Rose of Jericho (Lilith Adams Series Book 2) (21 page)

As they crossed the street, the thugs stopped talking and eyeballed them. Lilith could feel the prickle of hostility. It was like a pack of dogs eyeing another pack on their turf. Most of the looks passed over Cohen pretty quickly. Apparently he didn’t look like much of a threat with his moderately tall, thin frame and weak chin.

Their eyes lingered on Lilith with something other than territorial hostility. Their faces said it all, biting their lips, eyes narrowed, twitches of a sickening smile pulling at their lips. It was enough to make her skin crawl. She set her jaw and strode forward with confidence. She couldn’t let her nerves show. That would be like wearing a flashing sign that said “Please sexually assault me!”.

When their eyes finally landed on Chance and his 6’3” leanly muscled frame, a few of them stood up. The bravado reached a fevered high, and then their brains kicked in. None of them were huge and Chance was pretty intimidating even if you didn’t know how well trained he was. They settled back in and were content to just eye him all the way down the street.

The trio was crossing a side street when Chance broke the silence. “Huh? Guess they have all kinds here in Queens.”

Lilith turned and followed Chance’s eyes to a petite woman in dark skirts, and a large black shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She was shuffling down the alley, heading away from them, giving them a profile view. The woman’s long hair, twisted into dreads, swung back and forth as she moved, revealing glimpses of necklaces and fetishes dangling and swaying.

“Not exactly the typical club girl style this neighborhood is known for, but not that weird.” Lilith shrugged and stepped up onto the sidewalk.

“Could just be her style I guess. Maybe she has a shop where she tells people their fortune or creates voodoo dolls for women angry at their baby daddies.”

Lilith chuckled and shook her head. “That’s a little stereotypical isn’t it?”

Chance quirked an eyebrow and stepped up next to her, still keeping his distance. “All stereotypes start with a truth,
Cher
. Things are what they are. Do I think all people in Queens are like that? No, but a lot of them are. I know from experience. Just like I know the lady with the shopping cart loitering in front of the door is going to ask us for change.”

Cohen was a few feet ahead of them now. Lilith stopped and watched him walk up to the door. Before he could even double check the address, the woman in layers of ratty clothes sidled up to him. She spoke too softly for Lilith and Chance to hear, but the pleading look on her face and the unfriendly look on Cohen’s said that Chance was exactly right.

Chance flashed a grin that warmed her heart. It wasn’t enough to abolish the nightmare in her head, but it helped. “Told ya. I know the streets. I’ve spent a long time watching them for…” He paused and the smile on his face faltered. “Well,” Chance cleared his throat, glanced down at Lilith quickly, and flashed a hollow smile. “guess we better get to work.”

“Chance…” Her voice was soft as she started to reach for his arm.  He turned to face her and her hand just fell back to her side, her words a useless lump in her throat. Behind his false bravado, his hazel eyes were so wounded that it just struck her like a brick to the chest.

“Let’s just get this done, Lily. We will figure everything else out later.” He started to move past her, a frown fixed onto his handsome face.

She wanted to stop him, grab his arm, kiss him, make it all better, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t just about the damn banshee chick. With Gregor dead, both of their lives would be changed forever, assuming they even survived all this. Lilith just stood there on the stoop, staring at the door that Cohen and Chance had disappeared through.

“It’s not the end of the world, dearie.” The raspy voice jolted Lilith right out of her thoughts. She instinctually took a step back and found herself face to face with the homeless woman who’d asked Cohen for change. This close, the smell of her unwashed body was almost palpable. Her teeth were yellowing and her skin was a mass of wrinkles from both age and the sun. Still, she had the definite rosacea that didn’t come from the sun, but from the bottle. Yep, most stereotypes started with a common truth.

“I’m sorry. I better catch up with my partners.” Lilith ducked toward the door, but a thin, bony hand grabbed her wrist. She bit back the edge of panic and turned back to the old woman. “I don’t have any cash. I’m sorry.”

The woman frowned, deepening the mass network of wrinkles across her sun-weathered face. “No, dearie. I mean you have a heavy heart.” Her gnarled finger tapped at Lilith’s chest. “Things can always be worse.”

