevor arrived soon. At the rate we were going, Julia would end up assaulting an officer.
“We’re doing our jobs,” Detective Hardy hissed, getting to his feet and leaning across the table.
My wolf didn’t like his threatening stance, and I immediately got to my own feet. “If you want this meeting to continue, I suggest you sit down,” I growled.
“I suggest everyone sit down,” Trevor announced as he stalked into the conference room.
I didn’t need to look at him to know he was pissed. I could feel the tension radiating through the room. With my wolf feeling edgy and challenged, I was having a hard time accepting Trevor’s order. My wolf had decided we needed to prove we were the most dominant male in the room. I had to remind him Trevor was on our side. We didn’t need to fight Trevor.
Detective Hardy also remained standing when he spoke to Trevor. “This is a police matter. You’ll need to leave.”
The detective’s attempt to dismiss Trevor didn’t go over well. I finally glanced at Trevor to find his brown eyes narrowed. His blue dress shirt had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
“When your police matter involves bullying my client, it becomes my business,” Trevor bit out. “Why don’t we all have a seat so we can discuss the many ways you’re trying to violate Julia’s rights.”
“Trevor Dupree?” Detective Hardy asked.
Trevor nodded.
“Do you really think you’re the best person to represent her, Mr. Dupree?” Detective Hardy challenged. “You’re a little too closely involved, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask. We can either meet now, with me representing Julia, or you can wait until my partner is available later today,” Trevor told him calmly as he took his seat at Julia’s left.
I returned to my seat at her right.
“Miss Dupree doesn’t need a lawyer,” Detective Mason ground out. “What she needs is to be under police protection. Are you hoping your sister will end up dead like Desmond LaCroix’s sister?”
“Either you meet with Julia in my presence, or you don’t meet with her at all,” Trevor repeated.
“This is a police matter, and we have every right to demand this meeting,” Detective Hardy argued.
“Enough of this stupid male posturing!” Julia shouted. “I am drowning in testosterone. Trevor stays. I’m not going into protective custody. I am done playing games with the two of you.”
It was impossible to hold back my grin. I loved my witch’s attitude. “Julia’s right,” I began. “It’s time to stop playing games. We have good reason to believe Desmond LaCroix is posing as a member of your department, and we suspect it’s one of you.”
While Detective Hardy’s face flushed with anger, Detective Mason seemed much less affected by the accusation.
Trevor didn’t look happy about being blindsided, but he merely waited to see what happened next.
“That is a ridiculous accusation!” Detective Hardy spat out.
“Is it?” Julia asked. “Desmond
LaCroix is a shapeshifter. He could be posing as either of you.”
“Your theory isn’t going to help capture LaCroix or find his sister,” Detective Mason scoffed. “Do you really want to play detective games while a woman’s life is at stake? Make that two women if he’s also kidnapped Tatiana Ashcroft.”
“If you really want to find Desmond LaCroix, look into what we’re saying,” was Julia’s only reply.
“Julia is not going to be bullied into protective custody,” Trevor told them. “She’s safest with Gryph. Unless you have anything else to add, this meeting is over.”
Detective Hardy looked even more pissed as he glared at Julia, but he said nothing. It was Detective Mason who couldn’t stop himself from pushing things. “Your irrational behavior makes it more likely both Tatiana Ashcroft and Beatrice LaCroix will end up dead. Are you really willing to be responsible for their deaths?”
“That is enough!” Trevor snapped before slapping a business card down on the table between the detectives. “If you have any other questions for my client, you can contact me and I will arrange a meeting. There will be no further communication when I’m not present.”
“Of course, Mr. Dupree,” Detective Hardy ground out before both detectives stormed out of the room.
Chapter 67
Julia
My brother kept his eyes on the detectives as we followed them out to the elevator.
“Have a nice day,” Persephone called out with mock sincerity.
Once the elevator doors closed, Trevor turned to us. “What the hell was that about? I thought you were going to keep your suspicions about LaCroix posing as one of the detectives to yourselves.”
“We decided just today that we need to be more proactive in our efforts to get Desmond to come out of hiding.” I explained.
“How is pricking his temper a good idea?” Trevor asked.
“It seems he already wants to kill me, so I’m not too worried about pissing him off,” I argued. “What more can he do to me?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how foolish they were. My brother looked incredulous. “Fine! There’s a lot more he might do if he’s really angry. I get that, but I’m also tired of sitting around waiting.”
“There’s a possibility, if we get this to the right people at the police department, they might investigate it and find out where LaCroix is,” Gryph pointed out. “From what Beatrice told us, Desmond can’t simply create a form. He can only mimic that of another.”
“That means the person he’s mimicking may be dead,” Trevor finished for him. “While I understand your reasoning, I’m not sure pricking the tempers of these two detectives will help.”
“It might,” I argued. “We need to see if we can get someone else to listen to us.”
Trevor’s expression turned thoughtful. “Let me make some calls. I may know someone who can help us.”
I moved forward to hug my brother. “Thank you, Trevor. You’re still my favorite brother.”
He chuckled. “That would mean a lot more if you had another brother.”
I pulled away and grinned at him. “I guess, by default, you’re also my least favorite brother.”
He laughed at my overused joke, even though I was pretty sure he no longer found it the least bit funny. “What’s your plan now that you may have just made LaCroix even angrier?”
“It’ll be best if Julia stays out of sight as much as possible,” Gryph began. “I’ll talk to Allie about rescheduling as many Bliss clients as possible. It would definitely be safer if Allie and Persephone weren’t here too often.”
