“Oh, don’t be silly,” Raven said, her voice high and girlish. “We sent each other naked photos before meeting. How else would we know that we were destined to be?”
Logan worked his jaw. I could practically see his mind working. If Raven’s intention was to confound him until he forgot he was here looking for specific information she’d done a wonderful job. Still, Logan was determined. He wouldn’t allow her to completely derail him.
“I’m here because the neighbors across the way reported screams,” he started, his eyes moving back to me. “Did you hear anything?”
“Maybe a little,” I admitted, ignoring the glare Raven lobbed in my direction. “They weren’t scary screams. They were romantic.” I jerked my thumb at Raven and Cillian, who looked as if he wanted to find the nearest hole to hide in, and offered a shrug. “They were playing games. I’m sorry if it got too loud. We didn’t really think about it because they were having so much fun.”
“We won’t allow it to happen again,” Nellie volunteered. He leaned on his ax as if it was a walking stick, which made me want to throttle him for drawing attention. “We’re very sorry that Raven is such a slut.”
Anticipating her move, I slid in front of Raven so the magically-packed smack she planned to land on the back of Nellie’s head smacked into my back. I managed to keep my expression neutral despite the pain.
“We really weren’t doing anything, Logan,” I lied. “We were just screwing around and forgot about the neighbors. We’re usually in more remote areas. We forget ourselves when we’re surrounded by suburban life.”
“Basically she’s saying we’re heathens,” Nellie added.
Logan glanced between faces a moment and then shook his head. “Well, who am I to be the thief of fun?”
“I bet more than one person has asked that question of you,” Raven shot back.
He burned her with a dark look and then turned back to me. “I was in the area because I wanted to make you aware that I’ve been put in charge of the missing girls’ investigation. The case has been taken away from the Detroit Police Department and given to me. It was official about an hour ago. That means we’ll be able to share information if it becomes available.”
Uh-oh. I sensed trouble.
“You took it from the Detroit Police Department?” Cillian asked, his eyes going dark. “Why would you do that? They were working diligently on that case.”
Curiosity etched its way across Logan’s face as he regarded the reaper. “Are you familiar with the case?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Raven interjected. “He heard Poet talking about it earlier. That’s it.”
“Yeah, well ... .” Logan shook his head and then took a step away from us. “I should probably be going. I don’t want to interrupt whatever shenanigans you guys are up to. Poet, I’ll be in touch tomorrow so we can share information. Will you be around?”
I felt Kade bristling next to me. There wasn’t much I could do about it. “Absolutely.” I nodded. “I can’t wait to hear what you’ve learned.”
15
Fifteen
Cotton and Michelob seemed more excited than upset about what had transpired outside. Of course, they’d only seen limited snatches of action. The banshee — and Cillian taking her down — was well out of their line of sight. That was for the best.
We escorted them to the big top, situated them on the floor in the corner — Dolph came through with the bedrolls — and then plied them with snacks to make sure they were comfortable.
“You know where the bathrooms are?” I thought of the nearby building. The path to and from it was dark. “Here.” I handed Cotton a heavy-duty flashlight. “These grounds are safe. Still, if you have to go to the restroom, go together.”
Michelob solemnly nodded. Cotton, of course, was mouthier.
“What if we aren’t the types who like going to the bathroom together?” she challenged. “Should we just go right in here?”
I shot her a quelling look. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Go to sleep. We have more chores for you tomorrow.”
“And eggs, hash browns, toast, sausage and bacon for breakfast,” Kade added with a wink, as Michelob’s cheeks flushed pink. Her crush on him was adorable.
“Yes. There will be a big breakfast. We’ll talk then.”
“No problem.” Cotton’s salute was sassy. “We’re looking forward to breakfast. All the candy you’ve given us should tide us over until then.”
“We aim to please.”
Kade was silent as we left the tent. I wasn’t surprised to find Raven, Nixie and Naida strengthening the wards around the perimeter. They understood the real worry here. If the missing girls were being turned into banshees, we had to keep Michelob and Cotton from that fate ... by any means necessary. That included magic, which we were trying to hide from the girls.
“They should be snug in there,” Raven announced when she finished and joined us. “If they leave, I’ll know.” She was so matter-of-fact I had no doubt she was telling the truth.
“If they leave, they’re probably only going to the bathroom,” I supplied. “They know how well they’ve got it here. Their next step will be to see how far they can push things.”
“Is that what you would’ve done in their place?” Kade asked.
“Most definitely. Cotton is smart. Tomorrow, they’ll wake up and realize Michelob is better. They’re not users in the sense that they want to hurt us, but they’re not used to having anything, so they will try to press their advantage.”
“So what?” Raven countered. “If they’re in need, we can provide.”
There were times Raven came off as a bitter woman with no soul. She was practical to the point of being blunt, disinterested in most people she met, and only vaguely aware of the human condition as a whole. There were other times — like now — when she was absolutely fabulous and giving of spirit.