Lilith couldn’t keep the skeptical look off her face. She didn’t exactly expect a pep talk from someone living out of a shopping cart.

The old woman let go of Lilith’s arm and just laughed. “You think being me might be the worst thing? Well, I’m not dead yet, and neither are you. Sounds like we are both doing better than most.”

She just couldn’t help but smile and chuckle. The old woman definitely had a point. Lilith fished a five dollar bill out of her emergency cash stash and stuffed it into the old woman’s bony hand. “You’re damn straight.” The two shared a conspiratorial smile and then Lilith hurried into the building feeling a little bit lighter.

Chapter 17

L
ilith
mulled over the menu at the Brooklyn Diner, trying to ignore the frustration gnawing at her nerves. She’d searched both apartments thoroughly, but didn’t find much of anything useful. In fact, the only promising clues were a pair of check stubs and more little fragments of green fern. She’d found one affixed to the fridge by a magnetic beer bottle opener, and the other in a bathroom trashcan. Whoever their assassin was, they had beat them to both crime scenes. Not all that surprising considering they not only had a head start, but had the victim’s wallets as well. A whole lot faster than waiting for out of state fingerprint results.

The company on the check stubs was just a bunch of meaningless initials and apparently they were for identical amounts. She already knew that the two guys worked together on a lot of jobs from their rap sheets. So the stubs could be from anything, not necessarily the book heist, but it was all she had right now.

Cohen slid into the seat next to her and looked across the empty table. “Where’s Chance?”

“He’s outside waiting for Timothy to get here.” Lilith replied without taking her eyes off her menu, not that she was actually reading it. She held her breath and gritted her teeth waiting for more questions. Cohen hadn’t liked the idea of bringing in another person, but he let it go. Obviously he felt they needed whatever help they could get. Of course, he didn’t know about Chance’s upcoming disappearing act.

Cohen looked over the packed restaurant. In fact, the only reason they had a table was because Timothy had the forethought to call and make a reservation. “This place is insanely busy for a simple diner.” Cohen’s voice was so warm and casual that it surprised her. Lilith turned toward him with a skeptical look, but he just flashed a simple smile.

“Yeah, well, it’s Friday night in New York City. Every restaurant is packed regardless of how good it is. Plus, it’s what, two days ‘til Halloween? All the crazies are out in force.”

“Ah.” Lilith watched Cohen carefully as he nodded and stared indecisively at his menu. “So what’s good here?”

“Really?” When he didn’t add anything else, Lilith looked at him in confusion. She slapped her menu down on the table with a frown. “Look. I don’t like games so whatever you’re up to you can just stop. I mean, you seriously just want to chit chat about the food?” She arched her eyebrow at his innocent look of surprise.

Cohen let out a soft sigh and slid his menu onto the table with graceful fingers. Slowly he turned to face Lilith. “Lilith, I’m not playing games. You asked me to play nice and I am. I’m just asking a simple question. If you’d rather sit here in uncomfortable silence until Chance comes in with an extra helping of depressive guilt, then be my guest.”

Several minutes ticked by as Lilith thought things over. “I used to come here all the time with my parents when I was younger. They had the best breakfast in town.” Cohen gave her a puzzled look and Lilith chuckled. “Yeah, I know. A vampire family going out for breakfast? It was more like dinner for my parents. They served breakfast 24 hours. Still, my mother loved their sky-high lemon meringue pie. The recipe has changed since then. It’s just not the same anymore.”

“So, if both of your parents were old enough to be affected by the sun, did you just stay on their schedule?” Cohen tilted his head curiously. It was a question not many people ever thought to ask.

“No, actually. I had a nanny that took me to school and helped with meals and homework. I’d go to sleep early and wake up around 4 am to spend a few hours with mom and dad before school. Why do you want to know?”

Cohen shrugged his shoulders, eyes still roaming his menu. “Just curious. It’s not every day I have dinner with a vampire. Have to ask my questions as they occur to me.” Lilith watched him suspiciously, but his eyes never left his menu. “By the way, you never answered my question.”

Lilith stiffened. She knew there was more to his curiosity. “What question is that?” Her voice held a warning that Cohen completely ignored.

“What’s good here?” Cohen glanced over at her with a politely bored look.

