Darkened (8 page)

“I don’t know. Dark hair and eyes. He had a scar running down the left side of his face and a piece missing out of his right ear. When he left, he walked with a limp. I didn’t catch his name or anything. Why?”

I know that sounds like a lot but part of my job is to be observant so I never forget a face or any other pertinent information.

Jared seemed lost in thought.

“Earth to Jared. Why did you want to know about the delivery guy?”

“I was just wondering how you could get flowers from me when I didn’t send them. Perhaps one of my friends was trying to help me out with you and sent them for me.”

I raised a brow. That sounded like total BS.

“Anyway, I’ll let you get on with your investigation. I believe Zach is here. I’ll give him a call and have him meet you in the same room you talked with Luke.”

He grabbed his phone and dialed a number then told the person who answered to meet me in the game room. He hung up and walked around the desk toward the door. I took the photos I had handed him earlier then followed him, but he didn’t open it. Instead, he looked at me for a moment.

“The reason you’re not interested doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that I’m Fallen, does it?” he asked.

“No Jared. I washed your phone number off my hand the morning after we met. I didn’t know you were Fallen until today.”

That was the truth, just not the whole truth.

“I see. Well, good luck with your investigation, Avery.”

He held out his hand and I put mine in it to shake. Instead
, he pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed it. I quickly pulled it back, and all but ran out the door.

************

Jared didn’t want Avery to leave but he needed to get her out of the room so he could think. He hadn’t had a chance to introduce her to Zach on Saturday, and he hoped the promiscuous Fallen kept his hands to himself.

Someone killed Stephen then apparently kidnapped a woman who just happened to look a lot like Avery and killed her too. He would bet it was the same guy who delivered the flowers to her. Who had he pissed off enough to start killing people he knew? It was obvious they were sending him a message. He needed to know what else was written on the wall and then he needed to make arrangements to protect Avery. He went back to his desk and picked up the phone. He had a call to make.

I got back to HQ about an hour later. My interview with Zach Taylor was a
total waste. He didn’t have any more information than Luke did, and trying to get him to answer the questions instead of him trying to get me naked was like pulling teeth. He had barely glanced at Amber’s picture when he responded with, “You’re prettier. Do you want to try out this couch?” then he waggled his brows.

Of course my response was to tell him that I would gut him like a fish if he tried anything. My threat didn’t faze him. He just continued to hit on me nonstop until I finally gave up and left. I didn’t even bother giving him a generic business card. Knowing my luck, he would start calling me at work just to flirt. Given how he was, he could have slept with Amber Lambert and not remember it in the long line of one night stands. Neither of the other two band members were at the club tonight so I left word with Luke to have them call me to setup an interview. I also showed her pic to the bouncers as I was leaving but neither of them remembered her.

I walked into Cop’s office to give him an update on the case.

“Shut the door,” he said.

I shut it behind me.

“Here’s the info I’ve gathered on Amber Lambert and Stephen Wilkins. I still haven’t found anyone who actually
saw Amber Sunday night, but I know that Stephen stopped by the club the night he died to introduce his replacement, Kyle Wallace, to Jared and show Kyle the equipment he’d be using. That was the last time anyone saw him. I called Kyle a few minutes ago. He said that he stayed at the club to get familiar with everything before the show and Stephen left, presumably to depart on his trip. He wasn’t seen alive again.”

He nodded and looked over my notes.
“Just talked to the mayor. He heard the killer might be after you next and has ordered you be guarded until he’s caught. One of your guards are on the way over now.”

Huh?

“What? How did the mayor even hear about this case let alone hear that I was in danger of becoming the next victim?”

“He thinks the killer is after this lead singer and
, through him, you. You’re dating this guy?”

“Hell no. I don’t even know him.”

“You didn’t go out with him Saturday night?

“No. I went to the club with some friends, saw him there and talked with him. He gave us a ride home since we were going to have to call a cab. That’s it. I don’t see why anyone would be after me in an attempt to get to him.”

Cop shrugged. “That’s what the mayor heard. He said something about the killer bringing you flowers. You know anything about that?”

