Conspiracy of Ravens (Crawford Investigations Book 1)

by J. C. McKenzie

  She took a deep breath before stepping forward.

  Cole smirked and closed his muscular arms around her. Immediately surrounded by his intoxicating scent and intimidating warmth, Raven swallowed and held her breath. His shirt brushed against her face, reminding her of the hard chest and abs underneath. A chuckle rumbled from Cole sending tingles to all the right places. Shadows swirled around them and closed in.

  Her head grew light and her vision swam as the world around her seemed to tilt and bend. When the shadows withdrew, Raven found herself alone in the damp, dark alley behind Dan’s Diner, with her bag unceremoniously dumped at her feet. “Goodbye, Cole.”

  The darkness answered her with silence. The summer breeze brushed past her. The nightlife of North Burnaby bustled along the nearby street.

  She should be glad. His departure meant she’d never see him again. Right? Yet, longing clouded the thought of never seeing his handsome features and lethal grace. Her fist still ached from hitting his titanium-plated jaw. She bent to retrieve her bag and turned down the alley to make her way home. Her limbs grew heavy. Not in all her twenty-seven years had she felt so suddenly and unmistakably alone.

  Chapter Four

  “I need to go where there’s no responsibilities or shoes required.”

  ~Raven Crawford, every day on the way to work

  Raven balanced a cardboard tray with two coffees in one hand and yanked open the door to Crawford Investigations with the other. The familiar smell of paper, copier ink and gun oil washed over her along with the cool office air.

  “Hey, Rayray.” Terry Crawford, her stepfather, glanced up and shot her a warm smile. His kind brown eyes crinkled at the corners and his bald head exposed from his receding hairline shone under the fluorescent lights.

  “Hey, Dad. Glad you got the air conditioner fixed. It’s going to be hot today.” She glanced at the door to his office. He’d pulled it shut, which meant the client had already arrived. On the drive over, in between worrying about the new whining sound coming from her car’s engine and what hot mess her brother had dumped her in, she debated what to tell Dad about last night, and when.

  Now was not the time. There might never be a right time. How did she tell the man who loved and raised her and Bear as his own that in his continued act of defiance, Bear had done something so spectacularly stupid a dark fae lord kidnapped her for information on his whereabouts? At least she didn’t have to worry about Cole attacking any of her other siblings. Though she had a younger brother and sister, Cole’s assessment of her relationship with Bear was correct. She was the closest to him. If she didn’t know where he was, no one in her family did.

  Bear would probably resurface when the danger passed. She’d rip into him then. Right now, she needed to focus on the task at hand. She leaned down and whispered, “I hope this job pays well.”

  Dad nodded and gave his office door a weary look. “I know it’s before ten o’clock, but I could use your help on this one.”

  She straightened and the weight of sleep deprivation slid off her. “Person or thing?”

  What Raven lacked in fighting skills, she made up for with her unique abilities. She specialized in finding things and tailing people. Dad usually called her in for searches or when he needed to follow a questionable spouse more covertly than a car in Vancouver traffic allowed.

  Dad scratched his jaw. Evidently, he hadn’t shaved in days, and now salt-and-pepper stubble speckled his face. “Thing, I think.”

  Her brows shot up. “Interesting.”

  “I don’t know much. I’ll fill you in after the interview.” He grabbed the folder in front of him. “Hey, did you hear about the kidnapping at school?”

  Her head snapped up from smelling her coffee. What? At Juni’s school? Why hadn’t her sister texted her? Was she okay? “What? No.”

  “It’s okay.” Her dad cracked a large smile. “She woke up.”

  Raven groaned and plunked the tray down on the table. Always the comedian. Dad had a knack for telling terrible jokes regardless of whether the timing was appropriate or not. He usually waited until she was fully awake, though. And caffeinated.

  She held one coffee out for him and took the other for herself. It was never too hot for coffee. Anyone who said otherwise couldn’t be trusted.

  “Thanks.” He took the offered coffee, and they walked toward his office. The thin carpet muffled their footsteps. Dad rarely had her walk in blind to a client meeting. Something about this one had already set him on edge. He told a dad-joke before noon.

