by C. D. Hersh
Eli swept Alexi into his arms, stroking her hair as she wept. “There, there, lassie. Dinna fret so. Mayhap I was wrong aboot him and he’s not for ye. After all, a heavy-handed joiner, a trembling-handed smith, and a soft-hearted leech, dinna suit.”
“Please, not another stupid proverb, Eli,” Alexi said through her tears. “I’ve lost Rhys. Really lost him.” A fresh set of sobs shook her and she collapsed against the older man’s chest.
Eli gently grasped her by the shoulders and eased her away. “Listen, lassie, I ken that yer heart is breaking, but ye have tae understand that a partnership, such as ye’ll need, canna stand on one leg. If he’s not willing tae join ye, ye have tae collect yerself and go on with the task ye’ve been destined for. Dun butter does guid for the sowen.”
Alexi blinked her tears away and frowned at him in confusion. Couldn’t the man talk straight just once? “Dun butter? We’re not talking about food here, Eli. This is my life.”
“Like-tae-like, lassie. ‘Tis what it means. You need someone who’s willing tae stand next tae ye as a shifter. A strong shifter. A man who has the same means as ye and the same end in mind.”
“And just where am I supposed to find someone like that?”
Eli straightened his shoulders. “I’ll stand by ye. Fight side-by-side with ye.”
She smiled at him and lovingly stroked his graying beard. “That’s sweet, Eli, but you don’t quite measure up to Rhys.”
He straightened into a regal stance. “Ye might think I’m auld, but I can hold my own agin anyone yer age. The older the buck, the harder his horns.” A wild, fierce expression crossed his face. “A Scotsman never lets his clan down and yer my clan now. Besides, a friend is a guid thing tae have on the day of the battle.”
“Another proverb?”
“Aye, and a verra guid one at that.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Stepping away from him, she wrapped her arms around her chest. She felt so unprepared for what lay ahead. “It’s going to be a big battle, isn’t it?”
“That it will. I canna lie tae ye. There are those who won’t want ye tae have yer rightful place.”
She went to the window and gazed out into the black night. The houses were darkened, her neighbors tucked safely in their beds while she struggled with a magnitude of problems they had no idea even existed. Promised One. It sounded like a lonely job. She was so tired of being alone.
“How am I supposed to pull two warring factions together, Eli? I’m having trouble finding Baron’s ring. If I can’t do that, how can I possibly lead an entire Society to peace?”
“Great gaps may be filled with small stones. Ye take it one step at a time, lassie. One step at a time. And our first step is tae figure out why Sylvia tried tae have ye killed.”
“She knows who has Baron’s ring. She described him, the bright blue eyes.”
“Did ye let on that ye ken him, too?”
“I don’t know him,” Alexi snapped. She whirled toward Eli. “That’s why I went, hoping he’d be there.”
“Instead, ye nearly got killed. Daring often leads tae—”
“Death. I know. You already told me.”
“Ye should have waited on me, lassie.”
“There wasn’t time. Sylvia set things in motion too quickly.”
“She has the halter, and she’ll get the horse. Ye were set up for certain.”
Eli was right, even though she didn’t like being compared to horseflesh. Sylvia had played her. The question now was whether or not she had Baron’s ring. “I think it’s time we pay another visit to our friendly bartender.”
“I’m thinking his tongue is in his purse, lassie. Have ye enough tae purchase him?”
“We’re not offering money this time.”
“If ye canna bite, lassie, dinna show yer teeth.”
“Oh, I can bite. And if he doesn’t hand over something good, half his ass will be missing by the time I’m done with him.”
Eli roared in laughter. “That I canna wait tae see.”
Chapter 35
Shaw jumped when the payphone rang, answering it before the second jangle. He glanced at his watch. Five a.m. This had to be his call.
“Who’s there?” asked a man with an Irish brogue.
“Who’s asking?” Shaw replied.
“I’m looking for a Danny? Is that ya?”
