Chapter 19 #2
She had a point there. Maybe she could join Phyllis as one of my new best friends. If she gave me dirt on Maverick, I’d let her into the group.
“Someone is trying to take my pack down. They’re murdering the heads of my investment company.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“I’m mated to a vampire,” Maverick interrupted. “And another vampire is behind the murders.”
There was a long pause. “How sure are you that your vampire isn’t the same one killing people?”
“She was with me during one of the murders, and locked in my tower during another. There were only three.”
“So she could be responsible for the first, but not the second.”
“It wasn’t possible based on her hunger level. She’d basically been starving herself.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in coming back to Vast City. Things are good at the restaurant I work in.” Sutton sounded approximately zero percent interested in helping solve a chain of murders.
“I’ll give you whatever you want,” Maverick said. “There’s a damn good chance my mate’s life is in danger.”
Sutton sighed. “Put her on the phone.”
He handed it over with a grimace.
I reluctantly lifted it to my ear. “Hi.”
“Maverick told you who I am,” she stated.
“He did.”
“And what I’ve done?”
So this had nothing to do with her being his ex, and everything to do with her poisoning expertise.
“Yeah. I can’t say it makes me excited to meet you, but I’m aware that those times were different. He killed vampires too, and with all of the humans that were being turned back then, it was probably deserved.”
“No. No one deserved what I did to them. None of us deserve to live more than anyone else. I was no better than any of the vampires I killed, and I’m not interested in living like a werewolf anymore.”
“Then why did you want to talk to me?”
There was a moment of silence. “Walk away from Maverick, please.”
His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.
“Give me a second.” I waved him away.
He shook his head again, harder.
“Dammit, Mav, move,” I muttered, pushing his arm. Not the one attached to the wounded shoulder, luckily.
He didn’t budge, so I tapped into my vampire speed and climbed over the table.
His hand closed over the space where my thigh had been just a fraction of a second too late, and I strode into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me before I leaned up against it.
“Alright, sorry. You’ve got like one minute until he breaks the door down.”
“Tell me what happened,” Sutton said. Verbally, it was a command, but her voice wasn’t commanding. It was kind of… soft. “Without bias.”
“Maverick and Rhone are trying to solve a string of murders themselves, with only the help of their enforcers, and they’re not succeeding.
Three humans are dead now. All three of them were assholes, so the killer could potentially still be someone in the office, but I know all of the vampires in the city. ”
“So it’s either a turned vampire, or an assassin who’s most likely being paid by werewolves. Or a turned vampire who’s being paid.”
“That seems likely.” I wasn’t going to suggest it could be a combination of all of the above.
Or that there could be two murderers. “I think the guys want to hire a real detective, but their investment company hasn’t met the government’s regulations for a lot of years, and they just realized it.
Opening the doors to humans right now could cost them their fortunes, and we all know the humans aren’t going to try to get in unless the werewolves are willing.
Plus, there’s a werewolf aspect to it that I don’t think anyone outside the situation could really understand. I didn’t.”
“How long has it been since the first murder?”
“Two weeks.”
“Three kills in two weeks would be typical for a newly-turned vampire.” There was a long silence. “What’s your name?”
“Bloom.”
“Alright, Bloom, here’s the deal. You can tell Maverick that I will stay in a human hotel that I book on my own, and I will investigate with his team for as long as I choose to do so.
I’m not attending any pack events, I’m not visiting the estate, and if I feel even slightly uncomfortable, I’m leaving.
I’ll be acting as a consultant, and nothing more. ”
“I’m sure whatever you’re comfortable with is more than enough. Thank you.”
“Text me your phone number, please. I’d prefer to communicate through you.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll let you know my flight schedule when I’ve figured it out.”
She hung up, and I texted her my number.
When I was done, I opened the bathroom door, entirely unsurprised to find Maverick standing just outside, leaning up against the wall with his arms folded.
“She agreed?” he asked.
“Don’t pretend you didn’t listen to my side of the conversation.”
His lips curved upward. “She told you not to date me, huh?”
“She actually said I should run in the other direction. I told her you’d just chase me.”
“I would.” His fingers skimmed my hip as I stepped past him, and we walked back to our table together just as our waitress came out with our pancakes.