“We’ll take care of them,” I agreed. “You can keep them busy in the House of Mirrors tomorrow. That’s good, because I have a feeling I will be out of the mix for part of the day.”
Kade stirred. “And where are you going? Please don’t tell me you’re having lunch with your second boyfriend.”
There was an edge to his voice that I recognized. Even worse, Raven recognized it. She lifted an eyebrow, chuckled, and then waved as she started to break away from us. “I think I’ll leave you two to your domestic squabble. I need some sleep. I’ll be up early to make sure the girls are okay. If they do any wandering tonight, I’ll handle it.”
“Thank you.” I waited until I was certain she was gone to speak again. “As for you ... .” I slid Kade a look and sighed when I saw there was more lurking in his eyes than belligerence. “You know you have no reason to be jealous, right?”
“I didn’t say I was jealous.” Kade was calm, but that edge remained in his tone. “Why would you assume I was jealous?”
“Just a hunch.”
“Well ... I’m not jealous.” He was firm and held it together until we were inside our trailer. Then he kicked off his shoes and sank onto the couch, his expression dark. “Fine. I might be a little jealous,” he conceded. “But I think I should get a pass, because I’m almost never jealous.”
He was unbelievably cute. Still, I didn’t want to encourage this behavior. Of course, Logan was at the center of a unique situation.
“I think it would be best if I explained things,” I offered, sliding onto the couch next to him and plopping my feet in his lap as I got comfortable against the armrest.
“I take it you want a foot massage while you’re explaining things,” he muttered. It sounded like a complaint, but he didn’t look all that unhappy to have something to do with his hands while we talked. “Am I going to like this conversation?”
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. “The thing is ... I didn’t exactly peg Logan for a cop back then. I knew there was something slightly off about him. I saw things in his head — he has something of a hero complex like someone
else I know — but I didn’t realize what I was seeing at the time. I was too new at what I was doing to realize exactly what he was.”
“I don’t have a hero complex.”
I ignored his statement. “All we knew about him back then was that he showed up one day, said his name was Shadow, and started hanging around the bikers. They were volatile enough that we knew to keep away from them. Shadow was different. He never yelled or threatened us. He didn’t pay much attention to us, but he wasn’t overly aggressive.
“At some point he made the hierarchy suspicious and earned a severe beating,” I continued. “We found him in an alley. He was close to death. We offered to drag him out in the open and call an ambulance, but he kept saying ‘no hospital.’ Now I would know better than allowing him to call the shots, but back then we were young and dumb.
“We sat with him, took care of him the best we could, and somehow he didn’t die. I still don’t know how he survived. It was a full week of taking care of him twenty-four hours a day before he was truly out of the woods. After that, once he was well enough to start getting around again, he always visited us.
“He brought food ...and medicine ... new clothes and even makeup and other stuff.” I smiled at the memory. “He was a good guy. More than that, he listened to us. He warned us if there was going to be trouble. He made sure we were out of the line of fire when bad things were about to go down.”
“He protected you,” Kade confirmed. “Is that when you developed your crush on him?”
If he thought the question would embarrass me, he was wrong. “Yeah. He brought chocolate sometimes. He said the candy was bad, would rot our teeth, but he made sure we had fresh toothbrushes and paste all the time. I couldn’t help myself. To me, he was a hero.”
“Of course he was. He didn’t take advantage of that crush, did he?”
I was amused despite myself. “No. He was a rule follower. In fact, he reminds me a lot of you. You would’ve done the same thing for us. You’re doing the same thing for Cotton and Michelob.”
“You took them in first.”
“And yet you’ve sort of taken over to make sure they’re okay,” I supplied. “You have no intention of taking advantage of their crushes, do you?”
He screwed up his face. “I would never.”
“See. You’re just like him. He would never either.”
“Yeah, but ... you’re an adult now,” he pointed out. “It wouldn’t really be a crush any longer.”
“Wouldn’t it?” I wasn’t so sure of that. “He’s always going to be the guy who helped keep me alive when I was a kid. One of the first things he said to me when he saw me in the park was that he always imagined me ending up in a good place. But occasionally a weak thought would creep in and he’d succumb to the worst. He was glad he’d run into me so he could push the bad thoughts from his head.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not as fond of you as you are of him.”
“It’s not the same.” I caught his gaze, held it. “We met and fell in love as equals. Shadow was an authority figure who loomed large and brief in my life. He saved us as often as he could and we reciprocated. It’s not the same kind of attraction.”
“No?” Kade’s smile was rueful. “I guess I’m glad to hear that.”
“You don’t have to be jealous.”
“I know. I also know that you don’t want to be with anyone but me and I should suck it up. Still ... still ... there’s always a twinge when another man looks at you the same way I do. I can’t help myself.”
“He was not looking at me the same way you do. Trust me.”
“It felt similar.”
“Tonight he was looking at me as a suspect because he could tell we were hiding something. We weren’t very stealthy.”
“Do you think he’ll return tomorrow?”
