41. Blane

CHAPTER 41

Blane

“ W hat the hell happened in here?”

At the ding , I’d glanced up from the couch. Callahan began complaining before he left the elevator.

“Why does the place smell like smoke and Lysol?” he continued.

“Would you believe I burned dinner last night?”

“No, because you never cook anything. And this is the second fire I’ve had to deal with today.” His gaze fell on Vee. “What happened this morning? I tried calling, but you didn’t answer, and then Daphne said you were outside in daylight…”

“I lost my phone.”

Callahan rubbed his temples with his fingers. “Tell me you didn’t lose it on the other side of Iron Mountain?”

“Uh…”

“I only ask because last night you asked me where Raphael Laurent lived, and this morning, his house went up in flames.”

“A terrible coincidence,” I told him. “Coffee? ”

We’d spent the day cleaning up the apartment as best we could. Marianna was resting in a guest bedroom along with Aurelia and Lola’s original body, the dead assholes had been loaded into suitcases ready for disposal, and Joseph’s new coffee machine was sitting on the sideboard in the dining area. We’d need to replace the kitchen units, of course, but the granite countertops had survived, and once we’d wiped the blood and soot off the tiles, the place didn’t look as bad as I’d expected.

Callahan ignored my offer. “Laurent is missing, and his vehicle was found wrecked in the Medical District. Vee, I have to ask—were you chasing him?”

Her shoulders dropped an inch. “No, definitely not. We were just driving home when we got stuck in traffic, and some jobsworth pulled us over when Wren tried to turn the car around.”

Callahan wrapped Vee up in a hug, and for once, I didn’t feel that hot bud of envy. The envy that another man had found what I’d lost. Because against all the odds, I had Wren. A slightly nervous, uncertain Wren, but she hadn’t sprinted off into the sunset, so I was counting it as a win.

“I was so worried about you. Laurent isn’t a man you want to mess with.”

“Laurent wasn’t even driving the car. Voltaire was.”

I groaned. Joseph groaned. Wren groaned. Even Lola groaned, but that was more because she was copying everyone else.

“Vee, my sweet, sometimes less is more.”

“I can’t lie to Jack.”

“Maybe you could just leave some parts out?”

Wren kicked me in the shin as Callahan leaned back to look at his beloved. “Vee, what’s going on?”

“Do you promise you won’t yell or arrest anyone?”

His turn to groan. “Tell me. ”

“You have to promise first. This is all off the record.”

“I’m a cop, not a journalist.”

“Okay, fine.” Vee shrugged. “What do you want for dinner? Should I book a table at La Nostra Casa?”

“You’re putting me in an impossible position.”

Joseph got up to make coffee anyway. “To be fair, the ‘impossible position’ part happened months ago when you got shot in the heart.”

“Wait, who are you?”

“Joseph.”

“You’re not Joseph.”

“I changed my hair. Do you like it?”

“Vee…” Callahan stared at her. She stared right back, and of course, it was he who gave in. No mortal could beat a vampire in a battle of wills. “Fine, I promise.” Then quieter, “I’m going to hell anyway.”

“Technically, that might not be possible,” Joseph put in. “Either a vampire or one of the Electi would have to kill you first.”

Vee shushed him. “Don’t you think there’s been enough talk of death today?”

“No?”

Another groan from Callahan.

“Laurent kidnapped Wren’s friend,” Vee said quickly. “We were just trying to get her back.”

“And Wren is?”

She raised a hand at the same time as I said, “My girlfriend.”

Wren leaned into me, tension rolling off her in waves. But I wasn’t too worried. Callahan couldn’t talk. Firstly, he’d lose Vee if he did, secondly, nobody would believe him anyway, and thirdly, he’d find himself with a first-class ticket to another plane if he spilled our secrets. Probably Plane Four, but I wasn’t fussy .

Callahan turned to Lola-slash-Delphine. Caria was still holed up in the apartment Vee shared with him, recovering from her ordeal, so that would be a fun introduction this evening. Wren and I had visited earlier to make sure she was comfortable, and Wren had asked her to sit tight for a day or two while we got things straightened out. Caria had readily agreed.

“And you’re Wren’s friend?”

“Yup,” Lola said. “I’m everybody’s friend. Mommy said it’s nice to be important, but importanter to be nice. Are you important?”

That detective brain picked up on the disparity between Lola’s appearance and her mannerisms right away, and he sighed.

“You’re gonna have to start from the beginning.”

