Eye of the Beholder (16 page)

Priceless. They couldn’t have made his job any easier if they’d tried.

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

“Good.”

“Has any of the testing come back on the crime scene evidence?”

“Not just yet, but the lab promised today.” He hadn’t needed the results to get the warrant. If Toni wasn’t so resistant he’d lie to her to get her to believe him.

Hmm. She could be the one person capable of screwing up my plans.
He’d have to think about that, maybe come up with a way to neutralize her and make it look like Val had done it. They were more likely to find Val had committed his murder rather than Tyr, so why not pin one more on him? Pity, though. He had visions of enjoying himself between the good detective’s thighs.

It had been a while since someone had fought him the way she did. It was a hell of a turn on.

She was looking at him oddly. “Shouldn’t you have waited for those results? How did you get a warrant without them?”

He shrugged. “The DA felt there was sufficient evidence for an arrest, and the judge agreed.”

She shook her head. “The DA doesn’t usually jump the gun like that.”

“What can I say? Prominent businessman, rich family, maybe the wife is putting pressure on them. Who knows?”

“Mancinelli.”

Toni turned at the sound of her name, that long dark hair swinging. Grimm wanted to reach out and touch it, see if it was as soft as it looked. “Yeah?”

“Captain wants to see you and Solberg.”

“Yeah, we’ll be there in a sec.” She turned to Grimm and made a face. “Probably about the arrest.”

“Yeah, probably.” Grimm followed Mancinelli into the captain’s office, prepared to dazzle his boss with bullshit. He couldn’t afford any serious mistakes at this point.

Once Tyr and Vali were behind bars, his plan could go into action. When he had Gungnir, everything else would fall into the palm of his hand.

Travis was feeling extraordinarily good today. He’d thrown on a pair of pants, intent on making Jamie, who was still sleeping, breakfast in bed. He wasn’t a gourmet cook like Logan, but he knew how to make a mean French toast and fresh fruit breakfast. He gathered the bread, eggs, cinnamon and milk and put the frying pan down on the burner. Next he wanted to slice the fresh strawberries he’d put in a bowl earlier. He turned around to grab a bowl of fruit off the counter and saw her standing there, clad in nothing but that see through Vera Wang nightgown.

“I’m hungry.”

He actually gulped. Here he was, over a thousand years old, and he was gulping over the sight of a woman in a sheer nightgown.

Not
a
woman.
My
woman.

“So am I.” The bowl of fruit went back on the counter. The nightgown hit the floor. He had her spread out on the kitchen table before she could blink, feasting on the most delicious pussy it had ever been his privilege to taste. He held her hips down and took her clit into his mouth, sucking it in, sipping at the folds, drawing her essence inside him. He’d never be able to get enough of her taste. Each of her moans, every one of her sighs belonged to him now. He took great pleasure in drawing them out.

She shuddered below him, moaning, letting him know in the sweetest way that she’d come. With one last, loving lick he stood. He undid his jeans and slid his cock in the only place it ever wanted to be again, fucking her on the kitchen table and mentally thanking Logan for getting nice, sturdy wood.

He took his time, moving slowly at first so that she’d be able to catch up to him. And, really, after the sex they’d had yesterday he had no problem taking it slowly this time. She’d practically drained him dry with her mouth, then ridden him so beautifully his head damn near exploded along with his balls.

His thumb began a lazy stroking of her clit. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her heels digging into the small of his back. Her hands dug into his shoulders and pulled him down to her. He allowed it, seeing the heat slowly building in her eyes.

She offered him her breasts, and the world began to fade at the edges. All of her inner beauty opened before his eyes, her light shining from within nearly blinding him. He could see all of it now, every damn inch of her displayed before him. Her strength, her courage, her devotion to those she loved shone forth like a beacon to him.
All of her, even the tiny, dark corners of her soul, was precious to him.

She’s so beautiful.
Her strength humbled him, her courage dazzled him, and her love?

Her love made him whole again.

