Rose of Jericho (Lilith Adams Series Book 2) (24 page)

Her only answer was the whir of the air conditioning. To hell with this. Lilith ran for the door opposite from the one she’d entered through and slammed her whole body against it in one desperate move. The door collapsed and she collided violently with the floor. It was dark, but not the inky blackness of the blood soaked room. She could see shapes, more office furniture and a door in the far wall.

She was just about to sprint for it when a painful shriek split through the air, sending her back to her knees. Lilith covered her ears but the melodic shriek just got louder and louder. Please no. She knew that sound. The siren, the
chanteur d'âme,
as Cohen called her. Her heart plummeted in her chest like a lead weight.

She had to find Chance now, before it was too late. Lilith fought hard against the screams splitting her skull and stumbled further into the dim room. Something grabbed at her ankle, but she just kept moving. The smell of death and decay was so thick that Lilith choked on every painful breath. Another hand on her wrist. It felt wet and slimy against her skin, but she ignored it and just kept moving.

There was another door up ahead, she could see its outline. More hands clamped around her legs like iron, nails biting into her skin. She struggled desperately, clawing at the carpet, kicking, just trying to get to that door, but her feet slid in the blood soaked carpet. More hands flipped her onto her back and then Lilith was face to face with her nightmares.

Miriah’s mutilated face loomed overhead, her lidless eyes no more than puss-filled black holes. Her shredded lips moved with gurgled moans that made Lilith’s stomach lurch violently. Her mind reeled and she fought harder against the impossibly strong hands holding her down. Her entire body bucked and fought, pushing every muscle to its limit, but the hands held her tight.

“No. You’re dead!” Lilith squeezed her eyes shut until another moan sounded to the right. Her eyes flew open as her heart pounded louder and louder. Malachi’s decaying face came into view, his hands clawing at her arms.

Before Lilith could release the scream caught in her throat, pain seared up her arm. Something bit her. She tried to jerk her arm away but bony fingers dug into her skin. Hovering over her arm, Alvarez flashed a demonic grin, blood dribbling from his gaping mouth. Lilith watched in horror as her dead partner lowered his mouth back down to her wrist. In slow motion, he bit hard into her flesh, drawing fresh screams from her throat.

It was more than she could take, her brain refused to believe. She forced out a scream with every fiber in her being, kicking, tugging at her arms, bucking like a seizure patient. It had to be a nightmare. This couldn’t be real!

A hand slapped hard against her cheek, making her skin burn with the sudden pain. Lilith’s eyes snapped open to see Timothy pinning her wrists down. He was saying something but she couldn’t hear him. Her blood pounded like thunder in her ears. Her olive eyes searched wildly for the corpses, but all she saw was the hotel room lit by the early morning light.

“Lilith!” Timothy shook her with a look of panicked worry plastered on his broad face. “It’s just a nightmare. Calm down.”

Lilith was covered in a clammy sweat, her heart still beating furiously. “It wasn’t real??” Her raspy voice was filled with desperation. Timothy shook his head, but he didn’t release her wrists yet.

Slowly, she began to relax in the bed, letting the whirlwind in her mind calm to a dull roar. When Timothy decided she wasn’t fighting back anymore, he let go of her wrists and stood up, hovering over the bed.

“That must have been one hell of a nightmare! I think you’re screaming woke the whole hotel.” Tim rubbed at his arms and winced. “Shit. You have any band-aids?”

Lilith fought through the drowsy shock to focus on Timothy’s arms. Angry, red scratches, some of which were still bleeding, covered his forearms. It was enough to snap Lilith out of her panicked daze.

“Shit, Tim. I’m sorry.” Her face flushed with embarrassment. She had a long history of nightmares, ever since cher mother died, but they were nothing like the ones she’d had the past couple weeks. She scrambled out of bed and snatched two towels from the bathroom, wetting them with hot water. He winced as she wrapped them around his forearms, not daring to look him in the eye. “With everything that’s happened…my nightmares have been getting worse.”

Timothy released a long sigh. Lilith could feel a question hanging on his lips, but he was still trying to decide if he should ask or not. “Was it…about Gregor?”

Lilith nodded solemnly, hesitant to really talk about the fresh mental trauma her own brain had inflicted. “Part of it was.” She paced across the room, head down, and popped open her kit. In the bottom section was a small first aid kit. She grabbed the antibiotic and a roll of gauze.

Lilith focused everything on cleaning up the scratches, trying not to think about how much she wished Chance was here. The nightmare left her with a cold that permeated her very bones.