My eyes got wide. The killer brought me flowers? How would the mayor know that? I didn’t even know it.

“I got flowers Sunday. I thought they were from someone I know,” I said as vaguely as possible.

“From the singer?”

“Yes. The note was from him.”

“Mayor said it wasn’t.”

How would he know the flowers weren’t from Jared? Unless he...

“There’s your guard now,” Cop said.

I turned and looked through the window that overlooked the rest of the precinct. Jared had just walked in. I turned back to Cop.

“You have to be fucking kidding me. There is no way I am letting a Fallen act as my protection.”

“It’s that or you take a vacation until this is over.”

This isn’t happening. There is no freaking way.

“There has to be some other way. Let me partner with someone temporarily. I can take care of myself. I don’t need some Fallen babysitting me.”

“Killer knows where you live, Tywella. He’s already made contact once. Mayor gave the order. It’s either protection or suspension. Your call.”

This is completely fucked up. It’s all Jared’s fault. Somehow he convinced the Mayor to allow him on board in this investigation. Fallen became Fallen because they got kicked out of the Kingdom. Almost always, the reason for banishment is because they killed a Human. The last thing I want was a known Human killer to protect me. Hello! Half Human here. I looked at Cop and knew there was no way I was going to be able to talk my way out of this one.

“Fuck. I guess I’ll let the
Fallen play guard. But, if he kills me, I’m going to haunt you.”

“I would never allow anything to happen to you, Avery,” Jared said beside me.

How the fuck did he manage to open the door and walk in here without me even hearing him. I know Fallen are supposed to be able to move around quickly and quietly, but that was crazy.

“This was an A to B conversation, Jared.” I said his name like it was a curse word. Childish? Yes, it was.

Cop looked at me and raised his brows before saying, “Play nice.”

He can shove his nice. I really don’t like being pushed around. Usually I push back. Harder.

I walked out of Cop’s office and went back to my own without saying another word to Jared. I grabbed my purse and keys then went back out to the lobby area. Jared was waiting for me.

“You won’t need your car. We’ll ride in mine,” he said.

“I’ll follow you.”

“I am to guard you at all times until the Fallen who’s killing these people is caught. I can’t do that when you are driving one vehicle while I drive another. Plus, the killer has already been to your home he could have spelled your car.”

I just raised my brow. This is going a little extreme.

“If I leave my car here, I will be stranded without a vehicle in the event the killer comes after me.”

“You won’t have to worry because I will be there to protect you.”

“And you alone are supposed to protect me. What about when you are performing?”

“I have a trained security guard who will protect you while you watch the show.”

“Oh joy. I can hardly wait.” Sarcasm is my fall back every time.

I walked past him toward the front entrance. My car is parked out back in the employee parking lot but I’m sure Jared parked in the visitors parking.

I can’t help wondering why he would go to so much trouble. I stopped and turned on him once we were on the sidewalk.

“Why?” I asked.

“Why what?”

“Why are you doing this? I just can’t understand. I know you have no problem getting laid so why would you create such an elaborate scheme just to get me to bed you?”

“Why do you think this is an elaborate scheme to bed you?”

“Oh come on. The whole ‘I didn’t send you flowers. It must have been the killer’. Pa-lease. It’s obvious that you sent the flowers and are lying so that you can come in and play rescuer. The only question is, why?”

“I assure you, Avery, I am not lying about sending the flowers. Your description of the delivery man had me curious so I went to your apartment and
spoke to the guard on duty, and of course, he doesn’t remember any delivery for you Sunday night. I checked to see if his brain had been manipulated recently, and what do you know, it had. To my knowledge, there are only two races that reside on this plane that can manipulate a Human’s brain without a spell or potion. One is Vamp. Can you guess the other?”

So that’s how he managed to park in the garage the night he brought me home. He manipulated the guard into letting him in. Does it work on me?

“Did you manipulate me into kissing you the other night? Is that what happened?”

“What!? No! I ca
n’t use manipulation on you, and even if I could, I would never do that.”

Sure he wouldn’t. Just like he wasn’t manipulating the whole situation right now.