“Yes.” It’s about time he called. He was getting tired of hanging around this phone every morning. Robbing and mugging all night and getting up so early was killing him. “Johnny?”
“Aye, it’s me.”
“I’ve been waiting for your call for two days. What kept you?”
“I’m just the lackey here, Danny. Ya don’t get an audience with the queen unless yer invited.”
“So you talked to her?”
“Aye.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. This beard and limp had become a real bitch. He couldn’t wait to get rid of them. “How much does she want?”
“Ten thousand and the ring. And don’t forget my fee.”
Ten thousand, plus ten percent. That’s eleven thousand dollars. Bunch of crooks. “Does she want a pint of blood thrown in, too?”
“I’d not be joking about that, if I were ya.”
“It’s highway robbery.”
Johnny guffawed. “That’s a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it, Danny?”
“It’s a lot more than I expected.”
“Take it or leave it, man. It’s no skin off her nose if ya want to drag a leg around the rest of yer life.”
He sure as hell didn’t want that. Lulu had already postponed the wedding until he could walk down the aisle properly. Made him swear he’d visit a leg doctor and get it fixed. No way could he back down now. “She promises she can fix me?”
“Aye, she said she’d fix ya real good.”
No matter the price, he’d have to pay it. “I’m going to need a couple of days to get the rest of the money. Is she okay with that?”
“She figured ya might. Ya got till the 31. That’s when she wants to meet with ya.”
“Where?”
“At the place where ya got the ring.”
He hadn’t visited the scene of the crime since he’d killed Jordan. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go back. “I didn’t read the inscription there.”
“That don’t matter, according to her. She needs to know the location.”
“There’s an alley about two doors down from the Dew Drop Inn. That’s where I got the ring.”
“When ya get the money, bring mine to the Rogueman’s Bar, and then I’ll tell ya what time to meet her.”
“Sure. Anything else?”
“Don’t stand her up, Danny. She’s not the kind of woman ya want to cross.”
Shaw hung up the phone and limped away. He had three days to fence the rest of the jewels and figure out an excuse to get away from Lulu until he got back to normal. The damned beard wouldn’t stay off, and she harped on it every time they were together. He’d scraped his face raw trying to shave. He ran his hand over his chin. He’d try giving it a buzz cut before he visited her. Maybe if he left some of it on, like a five o’clock shadow, it wouldn’t come back.
Lulu opened the door and frowned the minute she saw him. “I said clean shaven, Danny.” She brushed her hand over his chin. “I can still see, and feel, this beard.”
Shaw limped into the entry and gave her a quick squeeze. “My face hurts from shaving. I promise I won’t have this on the wedding day.”
She clapped her hands on her hips. “I should hope not.” Her gaze swept over him. “Did you make that doctor appointment for your leg?”
“Yeah.” He pointed into the living room and then rubbed his lame leg. “Can we sit?”
“I’m sorry, Danny. Is your leg hurting?”
“A little.”
She ushered him onto the couch, rearranged the coffee table, and dropped a couch pillow on the top. “Let me help.” She gently lifted his
leg and laid it on the pillow. Then she perched on the edge of the table, massaging his thigh.
“Lower, babe,” he said, as he eased back into the couch. “It’s my calf.”
“I’m worried about you, Danny.” She moved her hands down his leg, massaging his calf muscles with her thumbs.
“Damn, that feels good.” He let her touch relax him. This whole ring business had him so tense.
“Maybe I should go to the doctor with you.”
“No!” He bolted upright, the motion sending a cramp through his thigh. Hell, he didn’t want her doing that.
Her hands stopped moving. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. I mean, yeah.” He brushed her hands away. “That’s what I came to talk about. I got the doctor’s appointment, but he’s in Milwaukee. I gotta drive over there.”
“I can take off work.”
“I’m gonna be gone four, maybe five days. You can’t afford to take off. You won’t have any time for the honeymoon if you do.”
Her bottom lip poked out. “But I want to be there for you.”
