Chapter 29
Maud shook Michael’s hand. “Thank you.”
Delacroix groaned. “If I want cloying sweetness, I’ll eat the chocolate mousse cake at the buffet.”
I planted my hands on my hips and glared at my boyfriend. “Why is this the first I’m hearing of that dessert?”
“I was respecting chain of command,” Ezra said unrepentantly, dropping into a chair.
I made a snarky face at him.
“My promise about Aviva?” Michael said to Delacroix. “It extends to Maud.”
My sister beamed at my mother.
“Now that you’ve made your puny threats,” Delacroix said. “Leave. I’m busy.”
“Yeah,” Maud said, sitting down once more. “Losing.”
An in-progress poker game lay on the end table that had been dragged between the two wingbacks.
Michael jabbed a finger at Delacroix. “I have questions, which you’re going to answer.”
“You want answers, you’ll play for them.” He opened the cabinet with the brass scales.
Other than my lingering horror from the last time I’d seen them, I didn’t react to them now. “Put those cockamamie scales away. You owe me answers from our last game of Demon Quid Pro Quo and I’m transferring that to my mother.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” He sat down in the remaining empty chair and waved a hand at me. “But I’m feeling generous. One question only.”
The conclusions that Michael and I had drawn about Alastair being the only one this procreation ritual would work for because he was a dhampir held little interest for Delacroix, but Ezra’s attention sharpened like a blade.
However, when Delacroix learned that Alastair was Calista’s son, I could practically hear the gears in his brain working out a way for that to benefit him.
“Alastair is still AWOL, but he won’t stay that way for long,” Ezra said. “The reward Natán offered for his capture is too tempting.”
Delacroix snorted. “Played by one of his own, was he? Not even an equal. That’s got to smart.” He rubbed his knee. “That it?”
“Since I haven’t asked any questions yet,” Michael said, “it is not.”
I toyed with my ring. If my or Maud’s existence was due to some experiment, it was vital that we know this had happened and who was behind it, but my stomach roiled at the idea of having that verified.
“Aviva?” Ezra said warily, coming to stand beside me.
I pressed my lips together and shook my head.
“Was getting me pregnant part of some bigger plan?” Michael’s voice was steely. “Some experiment?”
Maud gasped.
Delacroix laughed loudly. “You been hitting the conspiracy blogs, Mickey?”
My sister scooped up the cards and shuffled them with trembling hands. “Why do you think that?”
“We heard a rumor about the Seaside clinics originally used for that purpose,” I said. “And Mom’s pediatrician, who showed no surprise when I displayed shedim features in front of him, had trained there.”
“Shedim arranged for other shedim to be locked up and used like batteries,” Michael said. “It’s hardly a stretch that you’d want demon babies.”
“You got me. I seduced some breeder into a night of passion and knocked her up. Mwah ha ha.” Delacroix twirled an invisible mustache like a cartoon character.
Michael’s glare was glacial enough that the demon ducked his head, muttering about people being testy.
“You said it yourself,” I rebuked Delacroix. “Demon kids help spread chaos.”
“I’d have been delighted to use you both that way, except I didn’t know either of you existed. Why else would I have skipped molding you during those formative years?”
“Maybe you did know that you knocked up a Maccabee,” Michael said. “Maybe having a half-demon child with that parent was enough chaos for you.”
“What about the other one?” Delacroix pointed at Maud. “Her mother was just some…” He looked blankly at my sister.
“She was a professor, you rat’s bunghole,” Maud said tightly.
“Calm down, Junior,” Delacroix said. Jeez, we had the same nickname for Maud? “Whatever your mom was, there’s no conspiracy and no experiment. Not demon ones anyway. If those fertility clinics were up to something with the bloodsuckers, then more power to them.” He tipped an imaginary hat. “I’ve answered your question, now scram.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He had answered our questions and let me live, despite me knowing about the plus codes, yet I wasn’t chalking this up to fatherly love.
