Red (32 page)
I started to protest, but he put his hand on my back and ushered me out the door to the waiting limo, closing the front door behind us. “Get in before I throw you in the trunk—and you know I will.”
“What about Jules?” I said. “You can’t leave her here.”
“I’ll come back and pick her up after I get you settled.”
“Nicky, I—” My words were cut short when I heard the door to the house opening again and glanced over my shoulder to see a woman standing in the doorway, the light from the foyer illuminating her fiery red hair until it seemed to sizzle. “Sebille.”
Not pausing to think, I broke free from Nicky’s hold and rushed her, intent on taking her down and dragging her ass in, but she gave me a slow, taunting smile and vanished into thin air just as I reached the top step.
I screamed a wordless curse and glanced around, frantic to pick up any kind of trail. “Where’d she go?” I shouted. “Nicky, did you see where she went?”
Nicky had drawn his gun at my reaction and now grabbed my hand, pulling me back toward the car. “No, I didn’t. Get in the car, Red. Let me get you out of here.”
“But I—”
“Are you carrying?” he snapped. When I didn’t answer, he ordered, “Then get in the damn car!”
With one last look around, I scrambled into the limo, Nicky behind me. He pounded on the glass and the car lurched forward.
“You know about Sebille,” I guessed.
“No,” Nicky said, “but the fact you went ape shit when you saw her tipped me off.”
“I need the information from Hamelin’s hard drive,” I told him. “What did your guy find?”
“Nothing,” he told me. “He just handed over the files he retrieved. I went through the data myself—it was mostly business records and a shitload of porn—but I finally came across a document labeled ‘Side Jobs.’ Turned out to be a record of a scam he was running. He’d use rats to spy on wealthy Tales and gather information he sold to somebody. Then the same Tales would pay him to go in and kill the rats.”
“Does he say who he was working for?” I asked, my heart racing. “Does he name names?”
Nicky shook his head. “Dunno. I didn’t have a chance to read the whole thing. When we get to the house, I’ll give you the flash drive and you can read it for yourself.”
I leaned across the seat and pressed a kiss to Nicky’s cheek. “Thanks,” I said sincerely. “For everything.”
Chapter 38
Nicky flipped on the light in the guest room. “Here you go.”
I set my shoes next to the nightstand, feeling a little awkward, and offered him a tight smile. “Thanks.”
“I’ll grab you some of Juliet’s clothes to put on if you want to change,” he said. Then he nodded toward a desk in front of the window where a desktop computer sat. “You can use that to look at Hamelin’s files. I’ll grab the flash drive out of the safe.”
“Take these, will you?” I asked, handing him Eliza’s jewelry. “I don’t want to lose them.”
Nicky’s fingers closed around the jewelry as he held my gaze. “You looked beautiful tonight, Red.”
I gave him a weak smile. “Just a little girl playing dress up,” I scoffed. “Just ask Nate.”
Nicky’s brows drew together in a frown. “What do you mean?”
“He told me once that I was just a scared little girl still running from the Big Bad Wolf,” I explained. “Except when he said that I thought he was talking about Seth.”
“But he wasn’t.”
“Nope.”
Nicky offered me a rather sad, sympathetic smile, but didn’t say anything. What
could
he say? He’d seen my emotional duck and cover routine firsthand.
could
he say? He’d seen my emotional duck and cover routine firsthand.
“Do you know what bothers me most about what happened between us tonight?” I continued. “I’m not sure if I ran out on Nate because I was angry—or because I was afraid.”
Nicky gazed at me for a moment, then took a step forward and grasped my chin gently with his fingertips. “The fact that you’re even asking that question should tell you something, kid.” He sighed somewhat wistfully. “It certainly tells
me
something.” With that, he bent and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then turned and left the room.
me
something.” With that, he bent and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then turned and left the room.
A few minutes later, he returned and handed me a pair of gray leggings and a voluminous black sweater. “I’m going to head back and pick up Jules,” he announced, going over to the desk and setting the flash drive beside the keyboard. “I still give the staff the night off on weekends, so you need anything, help yourself.”
“Are you sure Jules won’t mind me staying here?” I asked.
Nicky laughed as he backed out of the room. “She’ll get over it, if she does. That dame’s forgiven me for a whole lot worse than helping out a friend.”
I lifted my brows, curious to know exactly what Nicky was referring to and hoping like hell he wasn’t about to admit to something I’d have to arrest him for, but he just gave me a wink and shut the door.
As soon as he was gone, I wiggled out of Elizabeth’s dress and hung it up in the closet, then pulled on the clothes I’d borrowed from Jules. She was a few inches taller, so the sweater came almost to my knees, but it was warm and comfy and made me feel a hell of a lot more at ease than a cocktail dress.
I was just booting up the computer when my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything in a couple of hours. Deciding to make myself a quick snack before looking at Hamelin’s journal, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. Moonlight streaming in through the kitchen window illuminated an industrial-sized stainless steel refrigerator, catching my eye and making my stomach sing with joy.
