Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I turned on the app to change my voice, then answered. Immediately, Carson went to work, trying to pinpoint where the call was coming from.
“Hello, darling, it’s so good to talk to you,” Jet said. His voice was smooth—too smooth.
“I’m not sure what to say. I’m so happy to be talking to you.” To me, my voice sounded normal, but Carson gave me the thumbs up, so I assumed the voice changer must be working. “How has your day been?” I reminded myself I was supposed to be a wealthy, older socialite, which means she would be gracious and mindful of her manners.
“Tiring. So, my dear, what are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?”
“Shopping, I think. I need to buy a new handbag, and I thought I might look for a new necklace.” I scrambled, trying to think of a way to dangle my supposed wealth in front of him.
“Do you like to shop?”
“Oh yes, it’s one of my joys. I love giving presents,” I added.
“Oh?” His words took on a certain perkiness that told me he had taken the bait. “To give is better than to receive,” he added. “Tell me, my queen, do you invest your money?”
I blinked. So, were we dealing with a pig-butchering scam as well as a romance scam? I hesitated a moment, then said, “Well, I do—some. But I’m not all that conversant with the stock market, so I’m wary about trying.”
That gave him the perfect opening. “I made most of my money through investing,” he said. “I could help you with that, if you like.”
I didn’t want to seem too eager, because that might give me away. “I wouldn’t want to impose on you. After all, I signed up for this app to find a partner, not to take advantage of someone’s skill.”
“It wouldn’t be an imposition,” he said, his voice smooth. “Not at all. I’d be happy to help.”
“So, not to sound nosy, but you said you are wealthy, as well?”
“I’m a rich man, Estelle,” Jet said. “A very rich man. But I’m having some troubles. When I fled Singapore, my accounts were frozen and I’m fighting to get them reopened.”
I raised my eyebrows, glancing at Dante, who mouthed, “Remember, Jet used the same line on Tilly.”
“Oh dear! What happened? Why did you have to flee Singapore?” I wanted everything on tape that we could manage.
“Well, my love…I suppose I’d better tell you, though I want to spare you any gory details. Through no fault of my own, I ended up on the bad side of a mob boss. And he has connections to the government. When I fled the country, he was able to intervene and have all my financial accounts frozen. Now the government is demanding I pay a fee to reopen them. I don’t have the money, unfortunately.” He sighed.
Carson suddenly motioned to me, and held up a piece of paper, on which he’d scribbled “Found him!”
“Oh dear,” I said, not sure where to take this next. “How much do you need to pay the fee?”
“I couldn’t ask, it’s too much,” Jet said. “It just…I have ten million dollars in those accounts. Once I have access, I can pay back all the people who’ve been helping me survive the past few weeks. And I can look to buy a nice house and settle down with…a family, I hope.”
There was another carrot. “Well, what are the fees?” I asked.
“Twenty thousand dollars,” he said. “That will secure the release of all my funds to me.”
I worried my lip. I wasn’t sure how quickly to jump. But Carson had his address, so even if I scared him off, we knew where to find him.
“I suppose I might be able to loan it to you. I would need it back. While I have plenty of money, I don’t have that much available to just give away.”
Jet chuckled. “Trust me, Estelle. I would never accept a loan if I couldn’t pay it back. If you can help me, that would be wonderful. I would be so grateful . You are truly a wonderful woman. Just like the kind of woman I’ve been looking for.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that I’m older?” I asked.
“I love older women,” he said. “They’re more mature, and have more experience in all phases of life. Including the bedroom,” he added. He giggled, which made my stomach turn. He sounded creepy as fuck.
“Well, we do have experience,” I said.
“Would you like to see a picture of me? One I can’t post on my profile?” His tone suddenly turned sleazy. He was probably trying for seductive, but it didn’t fly with me.
I really didn’t want to see a dick pic, so I tried to tap dance my way out of it. “Well, you know, I’m an old-fashioned girl. I like taking my time.”
“Oh, my queen. Can’t you feel it? I truly feel as though fate matched us—I can tell you’re the right woman for me. You’re gracious and kind, generous and loving. What more could I ask for in a wife? Surely you don’t object to a couple sending imaginative pictures to each other? I would love to see your breasts!”
More love bombing, and he was putting on pressure. He wanted the pictures to use as blackmail, if the need arose. As he tried to tighten the net, I began to see how someone who might have been brought up to play nice, to avoid rocking the boat, and to be grateful for a man’s attention might be herded right into these scams.
