Filthy Rich Fae

Chapter Fourteen

I wasn’t surprised when I woke in the Nether Court to find the sky filled with a lavender haze as the sun chased away the moon. Lachlan had warned me the necklace wouldn’t send me home. And part of me didn’t mind. Instead of wailing sirens, birdsong drifted on a sweet-scented breeze through the balcony door I’d left cracked last night.

It was…nice.

Lachlan had made it clear that he expected me to stay in the fae world while they prepared the Avalon for the visiting courts. And there were perks to the Otherworld that I doubted the hotel would have—and my own place definitely didn’t. Namely, the bathtub I’d been avoiding but which called to me after another long night of tossing and turning.

I made a point of locking the door, not caring what Lachlan said about his intentions, before I tore my clothes off and turned the golden tap, shaped like a winged serpent, to fill it.

At home, I was lucky if my shitty boiler kept the shower hot for five minutes. Here, the water seemed to operate with some of that strange magic Lachlan used, because it came out the perfect temperature, smelling slightly sweet and herbal, and filled the tub impossibly fast.

I groaned as I took the steps into the water, the bath more a pool than a tub. Sinking onto a built-in bench, I felt my muscles relax as the water lapped against my skin, its heat seeping into my bones and erasing the lingering tension. I shouldn’t let my guard down, but I would enjoy this.

Too bad my brain had other ideas. A constant loop of questions played in my mind along with dangerous thoughts, like maybe this wasn’t so bad—especially if Lachlan’s big plan was to lock me up in a five-star hotel room.

I laid my head against the edge of the bath and stared at the candles glowing overhead and sorted through my thoughts. That nothing more had happened with Lachlan was both a relief and mildly insulting. Not that I would ever admit that to any living soul. Nor would I admit how hot that kiss had been. He may have started it, but my traitorous body was more than willing to finish it.

The memory sent me sinking under the water. I needed to stop thinking about it or I’d have to do something to take the edge off. He’d know. I was sure of it. And what would be worse—the cocky smirk he’d give me or him whispering that he wished I’d called him?

I blew bubbles into the water. Maybe he was just trying to keep me flustered so I couldn’t figure out his end of the bargain. What did he want with me? And what if it was sex and he was just buying time until my deadline came and went? Maybe it’d be better to bang him just in case.

I should have opted for a cold shower because I definitely didn’t need to warm myself up to that idea.

I pushed out of the water, my racing thoughts driving me from the bath far too quickly. But that was probably for the best. The last thing I needed was to get comfortable here.

I didn’t bother to dry my hair before I pulled on my clothes from the night before, scowling when I spotted the wine stain in the mirror. There wasn’t much I could do about that. A glamour would be handy right about then.

When I opened the door ten minutes later, Roark lounged outside in a hall chair. Apparently, I warranted an armed guard at all times now. I might be the only person Lachlan trusted, but it was clear he was out of practice with the concept. Not that the hulking, tattooed fae he had assigned to watch me was very intimidating, given that he was always glued to his phone.

“I want to go home,” I announced.

He slid his phone into his pocket. “I was told to accompany you.”

My eyes narrowed. “He owns my nights, not my days.”

“I figured.” He held his hands up. “Is there anything you want me to tell him?” He blinked at the string of curses that fell out of my mouth, but he smiled. “Do you want me to repeat that word for word?”

“Please.” I started to turn but remembered I did need Roark to get me out. Damn it.

He stepped to my side. “Ready?”

I locked my knees and sucked in a breath. “Yes.”

Maybe I was getting used to nipping, because it wasn’t nearly as bad as the other times. We appeared in a quiet corridor, and I recognized the polished marble floor of the Avalon. Activity hummed in the distance, the hotel already stirring for the day.

“Car is out front,” Roark told me. He must have seen the surprise on my face that he was actually going to respect my desire to leave alone. “Look, I think he’s worried you’ll vanish.”

