22. Chapter 22
Marduk
It turned out that this stakeout wasn’t so bad. I’d rented the largest SUV I could get with tinted windows. Then I bought several bags of drinks and snacks for us. I’d also packed pillows and blankets so Bec could sleep when she got tired.
There was enough room for me to pack Hugo’s bed and little bowls to give him water and food.
Now we were all sitting in the vehicle almost exactly where Jim had parked his car, watching the front of the house.
I’d already slipped in to make sure the garage was still full of boxes and no trace of recent activity.
I wasn’t as good at seeing auras as Danzig, but even I would pick up if the casket druid had been there.
Bec was right, someone would show up. The stuff in there was too valuable. The question was when. I was torn. I didn't want to spend the night in the car, but I also didn't want the casket druid to show up.
If we ever found out where he lived, I'd be gathering the most powerful creatures I knew before facing him. Mom, Ysabella, and maybe Sopek if he was willing. Only then would I feel confident enough to deal with that damn druid.
The best thing that could happen was that Leif and Gale showed up. We could make them tell us everything. Then I could expose them to a soul gaze and know they'd never hurt anyone ever again.
It was about noon, but no one showed up.
Still, the time had flown by. We talked and laughed the entire time, enjoying ourselves and getting to know each other better.
I found out that Bec liked broccoli but hated cauliflower.
She found out that both of us liked spicy food but couldn't handle horseradish.
The whole thing made me think of going to the drive-in movies when they’d been the height of fun. Bec had been on her phone or tablet almost the entire time, contributing to the conversation without looking up.
If stakeouts were always going to be like this, I was in!
“I think I figured it out,” Bec said, looking up with a triumphant grin.
“Figured out what?” I asked.
“Connections,” she said. “I’m only on PixUs right now, but there are a lot of other social media sites out there, so I started looking for Gale or Leif. I found Gale on a couple, but she doesn’t post anything except the properties she’s trying to sell. Guess what I found?”
“This place is one of those properties?” I asked. “But why isn’t there a sign or something? Don’t they always put up signs?”
“Maybe, but if she’s using it for illegal activity, then she probably didn’t want to draw attention,” Danzig said.
Bec nodded. “And this one is in escrow right now. No one would be coming to look at it and I don’t think the buyers are allowed inside. It’s the perfect place to hide illegal goods. I think there are at least two more houses besides this one because the pictures of those don’t have signs either.”
“You have to wonder about a woman who doesn’t want to draw attention to her activities but still posts about them,” I said.
“It’s got to be an ego thing,” Danzig said. “She wants to show off how many houses she can sell.”
“That tracks because she didn’t post the address of a few of the properties, just pictures,” Bec said.
“That’s some good detective work,” I said.
“Thanks,” she said. “But I actually feel a little stupid. When I looked Gale up I took the first address and didn’t bother to check any further. The database Jim uses is good, but it can get confused. Now I know why he always says to verify.”
“This is your first case,” Danzig said. “There must be a learning curve to investigation.”
“That’s the reason I feel dumb,” she said. “I should’ve started doing the social media search earlier.” She turned the tablet around so she could show us the screen. “Does this guy look familiar?"
“That’s Leif,” I said.
“No, that’s Lars,” she said. She tapped the tablet a few times then showed us a different account. “This is Leif.”
“They look like the same person,” Danzig said. “Is one of them a fake identity?"
“Nope, they’re brothers,” she explained.
“There isn’t much on Leif’s social media, but Lars posts a lot.
I don’t think he’s very bright and he’s definitely an asshole.
He posted a homophobic joke and Leif commented saying Lars should take it down.
That was helpful because another guy named John Hill also commented on the post, agreeing with Leif. ”
“Why does the name sound familiar?” I asked.
“Because that was the guy who owned the house where we found the three bodies turned to dust,” Danzig said. “You’re brilliant, Bec. You might’ve started off a little slow, but you’re making up for it now.”
“Is John a friend of Leif?” I asked. “Or a member of the family?”
“I’m pretty sure they were dating,” Bec said, her expression turning glum. “There’s a picture on John’s account of them kissing. It’s super sweet and makes me really sad for them. I think they got targeted because of Lars and Gale.”
We all fell silent for a few minutes.
“We’ll make sure the casket druid pays for what he did,” I said.
She gave me a grateful look. “Thanks. That makes me feel a little better.”
