by Nina Croft
But he’d do it if he had to.
“Jesus,” Dante said. “You have got it bad. But don’t get your panties in a twist. I won’t hurt your precious Julia.”
They were both silent for a minute, but Bastian was aware the conversation was not over. From the start, he’d known there was more to this wager about Julia than Dante was letting on, but it would have been a waste of time to push. And really, he’d had no choice. He never had a choice, or not one with any good options, and he was getting pissed off about it. He was tired of the constant fighting, always being vigilant in case the demon slipped past his defenses. This last week had been so good, but it just served to show what a pile of shit his life usually was.
“What do you really want?” he echoed his earlier question.
Dante sat up straight. “Stop pacing and I might tell you.”
Bastian plonked himself down on the sofa as far away as he could get. “Tell me.”
“Someone approached me with a job.”
He knew Dante had contact with beings from his own world, that he kept track of what was going on. “Who and what sort of job and why would you do it.”
“The why first. If I do this job, my little…problem back home will be canceled out. I can return and you’ll be rid of me.”
“Sounds too good to be true.”
“Really, Bastian, you are such a cynic.”
“It’s the company I keep.”
“You wound me.”
“Come on, Dante, get to the bad news.”
“Okay. They want me to kill someone. And seems as you and I are tied together and you refuse to give me any freedom, I would like you to do it for me.”
Bastian sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Exhaustion, or maybe depression, tugged at his mind. “We’ve had this conversation before.”
“Oh I know. You’re clinging to what’s left of your humanity—silly as you’re hardly human—wanting to pretend there’s a scrap of conscience in there.”
“There is,” he ground out.
“How about I tell you that this is not a good person. That they deserve to die, that maybe you would even enjoy ridding the world of them. After all, you’ve killed before.”
“Only werewolves.”
“Well, that’s good because it just so happens the person I want you to kill is a werewolf.” He gave a self-satisfied grin. “There, doesn’t that make things look different?”
…
Julia woke early the following morning, a sense that something wasn’t quite right nagging at the back of her mind.
Last night their lovemaking had been wonderful, somehow they’d reached new levels of closeness. Many times, she’d hovered on the edge of saying I love you, but something had held her back.
She’d put off thinking about the whole Melanie conversation. Maybe because she’d subconsciously known that if she analyzed what had been said, a load of questions would raise their ugly little heads, and she’d desperately needed to let go last night.
Now in the dim light of dawn, she couldn’t put off thinking any longer.
She dragged herself out of bed, her body aching from the exertions of the night before and the one before that and… After pulling on her oldest robe, that she’d had since she was sixteen, she shuffled down the stairs and into the kitchen. Working on autopilot, she made herself a coffee in her favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer mug and shuffled back up the stairs and into bed.
As she stared at the mug, a weird thought crossed her mind. What if vampires existed? If werewolves existed, what about the rest of the monsters? At the notion, a little shiver of excitement ran through her. What if Buffy was real?
She knew she was procrastinating, putting off the moment when she would have to think about Sebastian. Finally, she inhaled deeply and ran the conversation through her mind.
Okay, so there were a couple of problem issues. Sebastian had definitely given her the impression he had recently moved to London. Or had he? He had said he came from up north, but hadn’t actually said that was where he had moved from. She’d just presumed. But now it appeared he had an apartment in the city. So why had he rented the house next door.
Or had Melanie recently moved as well and the apartment was actually somewhere else? But that was unlikely; she’d said she ran a club in Soho.
And another thing, neither Melanie nor Sebastian had come across in any way brokenhearted. In fact, they hadn’t seemed to have that sort of relationship at all. Melanie was with another man and she’d seemed interested but unconcerned at seeing Bastian with Julia.
And what about the fights? Amateur boxing, Sebastian had said, but he’d never mentioned his little hobby before. In fact, he’d claimed he didn’t have any hobbies. Maybe he was aware that Julia abhorred violence. But amateur boxing sounded pretty tame. She’d once thought about it herself—it was supposed to be a great work-out method, but she would never have been able to bring herself to actually hit someone, and she’d probably run away if anyone tried to hit her.
The doorbell rang and she jumped. Was it Sebastian? Was she ready to see him yet? She didn’t know. She liked him, suspected she could feel a whole lot more, but now these doubts were nagging at her brain.
Was he lying to her? And if so, why? Or was he just not telling the whole truth about himself. And she could sympathize with that, after all there were certain aspects of her life that she wasn’t exactly being open about.
Hi, Sebastian, I’m a….
No, she was on very shaky ground, but her secrets were huge and life changing and…secret. Whatever Bastian wasn’t telling her, she could guarantee one hundred percent that they weren’t as earth shattering as what she wasn’t telling him.
The bell rang again and she got out of bed and peered out of the window. Down below, Lissa stood staring up at her bedroom window. Julia tapped on the glass and waved, then hurried out of the room and down the stairs to let her in.
She led the way into the kitchen and switched the coffeemaker back on before turning to her best friend. Lissa was studying her, a frown forming between her eyes.
