Dragon Gate (17 page)

“Might be a while. They’re in a wagon. Wooden wheels and the whole nine.”

“I’d have you call Brand, but I have his truck. He could borrow the Rolls, but I doubt Graham would like that much.”

“It’s okay. Come get me. We’ll stage a raid on their hideout later.”

“They’ll know I was here. Well, that someone was here. I had to break in. The door is a bit messed up.”

“I wonder if they can read English. They speak it pretty well. You could always leave a note apologizing for breaking in too soon to kill them. I think you put the fear of Kelly into them.”

She laughed. “Someone had to.”

oOo

Kelly arrived thirty minutes later. It was great to see her. Had the Marshall Clan ventured into the neighborhood to get me, I wasn’t sure I could have held them off even with Esther working as a second set of eyes. As things stood, I stayed behind a car for most of that half hour. Esther kept me company, but she didn’t have much to say.

“Get in,” Kelly said as she pulled up beside me.

As soon as I was inside the truck, she stomped on the gas and we were off. “You can pop back to help Brand now,” I said to Esther.

She shook her head. “I’d rather stay with you and Kelly.”

“Yeah, but our clients are at The Steam Room, so it’s best if you go there.”

Esther pouted a moment then gave me a nod. “So much for an attitude of gratitude,” she said.

“I thanked you several times, but thank you again.”

“I just don’t feel very appreciated lately.”

“I appreciate you. Really I do. But I need you to keep an eye on Rayna and Graham.”

“Fine,” she said and popped away.

“What’s up with her?” I asked.

Kelly shrugged. “Could be that you’ve nearly been killed several times in the last few days. I think you’re stressing her out.”

“I nearly get killed all the damn time. You really think that’s it?”

“You’ll have to ask her. I don’t know how dead girls think.”

“I can’t say as I’m looking forward to that conversation.”

“You can handle it. Are you all right?” she asked.

“A few bruises. I’ll be fine.”

“Lucas will be devastated when he learns about his daughters.”

“You say that but I’m not convinced. I think he looks at death in much the same way you do.”

Kelly glanced over at me. “And how do you think I view death?”

“To you, it’s not something to get upset about. People die.”

“I would be upset if you died,” she said.

“So maybe he’s harsher than you.”

“Don’t presume to think you know what’s going on inside someone else’s mind, Jonathan. You’re pretty good with regular people, but you’re clueless when it comes to people like me and Esther, and I suspect you’re clueless about how Lucas will feel too. He sent Tess and Chantelle over to Graham and Rayna’s so they would be safe. When I say he’ll be devastated, I mean it. They were his family.”

“I think they lived in a tougher world than we do,” I said. “I think death is just a bigger part of it, and while he might be upset, he won’t be crushed.”

“They were his daughters.”

“Why didn’t he look after them?”

“It’s impossible for one person to be everywhere at once.”

“What the hell does
that
mean?” I asked.

Kelly glanced over at me then shook her head. “Let’s change the subject.”

“Fine.”

“We should have vetted Jenkins.”

“He seemed loyal until he drugged me.”

“I’m willing to bet that a quick background check will reveal something.”

“Financial issues,” I said. “They offered him gold. Fat lot of good it did him since they killed him rather than pay him.”

“True.”

“Fact is, I meant to do background checks on everyone from Jenkins to the employees at The Steam Room but didn’t get a chance. Some asshat shot me with a freaking arrow.”

“You should have checked them before that.”

“Yeah, well I’m sorry I’m not Mr. Perfect these days.”

“Nobody expects you to be perfect, but maybe it’s been too long since you took an actual job.”

“I was training.”

“And forgetting how to be a detective.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You should know I went to DGI this morning.”

“So now you’re the investigator?”

She ignored my jab and filled me in on her little expedition. Then we tossed a few ideas back and forth about why the Marshalls gave up their pursuit of me. Our best guess was that they didn’t feel I was worth the hassle since they were really after Graham and Rayna. Before I knew it, we were at The Steam Room, and I felt like Kelly was pissed at me. I had no clue what I might have done to upset her.

Inside the spa, Rayna was delighted to see me. I can’t say the same for Graham. He gave me a nod but didn’t come out of his office.

“Esther told us what happened. Nice escape,” Brand said. “Too bad you only killed one of them. That does have you three up on me, though.”

“It’s not a competition, Brand.”

“Speak for yourself.”

I glanced over at Esther, but she was still upset and refused to look at me. I was batting a thousand with the women in my life.

“Are you on the clock?” Rayna asked as she pulled me away from the group.

“Twenty-four/seven,” I said, glad to get away for a moment.

“Good. Your friend Brand isn’t much of a conversationalist. He has a one-track mind.”

“Killing,” I said.

“Sex,” she said.

I cringed. “Did he hit on you? I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. I don’t think he was serious because he’s with Kelly, and I think she’d kill him if he did anything. Still, it was a bit creepy.”

“He is a bit of a creep but he’s reliable.”

“I know.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. This is your first time at The Steam Room, isn’t it?”

“It is. Can you give me a tour?”

She smiled and took my arm. “It’s what I live for.”

“Sarcasm,” I said. “What a concept.” I made a note to be careful because I didn’t want her pissed at me too.