“I don’t know why,” I said sourly. “He can yank me back here whenever he wants.”

Roark’s jaw worked for a second, like he was chewing on how to respond. “He would never forgive himself if something happened to you.”

I blinked. “Nothing’s going to happen.”

But he only nodded and gestured toward the lobby. He didn’t follow me as I hurried out of the Avalon, but his words did. They niggled at me as I left the hotel and chased me down the front steps. For a second, I considered walking past the long, black Mercedes idling at the curb, but I’d already made a stand about having a chaperone, and it was quite a walk from here to my place.

The driver opened the door as I approached, and I slid into the back seat. For a minute, I simply drank in the quilted leather seats and the silver-plated champagne flutes and bottle of Cristal waiting in the center console. The touch screen on the back of the passenger seat welcomed me with a selection of massage settings.

The driver got behind the wheel and looked back at me. “Home, Miss Holloway?”

I didn’t ask how he knew my name or where I lived. If I had armed guards in the Otherworld, it was safe to assume that Lachlan was going to be overbearing in my own world. It was one of the reasons that I shouldn’t get comfortable here, but for now, what choice did I have?

I smiled politely at the driver. “Actually, I need to make a few stops first.”

…

At this hour of the morning, the streets of the French Quarter were empty of the tourists who came out at dusk for the bars and restaurants and music. Elsewhere in New Orleans, the real world had already risen, but most of the Quarter was sleeping off its hangover. I loved the city when it was quiet and deserted. It was easy to imagine I’d stepped back in time, looking at the wrought iron galleries dripping with ferns and flowers, the rainbow of cottages and shotgun houses, and the cobbled sidewalks. But today I couldn’t help seeing the wrought iron as a danger. A man playing guitar on the corner had eyes too dark to be human; even the very air seemed to shimmer with barely suppressed magic.

My world wasn’t my own anymore. It was bigger, fuller, scarier.

I could have cried with relief when we reached our first stop and it looked exactly the same as it always had, the air heavy with the tempting aroma of sugar and oil.

Haley sat at the nurse’s station, looking like she’d been through hell. She spotted me and tried to tuck a loose braid into her now limp bun but gave up with a weary groan.

I swallowed, wishing I could jump in my scrubs and give her a break. “Back already?”

“Never left.” She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. “Why are you here?”

There was no bite to her words, just exhaustion.

“I popped by to see Channing, but I took your advice.” I held up the bag I’d brought for Garcia.

Haley glanced around, then waved for me to follow her. She lowered her voice as we headed into the staff lounge. “The police took Channing into custody this morning until his hearing—or someone bails him out.”

The news hit like a punch to the gut. I’d known it was going to happen, but the reality of my choice was entirely different. I reminded myself that, according to the internet, illegal possession of a firearm wasn’t as serious an offense in Louisiana as in some states. Channing would probably get probation for a first offense. The thought didn’t quite soothe me.

Haley eyed me as she grabbed two cups and filled them with coffee. She passed me one before sitting at the table.

“Good,” I managed. I hated the idea of him being in jail, but I hated the idea of him being caught up in this more.

“You look tired. Wild night?” Haley took a drink from the Styrofoam cup and scrunched her nose in distaste before taking another dutiful sip. “Were you with Lachlan Gage?”

I hid behind a huge swig of coffee, my eyes widening as it scorched my tongue and throat. I blinked back a few tears from the burn as I dumped the rest. Boiling hot coffee and Lachlan didn’t mix. I probably should also avoid heavy machinery. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because you’ve got a wine stain on your shirt, a Mercedes just dropped you off in the ambulance bay, and rumor is that a Gage told Garcia to replace you,” she added meaningfully, waggling her eyebrows. “Care to confess your sins?”

“I remain pure as the driven snow,” I said dryly.

Haley lounged back in her seat, crossing her arms and tutting under her breath. “Pure as the driven snow? This has all the hallmarks of a walk of shame.”

