Authors: Kimberly Frost
“What? No, my dad’s had very little contact with the outside world until Dorie brought him here. Why do you ask?”
“Your father came to tell me about the body. There was a blood-covered rock in his pocket with bits of hair on it.”
Her jaw dropped. “He had no reason to hurt Theo Tobin.”
That I know of.
“Do me a favor,” Grant said. “Go to the central security office and wait for me there. You, too, Mills.”
“Is my dad there?”
“Yes.”
“This way, Miss North,” Merrick said, nodding his head in the direction of the main building.
“Yes, okay,” she said, cutting a path between the officers. Close behind her, Merrick was silent as a grave. She looked back twice to make sure he was still there.
When they were a few feet from the door, she heard something light hit the dirt to her right. She started to turn, but a hand on her back pressed her forward.
“Tobin’s cell. We never had it or saw it.”
“You looked at the messages. Were there any calls from the room that you and my father are staying in?”
“No, but I recognized one of the last texts Tobin sent. It was to Cato Jacobi’s number at the syndicate. Tobin said that he was in, all the muses were here, and that he suspected that I was here, too, in disguise.”
“He was working for the ventala?”
“So it seems.”
“Do you think my dad killed him?”
“I don’t know, but Tobin said he was in and warned them I was inside, too. The syndicate may be planning to take you from here. If they came from the northwest by helicopter, they wouldn’t have to go over Etherlin airspace. They could land on the road or the helipad. The security detail here isn’t like it is in the Etherlin. And the Jacobis may have another inside man. I don’t think Tobin’s the one who drove your car out the night you were drugged, because he called the Crimson to let me know he was coming through my territory. He had to know I’d ask questions, and he would’ve suspected that I’d come after you in the Jacobi territory. If he’d been in on their plan from the beginning, why would he have called me? I think Tobin was pulled in after the fact.”
She looked around at the darkness, half expecting someone to lurch out of the bushes. “Well, the person who drugged me certainly wasn’t my dad. He’d never knowingly hurt me, and he’s not organized enough in his thinking to carry out some complex plot involving black magic.”
“Agreed,” Merrick said.
“The person who drugged me is probably the one who killed Tobin.”
Merrick nodded. “Listen, if they interrogate you and tell you they know who I am, you’re to say that you had no idea. You thought you were having a relationship with Mills.”
“Why would they— Oh, we have to assume the other inside man knows from Tobin or Jacobi that you’re here and could’ve told ES.”
He nodded. “I paid Mills a lot of money to be off the grid for a few weeks, but ES isn’t new to security. Mills turns up out of the blue as your new bodyguard. Merrick is missing from the Varden. Tobin is dead after just being on the other side of the wall. ES will dig.”
Icy panic slithered down her spine at the thought of Merrick being caught in the Etherlin. “Then you should leave now. My father and I will go as soon as we’ve had a chance to talk with Grant. He can assign us a security detail for home.”
“Remember what I said. No matter what they say, don’t let them rattle you. As far as you know, I’m Mills, and that’s what you answer every time they ask.”
“I heard you. Now you hear me. I want you to take the car and go. I’ll be fine here. They’ll arrange my transportation down the mountain. I’ll contact you as soon as it’s safe.”
Merrick leaned forward so that his mouth was close to her ear. “No.”
“Don’t you dare argue with me about this. It’s just as dangerous for you here as it is for me.”
“I’m the bodyguard, remember? I stay on the mountain until you’re off.”
“You were never just a bodyguard. I care about you.”
He kissed her neck just below her ear, and his mouth lingered. Drawn in by the intimacy, she pressed close, inhaling his scent.
When he finally stepped back, the cold nipped at her nose and cheeks, a sharp reminder of where they were.
“If you want to help us, be the ice queen. If you act nervous or anxious, they’ll think you’re hiding something, and they’ll keep you here until they’ve opened you up. Stay calm.”
“I can handle myself. I don’t need you to stay. In fact, I’ll be better focused if I know you’re gone and I don’t have to worry about you.”