“Of course not, but…I’m too shy.” Once again, I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling him to fuck off.
“What about in person, my love? Would you object to unveiling your lovely body if we were alone?” The energy shifted again and I instinctively pulled back.
“Well, yes. Of course it would make a difference if we were a couple.” I paused, then said, “I want to meet you, Jet.”
“I’d love that. Where do you live?”
Oh gods! That was one thing I hadn’t thought of. I wasn’t about to ask him to my house.
“What about meeting at a hotel? There are some lovely five-star hotels nearby. That way our first touch would have so many special memories.”
Dante almost snorted, but caught himself. Carson flashed me a look that said he was repressing a laugh, and Orik facepalmed. Sophia waved at them to shut up, but even she had a grin on her face that told me I was sounding like a bad Hallmark Christmas movie.
Penn, on the other had, suddenly raised her hand, looking alarmed.
But Jet didn’t seem to like the idea. “I’d rather see you in your natural environment—surrounded by the things you love,” he said.
Penn scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed it to me. It read: He’s dangerous. Very dangerous. I could feel the shift there, and he’s out for more than your money.
I had also caught the shift in mood. “Well, we can discuss this tomorrow.”
There was a pause, then Jet said, “I suppose, though I’m so disappointed not to see you. Oh, and love, if you could transfer me the funds for that fee, I can get that taken care of and then we’ll never have to worry about money again. We can also talk about investing some of your money. It’s easy and you’ll quadruple your investment. I guarantee it.”
I decided to throw a monkey wrench in the business. “I’ll give you the check for your fees when we meet, my love.”
That didn’t go over well. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, a check won’t work. I can’t cash it. I’ll need cash, or you could transfer it to me in bitcoin.”
“I have to go, my love. I know what bitcoin is. Text me your bitcoin wallet number, and I’ll see what I can do.” I wanted to see how desperate he was. If we could get his bitcoin wallet information, we could go to the authorities and have them shut his wallet down. They could then investigate for other victims.
Once again, he deflected the suggestion. “Instead of that, what about if you buy bitcoin and you can give me the transaction number?”
I laughed. “Oh, that’s just too complicated. I guess maybe we’ll have to wait.”
I was fishing for as much information as I could. I wanted to get something on him that we could use as concrete proof tying him to financial scams.
He didn’t answer at first, but then he said, “Estelle, tell me something. Do you live in the Seattle area?”
That surprised me. “Yes, why?”
“I was…checking on something…never mind.”
Penn handed me another note. He’s trying to find your address online. He can’t because your fake persona doesn’t exist.
I read it, then showed it to the others. “Well, my love, I have to go. I have an appointment that I have to make.”
“Wait!” He practically yelped. “We haven’t straightened out the money for the fees!”
“I know, but you didn’t want to meet me at a hotel, and I’m not ready to have you visit my home yet?—”
“Don’t you trust me?” The pain in his voice could have won him an Oscar. “I’m so hurt. You wound my heart.”
By now, I wanted off the call. The pressure was mounting, and even though this was all a setup, I was beginning to feel backed into a corner. No wonder Tilly had caved—the man was relentless, and he wasn’t above using guilt as a weapon.
“Don’t say that,” I said. I decided to push back a little. “If you don’t understand why a single woman doesn’t want to invite a stranger into her house until she’s met him, I’m not sure…” I let the words drift. Let him think his meal ticket was walking away.
Jet let out a sigh. “That you don’t trust me makes me so sad. But I honor your request. We can meet at a hotel. I just feel awkward because I can’t pay for it—given my unfortunate circumstances right now. I don’t like letting my love pay my way. I’m an old-fashioned gentleman.” Then, without a blink, he abruptly switched tunes. “If you could remember to bring cash for my fees, that would be wonderful. You know I’ll pay you back.”
“I’ll text you the place and time,” I said. “Thank you for understanding. I’ll talk to you later, my sweet.” I hung up before he could say another word.
“Are you all right?” Penn asked.
“I need some air,” I said. “ Now! I feel like I’ve been browbeaten.” Truth was, the gaslighting and pressure made my inner demon rear up. She wanted to go on the hunt, to beat the crap out of him.
Standing, I headed out to the front of the office, then out the door and quickly dashed down the staircase. When I said I needed air, I meant it. As I exited the building, the cold pierced my lungs and cleared my head, cleansing the anger that had built up.
Two benches sat below the overhang that led to the foyer, and I sat down on the one that seemed the driest. I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, breathing.
