Grimm Consequences (5 page)

My phone buzzed with a text message, calling me away from Tess's conversation with her Gran. I glanced down, wondering who else was already up at this ungodly hour.

 

Meet me at the usual place in 30.

 

I blinked at the message in surprise, not sure if I was reading it right. “I'll be damned.”

“Gran wants to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate my promotion,” Tess announced, rolling her eyes as she hung up. “You up for it?”

I quickly pocketed my phone before she could catch a glimpse of who'd sent the text. “Yeah, sure.”

“You okay?” she asked, lowering her voice and stepping closer when I didn't immediately answer. “Don't worry, Nate—that bastard Demetrius is just messing with your head. We'll sort it all out.”

I nodded and snaked an arm around her waist to pull her close to press a kiss to her temple. “I don't want to talk about him right now,” I said. “I'm proud of you for this promotion, you know. You deserve it.”

She shrugged it off, but her cheeks flushed an incredibly sexy shade of red. “Yeah, well, guess I'm stuck with it whether I like it or not.”

I brushed a kiss to her lips this time, then released her. “I have to be someplace. You gonna hang here? I don't want you out alone with everything going on.”

“I'm just going to be combing over all the intel on the Jabberwocky, see if we missed anything. Then I have an AA meeting with Lavender this evening before dinner,” she said, referring to Cinderella's fairy godmother, who was trying her damnedest to get sober thanks to Tess's encouragement and support.

I bristled for a moment, my concern for Tess's safety making my gut clench. Even if Demetrius was bold enough to come out in the day, I seriously doubted he'd actually try something in FMA headquarters. The outing this evening was another story.

“I'd feel a lot better if you canceled the meeting.”

“I can't
cancel,
” she informed me. “I'm Lav's sponsor. She needs me there with her.”

“Fine,” I hissed. “Then I'll go with you to the AA meeting. I don't want you wandering around at night right now.”

Tess patted me on the chest. “Don't worry, spooky. I won't be alone. I'll be with Lav. I'll be fine.” She turned her head toward Al and Mary as they joined us and offered them a grin. “Now, you go ahead and do your thing, Nate. I'm going to let Al show me my great big shiny corner office with all the amenities. And then he and Mary are going to treat me to breakfast. Right, Al?”

Al sighed in that special way he reserved for when Tess was testing him and he was about to cave. “Your wish is my command,” he said with a sweep of his arm.

“Sweet!” Tess chirped, her mood instantly improving. “In that case, I suggest you get your ol' pal the genie on the horn. I have some ideas about my office decor.”

I watched the three of them until they got on the elevator and raised my hand to send one last wave their way before I took out my phone and replied to the text I'd received:

 

On my way.

I pulled into the junkyard and parked my FMA sedan behind a pile of old tires large enough to block it from plain sight. As I left the car behind and headed toward the mound of discarded fenders, turning left down an alleyway created by two rows of meticulously parked cars waiting to be salvaged, I felt my skin begin to creep with uneasiness. Someone else was nearby.

I strode toward the dilapidated wooden shack that doubled as the junkyard's center of operations, stealing a glance at my surroundings as I went, ever watchful. It was more than cars that got torn apart at the junkyard. When Tales had a dispute and wanted to settle it without the FMA breaking things up, the Junkman was more than willing to provide the arena. Sometimes the Tales managed to sort it out with little more than a few knocked heads and broken bones. Other times . . . Well, I'd been called to this location for a pickup more often than I cared to recall.

There was a B
EWARE OF
D
OG
sign on the front door even though I knew the dog who'd necessitated it had died years before. Still, I was cautious as I quietly rapped on the door, not wanting to rouse anything else that might be lurking nearby. A vicious mutt wasn't the Junkman's only defense. He had any manner of beastly bastards at his disposal, hiding out in the scattered debris, waiting to protect their master and his interests from whoever—or whatever—might come calling.

But it wasn't the Junkman who'd texted me about a meeting. Although that might've been a little less surprising. No, he was curiously absent. Or maybe not so curiously.

“Come in.”

I took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh, then turned the knob and walked in. I halted just inside the doorway and let the door swing closed behind me before shoving my hands into my pockets and regarding my old friend with an even stare. “How the hell are ya, Nicky?”

