Chapter 27

According to the cameras Nora Sullivan hadn’t done anything suspicious, and we still hadn’t managed to track down Aoife’s father, so the case had stalled. To make matters worse, the barrier was weakening. Rifts and thinning spots were being reported all over town and Liv and the other magic users were being run ragged doing patch repairs. We were only treating the symptoms, though; we needed to deal with the cause. We needed to find the missing gems – like yesterday.

At least there hadn’t been another fire since Elsa Wintersteen’s house had burned down. Maybe whoever had the fire gem had wised up to how dangerous it was and was shielding it.

We had the fire gem’s protective box, but presumably the thief still had the wind gem’s box. Or maybe they’d put both gems in the same box? But why did they want the gemstones? If it was to bring down the barrier, all they needed to do was sit tight whilst we ran out of time. It wasn’t a comforting thought.

Connor had been silent since our disastrous date; either he’d given up on me or he was giving me the space I’d demanded. It had only been a couple of days, so maybe the silence wasn’t as much of a big deal as I thought, but I was worried I’d really hurt him by walking away. At the same time, he had to understand that I wasn’t freaking out over him so much as everything that came with him. An immortal lifespan together would freak out any twenty-whatever year old, even one without my contrary nature and loveless upbringing.

It was best not to think about it because thinking made me tense. I needed to solve Aoife’s murder, get the gems back where they belonged and save the town. Easy. I pushed away thoughts of Connor – and that was when he walked into the Nomo’s office.

When the door opened, I threw out my usual greeting, ‘Welcome to the Nomo’s office, how may I…?’ Then I looked up. He was standing there in his form-fitting jeans and sexy flannel, his black curls untidy as usual. God, I’d missed the flannel.

My tongue fell silent and my stomach clenched. I looked at him expectantly, frozen in that state of flight, fight or freeze. Apparently, I froze in this type of situation. ‘Connor,’ I breathed.

Fluffy gave a sharp bark and stood up in front of me, as though protecting me.

‘Et tu, Brute?’ Connor said softly to the dog.

I coughed over my involuntary laugh. His eyes zipped back to mine and we spent a moment drinking in the sight of each other. He looked a little tired but okay, and something in me eased – he wasn’t that mad at me. ‘I brought you something.’ He held out a bag. As I took it, he ran his fingers nervously through his hair.

The only gift I’d ever received from a man was sexy lingerie and this bag was way too heavy for that. Plus, I wasn’t sure if we were even seeing each other after my freak-out, so sexy lingerie would have been weird. ‘What is it?’ I asked cautiously.

He gave me a lopsided smile, ‘A vest.’

‘A vest?’ I repeated. That was a first. I reached into the bag and pulled out the object. As promised it was a vest, not of the fabric kind but of the bulletproof kind.

‘It’s spelled,’ he said awkwardly. ‘I got it from the MIB. Nothing will get through that one.’

I stared at him, conscious that my mouth was hanging open, but I couldn’t get my brain to fire enough to know what to say.

‘I don’t want to see you hurt again.’ He shrugged awkwardly. ‘No obligation or anything. It is a gift, freely given.’

My floppy heart beat hard and warmed me from the middle outwards. ‘Thank you.’ It felt like a big deal. Connor knew I didn’t want to be with him because of the fated-mates thing, yet here he was still helping me, still trying to protect me in a way that wasn’t overbearing or demanding. He understood how much I’d come to love my job and he wanted me to be safe whilst I did it.

‘Here, let me help you try it on.’

I put it over my head and he tightened the straps around the body. It wasn’t bulky; I could wear it under my clothes and no one would ever know. His hands lingered for a second on my hip, setting my skin on fire. ZING. At the force of it, he snatched back his hands. ‘Sorry,’ he murmured.

I turned to face him. ‘No problem,’ I managed, though my knees felt weak. The zing didn’t like being ignored and it was trying to push us together with all of its considerable might. I imagined for a second what it would be like to give into it, to feel that delicious shock when Connor and I finally…

He was too close and I could still feel the ghost of his touch on my skin. I took an involuntary step forward. Connor’s eyes flicked down to my lips – but then he blew out a harsh breath and stepped back. His chest was rising and falling rapidly; he was as affected by all this as I was. ‘Is Gunnar in his office?’ he asked huskily.

I blinked a few times and finally registered what he’d asked. ‘Uh, yes. Go on back.’

‘Thanks.’ He strolled away as if we weren’t both dying to rip off each other’s clothes.

I gave a wistful sigh and looked down at Fluffy. ‘Thanks buddy. I wonder what he wants Gunnar for?’ I scratched his ears, making him paw at the floor as he tried to scratch an itch that wasn’t there. We both looked at Gunnar’s door. ‘It’s probably about the warrant for Nora Sullivan.’

Fluffy barked once. ‘That’s what you think, too?’ I asked. With an effort, I sat down again.

Connor walked out a few minutes later. He didn’t ignore me but he walked past as though his business were concluded.

‘Connor.’ I surprised myself by stopping him. He looked at me expectantly. I wasn’t sure what to say but I couldn’t bear to see him leave. ‘I’m sorry about everything.’

He studied me. ‘You have nothing to apologise for. Understandably it was a shock.’

‘Yeah, it was.’ He turned to leave.

‘I’m processing it,’ I blurted. ‘I feel less shocked already.’

He gave me a slow smile. ‘I’m glad to hear it. Take all the time you need. I promise I’ll be waiting.’ He walked out.

I sagged in my chair. At least he didn’t seem angry, even if he was giving me more space than I wanted. Truthfully, I wanted zero space between us but I was trying hard to think with my head and not my hormones.

‘Bunny!’ Gunnar shouted. We really needed an intercom system.

I went into his office. ‘You hollered, boss?’

‘The council won’t give us that warrant without more evidence. Do you have any of your out-of-the-box ideas?’

I leaned against the door jamb. Nothing was coming to me. Absentmindedly I looked down at my hands; I hadn’t had a manicure since my Welcome-to-Portlock party a month or more ago and they needed work. I needed a nail appointment.

Something clicked in my brain. Nails. ‘Gunnar, it might be nothing but I’m calling the salon for a nail appointment.’

He gave me a strange look. ‘However your process works, I guess.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘The fingernail under Aoife’s body…! There can’t be that many places in this town to get your nails done. The nail technician might be able to tell us whose it was!’

‘And you’re booking an appointment because…?’

‘Because technicians chat freely while doing nails,’ I explained. ‘He or she will be relaxed and I’ll get more than I’d get from an interview at the station. Unless you want to go instead?’

Gunnar guffawed. ‘Uh, no.’

Good, because – and this was the important part – I also really wanted a manicure.

I got on the phone. Sure enough, there was only one nail salon in town and they had an appointment for the next day. I thought about going over and trying to interview them immediately then and there, but in the end I made the appointment. I didn’t want to be rushed and dismissed because I was making their customers wait.

Besides, good things come to those who wait.