A moment later, Dante and Penn appeared. They sat on either side of me.
“Are you okay?” Penn asked. “I could feel your demon rear her pretty head.”
“Yeah, she did at that,” I said. “He was trying to steamroll me. Could you tell?”
“Oh yeah,” Penn said. “He was acting like every jerkwad every woman has ever met. Come back inside. I did some scrying while listening to him and I think I know what we’re dealing with?”
Dante turned to look at her. “Really? What?”
“Wait till we’re back with the others,” she said.
I stood and followed them back into the building and up to the office. Once we were all together again, Penn began typing away on her tablet.
“I think we’re dealing with a choku-yi ,” she said. “They’re creatures from the astral realm who can manifest in our world. They drain life force from others, and leech off their victims in other ways until the victim dies or the hold is broken. Then, they move on to the next.”
“Choku-yi? I’ve never heard of them,” I said.
“They’re rare in our world, though common on the astral,” Penn said. “They’re smart, too. It doesn’t surprise me that this one realized how lucrative scamming is, and has turned to that in order to find his victims.”
She turned her tablet so we could see. “The article’s from Jettison’s Grimoire of Vampirism. The choku-yi are considered psychic vampires, who happen to rob their victims as well.”
“And you said they originate in the astral plane?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Carson spoke up. He had been searching on his laptop. “I found it in our database, as well. Though it’s barely a paragraph long description.”
“So they can drain their victims of life force?” Dante asked.
“Yeah,” Carson said. “They can drain them dry.”
“They usually do that when they feel they’ve gotten as much as they can, financially.” Penn glanced at Dante. “Your aunt got lucky. And, speaking of your aunt, did they discover anything else that Jet might have stolen?”
Dante glanced at his phone. “She texted me. She’s better. Given what happened, she’s blocked Jet. The doctor told her that her energy will return, though it will take a while. She’s missing about a hundred thousand dollars in jewelry that was in her safe, and about ten thousand in cash. She wanted to file a report with the cops, but I told her to wait till I can be there. But Jet knows her address, and I’m worried he may try to finish her off.”
“I’ll set up a meeting at the hotel for tomorrow. If he thinks the cops are even remotely on his trail, then he may vanish, so we’ll have to be cautious while we’re waiting for him. And we have his address.”
“What other powers do the choku-yi have? He’ll fight when he realizes it’s a trap,” Carson asked.
“Well,” Penn said. “They can drain your life essence as an attack. It’s not something that has to be set up in advance. He’s going to fight—and he’ll be good at it. They’re strong and they’re skilled with the martial arts, when they’re in human form.”
“Can he disappear onto the astral when he realizes what we’re up to? Is there a way to prevent it?” I asked.
“Yes, he can, and yes, there is. We can set up some magical dampening wards. It won’t prevent him from draining life essence, but it will prevent him from managing to leap onto the astral. But…it will also prevent anybody else in there from using magic on him.” Penn frowned. “He won’t be able to turn back into his natural form, either.”
“Carson, can you call Destiny and tell her our plan. Ask if she can be there with us, so she can arrest him—” I stopped when Dante shook his head.
“I wouldn’t,” Dante said. “If we involve the police, there’s a good chance he’ll be back on the streets before you know it.”
I stared at him. “What would you suggest? That we kill him?” While I had no doubt he had killed others, I wasn’t sure how that would wash with the cops if they found out.
“Not exactly,” Dante said. “I’m not sure what I’m suggesting but…”
“If you want, I could talk to Hecate—she’s goddess of the crossroads, and a protectress of women. Jet’s abused, and likely murdered, many women,” Penn said.
“All right, go ahead and ask her,” I said. “This won’t be a burden on you, will it?” I knew that the gods could—and often did—exact prices for the help they gave.
“No, I’d be glad to do it. But we need to get in that hotel room before tomorrow and set up everything.” She glanced at the clock. “It’s three. We clear Michael’s house tonight at seven. Why don’t we go check into a hotel and get started?”
That sounds good to me.” I stood. “Penn and I will go find a room and we’ll let you know what we need, after that.”
As we headed for the door, it hit me that we were in for an intense twenty-four hours. Not only were we storming Michael’s house, but we were taking on a creature that we weren’t familiar with. But I wasn’t one to let the unknown stop me. And I had the best crew in the world at my side.
“Ready?” I turned to Penn.
“Let’s go find us a swanky hotel room,” she said, laughing.