She kept seeing the rotting faces hovering over her, Gregor slumped against the wall, the stomach turning stench of rot. A shiver ran through her. It had seemed so real, like the nightmare she’d had about Peisinoe and Chance. It seemed like the harder she tried to block things out, the worse they got.

“How did he die?” There was a vulnerable softness to Timothy’s voice. Lilith was so thoroughly lost in her thoughts that it took her a minute to realize what he was talking about. Once she worked back through the conversation, she realized that she wasn’t the only one mourning Gregor. Timothy worked for him 5 days a week for the past fifteen years. It was only fair that she told him what she could.

“It was fast.” Lilith swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to continue. “They shot him in the head. It was a warning that Chance and I better play their game or we’d join him.” She still couldn’t shake the guilt but it wasn’t as stifling as it had been.

“And Chance taking off violates the rules, doesn’t it? That’s why Cohen is so pissed.” Lilith just nodded as she finished bandaging his arms. “Well, I’m sure it’s worth it then. Chance wouldn’t take the risk otherwise.”

Lilith tied up the last bit of gauze and sat back on the bed with a heavy heart, still unable to meet Timothy’s eyes. She certainly hoped it was worth it. The pages in the box could just be blank paper. Even if there was something on it, that didn’t mean it was from the Voyruich manuscript. They could just be more notes about Ashcroft.

“Who the hell are these people, Lilith?”

“I can’t tell you.” Timothy tried to say something but Lilith cut him off. “You can’t win this argument. The info we’ve already told you is enough to get you killed and, trust me, knowing who they are won’t help one bit. It’s best that you know as little as possible.”

“So in other words, they are some powerful, evil bastards?”

“That about sums it up.” Lilith released an almost silent chuckle with a sense of relief. Timothy knew when to stop asking questions, a talent she had never acquired. Damn curiosity always got her in the worst possible trouble.

Chapter 20

T
imothy,
Cohen and Lilith sat at a table in the hotel restaurant, staring blankly at more menus. Nicci called early saying she was on her way with news. It was about damn time they got a lead. The complete lack of any real evidence so far was leaving Lilith more frustrated than ever.

She hadn’t gotten much off the two bodies or the scene of the theft. The two stiff’s apartments had turned up a lot less than she’d hoped. Then there was the SUV full of anonymous henchmen that slammed into their rental car. Her first thought had been Farren, but the men definitely wanted them dead and there was no reason he’d want that until they found what he wanted. There had to be another player. Maybe whoever hired the thieves wanted to make sure they didn’t find the book.

Silence surrounded the table, each of them lost in thought and unwilling to be the first to say something. The dining room was fairly vacant for a Saturday morning in Manhattan, even if it was 7 am. Of course, it was the day before Halloween so most people were probably resting up for the night of parties and trick or treating.

No one celebrated Halloween on a Sunday. Some claimed it was for religious purposes, but it had more to do with the problems of staying up late when they had work first thing in the morning on Monday.

“Morning, guys.” Nicci strode up to the table with a confident stance, pony tail swishing side to side, and slid into the empty seat next to Lilith. She looked more like a detective this morning in her pinstripe dress slacks, orange button up blouse and a sleek leather jacket, her badge flashing from her belt.

Lilith felt underdressed in her t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. The suit jacket lent her some professionalism. Of course she was only wearing it as protection against the cool fall air and to hide her shoulder holster. Still, she wasn’t about to chase down leads and investigate a scene in a damn pencil skirt, no matter how professional it looked.

“You order yet? I’m starving!” If Nicci noticed the uncomfortable silence, she was definitely ignoring it.

“Nope. You’re just in time. So what did you find out?” Lilith was anxious to do something, anything that got them closer to ending all this. She wanted to go back to her normal, boring life.

“Let’s eat first.” Nicci waved a waiter over and they gave him their order. Apparently, Nicci’s athletic frame had more to do with a high metabolism and intense workouts than diet control. She ordered three eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, French toast and a side of hash browns while Cohen and Timothy tried unsuccessfully not to stare.

It didn’t take Nicci long to notice. “Look, I’m not some twiggy model. I eat whatever the hell I want, so you can stop gawking anytime now.” There was a growl to her voice that Lilith appreciated. Yeah they were gonna be great partners.

Nicci finally took a good look around the table for the first time since she’d arrived. Her eyes caught on Lilith’s face and the gauze wrap peeking out from under Timothy’s long sleeve shirt. “Did I miss all the fun last night? From the look of you two, it was definitely rough.” Her face tilted with a quizzical look.

