Chapter 11
Jon
Icaught up to Tammy beside one of the tables. Catching her shoulder, I turned her round, and she seized my wrist like she fully intended to break it. Her dark brown eyes flashed wildly, lips pulled back in a snarl.
Then she froze and gaped at me, nearly dropping her glass of champagne.
It was her. Skin like polished wood interrupted by scars. Black hair worn in an updo that looked completely unlike her usual simple style. But that face…
Although I had seen her many times over the years, each reunion dragged me straight back to the worst day of my life.
Seventeen years old. Smelling of smoke and blood, a scent I chose to keep in my life with each hunt.
But that first time would always be different, and I would always stagger between relief and terror to see her.
“Jon,” she stammered, releasing my wrist and taking a step back.
For a moment, I stopped registering the swathes of people around us. I leaned down and pulled Tammy into a tight embrace, the knot in my chest unraveling at the feel of her. Safe, alive.
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “You’re…you’re okay.”
Still wearing a breathless little smile, I released her and stepped back. Tammy raked me up and down before settling on my face.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having to look up at you,” she said. “I still remember when you were barely taller than me.” Her lips pressed into a thin line, glancing over her shoulder. When she spoke again, a sharper edge lined her voice. “What the hell are you doing here, Jon?”
She looked so frightened. There was a violent disconnect between the Tammy I knew and the woman standing before me. Her black cocktail dress was fitted to her—a far cry from the tactical clothing of a seasoned hunter.
“What do you mean?” I struggled to keep my voice low. “You told us to find you. You said you were in trouble.”
“What are you talking about?” But even as she spoke, a fleeting frown crossed her face, some kind of connection that I couldn’t piece together.
“The texts,” I said plainly, wishing desperately I could whip out Cliff’s phone to show her. “You texted us to find you here. To find this Eros guy.”
Horror mounted on her face. “That wasn’t me.”
My stomach twisted like I’d missed a step in the dark. “What?”
“You heard me. I haven’t sent you shit. Someone else must’ve figured out how to contact you. Someone who knows I’ve been trying to keep you away.” She looked around us, wide eyes scanning the crowd. “Where’s Cliff?”
I hesitated. How could I even begin to explain the insanity that we’d been dragged into?
“He’s busy. Tammy, why the hell wouldn’t you want us here?
” Try as I might, a little woundedness seeped into my voice.
Years ago, she’d have trusted us to defend her own family.
Now she didn’t even call us as backup for some snooty black market party where she was clearly outnumbered, unless there were other discreet hunters here I hadn’t clocked.
Tammy visibly tried to gather herself, focusing back on me like that might anchor her. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad to see you’re safe, and I’m impressed you made it this far into the event without getting killed. But I don’t need your help here. You can’t stay.”
“Then we’ll rendezvous afterward. Listen, we’ve got something in motion here to bring this whole fucking gala to the ground.”
“Well, call it off,” she bit out. “This is a small, targeted operation on my end. The pieces are too intricate for me to introduce more players into this. Please, Jon. Stop whatever you’re doing, and go. I’ll catch you up once I’m through here.”
I frowned at the shiftiness in her eyes. The grip on her champagne, ready to shatter. She hadn’t been in distress until the moment I grabbed her.
She was lying.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked, each word slow and drawn out.
I felt movement beside me; Lee had caught up. He was smart enough to stay silent, but there was a suspicious furrow between his brow. I couldn’t hope to wave him off or steer Tammy away to keep the conversation private.
Tammy glanced between us, sizing him up in turn. “I can’t say, even if you didn’t partner up with Calvin Klein here.”
“Why not?” I demanded, too bewildered to care about my ulterior mission being laid bare in front of Lee.
Her eyes shone, and for a second, I thought I might have won her over. “I need you to trust me, Jon. This is bigger than all of us, and I don’t need you here. In fact, clear across the country would be preferred.”
What the fuck?
“We’re aligned, and this doesn’t work if we’re hiding things from the people we need to trust to survive,” I pushed, my voice heating to a growl with every word. “You taught us that.”
A server stepped in, offering a tray of sparkling flutes. “Champagne?”
“Not now,” I snapped, both Tammy and I shooting matching glares that had the man blanching as he retreated.
Lee smiled at the waiter, doing a meager smooth-over on our behalf, though annoyance flashed when he looked back at me. Less than an hour into this event, and I had a feeling he was sick of covering for me.