“Good thinking,” Trevor agreed. “We can make some space up at the law offices for any client meetings that can’t be rescheduled. Julia will be safer now that she’s not leaving your home and coming into the office.”
“I’m still concerned LaCroix will use police resources to find her,” Gryph admitted. “Maybe it would be safer if she stays with Oliver in the demon realm.”
“Normally, I’d be completely against that idea, but she would be safer there,” Trevor added thoughtfully.
I stared at the idiots, unable to believe what I was hearing. I was certain they’d realize what a bad idea it was to try to plan my life without consulting me. That had been the very thing that had led to the huge fight I’d had with Gryph all those months ago. Admittedly, some of it had to do with my own fear of getting involved, but I might have gotten over that sooner if Gryph hadn’t been acting like a caveman about the whole thing. My mind drifted as the idiots tried to plan my life with no input from me.
“I’ll take Julia home to pack her stuff, while you call Melina’s father to make arrangements for her transport,” Gryph told Trevor.
“I’m going to The Cauldron tonight.” My announcement had the desired effect of stunning both of them into silence.
“Very funny, Julia,” Trevor said when he recovered from his shock.
Gryph let out a nervous chuckle as he eyed me wearily. “I thought you were serious,” he remarked. “We should head out now to get you packed up.”
My smile was strained when I responded to that bit of idiocy. “I have a client meeting in ten minutes. Before that, I’m going to see if Mel and Allie want to go out tonight. There is no way in hell I am going to hide in Hell.”
“It’s too dangerous to go to The Cauldron,” Trevor argued.
Gryph remained silent, though I could see it wasn’t easy. I knew he wanted to argue with me. He wanted to tell me I couldn’t go to the club, but he was trying to find a way to do it without making me angrier. It was a sign he was smarter than my brother.
“What’s dangerous, Trevor?” I demanded. “You already know The Cauldron is one of the safest places in this realm.”
The Cauldron was an extremely popular witch club. They had the best drinks, live music three nights a week, and powerful dampening spells. No magic of any kind could be used in the club.
“Why is it safe?” Gryph asked, his eyes yellow. His wolf wasn’t happy about this either.
“With the dampening spells on the club, if Desmond sets foot in there, he’ll lose the form he’s using. They’ve gone out of their way to make sure no magic can be used inside.”
“You can’t stay in there forever, Sass,” he practically growled. “We still have to travel to and from the club.”
“I know,” I assured him. “I get that it would be safest for me to hide, but I can’t keep doing this.”
“This is a bad idea,” Gryph insisted.
“It’s my choice to make,” I reminded him.
Gryph wanted to argue with me. He wanted me to go to the demon realm and hide there until the danger passed. “We can always bring extra security,” I suggested.
Gryph gave a curt nod. “I’ll make the arrangements.” With that, he headed out of the room.
“No,” Trevor said in a firm voice. “You can’t do this, Julia.”
“And how exactly are you going to stop me?” I taunted Trevor.
“I’ll tell Mom what you have planned,” he threatened before realizing what he’d said. “Please, Julia. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Hearing the worry in my brother’s voice made me feel guilty. I really didn’t want to upset him, but I wasn’t going to give in on this. “I love you, Trevor, and I hate that you’re worried. Think about how you’d feel if you were the one being threatened. Would you want to give up your whole life?”
“It’s just until this is over,” he insisted.
“We don’t know how long that will be,” I reminded him. “How would you feel if you had to be separated from Melina?”
Trevor’s eyes widened. “You love Gryph.”
“Yes, I do,” I confirmed. “It’s not easy when you morons are trying to plan my life with no input from me, but I really do love him.”
Trevor let out a sigh and nodded. “I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to help Gryph, and I’ll make sure Melina’s ready to go out tonight.”
“And you’ll
try not to run my life in the future?” I asked.
Trevor responded with a dry chuckle. “Don’t hold your breath on that.”
At least, he was honest.
Chapter 68
Julia
I hadn’t been to The Cauldron since I’d broken up with Katherine more than a year ago. Things had definitely changed since my last visit. During the time I’d been a regular at the club, it had a very industrial feel. They’d been trying to remind visitors that it was an old warehouse. The décor was periodically updated. The industrial theme had been adopted during the nineties.
The witch who owned The Cauldron was old. I’m talking about a woman who was once friends with Ann Boleyn. She went by Mary, but I had no clue what her birth name was. She had no ties to the Council of Witches. Mary didn’t often go out, so it was hard to tell what had inspired her to decorate the club as it was now. The walls were covered with gold velvet, and the place was lit by Christmas lights strung across the ceiling. All the seats were upholstered with red velvet, and the staff looked like they’d stepped out of the twenties. The music was your typical loud club mix, which seemed out of place with the theme. I had to assume Mary was going for a speakeasy feel, but it was impossible to tell.
“Interesting place,” Gryph remarked loudly so he’d be heard over the music.
“This place has changed a lot since the last time I was here,” Trevor stated. “I like this better.”
“It looks like a whorehouse on Christmas,” Melina stated as she entered by his side.
Gryph had Joey, Cash, and two other werewolves from the Sonoma pack working security detail outside the club. I’d hoped Allie and Dylan would come, but Dylan had a late-night phone meeting, and Allie didn’t want to go without him.
“Thanks for letting me tag along,” Evie said as she came up beside me. “I know I’m not a total badass like Mel. In fact, I’m not much of a fighter.”
Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3) Page 25