Lilith chewed nervously at her lip, trying to figure out just what to say. She never liked to talk about her nightmares and her recent ones were even more of a sore spot. “Nothing dramatic. Just a really bad dream. Tim tried to wake me and I wasn’t immediately grateful.”

“I get that. From what I’ve heard, things haven’t exactly been a bed of roses lately.” Sensing Lilith’s apprehension, Nicci turned her attention to Cohen. “So what precinct are you from?”

“The 2
nd
precinct in Knoxville, Tennessee.” Cohen rattled off his former workplace absently. When he looked up and saw the surprised look on Nicci’s face, he realized his mistake. Odd, Cohen was usually triple covering his bases.

“Knoxville?” She turned to Lilith and narrowed her eyes as if she was hot on the trail of something. “All this has to do with Phipps Bend and your family down there, doesn’t it?”

Well there wasn’t any use in denying it now. Besides, it wasn’t exactly dangerous information as long as she didn’t dig too deep. “In a way, yes. Detective Cohen helped…” Lilith almost choked on the word. “…down there and he has a vested interest in this case.”

“Wait.” Nicci frowned and rubbed at her right temple. “I thought I read a different name in the report. The guy that went down there with you. I’m almost positive it wasn’t Timothy. It was an odd name.”

“The report?” Lilith quirked an eyebrow.

Nicci flashed a nervous smile. “Uh. Yeah. I took a look through the report filed by the team that worked the Phipps Bend crime scene. It included statements from you and the other guy…damn. What was his name?”

Lilith couldn’t help but smile. “Chance Deveraux.” Apparently, Nicci hadn’t gotten her info from just office gossip. In the grand scheme, it didn’t really matter. If the roles were reversed, Lilith would have done exactly the same thing.

“That’s it! So shouldn’t he be here? I mean, if it’s all connected and all.” Nicci didn’t miss the tense look between Lilith and Cohen.

“Why don’t
you
explain that one.” Cohen leaned back in his seat, folding his arms over his lean chest. There was a smug look on his almost handsome face that held just a hint of anger.

Lilith just rolled her eyes at him. “Really? It’s hardly top secret, so you can stop posing like a damn peacock, Cohen.” Making it sound so casual and unimportant was the best way to keep her from asking any more questions. She turned her attention back to Nicci with a soft smile. “He’s still working the case, but he’s following up on some leads elsewhere.” It was a pretty easy explanation and Nicci didn’t pry any further.

Cohen opened his mouth to say something, but the waiter chose that moment to arrive at the table with their plates. Apparently, whatever Cohen was about to say hadn’t been that important. He seemed more than happy to dig silently into his breakfast.

Once the waiter cleared away their plates, Nicci started sharing. “Okay, so those check stubs. I tried to trace the company, but whoever is behind it definitely doesn’t want to be found. I tracked it through three different shell corporations before the trail got complicated. I can keep working it, but it’s gonna take a lot more time.”

Lilith’s heart fell. “Another dead end?”

“Not quite.” Nicci flashed a proud smile. “I
was
able to hack into the bank account itself.” Lilith released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Finally.

“I found the record of three cashier checks for identical amounts. Two of the check numbers match those stubs, so the third is probably your mystery man. Now because of the complicated company shuffle, I guess they figured they didn’t need to be careful with their check records.”

“All three have names attached to them. Chris Walton and Brandon Himes you already know. Our third player is Stephen Haverty.” Nicci shifted a few papers around and slapped down Haverty’s record, complete with a mug shot.

“He has a lengthy rap sheet from his teens and early twenties, B&E, hacking charges, tampering with an ATM, petty theft, etc. Then nothing for the past 6 years.”

“He cleaned up his act?” Timothy looked confused.

“No.” Nicci shook her head. “I seriously doubt it. This guy is a lifelong criminal. It’s more likely that he just got smarter. Like with the museum. He had two patsies ready to take the fall, leaving him free to run off with the bounty.”

“Do we have a last known address?” Lilith glanced down the sheet.

“Yes. Just so happens that he renewed his driver’s license three weeks ago. Should be a good address.”

A small tingle of excitement raced around the table. Finally, a valid lead they could chase. “I’ll grab the rental car and meet you all out front. We’ll check out that address right now.” Cohen slid out of the booth with his usual smooth grace and tossed down a few twenties to cover the bill. He immediately strode toward the elevators with renewed purpose. He didn’t even wait for a response, just barked the announcement and took off. It seemed Cohen was as anxious as Lilith to end their awkward partnership.