She watched him, reading his face, but saw nothing else. If he had something else on his mind, some hidden agenda, she couldn’t see it. “Like I said, it used to be great. They’ve changed the recipes though and I haven’t eaten here in years. You’ll have to ask Timothy. He’s the Noodle Kugel authority.”

Cohen chuckled with a slight frown creasing his forehead. “What in the hell is that? There’s no description on the menu.”

“It’s noodles cooked with sugar and cream and formed into a square. Kinda like a noodle version of bread pudding.”

Cohen’s blonde eyebrow arched in disbelief. “Seriously?” Lilith just nodded at him with a smirk. “Hmmm. Guess people will eat anything.”

“It’s actually not so bad. Kugel is one of those New York City staples. Of course the serving sizes here are large enough to feed a football team.” The casual conversation took her mind off the frustrating puzzle burning through her brain. It seemed indescribably odd talking to Cohen about normal things.

A bell rang as the door opened and closed. Lilith glanced over her shoulder to see Chance, still in his signature black t-shirt and comfortable jeans hugging his lean frame. His eyes caught Lilith’s with a nervous look and he raked his hand through his shaggy chestnut hair. Lilith smiled softly and watched as Chance visibly relaxed.

Behind him, stood Timothy. He wasn’t exactly Chance’s twin, but he was close enough to match a general description. Timothy was a couple inches shorter than Chance’s intimidating 6’3”, but he was built more like a linebacker with wider shoulders and more bulk in his upper torso. Timothy’s hair was a little lighter, more of a dark blonde than a chestnut brown, and slightly longer with a little curl to it. His eyes were smaller, closer together and there was a slight hook to his long nose, but he’d still be considered a hottie. In fact, seeing the two of them side by side, they could almost pass for brothers.

Chance hesitated at the edge of the booth, considering which seat to take. He took a step back and waved Timothy into the booth. Apparently, Chance would rather sit across from Cohen. Probably a good idea. With things out of whack, staring at Timothy would calm her nerves a little.

“Who’s the Fed?” Timothy raised his square chin at Cohen with a less than friendly look in his brown eyes. Hmm. Guess Chance wasn’t the only one that disliked Andrew on sight. Maybe it was the combination of his cool confidence and his slim frame. It tended to give off a vibe of false bravado that jocks tended to find abrasive.

“This is Detective Andrew Cohen. He’s helping us on the case.” Timothy nodded reluctantly and returned his focus to Lilith.

“Okay. Are you gonna fill me in now? I don’t like being kept in the damn dark. How am I supposed to do my job when I don’t even know where my boss is?” He stopped and looked around. It wasn’t full dark but it was dark enough for her father to be out and about safely. “Wait. You’re both here so where is Gregor?”

Lilith glanced at Chance with a significant look. She wasn’t prepared to say it all out loud yet. Timothy caught the look, frowned and turned to Chance.

“Well spit it out! Where the hell is Gregor?” His voice was firm but low. The restaurant was booming with loud conversations in every booth, but they still didn’t want a bunch of eavesdroppers.

Chance met Lilith’s eyes and she could see the depth of sadness hidden in them. This time it had nothing to do with her nightmare. It was all for the closest thing Chance had to a real father.

“He’s dead.” Chance just threw it out there like a land mine, his eyes never leaving hers. The words still stabbed right through Lilith’s heart and from the look on Timothy’s face, she wasn’t the only one.

“What?!” His voice boomed over the crowded restaurant. The thunderous conversations around them lowered to a faint buzz. People were listening now, intrigued by the glimpse of drama and wanting more.

Chance leaned in close and whispered to Timothy before he could open his mouth again. “The last thing we need is an entire room listening to our conversation or worse, posting videos of it on youtube.”

“To hell with them.” Timothy’s words may have been feisty, but he kept his voice low. “Gregor doesn’t show at the airport, I call Lilith, then you both disappear only to show up a couple days later telling me Gregor’s dead? What the hell is going on?” Timothy’s tanned face turned rosy with his barely contained anger.

“There was absolutely nothing any of us could do. Let’s just focus on the things we can do.” The commanding tone in Chance’s voice shut Timothy down completely. Listening to them, there was no doubt why Chance outranked him.