“What’s the matter?”
Julia gave a shrug. “Why should anything be the matter?”
“You’re wearing your ‘comfort’ robe. It’s old and it’s shabby and the only reason you would wear it is if you were in need of comfort.”
Julia sat down on one of the chairs around the small table. Maybe this was good; she’d talk it out and realize there was nothing odd going on. She’d no doubt missed something. “I think Sebastian has been lying to me.”
“You do?”
“Well, maybe not lying but perhaps not telling the whole truth.”
Lissa didn’t speak as she moved around the kitchen making the coffee. She put Julia’s mug in front of her and took the seat opposite. “Why?”
“I don’t know, maybe because he’s too perfect and I’m trying to find a problem.”
Lissa pursed her lips and studied her a moment. “Don’t lie. There’s more than that—what have you found out?”
“Nothing really.” She chewed on her lip for a minute while she considered what to say. In the end, she decided on the truth. Lissa was her best friend; she’d always told her everything. “We went out for dinner last night and Bastian’s old girlfriend turned up.”
“What’s wrong with that? You knew he’d just broken up.”
“Yes, but I thought he’d moved here to get away from her. But it turns out she lives in London, which presumably means Bastian lived in London.” She took a gulp of coffee and forced out the question, “So…why the move next door?”
“A break? Get away from the memories?”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t believe it?”
“You know the old saying—if something seems too good to be true… And Sebastian is so…perfect.”
“Why don’t you just ask him?”
“Because I’m scared.” She chewed some more, drank some coffee. “I think I might be fa
lling for him.”
“That’s fantastic.”
“Not really. My life isn’t exactly settled right now. I have to find a way of hiding the whole”—she curled her upper lip in a snarl—“thing from him if we stay together. But I’ve never been with anyone who makes me feel so…complete. The sex is out of this world, but it’s more than that. I haven’t felt this at peace since before…”
Lissa grinned. “You still can’t say it.”
“I’m not even going to try. Now these doubts have come up, but maybe I’m using them to push him away because I’m scared. So I don’t want to confront him.”
“Okay. Tell me exactly what was said last night.”
She repeated the conversation as well as she could, which was actually pretty much word for word. Lissa didn’t speak until she was finished.
“Wow,” she said. “I see your point, but it could be nothing. Maybe he just didn’t want you to find out he’s some sort of pervert.”
Was Bastian a pervert? She thought over the past week. If he was, he’d hidden it well. “He isn’t.”
“Really? How disappointing.”
“He’s inventive but certainly not perverted.”
Lissa quirked a brow but didn’t ask for details—which was just as well. “I think we should get Jason to run a check on him.”
About to take a mouthful of coffee, she put her mug down, and cast Lissa a look of disapproval. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Julia fiddled with the belt of her robe, while she considered her answer. “Because it would be an invasion of privacy.”
“Hey, he investigated Daniel, why not Sebastian? He’ll probably find a really simple explanation and put your mind at rest.”
“Yeah, because there was a really simple explanation for Daniel wasn’t there?”
“Well, I somehow doubt he’ll come up with anything quite so interesting about your neighbor. That would be too much of a coincidence. Two…”
“Monsters,” Julia supplied.
“Don’t be melodramatic. Two such unique individuals living next door to each other.”
She was right.
“If you’re uncomfortable asking, I will.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket before Julia could say anything to the contrary, punched in a number and put the phone on speaker.
“Jason?”
“Yeah? You woke me up.”
“That’s what sisters are for. I wondered if you could you do me a favor. I want you to run a check on Julia’s new neighbor.”
“The guy I met at your place?”
“Yes, Sebastian Crane.”
“Why? What’s he done?”
“Nothing, but Julia is falling in love, and I’d like to be sure he’s good enough for my best friend.”
“Is she there?”
“I’m here.”
“You okay with this?”
She thought for a second, then remembered Sebastian’s weird behavior of the night before. She wanted to understand why. Part of her suspected that it was wrong to check up like this and she should just confront him, talk to him. Another part niggled that if he’d been open in the first place, she wouldn’t need to know. And she’d tell him afterward. He was an accountant; he was sensible. He’d no doubt consider this a sensible thing to do.
“Julia?”
“I’m here and yes, I’d like you to do the background check.” She took a deep breath. Might as well go the whole way. “And on his old girlfriend. Her name was Melanie Stoke and she owns a club in Soho—Mel’s Dive, she said it was called.”
“Let me get this straight—your next-door neighbor was going out with the owner of Mel’s Dive?”
“You know it?”
“I’ve heard of it. It has a reputation.”
“I guessed. There was also a man she was with. I only know his first name—Colin—but he was some sort of fight organizer.”
“What have you got yourself into?”
“Nothing. I don’t think Sebastian has either—I think he split up with her and moved because he didn’t like her lifestyle and wanted a new start.”
“Hmm. Okay. Well, I’ll see what I can find and give you a call later. It shouldn’t take too long.”
They ended the call and Julia sat back and tried to ignore the guilt prodding at her skull.