He could feel his orgasm creeping up on him and desperately tried to hold it off, but he could sense the beginnings of hers and it damn near threw him over the edge. Determined to send her over first he balanced on his right arm and took her nipple between his teeth. He tugged at it the same time he strummed her clit with his fingers, throwing her into another orgasm. Her gasped shriek was music to his ears, her pussy spasming around his cock like a vise, pulling him into his own orgasm. He drained himself into her, wanting so much to be a part of her forever.

“Y’know,” she panted beneath him, her South Philly accent thickened and slurred, “donuts are my usual breakfast, but I could learn to live with this.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

“Okay, people. Gary, you and Paul are serving the warrant on Val Grimm. Danny and I are taking on Yardley-Rudiger. Any questions?” Toni looked at the men heading into the condominium complex just outside Rittenhouse Square. To a man they looked grimly determined.

She still couldn’t believe she was serving a warrant on so little evidence. She’d never had to deal with something like this before, but the judge had signed off on it, the captain had organized it, so here she was. She just hoped they weren’t making a huge mistake.

Danny seemed oddly excited, but some guys got like that. The thrill of the takedown was the best high ever. Hell, she’d probably be feeling something similar herself if her instincts weren’t screaming at her that she was doing the wrong thing, that they had the wrong men.

The fact that the blood and fiber work still hadn’t come by the time they left the precinct this afternoon was going to cause problems. Their defense attorney was going to be able to get them off on that alone. But trying to point that out privately to the captain and the DA had been an exercise in futility.

Feh. She hated when a case went south because some gung-ho asshole bureaucrat was screaming for closure and forced the hands of the cops. It was frustrating as hell.

Here’s hoping Danny’s proof is waiting once we get these guys in lock-up.
Because if anything went wrong she had the feeling it wouldn’t be Danny’s ass on the line.

Jamie pulled her shirt down over her sore breasts, actually grateful Travis was working on the computer. The man had an unhealthy fascination with her nipples that had left them a little bit sore, too tender to wear a bra. She was going to have to have a little talk with him about that. Later. As it was, the cotton of her T-shirt was rubbing against them, making them perk up.

Hmm. Maybe I’d better put a bra on.
If Travis saw nipple boners he’d be on her in a flash, her pants would be down around her ankles and her body would be singing the Hallelujah Chorus before she could blink.
Did anyone pack my padded bras?

She was digging through her underwear when the doorbell rang. Crap. Her relatives did not get to see her all perky. She thrust her arms through the bra, closing it quickly. She tugged on her T-shirt and darted for the door.

“…under arrest for the murder of Oliver Grimm.”

Jamie’s jaw dropped open. Travis was being handcuffed by some woman wearing a badge at her hip, the one going around his right wrist tight enough to keep him from wiggling his arm free. Behind her was another man, a dark smirk on his face that made her want to hit him. Something about that man, the way he stood maybe, seemed awfully familiar.

Travis stood docilely while the woman finished snapping the handcuffs closed. He looked at Jamie, and that was when she saw how truly angry he was. “Go to Logan’s.”

She nodded. He didn’t have to say a word. If anyone could get him out of this it would be the Trickster.

“Ms. Grimm?”

She turned to the woman, stepping further out into the light. “Yes.”

The woman’s brows rose, surprise and suspicion all over her features. “You look remarkably well for someone who was tortured a month ago.”

Jamie raised her chin and glared. “I heal quickly.”

“Apparently.” The woman pulled Travis toward the door, ignoring Jamie’s hiss of protest.

“Listen to me! Travis didn’t do it.”

The policewoman turned. “Have that much faith in him, do you?”

Jamie nodded. “I do.”

The woman returned Jamie’s narrow eyed stare, her expression searching.

“Mancinelli, we have to get him down to the squad car. The others are arresting Mr. Grimm right now.” A gloating expression quickly passed over the male detective’s face, taking his handsome features and making them ugly.

Where have I seen that look before?

“Uncle Val?” Better and better. Fuck. “Why would you arrest my uncle?”

“For the same reason I’m arresting lover-boy. Murder.”

“They didn’t murder Oliver Grimm.”

“Then who did?” All of a sudden the detective was in her face, practically nose to nose. “If you know something about this and are hiding it I will have your ass in jail so fast your dust won’t have time to settle.”