He gripped her upper arms tightly. It didn’t hurt, but it got her attention, quieting all the thoughts racing through her head. “Alissa, pay attention. Nothing anyone says or does will make me leave you here alone. Accept that and work from there.”
“Why won’t you leave, James?” she asked softly.
“You know why.”
Her heart thumped, and she stared at his face, waiting.
“If something happens to you, I won’t care that I got away,” he said, then paused, staring down into her eyes. “If you don’t come, I can’t go.”
Yes, emotionally fearless.
She blinked away her tears and slid her arms around his neck. After pressing a kiss to the side of his face, she whispered, “All right. We stay together.”
Central security occupied a bigger area than Alissa had realized. She and Merrick were ushered into an interrogation room. The security officer who led them through the outer area into the back was friendly and apologetic toward her. He offered them drinks. When they declined, the young officer turned to her.
“You missed dinner, Miss North. The kitchen is sending a plate of the grilled salmon for you. Director Easton said to have them send one for Mr. Mills as well, so it’s on the way.”
“Mr. Easton said that my father was the one who discovered Mr. Tobin’s body. May we see him?”
“I can take you to see him. Mr. Mills, would you have a seat here please? It shouldn’t be much longer before someone’s free to talk to you about what you saw.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Merrick said.
“No, sir,” the young man said, stepping forward to block Merrick’s way. “Please have a seat.”
Merrick’s expression hardened. “Someone died under suspicious circumstances. As Miss North’s bodyguard, I should stay with her.”
A pair of officers entered the room swiftly. Alissa’s gaze darted from them back to Merrick, but he remained perfectly still.
Stay calm. Merrick won’t lose control.
“Mr. Mills,” the young officer said. “Etherlin Security will be taking over Miss North’s personal security until the conclusion of the investigation. You didn’t have advanced clearance to be at the center. I’m sure you understand our need to be cautious.” He gestured to a nearby chair. “We appreciate your cooperation.”
Her heart thumped harder in her chest. Merrick didn’t argue, but he didn’t sit either. The intensity of his cool gaze on the security officers seemed to make them nervous because she noticed them widening their stances, fingering their weapons.
“Is the other interrogation room nearby?” Alissa asked, using her television interview voice, pleasant, upbeat. She didn’t want to leave Merrick, but her instincts told her that if she stayed for them to fight over, things between ES and Merrick would escalate.
“Your dad’s just down the hall,” the young officer said.
Alissa forced a smile. “Lead the way.” To Merrick, she added, “I’m sorry about this, Mr. Mills. I’m sure they’ll sort everything out quickly. I’ll be right back.”
“It’s no problem,” Merrick said evenly.
As Alissa followed the officer, she heard one of the others say, “May we see your weapons, Mr. Mills?”
Damn it!
Alissa fought not to react. She held her breath, but she didn’t hear Merrick refuse.
As they walked down the hall, they passed a lounge where Cerise, Ileana, Dorie, and Troy sat on couches. The flat-screen television played videos while they chatted and sipped gourmet coffee.
Dorie looked up, a curious expression alight on her pretty face, then a slow smile formed, shaping Dorie’s mouth into a slight sneer. Alissa’s heart beat faster, and she frowned. How had she not realized sooner what a bitch Dorie had become?
You’re made of ice. Nothing penetrates.
Alissa inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.
Everything slides off without leaving a trace.
The officer opened the door, and she found another ES man in the middle of fingerprinting her father.
Merrick had been sitting alone in the interrogation room for about twenty minutes. When the door opened, he smelled musky jasmine perfume and knew his visitor wasn’t Alissa or more security officers. He glanced over as Dorie Xenakis sashayed in.
“Hi,” she said, setting a soda down on the table in front of him. “I thought you might be thirsty.”
“Thanks,” he said, making no move to take the can.
“You and Alissa missed dinner,” she said, sitting in the chair next to him.
This was a good sign. If they’d let another muse come in to talk to him, they must not suspect him of being a ventala. Of course, she might have slipped in on her own. She seemed to be good at taking initiative.
“Right?” she asked, nodding at the untouched plates of food.
“We didn’t have dinner.”