Nicci watched him leave with a question plain on her face. She turned to Lilith with her cupid bow mouth curved into a frown. “He’s not one of us is he?” Lilith shook her head with a smile. “So he’s human, but he knows about us? And we’re ok with this?”

“Not exactly. All I can say is he’s not human either.”

Nicci mulled that over, her mind working all the angles until she simply shrugged. “Eh, doesn’t really matter, he’s still an asshole no matter what species he is.”

*                                          *                                          *

Lilith called Chance on the way to Haverty’s apartment, but it went to voicemail. She knew he’d planned to grab a few hours of sleep before heading to the lab, but she still felt a bubble of uneasiness. With a self-conscious glance around the car, she hurriedly left him a voicemail, updating him on their new lead. Once she’d rambled off the information, she stumbled over her words awkwardly before hanging up. Cohen quirked an eyebrow at her from the rearview mirror and Lilith flashed him her middle finger. Thankfully, Nicci and Timothy decided to stay silent.

The car came to a stop at their destination and it was immediately obvious that Stephen Haverty had a much more successful career than his cohorts. He lived in a middle floor of a moderately priced condo high rise right in Manhattan. Quite a leap from the rundown flop houses in Queens. Hell, his rent was probably double Lilith’s.

It seemed odd that Haverty would take a job that only paid ten grand considering his obvious prosperity. Whoever hired him probably hadn’t just asked nicely and handed him a check. Either they’d promised him a much bigger check upon completion or they had leverage on him. Considering the type of people most likely involved, Lilith was willing to bet it was the later.

Nicci’s badge got them past the security desk, but the guard couldn’t or wouldn’t tell them if their mark was in or not. Lilith didn’t want to take any chances. The guard could call and warn him and he’d just skip town. If Haverty was smart enough to avoid police suspicion for the past decade, he probably had the desk clerks on his payroll.

“We should split up.” Nicci whispered once they’d reached the elevators. “Lilith, you and Cohen take the stairs, I’ll take this elevator. Timothy, you take the other. Everyone’s armed?” The whole group nodded. Lilith had to hand it to Nicci, she was smart and had no problems taking charge, though Lilith would rather not be teamed up with Cohen. She understood the reasoning, Nicci didn’t trust Cohen. Hardly surprising. It only made sense to have him chaperoned by the person who knew him best. It didn’t mean she had to like it, however.

Lilith pulled her gun from her shoulder holster and held it loosely at her side as she followed Cohen up the stairs. She was infinitely grateful that she’d gone with the jeans and tennis shoes over the pencil skirt and heels. Leaving her case in the car seemed a smart decision at the moment, especially when you had to hoof it all the way to the eleventh floor. If she wound up needing it, she could always take the elevator to go get it once the scene was cleared. Hopefully she wouldn’t even need it. If Haverty was home they could finally get some damn answers. Like who hired him, the location of Duncan’s book, and what the hell happened to his partners. A little optimism never hurt, right?

They made it up 4 flights of stairs in blissful silence with only 7 more flights to go. “You left something in Tennessee, didn’t you?” Cohen’s voice shattered the silence. Of course, he couldn’t just keep his mouth shut. “Something you were holding back? That’s where you sent Chance, isn’t it? You think you know where the cipher is…”

Lilith sighed heavily in frustration. The last thing she wanted to do right now was play 20 questions with Cohen, but of course he wouldn’t let Chance’s disappearance go that easy. “Cohen, we are not having this conversation no matter how many different ways you ask. All I’m going to say is that it’s something that
may
help us. It could be absolutely nothing, but we don’t have a lot of options right now. We have to try everything we can and that’s what Chance is doing.”

“We as in you and Chance? Or am I included in that?” The question caught Lilith completely off guard. She’d never actually thought about it that way. When she didn’t say anything, he barreled ahead. “It may be my family that put you in this position, but it doesn’t mean I have any advantages here. You saw for yourself how eager Farren is to get rid of me.”

“I saw what you wanted me to see. If the rest of your family is as manipulative as you are, then it all could have been an elaborate show.” She rattled off the response automatically, but it sounded hollow even to her. Somewhere, deep in her bones, she knew that the pure hatred between Cohen and Farren was real, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Cohen stopped and Lilith almost ran into him. He turned and stared down at her. His cheek twitched with anger, his fists clenched. “Farren is the damn devil. Do not infer that I would ever…” Cohen swallowed his rage, the cold, calculated calm slipping back into place. “Farren is and always has been my enemy. He has never been anything else.” Cohen stared at her face, looking for something. Whatever he was looking for, he obviously didn’t see it. “Still refuse to trust me?”