  “I don’t want to keep this guy waiting.” Her dad reached forward to hold the door to his office open. “Shall we?”

  A tall man in a designer suit, tailored to fit his large body perfectly, stood and turned at their entrance. Automatically, his attire and demeanor set him apart from their normal clientele, and contrasted with her own business pants and blouse, both in cut and cost. This guy should be downtown at a fancy restaurant, or in a boardroom, not in a rundown PI business in North Burnaby. They generally worked cases involving insurance fraud and cheating spouses.

  No wonder Dad was on edge.

  Raven stepped forward and offered her hand. “Hello. I’m Raven Crawford, one of the associates here.”

  Up close, she realized he was a lot bigger than she originally pegged him for—his large frame and wide shoulders masked by the expensive cut of his suit. “Luke Bane.”

  He gripped her hand in a firm handshake and his amber gaze locked on hers. The rough skin and strong grip of his hands indicated he worked hard at something manual. The character trait didn’t match his smooth exterior or polished scent. Hard angles gave his attractive face enough edge to prevent him from appearing pretty.

  The man leaned forward with amusement pulling at his lips. His subtle cologne wound around her. Oh yeah, this guy knew he was handsome. Was she supposed to swoon? Not happening. He was totally Megan’s type. Until she got married and started popping out babies, her friend always went for the smooth operators.

  As good looking as Luke Bane was, something seemed off. His expensive suit and handsome features acted as a smock to cover something else. Something dark, twisted and hostile lurked below the smooth veneer of his flawless skin.

  Cold ice slithered along her spine and her scalp prickled. An Other. From the menace radiating from his bulking frame, she’d bet a night’s worth of tips he hailed from the Underworld. She had no proof, but she possessed a pretty decent “faedar.”

  The air conditioner whirred in the background with a steady hum.

  “A pleasure.” She pulled her hand back a little too quickly.

  His gaze paused on her for a moment longer before switching to her dad.

  Dad waved his hand at the two seats on the guest side of his desk.

  Luke adjusted his tie and sat back down. Every hair on her body stood at attention. Along with his size, the smooth way Luke Bane moved and conveyed confidence screamed predator. His gaze gleamed in the streaks of light through the dusty blinds.

  Dad took his seat on the opposite side of the desk. As a fox shifter, Dad quelled the innate instinct to flee from large predators all the time. Otherwise, he’d be an absolute mess walking around current society with streets full of supernatural beings. It certainly wouldn’t bode well for business, either, if he scurried away and hid under the desk every time a powerful client came in with a potential job.

  Raven could’ve pulled up another chair to sit beside her dad, but the last thing she wanted was to place herself in a more vulnerable position. Besides, she looked to the skies for escape, not lurking low and pressed to the ground like Dad. Instead of sitting, she moved to stand behind her dad’s left shoulder, and took a long sip of coffee. The heavenly aroma encased her face and the smooth creamy goodness coated her tongue.

  “Thank you for coming in Mr. Bane. You said very little over the phone.” Dad folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “I haven’t had a chance to brief Raven on this case, yet, so let’s
go through the details again and see if we can be of assistance to you.”

  Huh.

  Guess Dad couldn’t suppress all his instincts. He only folded his hands like that when his nerves ate at him.

  A slow smile spread across Luke’s face, as if he tasted their unease.

  Strike one, asshole.

  “I would like you to locate the Claíomh Solais,” he said.

  Raven frowned at the fae word. “An object of light…or something?”

  His unsettling gaze flicked to her. “Or something.”

  “Mr. Bane.” Dad took a deep breath. “We can’t help you if we have limited information. We’ll need to know more than the name of the object. If you’re holding back—”

  “A week ago, the Claíomh Solais was stolen. I want it found and brought to me.”

  A week ago. Dread flittered along her skin and sunk into her muscles with barbed spikes. Raven didn’t believe in coincidences. Two menacing Others within twenty-four hours—one looking for her brother, the other searching for a stolen object, and both missing for a week.

  Coincidence?

  Nothing involving Others and the Underworld ever resulted in coincidences.