“Was Alissa upset?” she asked, leaning closer to him. When he didn’t answer, she continued. “She’s been lying to everyone about her father. I understand why. She thought if the council knew, they wouldn’t give her the Wreath. But it would’ve been better if she’d just been honest, since they found out anyway.”
Thanks to you,
Merrick thought as a wave of cold fury rolled through him. He regretted the setting. There was nothing he could do to put a scare into her while under the watchful eye of Etherlin Security.
He stared silently at Dorie.
How far would you go to keep Alissa from getting the Wreath? Would you arrange for her to be taken by the syndicate? Maybe someone will show you the other side of the wall sometime.
Dorie stretched out her arm and fingered his watch. “Omega? It’s beautiful.”
Merrick left his arm flat on the table, watching her without answering. What was she up to?
“With everything that’s happened, I’m sure that Cerise is going to be Wreath Muse now, and I bet Alissa won’t be traveling much for a while.” She rubbed the face of his watch with her fingertip. “You’re with that security firm in California, huh? I guess you’ll be helping with security for us when we travel there. Do you eat at the café across the street? What’s the name of it?”
Testing me.
“Pesce.”
“I like the patio. It’s really nice.”
“Pesce is closed.”
“Oh. That’s too bad,” she said, tracing the space between his fingers. “But times change. Maybe something new and better will move in.” She looked up at him with doe eyes. “You have nice hands. Big.”
The better to choke you with
.
“People are saying that you and Alissa are involved. Is that true?”
“How is that your business?”
She smiled and went back to tracing the space between his fingers, moving her finger closer, so that it ran along his. “It could be,” she whispered. “I’m more fun than she is. Guys in a position to know have said so.” She glanced up and licked her lips. “You’re interesting.”
You have no idea how interesting I could become if you piss me off enough.
Dorie moved her hands under the table, and he expected to feel them on him the next second. He contemplated his reaction, from doing nothing to shoving her chair back hard enough to tip her onto her treacherous ass. But seconds passed, and she didn’t touch him. Instead, she slid her chair a little farther away.
Blood.
Hunger roared through him. Rich, pure muse blood scented the air. His nostrils flared and his jaw dipped open, upper lips retracting. The involuntary response was strong. He snapped his mouth closed and clenched his teeth. His fangs descended,
but with the glamour and his lips closed, they wouldn’t be seen.
His senses heightened, the predator rising. He wanted to sink his teeth into her.
She brought her hands back onto the table. A drop of crimson welled on the tip of her finger.
“Pricked my finger on a thorn this morning. It keeps bleeding.”
She extended her finger toward him, watching his eyes.
He moved his hand to the corner of the table, bracing himself against the urge to grab her.
“I wonder…” she murmured, standing up. “My sister, Cerise, and I met Len Mills in California. He was crazy for seafood,” she said, glancing at the untouched plate of salmon. “Went deep-sea fishing every weekend he wasn’t working. Raved about the restaurant across the street. Definitely didn’t smell like magic.” She looked Merrick up and down. “But you do.”
He narrowed his eyes.
She sucked the blood off her fingertip. “You have a secret,” she whispered. “If you do what I ask, I’ll keep it for you…Mr. Merrick.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” Alissa’s dad said, rearranging his manuscript pages for the fifth time. “I’m getting a better signal here than ever. Helene’s communicating with me by satellite. It goes directly into my brain. It must be the altitude. Less cloud coverage and interference.”
“It’s not satellite transmissions from the afterlife, Dad. All four of the most powerful muses on Earth are in the retreat center, along with the Wreath. You’re feeling concentrated magic. It reminds you of Mom.”
“Andromeda, why are you here when you should be stealing fire from heaven?”
Stealing fire? A reference to the Prometheus myth?
“Heed Paddleford’s advice. Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be. Make your choice. And if you choose anything over love, you’re not the woman I wish you were.”
She arched a brow at this simple, childlike perspective. If she succumbed to his suggestion of pursuing love at any cost, what would happen to him? He didn’t seem to recognize that he might end up in a small padded room without windows if she stopped protecting him. Cut off from his books and her mother’s memory, he’d spiral downward into misery. He’d done it before, and she’d had to rescue him.
So many times.