Delacroix didn’t let Ezra roam around with insider knowledge because he enjoyed their business partnership. He required the Prime to keep his magic stable, thus it was a good bet he intended to use me further for something as well.
But what?
“Avi.” My mother nudged me to the door.
Maud opted to stay at the Copper Hell and win a few hands of poker with some of the high rollers. After the tournament where she’d wiped the floor with her other opponents, including Ezra, idiot patrons were eager to beat her. She gleefully recounted that she’d won cash, a magic painting allowing its owner to spy on people (which she’d sold for cash), and an hour of vampire magic enhancing her senses.
“Disappointed you couldn’t sell it for cash?” I teased.
She shot me a wicked grin. “Nope. I put it to good use.”
I laughed.
Michael insisted I take the rest of the day off to psych myself up to play intermediary between the Aviyentes and the shedim tomorrow. Ezra would have rather stayed with me, but I pointed out that that would hardly be restful, and besides, I was being returned to Sachie’s care.
I got a kiss and his reluctant agreement.
Since Sach still had some work to wrap up, I hung out in the Spook Squad, cuddling Bentley, the unicorn stuffie mascot.
Provided all went well tomorrow, Mois and Linda would be safe, the demon representatives would be dead, and the metal case with the two prison locks would be in the Maccabees’ possession.
There were no other matchmakers to apprehend, and I could inform the Authority that one of Chandra’s shedim enemies murdered her, letting them believe that demon got away.
I adjusted the cap that Ezra had knit for Bentley, listening to Sach typing away in the conference room.
It bothered me to go into this meeting unsure of who murdered Troy—Chandra’s shedim partner or the ones coming for the locks.
It was worse not having a bead on the scope of any of the shedim’s magic.
While the shedim at the trade were the lock owners, it would be foolish not to expect a surprise visit from the demon who’d worked with Chandra. Would “the enemy of my enemy” apply here or was I just doubly fucked?
For a hot second I wondered if Delacroix planned to show up and take the two locks in the metal case. Was he waiting for me to deal with the other shedim and bring the locks out from behind the wards for him?
I shook the fanciful notion away. He had the plus codes—the locations of every single prison lock in existence. Should my father want the ones in the metal case, he’d come for them at his leisure.
One less thing to worry about.
Inquiries into Jared Casey’s attack were closed, but in my mind, it was still a loose end. He’d been attacked with orange flame magic, same as Troy.
I returned Bentley to his customary spot riding the stumpy planted palm tree and pulled out my phone. Henderson could make things difficult for me if I pestered him about those shielding devices he’d purchased.
Yeah, well, that was before I had to face shedim who nearly murdered his boss. If he had anything to give up that could help me steer this meeting tomorrow through all the landmines, then a slap on the wrist was worth it.
His first comment after answering the call and hearing me identify myself was to inform me he had nothing more to add.
“Here’s the thing, Roger,” I said, wandering around the room. “Troy Abelman was murdered with the same type of magic that your boss was hit with, and you’re connected to both men.”
“I don’t have magic,” he protested. “I didn’t do it.”
“That’s not it,” I said. “I’m worried you might be next.”
There was a very long, very weighty pause. Got your attention, did I? Good.
“Is there anything else you can think of, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, that might help me out?”
“No, I swear, I’ve been upfront about everything I know.” His voice shook with conviction.
“Okay,” I said, though I still harbored doubts. “I’d like to put you into protective custody until we’ve caught Troy’s killer. Would you prefer this happen with the Trad officers or the Maccabees?”
“Maccabees,” Roger replied with no hesitation.
I put him on speaker so I could text Michael to make this happen ASAP. The danger to Henderson was slight but better to be safe than sorry. “I’m arranging it as we speak. Director Michael Fleischer will reach out to you directly. Go with the operatives she sends.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll keep you safe.” I paused, then offhandedly added, “Out of curiosity, why did you buy those shielding devices?”