Nicky Blue attempted a smile, but it was a weak replica of the cocky grin I was used to. “Been better,” he said with a shrug, rising from a pleather office chair to come toward me. He extended his hand. “But I'll survive.”

I shook his offered hand, half tempted to hug the bastard. He was one of the few friends I'd permitted myself in the Here and Now and I'd nearly lost him thanks to that bitch Sebille. “So what's with the secret meeting?”

Nicky gestured toward one of the other office chairs. “I got my reasons. I'm not staying in town long—just had to settle a few things. Eddie's gonna be runnin' things for me for a while.”

I nodded, trusting that his loyal bodyguard would handle Nicky's affairs without a hitch. “You know Tess is gonna be pissed when she finds out you were here and didn't come by.”

Nicky looked a little pained at this. “This is a conversation that I want to be between just you and me, Nate.” He sat back down in his chair, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward to brace his forearms on his thighs. “I need a favor.”

I studied him for a moment. In all the years I'd known him, Nicky had granted more favors to his friends than I could count. But I'd never known him to ask for one in return. “Anything,” I told him. “You know that.”

He met my gaze, his expression more serious—and deadly—than I'd ever seen it. “I need you to keep Red from goin' after Dracula. I'm onto something, something I can't really share right now, but I don't want her getting hurt.”

I was surprised that he'd brought me here to talk about Vlad Dracula, who, as it turned out, had been the mastermind in the Sebille Fenwick case. The guy had vanished just as mysteriously as the body of his partner in crime, but I had a feeling he'd be back. In fact, I knew it. He'd more or less assured Tess of it, taunted her to come after him. She'd been searching for Vlad in her spare time, poring over his old case files, looking for clues to where he might be. She wasn't going to give up the trail just because I asked her to.

“Not sure I can keep her from going after him,” I admitted. “You know how she is once she gets something into her head.”

Nicky chuckled. “Don't I ever. But I need this, Nate. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I'm going to track down the body of that fucking sorceress, too.”

I nodded, understanding his need for closure after what had happened to his wife. If it had been Tess . . . Hell, I didn't even want to think about what I'd do if anyone hurt her. Mostly because I knew what I
could
do. And that scared the shit out of me. “I'll do what I can.”

“Talk to Trish Muffet,” Nicky suggested. “Get her to help you. She's one smart dame.”

I narrowed my eyes at him a little. “Yeah. She is.” When he uncharacteristically dropped his gaze, I added, “Is that why you pulled some strings to get her off the hook for the Sebille Fenwick thing?”

Nicky visibly bristled at the question. “She's good people. And she didn't have anything to do with the body going missing. I read her reports—”

“You did?”

“—and there was no reason to suspect any negligence on her part. I wanted to make sure she didn't get shit-canned for no good reason.”

“Fair enough.” I couldn't help needling him a little more, curious at his evasiveness. “Of course, you had no problem letting Red and me dangle with our asses in the breeze.”

Nicky gave me an irritated look. “I knew you'd come out of it okay.”

Seeing he was over this line of conversation, I switched back to safer ground. “So, what now? Do you have any leads?”

He shrugged. “A few.”

“Care to share them?”

“No.”

I laughed in a short burst, still getting used to what it was like to feel amusement even after all these years in the Here and Now. “Why the hell did you call me here, Nicky, if you weren't planning to tell me anything?”

“I just wanted to make sure that the people I care about are safe.” Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes and regard me with that penetrating gaze of his. “
Are
you all okay?”

“Sure. Yeah,” I said with a shrug.

“Liar.”

I spread my hands out before me. “Nicky—”

“Spill it, Grimm. And don't bullshit me.”

I sighed. “I've got some trouble brewing with the Reapers. Nothing I can't handle.”

Nicky lifted his brows. “You sure about that?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his scrutinizing gaze taking me in. “I'm going to believe you, but you get into trouble, you let me know. Or contact Eddie. With him being sweet on Red's Gran, he shouldn't be hard to find.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “The guy's got it bad. Who'd have thought I was playing matchmaker when I sent him to look after Tilly?”