“Did you find out anything else?” Danzig asked. “Like the name of the casket druid?”
She shook her head. “Nope, but I think Hugo was always Leif’s dog. Why would Gale want me to find him?”
“If Leif was in hiding, she might’ve asked you to find the dog as a way to find Leif,” I said.
“Except the casket druid wanted Hugo also,” she pointed out.
“I guess we still need to solve the mystery of why everyone wants Hugo,” Danzig said.
“That’s easy,” I said. “It’s because he’s the best dog ever.”
They both chuckled, even though my statement wasn’t much of an exaggeration.
“Hopefully someone will show up and we’ll be able to get some answers,” Bec said, setting down her tablet.
“Using houses in escrow is smart,” Danzig said. “She would always have places to hide everything.”
“Yeah,” she said. “There were a lot of boxes in there. I bet they don’t exclusively sell to the druid.
There are all kinds of nasty people who think owning an elephant tusk is a status symbol.
If the items were ever discovered by the authorities, Gale could say she didn’t know someone was using the empty house. Stuff like that happens all the time.”
“We need to think about what we’re going to do after we take care of the druid,” Danzig said.
“What?” Bec asked.
I understood what my brother was saying. He'd probably heard me mentally debating about who might show up.
“Unless the humans attack us, we aren’t going to do anything to them,” Danzig said, sending me a warning look. I don't know why he objected to the soul gaze, but I shrugged and stayed silent.
Bec looked upset. “But they’re doing something illegal and horrible. Could we call a tip into Angel or something?”
“We could, but these people are clever,” Danzig said.
“It’s probably going to be hard for the human authorities to prove anything,” I said, hating the way that Bec’s expression turned upset, even though she tried to cover it.
“You guys are right,” she said, then she perked up. “We could keep working the case and figure out how they’re importing everything and the other people they’re selling them to! When we’ve got all the evidence, we could tip the police off and make sure they find everything.”
“Good idea,” I said. As we found people, I could quietly stalk and soul gaze them. That was proper punishment.
Bec’s mouth dropped open. “You're agreeing with me?”
“I don’t like this either,” I said. “You're right, they should be stopped.”
Danzig reached over to put a hand on my shoulder. I know what you're planning.
Shut up, I said, then brushed his hand away.
“What did Danzig mean?” Bec asked. “He said you’re planning something.”
I was impressed that she could hear us that well. “Planning to catch all the humans involved in this. Like you want to.”
“I’m a little shocked that you agreed without a single protest,” Bec admitted.
I frowned. “As long as we're with you, humans aren't a danger. Besides, we’re partners, remember?”
Her smile turned brilliant. She got on her knees and somehow effortlessly slid from the front passenger seat into the back seat with me. My mate was flexible!
Hugo was ecstatic to have her join us and kept trying to lick her face even as she settled him in her lap and faced me.
I opened my mouth to ask her what she was doing, but she leaned close and put her lips to mine.
My cock went so hard I felt momentarily dizzy.
Ending the kiss, she drew back with a sensual smile. “I like it when you use the word partner.”
It almost felt like I was being rewarded, like an animal being trained to do a trick, but I didn’t care.
“Partner.”
She laughed and kissed me again.
“Partner.” This time my voice was low and husky. She kissed me again but this time, when she tried to draw back, I slipped my hand behind her head and kept her in place.
She parted her lips to my probing tongue, then moaned. She moved closer, squishing Hugo between us. The dog made a disgruntled sound and wiggled out from between us.
“Hey, not fair.”
I felt Bec jerk slightly. I ended the kiss to find that Danzig was stretched between the back seat and front seat. He was sucking on the side of Bec's neck, and she loved it.
Lust and pleasure poured off her. I bet if we made her climax in the car, it would rock from her power. It was clear that the three of us created some powerful sex magic.
I couldn't imagine how much more powerful we'd be once she took our bites.
“Danzig,” she moaned.
I moved my hand from the back of her neck and cupped her cheek. “Open those pretty eyes.”
She blinked her lids open as Danzig kept working on her neck.
“Can you feel us?” I asked. “Not only our lips or hands, but our magic pushing against your aura.”
“It's like something is trying to sink inside my skin,” she whispered.
“Your aura pulls at ours,” I murmured.
She looked almost scared. “My skin feels hot and cold at the same.”
“Open to us,” I urged her.