He specialized in personal security, so his knowledge of them wasn’t surprising. Sure, it was a precaution in the face of Jared’s proposed legislation, but his boss, the one most at risk for an Eishei Kodesh attack, hadn’t been given one.
Roger had gone behind his boss’s back, and it wasn’t merely to protect his crew.
“See, uh… There was this woman.”
Oh, brother.
“An Eishei Kodesh. I wanted nothing to do with her.”
I rolled my eyes. Magic bad. “Uh-huh.”
“But she was smart and beautiful and charming and she was interested in me.”
I smothered my face with a cushion.
“I tried to be the exciting guy she thought I was,” he said. “The hero I’d been, helping save the world, instead of a former solider reduced to running security for guys like Jared.”
That was rough. I slid the cushion off my face. “You bought the shielding devices to impress her? To make your job seem more dangerous?”
“Not exactly, though I stretched the truth about some of my jobs.”
“You shared confidential details,” I said flatly.
He paused. “Yeah.”
I let the silence stretch, though I was now annoyed along with impatient.
“You’re judging me.” He exhaled hard. “I would too. I’d spent my life adhering to a strict moral code, but I let the rush of dating her sweep that aside like it didn’t matter.” He gave a wry chuckle. “I mean, her first approach was over a bottle of contraband booze. Should have known then it was my first step down a slippery slope.”
I sat up so fast I hit my knee on the coffee table, but the pain barely registered. My heart thudded against my ribs.
I tried to corrupt him one night with a bottle of vodka….
Cherry woke up with a gleam.
I dug my fingers into the armrest. “What was her name?”
“Roxie.”
“Roxie what ?” Maybe it wasn’t her.
He didn’t answer me.
I throttled my phone since I couldn’t choke sense into him. “Don’t tell me you want to protect her.”
“No. Well…no. A couple months ago,” he continued, “I woke up and Roxie wasn’t in bed. I figured she was in the bathroom, and I headed down into the kitchen to get some water. I— She…”
I white-knuckled the phone, psychically willing him to get on with it.
“Roxie had this tattoo, and well, this is going to sound crazy, but it came to life. It looked like it was made of fire.”
That wasn’t Eishei Kodesh magic. Not a vamp ability either.
Roger Henderson was dating a demon.
A strangled noise punched out of me.
“You don’t believe me,” he said.
“I do.” My voice was laced with sorrow. “Did Roxie see you?” I had to understand the exact nature of the danger he was in to pass that on to Michael.
“I don’t think so,” Roger said.
Pray she didn’t , Cherry said.
“But it freaked me out,” the man continued. “I broke up with her a few days later saying work was too busy for me to have a relationship.”
“How’d she take it?”
“She was sad, but said she understood. Except she started showing up to different functions I was working. That’s why I bought the devices. She was clearly there as a mindfuck, and combined with that freaky tattoo magic, I thought…well, she might try to mess with my head in other ways. Or my team’s minds. The devices would shield us from any magic psychological attacks.”
Sachie exited the conference room with her messenger bag slung over her shoulder but remained quiet since my call was still on speaker.
“Tell me her name,” I said sharply.
He didn’t answer, but his silence said it all. All the pieces rearranged themselves with horrific clarity.
“Let me tell you what I think,” I said in a hard voice. “You went way beyond telling Roxie about your clients. Yeah, that tattoo trick freaked you out, but it wasn’t your first glimpse of what you were dealing with. It was the terrifying kick in the pants that made you run. Roxie had you transporting freed demon prisoners for her, didn’t she? That was the reason for the calls with her partner, Chandra Nichols.”
“Shit.” Sach sat down hard on a chair.
“I—” Roger began.
I death-glared at the phone screen like he could see it. “Yes or no.”
“Yes,” he replied in a broken whisper.
“Say. Her. Name.”
“Rukhsana Gill.” The words left his mouth in a breathless rush like he was equal parts relieved and terrified to say them. “Her name is Rukhsana Gill.”