39. Angie

39

ANGIE

I wiggled and squirmed, but it was hard to dress in a sweaty neoprene gargoyle suit even if I wasn't in a rush. Finally, we got me zipped and my tail and wings in place. I was stuffing my hood on when the vehicle pulled into the meadow.

"Go." I shooed Tuvid away from the back of the shed. "I'll be right out."

He gave me a long look before nodding and striding confidently around the rickety building.

"Jasper," he called out, overly loud for my benefit, I assumed. "You're early."

"I thought you'd want to get this over with. It's great to see you again, Vestalon."

"Where are the kegs?"

"I'm sure you're quite impatient to see them. Our supplier will be here soon."

"I do not see cold storage here," Tuvid said sharply. "I was assured the kegs would not get warm."

"Wasn't your brother supposed to be here with you? "

"Potty break."

"Excuse me?" Jasper asked, his voice high-pitched with surprise.

This was my cue. My hood in place, I stomped around the shed. I lowered my voice, doing my best to sound like a youthful gargoyle. "I had to pee. Take a shit while I was there."

Tuvid bit back a snort.

Jasper's eyes widened as he looked from Tuvid to me and back again. "You're brothers?"

"Yes. Do you have a problem with it?" Death lurked in Tuvid's voice. If I was Jasper, I'd shut up yesterday.

He wisely chose today, which was close enough.

His nod jerked his head up and down then sideways before he finally spoke, smoothly or not so smoothly—depending on how you wanted to look at it—changing the subject. "The supplier has a refrigerator truck. I assure you, the kegs have been kept cold. I see you've also brought an equally appropriate vehicle. How do you plan to transport the kegs to the west coast?"

"My charter flight is waiting at the airport," Tuvid said. "I'll load the kegs in the refrigerated compartment and a truck will be waiting when I land to take them to my client."

"Perfect." Jasper cocked his head. "There they are now."

As we'd discussed, I melted into the shadows in front of the shed. We weren't sure how far the red gargoyle suit would go with someone new. So far, Jasper hadn't guessed a thing, but Jasper never had been very clever.

I scratched my neck and my pits while the refrigerator vehicle pulled in beside our rental and parked. With sunlight reflecting off the glass, I couldn't see the driver.

My heart raced with excitement and anticipation. Soon, I'd have my kegs back and the culprit in cuffs.

Who could it be?

The door opened. A leg thrust out. I bit back my gasp when I saw who it was.

Jularin?

I'd only met Emma's incubus boyfriend once, when he came in on her day off to pick up her purse she'd accidentally left behind, but I'd recognize his reddish bronze demon skin, his black hair, and his wings tucked against his back anywhere.

He sauntered over to the males, holding his hand out to Tuvid. "I'm Jake."

Yeah, sure.

Since he'd only seen me once, I doubted he'd recognize me by my eyes. But would a demon incubus know that gargoyles rarely came in red? Since I wasn't sure, I opted to remain in the shadows. For now, I was the driver, not the one making the deal.

Poor Emma. Did she know her boyfriend had stolen my kegs? I'd bet anything she didn't. He must've taken her access codes or . . . Shit. He'd lured them out of her, using his wily incubus skills with her completely unaware.

I had no idea how I was going to tell her what her boyfriend had been up to. They'd just gotten back together again, probably because he needed further access to the brewery. The only question was: why had a wealthy incubus like him needed to steal my kegs, and why was he continuing to sabotage my microbrewery?

I stomped toward them, determined to find out.

Taking one look at me, he yelped and reeled backward. He bolted for his truck while Jasper called out his name.

Jasper rushed after Jularin, unfortunately getting in Tuvid's way. The two males went down in a tangle of limbs.

I tried to leap over them, but my strap-on snagged on someone's leg, and I slammed down on top of Jasper's chest. The air whooshed from his lungs, and his face paled to the point I thought he'd pass out.

Jularin climbed inside the vehicle while I struggled to get to my feet. The truck screeched backward, and Julian sent it roaring back down the logging road—with my kegs still locked in the back.