“Lack of opportunity?” Jared offered. “For humans, they play a long game. While we’re thinking it took them six whole months to execute this plan, they may be rejoicing that they got it done in less than a year.”
“What could they have learned from Jasper?” Cassie asked.
Kellan grimaced. “Aside from the biggest secret of all, the fact that we exist?”
“I think Seketh already let that cat out of the bag,” Gideon said, referring to the rogue U’dahmi that Kellan had been sent to execute.
“Not necessarily. Seketh may have been aiding the Golden Path, but even he would have hesitated to reveal our secrets. He might have presented himself as a Progeny to explain some of his abilities.”
Jared gave him a long look. “That’s wishful thinking. The Path has witches and psychics in its employ. We have to assume that their leaders insisted he let them inside his mental barriers and that they defused his mental bomb as we did yours.”
“There’s been no indication in the last six months that the Golden Path knows about the U’dhami, so either they’re being very circumspect, or Seketh kept our secret.” Kellan objected. “And Jasper wouldn’t reveal our existence. Anyone can break under torture, but he had a failsafe like mine and he wouldn’t cooperate with its removal by people who were torturing him. Besides, if they could delve that deeply into his mind, why torture him in the first place? No, what he could reveal without dying would be limited.”
“No offense, but I don’t much care what the Golden Path knows about the U’dahmi unless it affects Tasha’s security,” Ana said, leaning forward. “We put her into your care because you said you could keep her safe—and you did, for a while. But if the Golden Path knows she’s with you now, and came after your partner to find her, then clearly that’s no longer true.”
“Ana—” Tasha objected, but Gideon talked over her in a calming tone.
“We need to find out who tortured Jasper, learn what he told them, if anything, and if he stayed alive by jumping to another body. Does that about sum it up?”
Kellan nodded. “And whether whoever it is poses an ongoing threat to the U’dahmi as a whole, to Tasha, or to any of us.”
“With two Celestials, an U’dahmi, a Progeny, and two Fey, we should be able to figure this out,” Tasha said.
Ana’s eyes widened and she smiled slightly.
Tasha shrugged as if it were no big deal that she’d just openly acknowledged her Gaian lineage. After their parents’ death, she’d refused to accept that she was different. Growing up under Ana’s care she’d rejected the magic they’d inherited. “Between the six of us this will be a piece of cake.”
Chapter Twelve
Dave was already on alert when Julie breathed, “Son of a b—beagle.” He’d spotted the black Camaro blocking in Julie’s faded red Honda Fit as soon he turned onto the narrow street to her trailer.
He stopped the truck. “Is that Chad’s car?”
Julie nodded as she unbuckled her safety belt and opened her door. She looked down at Alex. The boy was staring wide-eyed at Chad’s muscle car. She lifted his chin so he had to meet her eyes. “Stay here. Don’t get out and don’t unlock the doors. Got it?”
Alex nodded.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Dave put a hand on Julie’s shoulder. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll take care of this. You stay here with Alex.”
“He broke into my house—twice—and scared my son. I’m going.”
“I wasn’t scared!” Alex said.
Dave caught the boy’s eye with a stern look. "We talked about this."
Alex subsided with a muttered, “Well, only a little.”
“Let me take care of this, Julie.”
“I’m going with you.”
Dave wanted to bark an order at her to stay put in a voice that would have had any of the men in his previous commands asking, “How high?” on the way up, but he was smarter than that. His sister wasn’t under his command and he was here to build a bridge between them, not alienate her forever more. “Stay behind me, then, and do as I say, when I say it. I’m trained, you’re not. Will you do that?”
Anger flared in Julie’s eyes at the demand in his tone, but she nodded.
Dave got out of the cab and handed Alex his phone. “If Chad gets past us and comes toward the truck, call 9-1-1. When you’ve given them the information they need, hit the horn three times. Wait a bit, and then do it again. That tells people you need help and should scare him off. Keep doing that until the good guys get here. Got it?” Alex nodded. “Good. If Chad points a gun at you, get down into the foot-well.” Dave pointed at Julie’s feet. I’m locking you in.”