I grinned. “I guess falling in love happens when you least expect it.”

Nicky's expression suddenly grew pensive. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess.” After a moment of distraction, he shrugged as if divesting himself of whatever had briefly occupied his thoughts. “Anyway, Eddie will get you anything you need if you can't reach me.”

I inclined my head. “I appreciate it.”

“Forget about it,” Nicky said with a shrug. The sound of an approaching vehicle brought his head up. “Sounds like the Junkman's back. I guess that's my cue.”

I got to my feet. “Sure you don't want to come with me to see Red? She just got a promotion, you know.”

“So I heard.”

“How did you—” I didn't even bothering finishing my question. Nicky's network of snitches and informants was mind boggling. “Never mind. We're going out to dinner to celebrate. Come with us.”

“Probably best if I just go,” Nicky assured me, extending his hand in good-bye. “It'll be easier.”

I shook his hand, wondering when I'd be seeing him again, hoping I wouldn't be getting a call for a pickup sometime soon and find my old friend's soul at the other end.

“Nice office.”

With a grin, Tess glanced up from her computer. “Yeah, the guy who had to move to the smaller one down the hall was seriously pissed.”

I shoved off the edge of the door frame and walked inside, marveling at how quickly she'd made herself at home, considering how angry she'd initially been about the promotion.

“So, where've you been all morning?” she asked when I sat down on the corner of her desk.

“Don't worry about it,” I told her. “Just running an errand.” I jerked my chin at her monitor before she could ask any other questions. “Find anything about the Jabberwocky?”

She shook her head, her brows drawing together in a frown. “Nothing. I've looked over the footage again and again. I can't figure out how Demetrius was able to break out the Jabberwocky without anyone noticing. It doesn't make sense, Nate.”

“Barriers like walls and doors aren't an issue for Reapers, but we generally don't transport anything but souls with us when we go dark.”

“Don't,” she asked, “or can't?”

“Don't. It expends a lot of energy, makes us weak. It's a risky move.”

She heaved a frustrated sigh. “Instead of trying to figure out why Demetrius pulled a Houdini with the Jabberwocky, maybe we should try to figure out what we're going to be up against when we finally see the Jabberwocky again. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not encounter any more surprises in that regard.”

“Works for me.” I pulled a chair around behind the desk and shrugged out of my suit jacket. “Show me what we got.”

 

 

After spending several hours going over everything that had ever been compiled on the Jabberwocky, we weren't a whole lot better off. He was just as much of an enigma as when Lewis Carroll wrote him.

Tess hung up her phone and ran her hands through her hair, frustrated. “Still no sightings of Jabberwocky.”

I glanced at the clock on her wall. “If he hasn't reared his head since the escape, I don't think he's going to until Demetrius unleashes him. And, unfortunately, sweetheart, there's no way to predict when that will be. No use sitting here all night, poring over records in hopes of coming across something that will lead us to him.”

She turned back to her monitor, torn. “This blows,” she huffed. “I want that bastard back in the Asylum where he belongs.”

I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “No more than I do, trust me.” I kissed her cheek. “Now, let's get outta here. We still need to celebrate your promotion, remember?”

“After Lav's meeting.” When I gave her a disapproving look, she added, “I told you, I can't bail. If you're coming with me, let's get moving.”

Three hours later, I was sitting in the parking lot of the cathedral where the AA meeting was about to let out. I'd tried to talk Tess and Lav into letting me join them inside, but without explaining my uneasiness to Lavender, I couldn't really persuade her to let me tag along. She was still coming to terms with the things she'd said and done over the years. Since becoming sober, the memories wore on her, tormented her on nights when she couldn't sleep. More than once, Tess had gone over to sit with her on those nights, to talk or watch a movie—or just be another person in the room to keep her accountable and away from the bottle.

I had to respect Lavender's determination to get her life together. She'd been through one hell of a lot and deserved a second chance. And I knew about second chances better than anyone. I certainly wasn't going to begrudge her a little of Tess's time and attention if that support made the difference between falling off the wagon or finally finding the love and happiness Lav deserved.