“Leave her alone.”

Jamie could hear that odd echo in Travis’s voice and knew she had to distract the detectives. “What’s going to happen to Travis?”

“Mr. Rudiger will be taken downtown, processed, read his rights and interrogated.”

“When will bail be set?”

The detective smiled grimly. “That depends on the judge.” Detective Mancinelli backed away. “Remember what I said. Accessory to murder, Ms. Grimm.”

“Have you looked at my fucking hospital records,
Detective
Mancinelli? I couldn’t have swatted a fly, let alone killed a man.”

“I know how to do my job.” The cop was glaring at her again, but there was something about the look on her face, like she was waiting for something to happen but wasn’t quite sure what that something would be.

Bring it, bitch.
“Could have fooled me.”

The male detective started toward her, a second set of cuffs in his hand.

“Solberg, play with the girl later. We have to get the perps downtown.”

With one final glare the detective joined his partner by the door. “I hope you can sleep at night, Ms. Grimm.”

“I won’t. Not until Travis is brought home to me.”

With one final, inscrutable look the female detective was gone, Travis right beside her.

“Good night, Jamie.” The male detective left with a soft smile, closing the door quietly behind them.

Jamie felt all of the blood rush out of her head, her heart pounding in terror. She grabbed her shoes and her keys and ran for Jordan’s condo. She pounded on the door, screaming to wake the dead.

“What?” The door was pulled open by an angry looking Logan. Actual flames danced around his hands, his eyes burning, literally burning, down at her.

“They’ve arrested Travis and Uncle Val.”

Logan blinked, his flames dousing. “What?”

“The. Police. Arrested. TRAVIS!”

Logan’s eyes crossed as she shrieked. “Down, Pita.” He pulled her into the condo. “Dampen the light, will you?”

“What?” She turned toward the light switches.

“Not them. You.”

That was when she realized she was glowing. She drew in a deep, terrified breath. “
JORDAN!
”

Jordan and Kir came running out of the den, both of them looking frantic. “What?” Jordan stared at Jamie, her mouth dropping open. “Holy fuck.”

“Apparently.” Jamie held out her still glowing hands. “What’s happening?”

Kir and Logan exchanged one of their enigmatic looks. She
really
wanted to slap them upside the head until they told her what they were thinking. “Boys.”

“Tyr is Lios Alfar, remember?”

“And?”

Logan drew closer to his two lovers. “We think maybe you need to learn to control your temper.”

“What do you mean? Travis doesn’t glow only when he’s pissed.”

“Think about it, Jamie. The first time he glowed in front of you was because he knew you were hurt.” Logan grinned. “Trust me when I say I know when Travis glows. I’ve seen him pissed off at me plenty of times.”

“I am
not pissed.
”

Jordan coughed and turned away.

“Okay, maybe a little.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Mostly I’m scared.”

“Why?”

“Because I think one of the detectives who arrested him was Grimm.”

Travis sat in the chair, waiting for the cops to join him. He’d been fingerprinted, his picture taken, his clothes removed and processed, and his body cavities searched.

Yeah,
that
had been enjoyable. Not. Now he got to sit here in a lovely orange jumper and stare at the cheap acoustic tile ceiling while someone watched him through video cameras to see if he was acting guilty.

The door opened and the female detective walked in holding a file folder. Her expression was cold and closed as she took a seat behind the utilitarian desk. She opened the file, stared at something, and leaned back in her chair.

“So.”

Travis remained quiet.

“Interesting test results.”

He stared at Detective Mancinelli, keeping his expression blank. He was curious himself what the tests would show, but refused to give her that satisfaction. Some day he might be forced to work with her so antagonizing her wasn’t a good idea.

He was glad Jamie hadn’t managed to piss off the detective. It was nice to know his woman would stand up for him, but if she got her pretty ass arrested he was going to be annoyed.

“The lab tells me that your DNA isn’t human.”

Uh-oh.

“In fact, they tell me that they haven’t seen anything like it. Ever.” Her gaze bore into him, trying to see through him. “Why is that?”