He and his sister got out and he hit the key fob to lock the doors and set the alarm.
“Chad is probably tearing your place apart again, looking for something. Are you sure you don’t know what it is?” Dave asked as they strode toward Julie’s trailer. He kept close to the fronts of the trailers they passed so Chad would be less likely to see their approach.
“I put every scrap of his stuff out on the curb in a garbage bag while I was having the locks changed. That wasn’t cheap.”
“Maybe not, but it was smart,” Dave interjected.
“He picked his crap up the next day,” she continued. “He shouted at me to open the door but he didn’t try to break in—not then, at least. I watched him from the front window with the phone in my hand ready to call the cops.”
“Good for you. Now stay back and let me do the talking. Please.” Dave lifted the hem of his shirt and pulled his Glock from the holster at his side.
As they edged around the front of the trailer, he saw that Chad had undone his repair on the door of the night before. Fine. The jerk had saved him some work he had to do before installing the new door.
Dave pointed at a spot near the camouflaged trailer hitch and indicated she should crouch down. If Chad was armed, which seemed likely, he didn’t want Julie hit by accident—or on purpose. When she was in position, he opened the screen door. It squeaked loudly and he released it, jumping off the stairs to take up a position behind and to the side. As expected, Chad strode onto the porch—but no plan survives first contact with the enemy—or a sister.
“What are you doing here, Chad?”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Julie stood a few feet away from the bottom of the steps with her hands on her hips, making herself the biggest possible target her slender frame could be.
“What did you do with it?” The porch door squealed as Chad threw the door open. The guy was football player big and still mostly muscle, with a good six inches and eighty pounds on Dave. That didn’t concern him. He’d taken down bigger guys in hand-to-hand combat and of course a gun was a great equalizer. But Dave really didn’t want to discharge his weapon here if he didn’t have to. If he could, he’d prefer to enlighten the man who’d beaten up his sister without the police becoming involved. Fortunately, both of Chad’s hands were empty at the moment, and he stayed at the top of the stairs, looming over Julie.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I put all your stuff out on the curb. Now get the hell out of my house before the cops get here.”
Chad barked an unpleasant sounding laugh. “You didn’t call the cops. They’d take it all as evidence and you’d be left with nothing. They might even take your brat away because you let him be around me.”
Julie’s expression paled as Chad advanced down the steps. She had the sense to step back out of reach, though. Dave holstered his gun and readied himself to take the big doofus down. The guy had been completely focused on Julie the whole time and hadn’t noticed him hunkered down next to the skirting beyond the steps. Chad’s lack of observation skills made this all so much easier.
“Now, where is it? I’ll take it and go—unless maybe you’ve changed your mind?” Chad’s voice took on a cajoling tone. “We had some fun together. The sex was pretty good if those screams of yours were any indication. Too bad you had to muffle them because of the k
id. We could have a quick fuck right now for old time’s sake, if you’d just give me the bag.”
Anger tightened Dave’s throat and his fingers curled into his palms. He itched to beat Chad into a bloody pulp. He’d known plenty of guys over the years that had shot their mouths off about their girlfriends that way but he’d never called them on it. Some of them thought a slap or a twisted arm was the right way to keep a woman in line, and that a little sweet talk, or even some crude talk, should earn them a straight shot back into her bed. None of those women had been his sister, and men didn’t tell each other how to treat their women. Now he felt disgusted with himself for keeping his mouth shut.
Julie took another step back. She was halfway out in the street now and still out of reach, but only just. This was an easier place to take him down, but now Dave had no reason to. Chad wasn’t on Julie’s property anymore and he hadn’t laid a hand on her.
“I don’t fuck men who hit my kid. Get the hell out of here, Chad. And if you come back it won’t be the police you have to worry about.”
