Along Came a Spider (10 page)

Red gaped. “Say what now?”

“Trish was pretty shaken up, so she spent the night at my place.” Nicky smoothed the back of my hand with his thumb, setting my heart racing when that wickedly handsome grin curved his lips. And for a brief, blissful moment, I actually believed him, too. “Hell of a night, right, doll?”

I swallowed hard and my voice was a little thready when I said, “To put it mildly.”

Red cocked her head to one side, regarding me closely. Then she said, “Guys, I think you need to give me the room.” We all immediately got to our feet, but she added, “I meant guys as in gents. Take a seat, Trish.”

I plopped back down in the chair, sitting on the edge with my back board straight. It hadn’t occurred to me until just then, when I’d heard the edge in her voice, saw the stern look in her eyes, that even though Tess Little was one of my closest friends, she was also my boss. And she was seriously unhappy.

Nate and Nicky both glanced toward me as they sauntered from the room, Nicky looking a little apologetic. I gave him a smile that I hoped didn’t look as lame as it felt.

As soon as the guys shut the door behind them, Red crossed her arms over her chest. “So, you wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I demurred.

She gave me a knowing look. “You’re a horrible liar, Trish. And I know you’ve been lying to me for a while. I just didn’t know why. Now spill it.”

“Really, Red—”

“How long has this been going on anyway?” she cut in. “How long have you been sneaking around behind my back, trying to hide all the evidence?”

Oh, shit. . . .

She was totally on to me. Somehow she’d found out about the doctored reports, about my agreement with Nate. . . . Now I just had to try to keep her from taking off, half cocked, to go after Dracula.

“Tess, it was for your own good,” I said, my tone as gentle as I could manage. “I was trying to protect you.”

“Protect me?” she echoed, her eyes going wide. “Last time I checked I was a big girl, Trish. I think I can take it.”

I sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s only because we love you that we didn’t want you to get hurt—”

“Damn it!” She shoved back from her desk, her face taut with fury as she got to her feet and began to pace the room.

I snapped my jaws shut and pressed my lips together. There was really nothing I could say to dig myself out of this hole. I’d known all along that Red hated being treated like she was a delicate little waif incapable of taking care of herself. She’d struggled for almost two hundred years to break away from the story that had haunted her. About the only thing she hated more than being underestimated was being lied to. And I’d committed both sins by hiding the intel on Dracula.

“Please forgive me,” I said softly. “I never should’ve deceived you.”

She waved away my apology, then sat down in the seat Nicky had vacated and let out a long, mournful sigh. “Do you love him?”

My brows came together in a frown. “Huh?”

She leaned back in the chair, scooting down a little so she could rest her head on the back. “Just be straight with me,” she said. “Are you in love with Nicky?”

“Oh!” I gasped, a nervous little twitter of laughter coming out before I could stop it. “You’re talking about Nicky!”

She turned her head to frown at me. “Yeah . . . Who were you talking about?”

“Nobody,” I said in a rush, relief washing over me like a tidal wave. “No one. I mean, Nicky, of course.”

Her expression became one of wary concern. “You feelin’ all right?” When I nodded and forced a smile, she went on. “Trish, I love Nate Grimm more than the air I breathe—and I’d probably suffer less without air than without him. The man is everything to me. But Nicky . . . Well, he means a lot to me and always will.”

I nodded. “I know. He means a lot to me, too.” At least that part was the God’s honest truth. And it must’ve been enough because she suddenly laughed in a burst of mirth not unlike Nate’s.

“At least this explains why you kept turning down all the insanely hot guys I’ve been trying to set you up with,” she said with a grin. “I mean, seriously? You said no to Achilles. Who does that? Most women would fight to the death for one night with that guy.”

“And he knows it,” I drawled, rolling my eyes. “No one will ever love Achilles as much as he does.”

She chuckled, then smiled a little sadly. “Just be careful, okay? Nicky’s been through a lot. He’s not . . . Well, he’s not quite the same, you know? I can see it in his eyes. There’s a darkness inside that wasn’t there before—not even during the New York days.”

There was a light rap on the door that brought our heads around. Nate poked his head in. “Everything okay in here, sweetheart?”

Red pushed awkwardly to her feet and put her hands on her hips. “Other than the fact I’m so hungry I could gnaw my arm off, everything’s good.”

“Well then”—Nate grinned as he sauntered in—“I guess I’d better take you home for lunch.” He pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck before murmuring, “But eating might have to wait. You’re looking damned sexy right now.”

Red winked at me. “See what I mean? Love this man.” Then she leaned around Nate and called, “Nicky!”

Nicky stuck his head in the office, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. “Yeah?”

“I love ya, you son of a bitch,” she told him. “So I’m glad you’re back in town. But you break Trish’s heart, and I don’t care how off the grid you go, I’ll make it my personal mission in life to hunt you down and kick your ass. Are we clear on that?”

“Crystal clear, kid.”

“Good.” She jerked her chin toward the door. “Now get the hell outta here and go with Trish to pay a visit to Halloran’s girlfriend so she doesn’t end up as tiger bait. And let me know if you find out why those vamps were craving a Sandman sandwich.”

I hurried from the room with Nicky, shutting Red’s office door behind me, but not before catching a glimpse of her and Nate in a passionate kiss. I sighed and glanced over at Nicky out of the corner of my eye.

“Well, that went better than expected,” he mumbled once we were safely down the hall. “What did Red say after she booted me and Nate?”

I shrugged. “You know. Girl stuff.”

“No, really,” he said, punching the button for the elevator.