“Shit.” Timothy nodded solemnly and pushed the menu away from him. There was a melancholy moment that hung over the table as they waited for the people around them to get bored. Then, as if it just occurred to him, Timothy looked up. “I’m sorry, Lilith. First Miriah, Malachi, Spencer, Duncan, Alvarez…and now this.”

Lilith saw flashes of all the deaths, including that of her father with the angry bullet hole in his head. She shook the thoughts away and steeled herself. She couldn’t go down that rabbit hole right now. All she could do was nod. She couldn’t trust her voice as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Besides, what could she really say? Thanks for the lovely stroll down memory lane?

Timothy fidgeted with his menu, a million things running through his mind. Gregor wasn’t just the center of her life, he was the center of many people’s lives. He was the lynch pin that held them all together. Without him… She wasn’t the only one feeling lost.

The somber moment passed as the noise began to pick up again and they started filling Timothy in on the case. Of course, they left out some things like Cohen’s family, his species, specifics about the book and carefully avoiding the subject of Chance taking off. The less Cohen knew about that the better.

Lilith never really considered Timothy a deep thinker, but to be fair, she hadn’t spent any time talking to him. Surprisingly, he took everything in calmly, digging into his Kugel and asking questions when something occurred to him. They were good questions, valid ones, but he didn’t come up with anything new.

“Once we finish eating, I’ll call my new partner. Maybe she can do some research on these check stubs.” Lilith stuffed the papers back in her jean pocket with a frustrated sigh.

“What about Aaron and Michael?” Lilith glanced up at Chance, completely surprised by his question.

“I don’t think this is the time to notify the family. I’d like to keep Gregor’s…death between us for right now. No use causing a panic when we’re still dealing with the case.”

“That’s not what I mean. Maybe if we knew more about the book it could help us find out who stole it. Maybe Aaron knows something. He is Gregor and Duncan’s brother after all.”

Lilith rubbed at her face while she thought that one over. “No. Aaron left Gregor and Duncan decades before their time in Scotland. I wouldn’t say they’ve gotten any closer since then. I seriously doubt he knows anything about that book. Duncan was never big on sharing anyway. Hell, I only remember meeting Adam and Michael once at that big family reunion when I was 17.”

“I know him and Gregor weren’t close, but the two talked on the phone every month.” Timothy shrugged and shoveled another big bite of Kugel into his thin-lipped mouth. “Usually it was about something new they were working on, but who knows. Maybe Gregor mentioned something about this book. Couldn’t hurt to try.”

“It could if he starts asking too many questions.” Lilith snapped the response with a sharper tone than she intended. “I’ll think about it.” Lilith muttered somewhat diplomatically. Truth is, she didn’t want to call Adam. He always gave her the creeps, not that she could ever really explain why.

The rest of the meal was dotted with random bits of case info. The guys steered Lilith clear of the gruesome autopsy details. Apparently it didn’t make for good dinner conversation. Lilith devoured half of an enormous cheeseburger and a few fries before Chance snagged her leftovers. When she didn’t protest, Timothy looked more closely at her before swinging his eyes over to Chance. The question was obvious on his face.

“Wipe that look off your face, Tim. This isn’t a damn gossip column.” Chance growled teasingly between mouthfuls.

Like a good soldier, Timothy shrugged his massive shoulders and polished off his own plate. Wise man.

“I’ll get the check.” Cohen wiped his napkin over his mouth in an aristocratic gesture and slid out of the booth. “After that I’m going to find a quiet corner to call Luminita. I need to fill her in on the massive amount of evidence we’ve gathered.”

The sarcasm in his voice reminded Lilith just how much she disliked him sometimes. They were all frustrated enough without him twisting the knife. Still, they needed a Cohen-free moment to send Chance off in Timothy’s car so she wasn’t about to give him crap for the dig. Besides, lecturing Cohen on the art of teamwork hadn’t worked so far. No reason it would start now.

As soon as Cohen left the restaurant, Lilith, Chance and Timothy slid out of the booth and picked their way through the crowd to the front door. Lilith peered to the left and saw Cohen facing away from the diner about 30 yards off, phone to his ear. The trio crept around the building and walked down to the corner.