She gave me the basic rundown. Kelly had told me about the place, but it was good to put the sights with the sounds.

I pointed to the stairs leading to the upper level. “What’s up there?”

“The Upper Echelon. Just more of the same, really, only it’s a private membership area. No waiting for the machines and more personalized instruction mostly. It was my father’s idea. He said it was a great way to charge more.” She started to laugh, but then she looked down and put a hand to her face. “He’ll never come in here again.”

I put an arm around her. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry. Most of the time I’m fine, but then out of the blue it hits me. My parents are gone forever.” She took a deep breath. “Shall we continue the tour? Do you want to see the Upper Echelon?”

“More of the same?”

She nodded. “The machines are farther apart.”

“Anything else of interest?”

She shook her head. “Unlikely. But we have a small kitchen in the back, and it’s well stocked with various beverages.”

“I could go for a glass of water.”

“This way,” she said.

It felt good to be with her. She seemed more human than Graham. Granted, she was also drop-dead gorgeous, but the only time beauty affects me is when I see it. When we sat down at a table with our glasses of water, I didn’t feel as if I was protecting her.

She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “What made you become a protector?”

“I’m really more of a private investigator, but I sometimes hire out to protect celebrities when they’re in town.”

“Okay, what made you become a private investigator?”

“I liked
The Rockford Files
when I was a kid.”

She looked confused.

“TV show from the seventies starring James Garner?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not as familiar with older television shows as I should be. Pop culture seems to matter a lot here. It’s like a shared cultural experience that creates a shorthand to communication. I focused on movies, and while I’ve enjoyed television, I haven’t studied it as much. Should I buy the DVDs?”

“What shows have you seen?” I asked.

“Nice try,” she said. “You tried to give me a flip answer to a serious question. The fact that I didn’t understand your reference doesn’t mean I don’t still want a real answer.”

“You’re good,” I said.

She smiled. That smile made me feel more human.

I made a mental note to guard myself against that. Her life might depend on it.

“I’m curious. So tell me. Why are you a private investigator?”

“Because I knew I’d make a lousy cop, but I liked getting to the truth about things.”

“Were you ever a police officer?”

“No. I started down that path, but there were too many limitations on what you could say or do. I don’t have the right temperament. If someone gets in my face, I tend to get right back in theirs. As a general rule, cops have to be polite even when someone is belligerent.”

“So you like finding the truth.”

“Who doesn’t?”

She laughed. “Most people. They want something that feels true enough, but they rarely want the real truth.”

“What makes you think that?”

“People want convenience. They want to believe their children are attractive and smart whether or not it’s true. They want to believe that everything will be all right when really, it’s just a matter of time before someone they love dies or is critically injured or someone breaks their heart.”

“I’ll bet you’re a hit at all the parties.”

“And again, you managed to sidetrack the question without really answering it.”

“You weren’t supposed to notice that.”

“Will you answer me honestly, or am I wasting my time?”

“I like helping people,” I said.

“That’s a simplified answer. Go deeper.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to go back into the common area where Brand will stare at my ass.”

“That’s not an answer, and I suspect most guys stare at your ass.”

“They aren’t as obvious. So tell me about what led you to this strange profession.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because I want to know who’s protecting me.”

“You’re worried because of Tess and Chantelle?”

“That wasn’t your fault. You were hired to protect Graham and me, and so far, we’re still alive.”

I wasn’t blaming myself for Tess and Chantelle. That fell to Jenkins, in my mind. Be that as it may, I didn’t want to seem callous or uncaring either. “So far, so good,” I said.

“Are you going to answer me, or are you going to keep dodging? Do you need your armor that much?”

“Ask me again when I know you better.”

She grinned and finished her water. “I won’t forget.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

JONATHAN SHADE

Esther appeared in the room where Rayna and I were still talking. “There are a couple of bulls coming in,” Esther said.

“Put away the good china,” I said.

Esther popped away.

“What did you say?” Rayna asked.

“Sorry, Esther just let me know the cops are here.”

“It’s a little disconcerting to have you suddenly turn and say something nonsensical.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Maybe if I were to hang out with more homeless people.”

“Or with me,” I said and realized I might enjoy her company more than I wanted to admit.

We went to meet the police at Graham’s office. The lead cop was a woman, and her partner was a thirty-ish man. Graham greeted them with a nod as he looked up from his computer.

“Dr. Noble, thank you for your help earlier,” the lead cop said.

I looked a question at Graham.

“We spoke on the phone earlier,” Graham said then made introductions. “Detectives Kramer and Fredericks, this is Jonathan Shade; his partner, Kelly Chan; Brand Easton; and my sister, Rayna.”

Kramer was a middle-aged woman who might have looked better with her hair down, but with it pulled back, it gave her an intensity that probably helped her on the job. A glance in her eyes made me think she was no-nonsense but fair.

Based on the crow’s feet at his eyes, I adjusted my estimate of Fredericks’ age to mid to late thirties. He had a tan that suggested he’d just returned from a tropical vacation since it looked natural. He had the look in his eyes that told me he’d seen a lot but that he kept it all in check.

Kramer directed her attention to Graham. “We notified your uncle about his daughters. We were unable to locate Horace Jenkins’ next of kin.”