  Oh, Brother Bear, Brother Bear. What have you done?

  “I assume you’re not the only one looking for this object?” She squinted at Luke.

  He relaxed into his chair. “You are correct, Miss Crawford. Once news of the theft became known, many parties have taken an interest.”

  Cole being one of them. Great. She took another sip of coffee, but the java failed to drive away her unease.

  “Why come to us?” Dad asked.

  “It is known your agency is excellent at finding stolen goods.”

  “It is known?” Raven held back a snort and shuffled her feet instead. They ached a little after her long shift last night.

  He nodded. “As is your discretion.”

  Huh. Raven couldn’t deny they had a great track record when it came to retrievals, but Crawford Investigations paled in comparison to the big agencies downtown, both in noteworthy cases and in resources.

  Again, no coincidences with beings from the Dark Realms. Mr. Luke Bane came to them because he knew of the connection between the object and her brother.

  “We need to know more about the object,” Dad insisted. “What does it do? Where was it taken from? How did the thief steal it? Is there a police report?”

  Luke laced his fingers together and rested his forearms on the chair’s armrests. Unlike Dad’s nervous habit, Luke’s actions held the practiced air of a smooth-talking politician.

  Strike two.

  “The Claíomh Solais can dispel darkness.”

  The fae couldn’t technically lie, but this guy could probably talk circles around the truth without a misstep. His statement answered none of the questions

  “Is there any special handling instructions? Will it harm us?” Dad flapped his hand in fast circles, motioning for more information. This would be a long interview if he had to prompt Mr. Bane for every snippet of information.

  “You have to deliberately set off the Claíomh Solais. And even if you managed that, absolute light shouldn’t hurt you.” His gaze flicked to Raven. “Unless you’re from the dark.”

  Raven frowned. If the Claíomh Solais was an object of light, why did a dark fae want it?

  “One more thing.” Luke’s smooth voice interrupted her thoughts. “I require both the Claíomh Solais and the thief brought to me. Unharmed, of course.”

  Anger sliced through Raven’s veins. She knew without hesitation her brother was involved in this hot mess. Luke most likely didn’t realize she knew of the connection. With his last condition, if they accepted this job, she’d have to haul in and hand over her own twin brother to this dark fae and whatever evil punishment he planned. Sadistic fuck.

  Strike three.

  “I’m afraid we can’t help you,” she said.

  Luke’s eyes widened, and he turned to Dad. “I have more information to provide.”

  Tempting, but no. She stepped back. “There’s no need for more information. We’re not taking the job.”

  Maybe she spoke too soon. Maybe she should’ve let Dad try to pry more information from this douche canoe first. But she couldn’t. He’d essentially ordered the capture of her brother and the smug bastard treated them like clueless minions. Every additional second she spent standing in his presence without hurling office supplies at his head made her stomach acid bubble up.

  She lifted her takeaway cup to her face and inhaled the coffee without taking a sip. In and out. In and out. The warm scented steam caressed her face. Do not attack the dangerous fae. Do not engage.

  “As I said on the phone, I pay well.” He looked slowly around the room, lip curling up. “Something I think your business would benefit from.”

  Asshole.

  The air conditioner groaned in agreement.

  Dad’s body stiffened. He pushed away from the desk and stood. His khaki pants and blue polo did little to hide his lean, non-aggressive runner’s frame. “My daughter is correct. I’m afraid we’re unable to assist you at this time. Thank you for coming in. I can recommend some of the bigger agencies downtown. They have excellent reputations and more resources. They will be better equipped for this task.”

  A tight smile replaced Luke’s relaxed expression. He stood and fastened the top button on the jacket of his expensive suit. “No need. I have some contacts.”

  After shaking her dad’s hand, he grasped Raven’s, his grip still strong and warm. What had she expected? A lightning bolt? A flash of images containing mutilated bodies?

  Mr. Bane’s gaze locked her in pace. “Take care, Miss Crawford. Till we meet again.”

  He gave her hand an extra squeeze before releasing it and walked out of the office. She didn’t breathe until the building door closed. His parting words sent numbing cold to every limb. Till we meet again. His unsettling gaze held promise—not the warm fuzzy kind, the cold psychotic kind.