“Don’t feel guilty,” Lissa said. She’d always been able to tell what Julia was thinking. “This is the sensible thing to do. Lots of people do background checks on potential partners these days.”
That pretty much echoed her earlier thoughts, and she gave a quick nod. “I know. Just seems underhanded.”
“He should have been more open with you then.” Again it mirrored what she’d thought, and she pushed the worries aside. It was too late now anyway. Even if she called Jason back and said she’d changed her mind, she had an inkling that he would go through with the check.
Best not to think about it.
“Best not to think about it,” Lissa said. They were so attuned. Sometimes it was scary. “We need to take your mind off this. And you know, Debs needs cheering up. Her husband was an asshole, but he was still her husband and she’s hurting. Why don’t we take her out tonight? Unless you and Mr. Mystery Man have plans.”
“No, he has an old friend visiting.”
“We’ll call Marcy as well. It will be a Melville girls’ night out. We could try somewhere new.”
She suddenly had an idea where Lissa was going with this. “You mean like maybe Mel’s Dive in Soho?”
“I mean exactly that.”
“Why not?” Julia thought for a moment. “What about your bodyguards? I thought you weren’t allowed out without them.”
“Daniel won’t know. He’s out on pack business tonight. Besides, I’ll have Deb and Marcy. They’re far more scary than a couple of werewolves.”
Chapter Twelve
At ten thirty that night, they spilled out of a cab in Soho. They were all dressed in the closest they could come to hard-core BDSM gear, which was the suggested dress code for the club. Lissa had researched it on the internet.
Julia didn’t even know what hard-core BDSM meant.
She was more a cute pink sort of person, but Lissa had gone through her wardrobe and decided on her outfit. Black leather skirt, her fuchsia pumps, and a black lace shirt through which her pink underwear was clearly visible.
And she was feeling a little happier. Jason had called back and said that the preliminary report on Sebastian appeared clean, nothing out of place, but he was digging into a couple of things and would give her a final report later. He’d said Melanie checked out, and he’d been amused more than anything when she’d told him of their planned outing. Apparently, the club had two levels, a public area and a members’ only section. Jason reckoned they couldn’t get into much trouble in the public area and the membership was strictly adhered to. He’d even said he might pop in himself if he could make it. Colin he hadn’t managed to trace yet, but he’d put out a few feelers.
So she’d determined to push her concerns aside and enjoy herself for the night. It was a while since they’d done this. She hadn’t exactly felt like partying since the incident. Now she was determined to let her hair down and have a bit of girlfriend fun.
The entrance was unobtrusive, and she would have passed the place by if she hadn’t been looking for it. A matte black door with Mel’s Dive in scrawling script in crimson along the top.
“Is this it?” Deb asked.
“It is.” Even Lissa sounded dubious.
“Tell me again why we’re here?” Marcy put in.
“To have a good time, take Deb’s mind off the horrendous state of her life, and stop you both thinking about the consequences of your pathetic taste in men.”
“Thanks,” Debs said and rolled her eyes. “But why here in particular.” They’d told Debs that she should think BDSM when she was dressing but obviously nothing in her wardrobe was suitable. She appeared the same as n
ormal in a dark blue wraparound dress that reached past her knees. Stylish, sophisticated…boring—it was definitely time to shake her up. Marcy was a little better; at least she was in black, black pants tucked into black combat boots and a black leather jacket.
“The club is owned by Julia’s boyfriend’s ex,” Lissa said. “And she told Julia to drop in.”
“You mean Sebastian, the accountant? That boyfriend?”
“Yup.”
“Wow. Let’s get in there.”
Julia planned on keeping a low profile. She had no intention of seeking out Melanie; she’d just have a look around, indulge her curiosity, have a few drinks, and maybe a dance. Nothing more.
The door opened into a wide hallway, and the others crowded in behind her until her forward movement was stopped by a large man. A bouncer, she’d guess, who pretty much filled the wide hallway with his massive shoulders.
Suddenly Julia really didn’t want to do this. Maybe he wouldn’t even let them in and they could go get a pizza or something. She shouldn’t be here. If Melanie saw her, would she tell Sebastian she’d been snooping? Though there was no reason Melanie would see her, she’d no doubt be in the members’-only section Jason had mentioned. And she wasn’t really snooping, just having an ordinary night out with the girls…at a BDSM club.
So far, it didn’t look anything too weird at least. The walls were crimson, and the throb of music wafted out of a doorway across the way. She could hear the muted voices of a lot of people; obviously the place was popular.
“You been before?” the bouncer asked.
“No.” And she was wasn’t ready to change that. She turned to tell the others when Lissa stepped up beside her.
“We’re friends of Melanie,” Lissa said. “She told us to drop in.”
Julia glared at her, but Lissa just grinned.
“Name?” the bouncer asked.
“Julia Melville,” Lissa replied.
He turned away and spoke quietly into a phone.
“I really wanted to keep a low profile,” she whispered fiercely to Lissa. “What if she tells Sebastian I was snooping?”