“Bitch!” Chad lunged. He was quicker than his bulk would suggest and his huge hand clamped around Julie’s arm. He drew her up to her toes with a shake. “Where—”
Two scant seconds later Julie had twisted free as Dave drove Chad’s face into the ground with an arm lock. Thank you, Dipshit, for giving me an excuse to take you down. He pulled Chad’s head back by his hair. His first instinct, and his second, was to break the asshole’s teeth and his nose by smashing his face repeatedly into the asphalt. He almost didn’t care that Julie and Alex would see the violence he was capable of meeting out.
Almost.
He didn’t want to be that guy who embraced his anger and hatred and hurt people without thinking twice. That guy whose soul was dark enough that a demon was able to slip into him and wear him like a cheap suit. He couldn’t undo all the horrible mistakes he’d made, but he didn’t have to be that guy. Not anymore. He stopped himself with an effort and put all his frustrated anger into his voice.
“Listen up, asshole,” he growled into Chad’s ear. “I don’t care what you left behind, it’s not worth dying for—and that’s what’s going to happen if you bother my sister or her son again. Do you understand?” Dave eased up just enough to let Chad answer. Now that he could see Chad’s face, he noted the other man’s black eye and split lip. Had Julie given as good as she got?
“You’re breaking my arm!”
“Do I care?” Dave kept a knee in Chad’s back as he applied just a bit more pressure. “Now what’s it going to be?”
“They’ll kill me if I don’t come back with the bag. And they’ll come for Julie, too.”
Dave paused. He’d think it an excuse except for Chad’s bruises. And Alex had said the man had spoken to someone on the phone. “Who?”
“Azoroszlán.”
A cold shiver ran down Dave’s back. Fuck. The name sounded too much like a demon’s, and he’d had more than enough of them. He made himself focus. “Who? What kind of name is that?”
“I don’t know! They call him The Lion. All I know is you don’t fuck with him, and you don’t lose his money.”
“How do you get in touch with this Azoroszlán?”
“I don’t. His people call me.”
Of course they do. Shit. If Dave had been on assignment, he’d have hardware to plant on Chad’s car, software to plant on his phone. But he was here to visit his sister. All he had were his guns and his combat knife. But Jared had resources, and Dave was going to call on them.
In one smooth motion, Dave released Chad and drew his Glock. He kept it pointed at the ground, but it would take less than a second for him to take out Chad’s knee if the larger man tried anything stupid. “You’re shit out of luck, Chad. Your best bet is to get the hell out of Dodge.” Chad’s brow furrowed at the expression, so Dave elaborated. “Don’t come back here, don’t go back to your place, just leave town. Better yet, leave the state.” With any luck The Lion’s people had tagged both Chad’s car and his cell and they’d waste time following him across the country. That might give Dave enough time to untangle this cluster.
Chad hesitated, his attention focused on Dave’s weapon as if trying to calculate whether he could disarm his opponent without getting shot. Dave waited, ready for Chad to be stupid, hoping he wouldn’t be. He didn’t want to shoot the man in front of Julie and Alex. Not to mention the police reports.
“Just go,” Julie pleaded softly.
Dave knew the second Chad made his decision, but he didn’t relax and didn’t holster his weapon until the Camaro turned the corner and disappeared.
Julie met his gaze when he looked over at her. Her eyes were wide and she was panting as if she’d just come in from a run. Adrenaline. He’d seen many a soldier have the same reaction. At least she wasn’t throwing up—but then she’d survived a childhood with their father. The best thing was to give her something useful to do, to refocus all the unused energy. He’d bitch at her for not following orders later. First, he needed to pull her into a hug—as much for himself as for her—tucking her head under his chin.
“You’re okay. He’s gone and I’m pretty sure he won’t be back. Alex is okay.”
She stiffened and pulled away, turning toward the truck. “Alex!”
The boy was already climbing out of the truck. Apparently, not following orders ran in the family.
Dave held her back. “See, he’s fine. Let me talk to him. You need to pull it together. You don’t want him to see you this way. Go inside and pack a bag. We’re not staying here.”