“Yup. He knows we’re trying to find answers on the girls. He might think we’re the type to take matters into our own hands if we catch the individual responsible. He doesn’t understand about banshees ... or the paranormal ... or the fact that we have an ax-happy dwarf in our midst. He only sees us acting squirrely.”
“How are you going to counter that?”
“I have no idea.” I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his cheek. “I don’t really want to think about it right now. I was hoping you could distract me with something else for a bit.”
His lips curved. “What did you have in mind?”
“How about I show you in the other room?”
“Now you’re talking.”
I HAD AN IDEA THE NEXT morning. Tawny. She came to me in a dream. I’d almost forgotten I was positive I saw her the night of the first banshee appearance. I wanted to track her down now. Unfortunately, I had no idea where to start looking for her.
I left Kade and Raven to handle Cotton and Michelob. Kade wanted to go with me ... until I explained where I was going. He immediately stepped back when he realized this was a task I needed to complete on my own.
It wasn’t hard to track Creek. She was still going by that name. Whether it was her legal name, I couldn’t say. I sincerely doubted it. Still, when I Googled Creek Castle — she chose the last name she adopted because she always wanted to live in a castle — I found numerous mentions – all of them linked to strip clubs at which she’d performed. The current establishment she worked at was Stockings & Stilettos on Woodward. It was early, but the website boasted about being open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. They didn’t even close for Christmas, which I figured had to be the mark of a fine establishment.
The bouncer gave me serious side-eye as I strolled toward the door. I tried to look as if I belonged there, but it was a tough sell.
“Hello. I ... um ... is there a cover charge?” I felt out of my element.
“I’ve got this,” a voice volunteered from behind me and I stiffened when I felt a familiar presence at my back. Luke. Where had he come from? I hadn’t seen him at all before I left this morning, which was most unusual. “I’ve got enough for both of us. We like to do this as a couple.”
I kept my smile in place, but just barely.
The bouncer accepted the money from Luke, pressed ink stamps to the backs of our hands, and motioned us inside. He didn’t ask a single question about why I would be present at a strip club. I was mildly disappointed.
“How does he know I’m not some sort of weird pervert?” I complained as I stepped over the threshold.
“Strip clubs wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for weird perverts,” Luke replied, pressing his hand to the small of my back. “Now, come on. Let’s try to find your friend ... although something tells me she won’t be happy to see us.”
I slowed my pace and pinned him with a serious look. “I’m not trying to embarrass her or anything. It’s just ... I saw something the first night. I almost forgot about it. It was a woman we both knew back in the day ... and I’m almost positive it was her. Not long after the whole initial banshee thing happened. That can’t be a coincidence, right?”
Luke shrugged as he frowned and looked over the bar. Garish strobe lights fractured the room filled with small pits at even intervals across the space, and naked women dancing on tables as men sat in the chairs beneath them and watched. The entire set-up was depressing.
“I can’t believe this.” The words were out of my mouth before I thought better of them. I quickly caught myself ... or as quickly as possible. “I mean ... we should get a drink so we don’t look so out of place.”
Instead of readily agreeing — Luke was always up for some day drinking — he moved his hand to my shoulder to still me. “You wouldn’t have ended up here.”
I was dumbfounded. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
He shrugged, his grin impish. “Who knows you best?” He tweaked the end of my nose, which would’ve irritated me under different circumstances but, surprisingly, made me feel better today. “You didn’t escape the same fate as Creek. You were neve
r meant for this.
“And, before you start wondering if you could’ve saved her from this life, you’re not omnipotent,” he continued. “You did the best you could for her when you were together. You can’t fix everything. You can’t take the weight of the world on your shoulders. You’re strong, but you’d buckle under that weight. Anyone would.”
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. “I just can’t believe she ended up here. I thought she would do more.”
“Did you?” Luke’s eyes were clear as they held mine. “Did you really think that she was going to be a movie star ... or model ... or happy housewife? When you really look back at how things were going at that time, what do you see? I’ll bet it was the beginning of a road that was always going to end here.”
I hated that he was right. “I don’t want to think about that.” I was emphatic as I shook my head. “I just want to find Creek, ask her about Tawny, and then get out of here. I very much doubt she’ll be happy to see us either.”
“Oh, I can guarantee that.” Luke was dour as he inclined his head to his right.
My heart sank as I turned in that direction, a sick feeling bubbling up when I saw Creek standing on a table, no one around her, glaring at me. “Nope. She’s definitely not going to be happy.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that we have questions for her,” Luke pointed out. “I also want to give her a tip to keep sweaty glitter from clumping ... because it’s obvious no one has shared that little tidbit with her over the years and she desperately needs the help.”
“Don’t talk to her about sweaty glitter,” I snapped. Out of the blue, something occurred to me. “How did you know where I was?”
“What do you mean? I followed you.”
He was a terrible liar. “No. Kade sent you.” I went back over the conversation we’d had this morning. I thought it was too easy when he readily agreed to allow me to visit a strip club in a rough part of town without batting an eyelash. “He wanted you to protect me.”
Freaky Reapers (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 8) Page 15