But it was still boring as hell sitting in the church parking lot, watching the seconds tick by. And it gave me more time than I would've liked to dwell on Demetrius and his visit to headquarters that morning. If his intent was to get up in my head, make me wonder what he was up to, what he was planning, it had worked. I didn't trust the bastard.

Ruthlessness was one of the defining characteristics of Reapers, one of the reasons we were selected for service in the first place. But even among Reapers, Demetrius was known for his sadism. Most of us went in and did the job we were given. Everyone and everything died eventually. We were just the instrument of that universal truth. But not Demetrius. He relished the killing. He reveled in it. It fed his soul, made him stronger and completely heartless. And I'd nearly followed the same path. Until the day a scheduling snafu had brought me to a patch of woods in Make Believe. Until Tess.

I shifted uncomfortably, my muscles stiff from sitting for so long. At least, that's what I told myself. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the sins weighing heavily on my soul. Maybe I should've been in the AA meeting with Tess and Lavender, facing my demons with everyone else.

Hi, my name is Nate Grimm, and I have a problem
. . .

I laughed out loud in the confines of the car. God, even my name was a lie. I couldn't even tell the truth about something
that
basic. How in the hell was I going to tell Tess everything else? The last time I'd tried to come clean, things between us had nearly ended before they got started.

I ran my hand down my face, suddenly weary. I wondered how she'd see me, what she'd think of me, when I finally grew a pair and spilled my guts to her. I imagined the first thing she'd do was clock me. Then she'd probably spit in my face and tell me to go fuck myself. And I couldn't blame her if she did. If I'd had even a modicum of integrity, I would've left her alone, stayed away instead of insinuating myself into her life and becoming an integral part of it. It would serve me right if she left me and never looked back.

As I sat there waiting for the meeting to end, I hardened my heart with resolve, vowing I'd tell Tess everything, share every ugly secret I harbored. And suffer the consequences. Because there was no doubt I'd suffer one way or another.

At that moment, the doors to the cathedral opened and my beautiful Tess emerged into the evening sunlight, breathtaking in her loveliness even from where I was parked across the street toward the back of the lot. She briefly lifted her face to the summer breeze, inhaling deeply, her lips curving into a contented smile. She loved the wind on her face, I knew. I'd seen her lift her face this way on many occasions over the years when she thought I wasn't looking.

Tess was so afraid to be seen as weak, vulnerable, that few people ever got a chance to glimpse that softer side of her—the side that ached when her friends were hurting, that wept when she'd failed to protect the ones she loved, that would say a few kind words to a woman struggling with her guilt and grief and give her hope on a night when years of being buried in a bottle could no longer numb the pain.

But I saw it all, had witnessed it that day in the woods when I'd seen the depth of her love for her fellow Tales. And I wanted to feel that love, to wrap it around me, immerse myself in its healing warmth. Over the years I'd seen Tess save more lives than I could count. And I prayed that maybe—just
maybe
—she could save me, too.

My God, she was everything to me. Maybe one day I'd actually deserve her. I sure as shit was going to spend the rest of my days trying.

I got out of the car and took in the surroundings at a glance, searching for any threats, but aside from the cab driver who seemed to think he was in a race car instead of a bright yellow minivan, it was all clear. When she caught sight of me, her smile grew.

Ah, that smile
.

No matter what kind of day I'd had, I knew as long as I saw that smile, all was right with the world. I jerked my chin in greeting.

And then he was there. Standing just behind her. His eyes aflame with deranged glee.

“No!” The word burst from me in a roar as I bolted forward. I tried to dematerialize to get to her more quickly, but I couldn't.
What the fuck?
My blood surged in my ears, pounding like a funeral drum.

Demetrius's liar's lips curved into a smile as he witnessed my terror. He lifted a hand and ran it slowly down Tess's hair, inhaling the scent of her, taking her in.

“Tess, run!”

She frowned at me, perplexed by my sudden alarm, unaware that Death stood at her shoulder. She glanced around, habit making her search for the danger instead of running from it. Time slowed, my legs turning to lead, refusing to carry me fast enough.

A horn blared as I dashed across the street. I didn't spare it a glance. I didn't care what happened to me as long as I got to Tess. I'd just made the sidewalk when Demetrius tittered and vanished. To my relief, Tess was now rushing toward me. I took the cathedral steps two at a time, meeting her midstride and folding her into my embrace.