Luckily, the elevator doors slid open at that moment, letting out a handful of men in black suits gruffly leading a powerfully built man wearing sunglasses and an impeccably tailored suit, his red gold curls pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

“Gideon?” I gasped as the agents shouldered between Nicky and me. I’d only met him once, when Lavender’s mom had demanded Red’s and my presence at her country club for tea so she could inspect her daughter’s bridesmaids. Although the entire experience had been so unbelievably uncomfortable I wanted nothing more than to wipe it from my memory, Gideon was impossible to forget.

Gideon shrugged easily out of the grasp of the man holding him, letting them all know he’d only been coming along for show anyway, and turned toward me, giving me a sharp nod. “Ms. Muffet. Pleasure to see you again.”

“Nicky Blue,” I introduced, “this is Gideon Montrose—he’s a dear friend of Lavender Seelie and bodyguard to the fairy king and queen.”

Nicky instinctively reached out a hand in greeting, but the handshake was awkward with Gideon’s massive wrists in magic-dampening manacles.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Blue,” Gideon said with a nod. “I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

Nicky grunted but offered the man a grin. “Can’t say I’ve heard of you—but I imagine that’s by design.”

“What’s going on?” I asked Gideon. “Why are you being brought in?”

“It’s not your concern,” a pinch-faced agent interjected, grabbing Gideon’s arm.

Gideon jerked away and shoved the guy. Before the man could react, I stepped between them and put a hand against the guy’s chest, holding him off.

“Who the hell are you, Tale?” I demanded. “I haven’t seen you before.” Because I would’ve recognized your rat face and beady little eyes.

“Norman Fredericks,” he replied, looking down his long nose at me. “I’ve been working on special assignment with the Agency as the Tale liaison.”

I heard Nicky snort. “Freddy the Ferret.”

Ferret? Well, I wasn’t far off. . . .

“Haven’t seen you in a good twenty years,” Nicky said, his tone cordial, but a coldness coming into his eyes. “Not since you got pinched by the feds for money laundering for the Ordinaries.”

Freddy’s beady eyes narrowed on Nicky. “My talents were underappreciated by the Tales back then. I get the respect I deserve now.”

“I’m sure you do,” Nicky drawled.

“What does the Agency have to do with Gideon?” I cut in, bringing us back to the point before they could get into a full-blown pissing match.

“We caught him trafficking fairy dust to Ordinaries,” one of the other agents explained. I didn’t like the look of him much better than I did Freddy the Ferret.

When I glanced at Gideon, his face was impassive, completely unreadable. But I could smell a rat both literally and figuratively. The Seelies were the only authorized fairy dust distributors among the Tales; and having the corner on the market raked in millions of dollars every year. I seriously doubted Papa Seelie would jeopardize his empire by selling to Ordinaries. And even if he was expanding their market, Gideon didn’t strike me as the kind of guy to get caught doing it.

“I’m sure there’s been some kind of mistake,” I said, forcing a smile. “Turn Gideon over to me and I’ll get to the bottom of things.”

“I don’t take orders from little girls,” Freddy scoffed.

Nicky was up in his grill in a heartbeat, his expression deadly. “You’d better watch your mouth, Ferret.”

Freddy laughed. “Right. And what are you going to do about it?” He shook his head. “Word is you’ve gone soft, Nicky. Your wife buys it and you go running off to hide?”

I grabbed Nicky’s arm and pulled him back a few feet, pressing my hand against his chest. “It’s all right, Nicky. I’ll handle this.”

“Yeah, Nicky,” Freddy taunted. “Listen to your little girlfriend. She’ll handle it. You sure as shit can’t, you pussy.”

Nicky moved so fast I didn’t even see it coming. In one swift motion he grabbed Freddy’s hand and twisted his arm at such an unnatural angle, the guy dropped to the floor with a howl of pain. “Who’s the pussy now, Freddy?” Nicky spat. “Huh? Who’s the pussy now, you rat-faced little fuck?”

Next thing I knew, all hell was breaking loose. The other agents went for Nicky, but Gideon busted the manacles apart with a quick jerk of his wrists and stepped in. His fist connected with the nose of one man, dropping him, and then had the other one on the ground so fast I didn’t even see how.

“What the hell is going on?”

Nicky immediately let go of Freddy at the sound of Red’s voice and took a step back.

“I asked a question,” Red snapped. “Somebody better give me a goddamn answer!”

Freddy got to his feet and straightened his suit. “Assistant Director Little, we were bringing in this suspect when we were assaulted by your associates. You’d better believe I’ll be filing a complaint with Director Addin.”

Red grunted. “Get in line, Rat-boy. Next time you want to bring someone in, you Agency sellouts might want to call first. Now get outta my building.”

“Assistant Director—”

Red batted her eyes at Freddy, daring him to go there. “I’m hungry, you little shit, and you’re in my way. Are you seriously gonna push me on this?”

Freddy cast a furious glare at Nicky, knocking into him as he passed, then motioned for his cronies to follow him. As soon as the elevator doors had closed on them, Red jerked her chin at Gideon. “So are you guilty?”

Gideon’s lips curled up on one side in an amused smirk. “Of many things. But not of the things of which they were accusing me.”

“And what would those things be?” Red demanded.

He quickly repeated what he’d already told us. “The king is decidedly unhappy with someone selling D on the black market to Ordinaries and trying to make it look as if it’s his people doing it. He sent me out tonight to gather intelligence.”

“And?” I asked. “What did you find?”

He shrugged a powerful shoulder. “Nothing conclusive.”

“What do you say you share the inconclusive, then?” I suggested. “Let us take it from here.”

Gideon’s expression grew somber once more. “No offense to the FMA,” he said, “but the king prefers to handle this matter himself.”

“Bullshit,” Red snapped. “We have enough vigilantes running around right now.”

I cast a nervous glance at Nicky, but he seemed unperturbed.