I flipped on the kitchen light and began rummaging around in the fridge, finally grabbing some leftover turkey and other random ingredients for a sandwich. I tried not to let my mind drift while I sliced the tomato, but couldn’t help thinking about the lunch Nate had prepared for me a few days before, which led to thoughts of the kiss we’d shared and of what he’d confessed to me.
I set aside the knife and added the tomato slices to the other ingredients, frowning with indecision. Part of me wanted to call Nate, give him the chance to explain why he’d done what he had, let him convince me to forgive him. The other part of me wanted to kick his lying—although admittedly sexy—ass.
I sighed and closed my eyes, trying not to think about the way his kiss had electrified me, how incredible his arms had felt around me.
But it was no good.
I glanced at the phone hanging on the wall, toying with the idea of giving him a call. But what the hell was I going to say?
“Gosh, Nate, I know you’re a lying bastard and all, but I’ve been thinking about what you said about the garden wall. . . .” somehow seemed a little hypocritical.
I might as well just come right out and say, “I’m pissed as hell you played me and I’m not even sure I can forgive you, but, hey, I wouldn’t mind sleeping with you. . . .”
Of course, that was if he even took my call. I mean,
I
was the one who’d said I never wanted to see him again, wasn’t I? For all I knew, he’d tell me to piss off before I’d get the first sentence out of my mouth. Probably better to just walk away and never look back, forget anything had ever happened.
I
was the one who’d said I never wanted to see him again, wasn’t I? For all I knew, he’d tell me to piss off before I’d get the first sentence out of my mouth. Probably better to just walk away and never look back, forget anything had ever happened.
Yeah, right. Easier said than done.
The thought of never again seeing that cocky grin of his, or hearing his infectiously uninhibited laugh, or feeling the comforting weight of his arms wrapped around me, was far more terrifying than anything I’d faced in all my years as an Enforcer, that was for damned sure.
And, yet, damn it! He’d
lied
to me. He’d manipulated my relationships, my heart, my fate....
lied
to me. He’d manipulated my relationships, my heart, my fate....
The hurt and sorrow in Nicky’s eyes when he reminded me how much he’d loved me made me wonder what would have happened had Nate not showed up in the alley that night so long ago. Would I have ended up with Nicky after all? Or would I have just bled to death there in his arms when the bullet meant for me struck home?
I pressed my lips together in a stubborn line and gave myself a hard mental shake. It was pointless to dwell on the what-ifs. Especially when it was becoming increasingly clear to me that what really lay at the root of my indignation wasn’t so much what Nate had done to be close to me as it was the realization that I wasn’t as in control of my own destiny as I’d thought.
I’d always fancied myself to be quite the author, penning my story the way
I
wanted it to read, no longer at the mercy of the scribes, but such a naive attitude was just fucking stupid. I couldn’t be in control of everything all the time. No one could. Life wasn’t a series of plot complications that conveniently followed the Aristotelian model to a tidy resolution. That really
did
only happen in the fairytales. If anything, the jacked up series of events of my life made me even more Ordinary than Tale—which, when I got right down to it, was what I’d been going for all along, wasn’t it?
I
wanted it to read, no longer at the mercy of the scribes, but such a naive attitude was just fucking stupid. I couldn’t be in control of everything all the time. No one could. Life wasn’t a series of plot complications that conveniently followed the Aristotelian model to a tidy resolution. That really
did
only happen in the fairytales. If anything, the jacked up series of events of my life made me even more Ordinary than Tale—which, when I got right down to it, was what I’d been going for all along, wasn’t it?
I blew out a quick breath and shook my hands before picking up the phone, then snatched up the receiver before I could change my mind again. But my thumb hovered over the numbers as my pride reared its head.
“Mmm. Humble pie . . .” I muttered, shoving my pride aside with a resigned sigh. “Tasty.”
I had dialed the first three numbers when the impact of what felt like a ton of muscle slammed into me so hard the phone flew from my grasp and clattered onto the floor. I sailed through the air landing hard on my hip and elbow as I struck the ground and slid to a stop against the back door.
What the hell?
Pain lanced through my leg and back when I tried to push myself to my feet, eliciting an involuntary moan. I had just made it to my knees when another blow struck me in the ribs, sending me crashing into the bar stools surrounding the kitchen island.
Dazed and disoriented from the pain, I scooted out from under the wreckage and rolled over in time to see a great mass of fur and claws swiping down in a savage arc. With a startled cry, I swung the remains of the bar stool, blocking the attack before the razor-sharp claws could rip out my esophagus.
The beast howled in fury and swung again, knocking the stool from my hands and sending it smashing into the stove.
Not pausing to observe the damage, I scrambled on hands and knees around to the other side of the island and heaved myself to my feet, snatching up the carving knife from the counter.
“Is that the best you can do?” I taunted, trying not to wince as my damaged rib cage sent a new stab of pain through my gut.