  Raven’s life held a lot of uncertainties. Most people’s lives did. But she knew one thing for sure. She had no wish for her future to have Luke Bane in it.

  “I hope you have a good reason for turning down such a high paying job,” Dad said. “The guy might’ve been a prick, but he was right about one thing. We could use the money.” Dad’s voice held no anger, only questions.

  She nodded and turned to her Dad. “Bear.”

  “Bear?” He choked on his coffee. “What does he have to do with this?”

  “He’s the thief.”

  Chapter Five

  “Naked acrobatics are on my résumé.”

  ~Miles Teller

  Raven eyed the murky waters of Burrard inlet. The full moon overhead cast eerie, glitter-like strands of pale light reflecting off the rippling surface of the ocean. The shore on the south side remained clear, but the eye of the storm was always calm before chaos reigned.

  Chaos.

  Born of Chaos.

  Beul na h-Oidhche gu Camhanaich, Bastard of Erebus, Born of Chaos. Master of heated looks and panty-melting voice.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  Ugh. She needed to get out more and rid her mind of Cole and all the things she’d thought of doing with him. It had been two days since he’d kidnapped her and not even twenty-four hours since Luke Bane visited the family business, but the quiet didn’t fool her.

  Bear still hadn’t returned her calls or texts, and she needed to find him before Cole or Luke did.

  After the interrogation from her parents about the kidnapping, Bear’s potential involvement, and another eventless shift at the diner, Raven made her way to the banks of Vancouver Harbour with the sole purpose of seeking out her brother and getting answers. Once beautiful and prosperous, filth and debris lined the shore. The remains of previous oil spills had long since congealed into black sludge. The tip of a tanker jutted out of the rippling water as a visual reminder of a long-ago Titanic-esque tragedy. The
casualties of this event were “inconsequential” sea life though, not affluent travellers who’d have beautiful Hollywood actors portray them years later. Dead fish and other sea life floated in the black abyss like a jelly fruit cake gone wrong. Luckily, she didn’t plan to swim across the channel.

  Without a doubt, the most used route to the North Shore involved the Lion’s Gate Bridge. It was the only way to cross on foot or with a vehicle after a horde of banshees took out the other bridge, but Lion’s Gate wasn’t necessarily the safest option. Now run by trolls, she either had to pay a fee she didn’t have, owe a favour she would be stupid to grant or risk the eighteen hundred meter dash. At least two of the three options resulted in death. Luckily, Raven had another plan.

  She pulled off her jeans and black T-shirt, folded them, and made a neat pile on top of her shoes. Her underwear quickly followed, and she tucked them into the fold of her pants. She could’ve flown directly from her house or work, but she chose not to.

  One, she never flew from her house or her parents’ place, if given a choice. The shifter community would ostracize her family even more than they already did if anyone discovered Raven and Bear were part fae, not fox shifters like everyone believed. Shifters could be really snooty and condescending to beings from the Other Realms, believing their Mortal Realm origins made them superior somehow.

  Two, although suspiciously absent, she didn’t trust Cole or Luke. Both probably watched the house. Flying directly from there showed her hand, and she wasn’t ready for that.

  Three, bigger, badder things lurked in the shadows, both on land and in the air. Once shifted, she was more vulnerable to predation. Better to scope out the water first and then cut across quickly.

  And four…though she used her shifting to carry out work for her dad, she tried to limit shifting on her time off.

  A heavy weight settled on her shoulders and pulled her limbs toward the ground. No. She couldn’t let these thoughts consume her.

  She shook her head, letting the long strands of her midnight-black hair caress her naked skin. Although she disliked parts of her body, predominantly the jiggly parts, she found standing naked on the shore freeing. She faced the ocean and let the Salish Sea’s breeze flow past her. Despite the cesspool of garbage and oil, the wind carried fresh air from beyond the inlet where magic kept the ocean clean. The heat from the hot summer’s day had lingered well into the night and even the wind off the water held some warmth. The water lapped the smooth stones at her feet.