So we did. Vee took the lead, and we explained how a cop had handed Caria to Laurent, how Zion had double-crossed us in our quest to get her back, and how we’d been forced to take matters into our own hands. When Vee got to the part about Voltaire, Callahan looked visibly furious, which I had to take as a good sign.

“He locked you into a fuckin’ sunbed? He’s a dead man.”

“Good luck with that,” Joseph muttered, and then he began twitching again.

“He said I needed to learn my lesson. That nobody defies him and gets away with it.”

“Pretty harsh lesson—he left you there to die.”

“That wasn’t his plan. I think he just wanted me compliant so I didn’t fight him, but then the whole house went dark as if someone cut the power. Then there was this… I can’t really put it into words, but this feeling of overwhelming malevolence, and he took off. But then the electricity came back on, and I couldn’t get out, an d…and…”

Callahan kissed her hair. “It’s okay. I swear he won’t get near you again.”

“You can’t stop him.”

“ We can stop him,” I said firmly. “You’re not alone in this.”

“And you’re stronger now,” Wren reminded her. “Blane’s blood has given you an advantage.”

“You drank from Blane ?” Uh-oh. Callahan sounded pissed.

“He tasted gross,” Vee said, presumably to make Callahan feel better.

“No need for jealousy,” I added. “She’d already been through Wren, Lola, and Caria, and it was a last resort.”

“Lola? As in Marianna’s daughter? You took a child on this insane rescue mission?”

“Not exactly?” Vee said. “Laurent’s sister came here to kidnap Wren, but she ended up shooting Lola instead, so Blane stuffed Lola’s soul into Delphine’s body, and now she’s stuck there until Decima gets back from the fifty-fourth realm.”

Callahan sank onto the arm of the couch. “I need a drink.”

“Joseph, fetch a bottle of champagne.”

“A stronger drink.”

“Scotch?”

“That works.”

I nodded to Joseph, and he disappeared into the elevator. Callahan might not have liked the situation, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it, and at least nobody had mentioned the three body-filled suitcases stacked in the master bath.

“Is there much in the way of evidence at Laurent’s place?” Vee asked, crouching next to him.

“The arson investigator said it burned hotter than a cremation furnace, and there was no sign of an accelerant. Lot of head-scratching going on today.”

I’d done a good job, if I said so myself. Creating that amount of heat had left me a little tired, but then again, I was used to keeping the fires of Plane Three stoked, so it hadn’t been too much of a chore.

“We couldn’t leave Wren and Caria to die.”

“Yeah, I know that. At the moment, the working theory is that an insider burned the place down, either by accident or for an insurance job, and took off in the Mercedes. We figured it was Laurent, but you’re telling me he’s dead?”

Vee nodded.

“And he was a fuckin’ werewolf?”

“It came as a surprise to us too,” I said.

“Who did it?”

“Professor Plum by the swimming pool with a silver rose.”

I wasn’t about to let Wren take the blame for Laurent’s death. If anyone was going to fall on a sword, it would be me.

Callahan cursed under his breath. “My solve rate is gonna look like shit this year.”

“Maybe we could help with one of your other cases?” I suggested.

“Hell no. Do me a favour and stay far away from the criminal underworld.”

“Does that include Voltaire?”

“I might make an exception for Voltaire.” Callahan rubbed Vee’s back. “We’ll keep you safe.”

“He knows I’m here now. In Vegas. He’ll never stop looking for me.”

“Wren’s right—you have an advantage now. If you move around in daylight rather than at night, he won’t see you.”

“What if it wears off?”

Callahan looked to me.

“I’m not sure the Celestial Council would approve of me being used as a soda fountain,” I said, and Wren poked me in the ribs. “Okay, fine. If Vee needs a top-up, I’ll provide it.”

Whether it broke the rules or not, I’d look after my friends. Aurelia wouldn’t spill the beans, not intentionally, although she struggled to keep her mouth shut at times. The mysteries of celestial gifts fascinated her, and the moment she found out about Vee’s new ability, she’d begun chattering about blood samples and microscopes.

And perhaps research wouldn’t be a bad thing? Knowledge was power, and we’d need everything in our arsenal to defeat Voltaire. Leaving him free wasn’t an option. I had three women to protect now—a good friend, a bonded child, and my future wife—and I’d kill to do it.

But that was tomorrow’s problem. Today was a time to celebrate.

Laurent was gone, Caria was safe, and Wren was mine.

When Joseph returned with the drinks, I poured Callahan a generous measure of Scotch and popped the cork on the champagne.

“Here’s to friendship.”