My stomach growled immediately.
We sat down and dug in. Between the scent of vanilla in the air and the cheap, sugary syrup on my pancakes, it was bliss.
I fell asleep on the way home, only waking up for a few minutes when Maverick stopped at a gas station to buy a few more energy drinks.
I wasn’t going to comment on his choice in drink, or his caffeination. I overcaffeinated on a daily basis. Sometimes, it was a really good thing I wasn’t human. I would probably have given myself a heart attack.
“Alright, Sugar. We’re at the office.” Maverick’s fingers ran lightly over my forehead, pulling a few strands of hair away from my eyes. “I should take you home.”
“I’ve got too much to do,” I mumbled, sitting up slowly.
“You need to take a day off.”
“My boss is too much of an ass.”
“I just told you to take the day off, Bloom.”
“I was talking about me. You’re not in charge anymore. If I walk right now, your company will fall apart.” Probably.
“You should still take the day off.”
“I can’t. Paperwork waits for no one.” I opened my door and slipped outside. Maverick met me there, draping his arm over my shoulders again.
“You can’t walk into my workplace wearing my sweater with blood on it,” I said. “People are going to think I attacked you or something.”
“I wish you did.”
I yawned. I really did need to take a day off. And probably spend the whole thing sleeping.
“Sutton texted you while you were out. She’ll be landing around noon.”
“You should offer to pick her up.” I leaned some of my weight against him as we walked. I needed caffeine desperately.
“No.” Maverick stopped at the coffee shop in the lobby. There was a big line, but the barista waved him to the front, and no one complained.
I wouldn’t risk pissing off a tatted giant by complaining, either.
Maverick ordered two extra-large lattes. One was a mocha with some s’mores-like combination of flavoring and a heap of marshmallow foam. The second was a decadent caramel beast with syrup, a drizzle, half-and-half, and a soft top.
“Which one is yours?” I murmured, as we waited in front of the register. Both sounded equally appealing to me.
People were definitely staring at our backs—probably glaring, since we cut the line—but surprisingly enough, I didn’t care that much.
“You know I don’t drink coffee. They’re both for you.”
I sniffled as if I was getting emotional. “That’s so sweet, I could kiss you.”
“You should.”
“Maybe I will. After my first latte.”
“That’s a reasonable qualifier.”
“Mmhm. Sugary coffee is the real way to seduce me.”
“Clearly.” His hand slipped beneath the hoodie and t-shirt I was still wearing, so his palm could rest on my bare hip. The touch was definitely too scandalous for our office building, but I tried not to worry what the humans might be thinking about us.
It obviously didn’t matter to Maverick, and I wanted that kind of power too.
The barista handed my drinks over, and we headed toward the elevator with both in my hands.
I took a long swig of the caramel one first.
Followed by the mocha.
And back to the caramel.
Bliss. Pure bliss.
I definitely couldn’t have picked just one.
“You will now be required to buy me two lattes every time you want something from me,” I informed him, as we reached the elevator.
“I can manage that.”
Everyone else who joined us in the elevator stayed a solid arm’s length away from us.
Tense silence filled the ride.
I drank my coffee flavored milk and sugar, pointedly avoiding looking at anything other than the cups I was holding.
It wasn’t as uncomfortable for me as it would’ve been two weeks earlier. Or even one week earlier.
People slowly filtered out of the elevator as it stopped.
And stopped.
And stopped.
When we finally got out on Darkwood Investments’ floor, relief relaxed my shoulders.
I still didn’t love being on the receiving end of the humans’ discomfort and judgment.
I noticed Maverick studying me, and eased his hand off of my hip. “I’m going to check in with my team. Good luck with detective-ing, fiancé.”
“Someone should add that to the dictionary,” Maverick said, his grin impossible to miss. “I believe you owe me a kiss for the coffee.”
“I said I could kiss you. Not that I would.”
His grin widened.
I went up on my tiptoes and pressed the world’s fastest kiss to his lips anyway before stepping back.
“Thanks for the caffeine.” I held up both cups.
“Any time.” His grin was officially the largest I’d ever seen on his face.
Finally, I made my escape.