His sister’s temper flared with leftover adrenaline. “What? No! I told you—”
Shit. Bad choice of words. Dave placed a finger on her lips. “Go make us some hot cocoa. We could all use something sugary and warm. We’ll talk about this. Please?”
Julie’s lips thinned, but she turned and went inside. He’d surprised her, taken the wind out of her sails by using the magic word. Good. He’d have to remember that in the future. Now all he had to do was make her see reason. That and bring about world peace. It was a toss-up which he’d achieve first.
Tasha stayed seated as Jared returned to the great room from his office.
“The meeting’s set. Detective Morgan will meet you in an hour at the Medical Examiner’s office.”
Kellan stood. “Thanks for setting this up for me. I’ll get going, then.”
Tasha got to her feet, too. “You shouldn’t do this alone.”
He shook his head. “I’d rather you stayed here. The less you’re out and about, the less likely someone from the Golden Path will spot you. And I won’t be alone. Jared’s police contact will be there.”
A flare of exasperation made her tone sharpen. “We don’t even know if they’re still looking for me. And that isn’t what I meant by not being alone, and you know it.”
“I know. Thank you. But no.” He squeezed her shoulder then let his hand slide down her arm until their fingers entwined. **Protecting you will be a distraction.**
**I’m a distraction, now? I thought we were partners.**
**We are. But I still have my promise to protect you to fulfill. That hasn’t changed.**
“Maybe we should let it get around that I’ve been trained. That might make me a less desirable prize.”
**We can talk about that later. But for today I want you to stay here.** Aloud he added, “Please, chérie?”
The request, delivered in his soft French accent, weakened her resolve. She looked up into Kellan’s eyes and saw the worry shadowing them. If not having to keep track of her while he did this would make it easier for him, then she’d give him that. “All right. But we will talk about this later.” She leaned up to kiss him. **Be safe.**
His gaze warmed. **That’s my line.**
**Not exclusively. Not anymore.**
As soon as the door shut behind Kellan, Ana pulled her arm around Tasha’s shoulders. “He’ll be okay.”
“How would you know
? Gideon hasn’t been on the Terrestrial Plane for forty-six hundred years. His sanity hasn’t depended on contact with a single partner. Your husband has spent most of his existence in the Celestial Realm.”
Ana drew back, and Tasha felt like crap for snapping at her. “I’m sorry. But it’s still the truth. If Jasper is really dead, this is going to be hard on Kellan. Even partnered up, being cut off from the Celestial Realm is really hard on the U’dahmi.” And their numbers were shrinking. Kellan didn’t know how many U’dahmi there were, but more were going rogue more often, and the Council was worried. He didn’t know about the other teams of Enforcers, but he and Jasper had been called upon to execute the Council’s judgment more often lately than they had in the past.
Tasha wasn’t going to tell Ana or the others any of that. She wasn’t even sure that Kellan was aware that she knew it. She didn’t know everything, but when they’d made love she’d gained a more thorough understanding of his concerns.
“You’re right, I don’t know that much about the U’dahmi, but I can see you care about him, and he cares for you. When did that happen?”
Tasha glanced at Jared and Gideon. Ana’s husband nudged their host with his elbow. “Let’s go play with Grace while our ladies chat.”
Jared nodded. “Yes, let’s.”
Tasha waited until they’d disappeared down the hallway. “Yesterday.”
Ana’s eyes widened.
Tasha clasped her hands on her head. “Or maybe six months ago. I don’t know. It’s kind of confusing. He’s not like a regular guy, after all.”
“No, they’re not.”
Cassie went into the kitchen to fill the electric kettle. “I think this calls for tea. Do you like chai?”
“It’s my favorite,” Tasha said. “How did you know?”
Cassie smiled and lifted a brow.
“Duh,” Tasha hit her forehead. “You’re psychic.”
A few minutes later they settled back into the leather cushions of the sectional with large mugs of aromatic chai filling the air with the scent of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Tasha slipped her shoes off and tucked her feet under her.
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