“We can’t afford to be keeping secrets right now,” I insisted, frowning urgently at Tammy.
“Secrets,” she tsked coldly. “Interesting you should push that. I’ve heard some harrowing things about you through the grapevine, sweet boy.
” Her brows knitted as she waited for a moment, as though I might volunteer a confession.
“Folks are telling me they’ve seen you allying with one of the fae folk.
Protecting her, even at risk to yourself. ”
My stomach bottomed out. I scrambled to think of an explanation. Say something. Anything.
Blood drained from my face as I clenched my jaw. Goddammit, a survivor from the outpost must be spreading word about us.
Tammy clapped a hand over her mouth, my silence answering enough.
“What’s become of you?” she whispered. “I raised you better than to align with any of these creatures. They’re not our allies. Certainly not some indulgence for your curiosity!”
“I’m not—” I stopped myself, glancing around and lowering my voice to a hiss. “It’s not like that.”
But she wouldn’t like the truth, either.
Behind us, the hum of the crowd was escalating to a dull roar as the bidding over that pale little niamh became a war. “I have sixteen million, give me sixteen point five, sixteen point five, now seventeen million.”
“If you’ve got an explanation, I’m all ears,” Tammy scoffed. “Because from where I’m standing, it seems like you’re being a suicidal idiot.”
The words stung deeper than I cared to admit. There had been years when her praise had meant the promise of survival. “Come with us, Tammy,” I said. “Help us, and we can all get out of here. We’ll explain everything.”
She shook her head, but I could see the war in her expression. That maternal affection fostered for Cliff and me was battling with something sinister. She was so fucking scared, but why?
Gently, I grasped her shoulder. “What’s going on?”
“Where is Cliff?” Tammy asked again.
“Why him?”
“He’s in danger like you can’t imagine. Jon, please. Answer the question.”
I pulled back from her, exchanging a glance with Lee. Given Cliff had both fairies and Delilah watching his back, the person in Cliff’s crosshairs was more likely the one in imminent peril.
“He’s on his way to kill Eros,” I told her quietly.
“Fuck!” she snapped, turning a few heads. She lowered her voice, a hand over her mouth as she mulled this over. Then her eyes lifted back to me, utterly panicked. “I tried to stop you boys from coming. Remember that I tried. Get Cliff and get out now while you can.”
That bitter wriggling in the back of my mind surfaced again. The gala around us muted into a distant, dull roar as my mind raced. Tammy had been keeping secrets from us, keeping us at arm’s length for months.
Something was very, very wrong.
“What have you done?” I whispered.
The stringent clap of a gavel split the air. “Sold! Seventeen million to Ivan Loughty for the last niamh. Thank you, sir.”
The guests surrounding the stage stirred at the winning bid, equal parts groans and shouts from losing bidders, to croons of intrigue and excitement from others. The domed cylinder gave an enticing click as it was set onto a specialized dolly and wheeled back into the shadows.
Too late, I felt Tammy take advantage of the commotion, tearing out of my grasp. I cursed, whirling as she vanished into a circle of women inspecting the tequila ice fountain.
“Tammy!” I tried to follow her, pushing through the crowd, but she was already out of sight. She was good at that when she wanted to be.
Numbness crawled through me, leaving me standing dumbly. The sour tang of betrayal dug at me.
But pieces were missing—things I still didn’t understand.
“She seems nice,” Lee said from behind. “Monster slayer family reunion?”
I ignored him, forcing my mounting panic down. Once again, time wasn’t on our side. “Let’s go,” I muttered, starting back toward the service door—the one that would circumvent those velvet ropes and armed security.
“You came here for her,” Lee’s voice was lower, more sobered now.
I paused, trying to get a read on him. He’d heard enough to understand the ulterior motive we’d been keeping from his side of things, his sharp eyes scanning every twitch in my expression.
“Does it matter?” I asked. Tammy was still gone, melted entirely into the crowd.
Lee mulled it over, following my gaze to the milling guests, as though waiting for Tammy to reappear. When she didn’t, I swore he almost looked sorry for me.
“So long as we don’t lose focus on the plan, I guess not,” Lee replied. “Come on. Cover me.”
We were at the back wall, near a curtained alcove where the glittering stagelights faded slightly. Guests mingled nearby, but largely clustered near the entertainment on the main floor. Angling my body to conceal Lee’s movements was simple enough.
“If you need, I can pick the lock—” I offered, glancing over my shoulder.
“No need.”