“Oh, God, baby,” I panted, my voice choked. “Are you okay?”

She pushed back to look up into my face, her brows drawn together. “I'm fine, Nate. What the hell is going on?”

“Hey, you guys all right?”

I relinquished my hold on Tess just enough to give her space to turn in my arms and offer Lavender a smile. “Yeah, we're good. Nate just . . .” Her words trailed off as Lavender came toward us.

“I just thought I saw someone I knew,” I finished for her. Red's head snapped around, her eyes asking a silent question. I gave her a slight nod, then forced a smile and extended my hand to Lavender. “You're looking good, Lav.”

She grinned. “Thanks. Much better than last time you saw me, right? It's a process, but I'm getting there. Even doing a little writing. You know, catharsis and all that. Turns out there's quite a lot I need to get off my chest.”

From what I'd seen of Lavender, she wasn't exactly a delicate flower and had no problem speaking her mind. If
that's
what holding back was like for her, I could only imagine what she'd been writing....

“Can we give you a lift home?” Tess offered.

Lav waved away the offer. “Nah, I'm good. You two lovebirds run along. I'll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “It's no trouble.”

She laughed. “Really, guys, I'm fine! It's not like I'm going to pop into Ever Afters for a drink on the way home and get snookered. I'm going straight to chez Charming. Already have my ride arranged.” She gestured across the street to where a blue Prius was idling.

“A Prius?” I said. “I kinda figured you'd be in something a little more . . . flashy.”

“I know, right?” she said with a shrug. “It was supposed to be a Mercedes, but I guess the spell's a bit rusty. Gonna have to work on that one.”

As soon as we saw Lavender safely to her car, Tess turned on me with a worried frown. “You saw him again,” she charged. “What happened?”

I hurried her to my car. “Nothing.”

When I opened the car door for her, she planted her feet and folded her arms across her chest, pegging me with that expectant look of hers.

I sighed. “I'm not lying to you. He was just standing there. And, okay,” I waffled, “he touched your hair.”

She gaped at me. “Pardon me?”

“And he kind of smelled it,” I admitted, cringing a little inwardly.

“That qualifies as
something,
Nate,” she snapped as she got in the car, adding before I could close the door, “and it's fucking creepy!”

I ground my teeth together as I drove us home and could feel my anger rising now that the immediate danger to Tess had passed and I was able to process how close Demetrius had been. He was growing bolder, more blatant in his taunts. And my fear of what he
could've
done twisted my gut into knots. Not only had he been within striking distance, he'd actually put his filthy hands on her.
Caressed
her. I made a mental note to tear the bastard's hand off and shove it up his ass when I saw him again.

But what had me worried most was that when he'd been standing there behind her, I hadn't been able to dematerialize to get to her. Something had interfered with the tether that bound us together in the Here and Now. And that scared the shit out of me.

If that connection was ever severed, it would release me, send me roaming free with nothing to keep me here in my corporeal form. I would become nothing more than a fleeting shadow, a half-caught glimpse in a mirror, a sudden uneasiness in a dark room. Except on those rare occasions when I could appear in solid form for a few stolen moments.... And now, after having known Tess's love, having held her in my arms, tasted her kisses, only being able to see and hear her but never touch her again except for a brief brush of phantom fingers, would be a special kind of torture. But I knew a few things about torture, too. And Demetrius had better pray it never came to that.

“Nate?”

I started at the sound of Tess's voice. It was only then that I realized we were sitting in my driveway.

“You okay?” she asked, eying me warily.

“Yeah,” I lied. “Why?”

She swallowed hard. “You, uh . . . you went all Ghost Rider on me there for a sec, except without the flame. Just smoke and shadow and . . . death.”

I ran my hand over my face, assuring myself that my form was holding once more. I'd never seen what I looked like as a Reaper, but based on the expression on Tess's face, it wasn't pretty. God, if she was growing wary after only catching a glimpse of me, what would she think if she saw me in full-blown Reaper mode?

“You saw me on the day I found you,” I reminded her. “Was it the same? What did you see then?”