The creature rose up onto its hind legs and shimmered briefly, the white fur and thick muscle fading away in a haze of light to reveal a completely nude Sebille Fenwick, her perfect teeth bared, her green eyes blazing with rage.
I gasped, the truth knocking the wind out of me. “You,” I whispered, pressing a hand to my side to stave off the pain enough that I could order my chaotic thoughts. “You weren’t using Seth to commit the murders. It was you all along.”
“Little slow on the uptake, Red,” she sneered, prowling slowly toward the island. “I’m
so
disappointed. I was told you’d be a threat, that you’d be the one we’d have to worry about putting all the pieces together.”
so
disappointed. I was told you’d be a threat, that you’d be the one we’d have to worry about putting all the pieces together.”
I inched to my left, mirroring each step she made, careful to keep the island between us. “Well, I think I’ve got your number now, Sebille.” Relying on a Tale villain’s compulsion to recount a nefarious plot to buy me some time, I said, “Mind if I throw out my theory, see how it sticks?”
She gave me a smile so cold it made me shiver. “By all means. Go ahead and dazzle me with your intellect.”
I sighed inwardly, grateful Sebille was as egomaniacal as any other villain I’d met. Once a Tale, always a Tale, I guess.
“You and Dave had cooked up a scheme to spy on the wealthy, gather info to blackmail them into doing what you wanted,” I said, kicking debris aside so I wouldn’t trip over it. “It was all going great until Julie figured it out and wanted no part of the scheme. When Dave called and told you what had happened, you knew you’d have to take Julie out.”
I saw her eyes spark and knew I’d hit the mark with that one.
“And Dale Minnows was threatening to pull his support, wasn’t he? He knew Todd was too volatile, a risk even in Hollywood,” I went on. “You took him out to keep him from complicating negotiations—after all, you already had his money, why would you need his influence? You had the same problem with Tim Halloran—you and he didn’t see eye to eye on how to run things. He insisted on having a hand in management and badgered you into putting Seth in charge of the operations here.”
“Very good, Red,” she cooed. “Go on.”
I continued circling, glancing down to see if I could spot the phone in the process. “I’m thinking Gran was a warning to me—or maybe just a red herring to throw me off the trail.”
Sebille’s mouth lifted in one corner as she hunched a little lower, her eyes beginning to glimmer with a predatory hunger. “Well, you
are
a smart girl. Maybe I underestimated you. How about poor little Simple Simon? Have you figured out that one?”
are
a smart girl. Maybe I underestimated you. How about poor little Simple Simon? Have you figured out that one?”
“I’m guessing Simon overheard something he shouldn’t have while making a delivery,” I said. “Did he come across you in wolf form? Overhear you plotting? You might have to help me out on that one.”
“He discovered me calling my little spies,” Sebille said with a pitying sigh. “Terribly sad, really. I
did
like Simon.”
did
like Simon.”
I stepped over a fallen bar stool and felt the phone hit my bare foot. “And the attack on Trish at the lab,” I continued, sliding the phone around with me as I shuffled another couple of steps. “You had to destroy the evidence before we figured out the werewolf wasn’t Seth. But when you found out he’d visited me, you had to kill Molly to put him back in our crosshairs.”
Sebille shrugged nonchalantly. “Not quite, but close enough.”
“The only one I can’t figure out is Sarah Dickerson,” I admitted with a glance at the phone, noting its exact location. “Why her?”
Sebille’s face transformed with a violent rage. “Sarah,” she spat, “was
personal
.”
personal
.”
“And now me,” I said calmly. “Am I the last loose end?”
I’d made a full circle and now had my back to the kitchen entrance.
“No,” Sebille said slowly. “Sadly, I am forbidden to kill you. My real target should be arriving home with his lovely wife any moment now.”
The truth hit me square between the eyes. “Nicky.”
By asking for his help in retrieving the data from Dave Hamelin’s computer, I’d put him in danger. After all he’d done, after all he’d meant to me, I had signed his death warrant. Except Nate had assured me Nicky would live a long life, that he was protected. So, if Nicky’s number wasn’t up . . .
Well, shit. Guess it was mine. Didn’t that just suck a big one?
Even so, there was no way I’d let Sebille hurt people I cared about. I’d save them or, apparently, die trying. “You’ll have to get through me first,” I hissed.
Sebille’s eyes narrowed menacingly. “If you insist.”
“What about your orders?” I jeered. “Mustn’t make the master angry.”
Sebille’s face distorted with fury, but her voice was deadly calm when she said, “I am beginning to see my orders as nothing more than a sentimental attachment that should be severed. However, give me Dave Hamelin’s hard drive, and I will perhaps reconsider.”
Other books
Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard by Vanessa Kelly
Wayfarer by Anderson, R.J.
A Clean Kill by Glass, Leslie
Revelation of Hearts (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #3) by Rikki Dyson
Wild Rain by Donna Kauffman
Around the World in a Bad Mood! by Rene Foss
Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh
The Caveman by Jorn Lier Horst