“Is that how you got placed as my bodyguard? You mind whammied the Mayor into appointing you guard?”

“The Mayor is a Werelynx so I couldn’t manipulate his brain if I wanted to.”

“Then how did you manage to convince him that I was in danger, and you needed to guard me?”

“You are in danger. I just told you that the same Fallen that abducted a woman Sunday night and killed her less than twenty-four hours ago had c
ome to your apartment Sunday and gave you flowers.”

“It sounds more like he wants to be my boyfriend than kill me.”

He just looked at me like I was mental. “My car is right here.”

He walked over to the passenger door and opened it. I really didn’t want to get in
, but I climbed in anyway. What choice did I have? Jared apparently had friends in high places so if I didn’t cooperate, I would be kicked off the case, and I really want to find this guy.

Once I was seated, Jared closed the door then walked around to the driver’s side while I looked around the inside of his car. It was a Porsche Carrera. Of course he drove a Porsche. What arrogant, rock star Angel didn’t? Maybe he was trying to compensate for something else. The thought made me laugh.

“Care to share,” Jared asked.

“You wouldn’t want me to.”

“Try me.”

“I was thinking about how elaborate your car is.” I paused for a beat. “And, how you were probably trying to compensate for something else being less than proportionate.”

I started laughing again.

“I can prove to you that I’m not,” he said with a half-smile.

“You can prove it to someone else. I’m not interested.”

“So you keep saying. Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.”

“Luckily, I don’t care what you think,” I said with a smile.

He started the car. “We will stop by your apartment so that you can pack a bag.”

He started pulling out.

“Wait. No one said anything about me staying at your place. I assumed you would be protecting me at my apartment.”

“Well
, you know what they say happens when people assume. I will be able to better protect you at my home. There are wards in place, and my roommates will be there to protect you as well.”

“Tough. I am not staying at bachelor central with a bunch of Fallen.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have a problem with Fallen.”

“No, I said the reason I was uninterested in you was not because you were
Fallen.”

“So you do have a problem with Fallen. Do you think you are better than us?”

“I have a problem with people who kill Humans, and over ninety percent of all Fallen were banished because they killed a Human. So, yeah, I have a problem with Fallen.”

“You had to have known I was
Fallen the other night yet you still made out with me.”

“I already told you that I didn’t know you were Fallen until today.”

“So you thought I was just a visiting Angel? You had not heard of our band before?”

“I didn’t know you were Angel at all. I knew you were some kind of
Other but you didn’t feel like anything I had felt before so I wasn’t sure what kind you were.”

“What do you mean you had never felt anything like me before?”

“I’ve never met an Angel before so I wasn’t familiar with your magic.”

“But...” he looked over at me for a moment confused.

“Look, just take me to my apartment. If you don’t want to stay there, that’s fine with me. But, I’m not staying at your place.”

He didn’t say anything more as he drove to my apartment building. This time he didn’t even bother pretending to talk the guard into letting him in. He just stopped the car and as the guard approached he stopped mid-stride and returned to the guard shack. A moment later the gate lifted.

“I would appreciate it if you would not do that in my presence.”

“Do what?”

“Mess with people’s brains.”

“It’s not like I hurt him. It will be easier for me to protect you in the garage than it would be if I parked on the street.”

“I don’t care. It’s their brain, and you have no right to mess with it.”

“If that will make you happy, I will gladly avoid manipulating anyone while we are together.”

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’ll be happy, but I probably won’t kill you at least.”

He didn’t say anything as he got out and started to walk to my side of the car. I went to get out myself instead of waiting for him when he was opening the door. Damn, he was fast.

We rode the elevator then walked to my apartment. I unlocked the door
, and walked in without waiting for Jared. I went to my bedroom and shut the door. If I couldn’t get rid of him, I would just pretend he isn’t here. I grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower, making sure to lock the door behind me.

When I came out half an hour later, Jared was lying across my bed.

“Get your crazy ass out of my bed,” I told him.

“It’s a little small, but I’m sure we’ll fit if we get close enough.”

I just looked at him like he had lost his mind. “What makes you think we will be sharing the bed?”