“Do you really think I would date someone like him?”

“A billionaire who owns half the city?” She rolled her eyes. “If he was anyone but a Gage, I’d hope you would.”

I ignored the flutter I felt at her words. “You forget that he’s dangerous.”

“True, but being with him is safer than being against him.”

I hated that she might have a point.

“Come on. Spill. What is going on?”

“I swear, nothing happened.” I opened the white cardboard box next to the coffee machine, praying there were still a few donuts left. “It’s not like that between us.”

“Us?” My back was turned, but I could hear the mischief in her tone. “What is it like between the two of you?”

“Lach did me a favor. It’s complicated.” The donut box was sadly empty. I considered dipping into the paper bag of beignets I’d stopped for on Canal Street, especially if kissing the boss’s ass was a lost cause.

“Lach, huh? Already using a nickname. That’s friendly.” Her tone bypassed suggestiveness in favor of something north of accusation.

Fuck, now I was slipping and calling him Lach? I needed to reassert some boundaries fast.

“We aren’t friends.” I didn’t know what we were, but it definitely wasn’t that.

“Look, I haven’t left the hospital in…” She paused and counted on her fingers. “I actually have no idea when I last left. I need news of the outside world. Tell me about him.”

“Black hair. Tattoos. Green eyes.” The thought of those eyes sent me reeling to last night when he’d put the pendant back on me.

Haley let out a loud whistle. “Oh, you’re in trouble.”

“Did I mention the guns and that he is disgustingly arrogant?” And confusing, hot and cold, thoughtful and thoughtless. I plopped onto the lounge’s beat-up couch. “I would never go for someone like him. Even if he’s hot—”

“So, you admit that you think he’s hot.”

“That’s just a fact.” I could admit to that much, at least. “How many bodies in the morgue right now are there because of trinity?”

I fought back a wave of guilt. Lachlan was concerned enough about the effects the drug was having on the city to try to negotiate with the other courts, but that didn’t excuse him from responsibility for his part in it.

She frowned. “Point taken, but damn, you’re a lot stronger than I am if he’s as hot as you say and rich.”

“I doubt it.” If she knew how close I’d come to giving in to my attraction to him, she wouldn’t think that.

“Sexy billionaires do not grow on trees.” She shook her head as if she knew this from wasting time looking for one. “Have you considered that you might be able to influence him?”

My brows shot up. “I know I don’t have the best track record with men, but I do know that you can’t change them.”

“I didn’t say change him.” She rolled her eyes. “But no one gets close to Lachlan Gage. Even Garcia has never actually seen him. You mentioned the staffing shortage, and, boom, we’re getting nurses.”

“Your point?”

“Maybe you can do something about trinity.” She paused as if waiting for me to rebuff her. When I didn’t, she breezed on. “I know you didn’t want to leave the hospital, but you might be able to save more lives this way.”

She was right. If this meeting with the other courts was the only hope of fixing the trinity problem, making sure it went well was more important than being here. It was more important than breaking the bargain. I’d been so caught up in my own shit, I’d never stopped to really consider that.

“Maybe you’re right, but things are complicated. I don’t know what I think about Lachlan.”

She leaned against the couch, propping her head onto her hand. “In that case, can I give you some advice?”

I snorted. “Don’t you always?”

She ignored me. “If he wasn’t worth the effort, you would know. The fact that you’re uncertain how you feel about him tells me that you feel a lot.”

The truth of her words knotted my throat. “What if he’s not a good man?” There had been a time when that mattered to me. I was sure it still should matter.

Her face softened, empathy shining in her brown eyes. “There are no good or bad men. No black or white. We are all just a shade of gray. A collection of our choices, our hopes, our desires. Trying to stick him into one narrow end of the spectrum won’t help you figure out how you feel about him. Only seeing who he truly is will allow you to do that.”

“What if I don’t like what I see?”

She tilted her head. “What if you do, Cate?”

And that was exactly the problem.