He pulled her off the coffee table onto the couch beside him. “I know you do, babe,” he said as he snuggled her into the crook of his arm. “But I want that honeymoon. Every single freaking minute of it.” He bent down and nuzzled her earlobe. “I’m so damned horny from you making us wait a whole month before we get married,” he whispered. “I won’t let you waste a single second of our time on my doctor appointment.”
She giggled. “Me, too, Danny. I can’t wait.”
He drew back. Was he hearing her right? “Do you mean we can . . . now?”
“No, silly. We’re gonna wait.” She gave him a shy smile. “But we could do other stuff.”
Damn! She never offered that before. All this waiting must be getting to her, too. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her, angling his mouth over hers. His tongue eased between her lips and his hand roamed over her soft hips. She felt so freaking good.
She grunted and leaned away, rubbing her chin. “Ow, Danny. That hurts. You gotta get rid of that, now, if you want anything.”
One chance, and this freaking beard had to screw him. He punched the couch arm.
“Please, don’t be mad, Danny. Your beard really hurts me.”
“I’m not mad, babe.” Not at you. He fingered the ring on his finger. The metal was cold, despite the heat of his hand. Damn, he said to the ring. You have screwed up everything. I’ll be so freaking glad to get rid of you! He dropped his leg off the pillow and stood. “I just want you so bad, babe. I don’t think I could stop.”
“Really?” Her face shone with adoration. “That’s so sweet of you, Danny, to think of me like that. You’re my hero,” she crooned.
He moved out of the living room to the front door, with Lulu trailing. Yeah, he was a real hero. A robbing, murdering, lying sweetheart. Damn, but she made him feel guilty.
She threw herself at him as he opened the door and hugged him. “I love you, Danny Shaw, and I do want you.”
“Me, too, Lulu. More than you’ll ever know.” Careful not to rub his whiskers on her face, he kissed her. As soon as he was rid of this ring and its damn curse, he’d make everything up to her. They’d screw until they were both exhausted. Then do it again and again. He gave her a goodbye kiss on her cheek. Married life was gonna be great.
Chapter 36
Gladys approached Rhys the minute he walked in the precinct door. “You’re going to want to know what I found,” she said. “Is Jordan here?”
“Nope. Just me.” No need to mention his estrangement with Alexi until he had a good excuse.
Gladys hooked her arm in his and dragged him toward her cubicle. “Good. I like it that way, sugar.”
He let her lead him into her workspace. She shoved a chair in front of her computer and motioned for him to sit.
“Remember that street cam video we had of Fabio carrying the jewelry heist bag on the Pawling case?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he’s innocent. He’s got witnesses that put him in Europe, just like I said.”
“You brought me in to tell me that?”
“Course not, sugar.” She swiveled her computer monitor around so he had a better view. “I’ve got another suspect.” She typed something on the keyboard and a street cam video opened on the screen. “I was checking other street cameras in the area and I found this.”
He moved closer and squinted to catch the details. A man, with a limp and a salt-and-pepper beard, strolled down the street carrying the same discount mart bag Fabio and Pawling had carried. The suspect opened a sedan parked on the street, pitched in the bag, and drove away. “Did you get—”
Gladys slipped a note with a license plate number written on it across her desk. “Course I did. Not that it did much good. It’s a stolen vehicle.”
“When did you discover this?”
“This morning. I just got the vehicle information. Haven’t got an ID on the man, but I’ve got someone working on it.”
“Does Williams know?”
“I wanted to tell you first, sugar.” She gave him a smile meant to beguile. It was creepy coming from someone old enough to be his mother. “You want to tell him?”
“No, you can. I’m going to let Alexi know. And, Gladys.”
“Yes, sugar?”
“Thanks. You may have solved this case.”
“Anything for you.”
He headed out of the office. Good thing he hadn’t asked Williams for a new partner yet. In spite of what just happened, there was no way he could keep this one from Alexi.
Three different guys carrying the same bag, appearing within seconds of each other, and two with rock solid alibis. He’d bet his deer stand this was the man who’d stolen Baron’s ring. The shifter Alexi was after.
Fate was conspiring against him. He didn’t like it one bit. Alexi had better warn him if she planned to go supernatural again.
“Rhys.” Alexi’s breath caught as she opened the door. “I didn’t expect you.” Did he want to get back together? Hope soared. “Did you forget something?”
He stood awkwardly on the front stoop, tension lines creasing his forehead. “Can I come in? I’ve got some news better discussed in private.”
She swung the front door open. “I’ve got coffee on. Want some?”
“Sure.” He headed toward the kitchen and came to an abrupt halt when he neared the doorway. “You’ve got company.”
She came alongside him. “Eli, would you mind giving us some privacy?”
“Of course, lassie.” Eli stood and picked up his tea cup.
“Sit down, old man. You probably need to hear this too.”
That didn’t sound good. What could Rhys want to say that Eli needed to hear? She slipped past Rhys and opened the cabinet, rummaging around for a clean mug. Searching for something more generic and less full of memories, she slid the “Best Cop” mug aside and took out a plain jade green mug. She filled it, handed it to Rhys, then took her seat and cradled her mug of coffee in her hands. The warm ceramic heated fingers that had suddenly gone cold.
Rhys rested his hip against the countertop, took a sip of coffee, and then set his cup down. “Remember the street video we have on the Pawling case?”
“Yeah.”
“Gladys uncovered something new.”
“Besides proof of Fabio’s innocence?”
His right cheek popped out, a sure sign he tongued the inside of his mouth. She gripped her mug tighter. He never did that unless he had something really important to say.
“What is it, Rhys?”
“I . . . we might have a video of the real guy who did the Pawling job . . . and I think he might be the one you’ve been searching for.”
Her mug clattered to the table, splashing coffee across the surface. Eli righted the mug and stemmed the flow with a napkin.
“Baron’s killer?” she croaked, anxiety tightening her throat.
“I don’t know . . . not for certain,
but he had a salt-and-pepper beard like Baron’s and he was carrying the same bag as Pawling and Fabio. Three guys on camera within seconds of each other, two with airtight alibis. If nothing else, I figure he’s a shifter, like you.”
“His eyes, what color were his eyes?”
“It’s a black-and-white video, but they were real light. If I had to guess, I’d say blue. He got in a car and drove off.”
“License number?”
“Stolen vehicle. Gladys is trying to get facial recognition on him. See if he’s in the system.”
“Does Williams know?”
“Gladys is telling him. I came straight over here. Thought you needed to know.”
“Thanks. So, are you going to keep feeding me info even though we aren’t partners now?”
“I didn’t get a chance to let Williams know we’re through.”
Her heart leap. “Have you—”
He cut her off with a shake of his head. “No, nothing is different, but this is still our case. Getting new partners, especially with fresh evidence, could cause questions. I’ll see it through, on one condition.”
“What?”
“No shifting without warning me.”
“Okay.”
“And, Lexi, this is the last thing we’ll do as partners.”
She nodded. Her head knew he would stand firm on his decision, but her heart hoped she could convince him—somehow—to join her in her—no, their—destiny.
His cell phone rang, and he scooped it out of the holder. “Temple. Hey, Gladys, you got something?”
Alexi’s stomach flipped over like a looping rollercoaster. Were they really going to catch Baron’s killer? They. She hadn’t planned on Rhys being involved. Hoped, but not planned.
She watched Rhys nod with each bit of information Gladys gave him, anticipation lighting his face like she’d seen so many times when they were closing in on a suspect.
But this wasn’t just any suspect. He was a shifter who possessed something very important—Baron’s ring. Bringing him down could get very dangerous, especially if Sylvia had the same information they did.
I should just make Rhys give me the info and finish the job by myself. On the other hand, knowing he has my back . . . She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her stomach, pressing to stop the quivering muscles. Why did everything have to be so difficult?