Hell or High Water (Gemini Book 3) (2 page)

He caught me staring at his mouth, and the metallic flecks in his eyes glinted before he released me and blasted out a pained breath. “You’re killing me here, Ellis.”

A shy grin curved my lips, and I almost regretted the worm comment. Almost.

“They’re here. Finally.” Relief washed through Dell’s tone as she jumped the topmost rail and landed in a crouch beside me. “Let’s go talk to them.”

Sure enough, a black SUV crunched its tires as it turned in to the gas station with its lights strobing lazily. The white logo printed on its side wavered under its glamour, but I had no trouble identifying the Southeastern Conclave’s seal.

The rush of flirtation chilled on my skin, and guilt that I had forgotten—even for a second—why we were here prickled over me seconds later.

Beside me, Graeson stomped a boot onto his foot then braced on the crate to tie his laces. “Dell, you’re not getting anywhere near those humans.”

A throttled snarl twitched her lips. “I didn’t come all this way just to be sidelined.”

“Your eyes are gold.” Straightening, he hooked his hands on his hips. “Humans, if you recall, don’t know about fae, and they sure as hell don’t know about us. I get you’re worried for Isaac. We all are. But until you get your wolf under control, you’re a threat and not a help to us.”

“I’ll wear sunglasses,” she gritted between teeth she ought to know better than to flash at her alpha.

The air crackled with building magic as Graeson accepted her challenge. “I said no.”

A single gut-wrenching pop was my only warning before Dell stumbled backward and exploded into her wolf. “Oh
crap
.”

Graeson tackled her, driving her to the dirt. Hand wrapped around her throat, he glanced up at me, eyes blazing. “I have to handle this.” He jerked his chin toward the waiting fae. “I’ll join you when I’m able.”

Flashbacks of Graeson punishing his six left me nauseated with fear he might hurt Dell that way.

“Trust me,” he said, eyes softening. “I won’t hurt her more than it takes, but her wolf has to be reminded she can’t challenge her alpha unless she thinks she can win.”

Packing away the writhing in my stomach, I gave him a nod of support then strode toward the SUV, game face on.

A
wiry man
dressed to the nines and crumpled by humidity eased from behind the wheel of the dusty SUV. He raked a hand through his hair, trying and failing to tame a cowlick, while scanning the area. His hawkish gaze landed on me, and a genuine smile broke over his face.

“Agent Ellis.” He moseyed my way. “I heard you closed the Charybdis file. Congratulations.” Shoving his hands into his pockets to avoid shaking mine, he gestured toward the scene with his chin. “I didn’t expect to see you back out this way again so soon.” His tone implied
or ever
. “What’s your connection?”

“That truck belongs to my cousin, Isaac Cahill.” That got his attention. “He and my aunt were in town fueling up and buying supplies. He was filling gas cans when he vanished.” I linked my hands at my navel to make Comeaux more comfortable. “The clerk found the vehicle abandoned, used Isaac’s phone to call a number frequented in his caller ID and ended up dialing me. We talked, and here I am. I called you the second I hung up with him.”

“No sign of your aunt or her vehicle?”

The words were too hard to force out, so I shook my head.

“Is there any reason to believe this might be tied to your work?” The marshal scratched the day-old stubble covering his cheek. “What we do doesn’t endear us to our kin, if you catch my drift.”

“My work is my life.” Unable to resist, I flicked a glance back at the truck as though expecting the scene to have changed. Two of its four doors stood open, and glove box detritus littered the front passenger seat. “Or it used to be.”

Yesterday I would have said I wasn’t alone anymore. Today…I felt more alone than ever.

“I don’t see any gas cans. Were there any present when you arrived?” Ambling away from me, he walked a slow circle around the vehicle. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Fifty minutes.”

“My apologies.” Smiling, he lifted a hand in response to a cop’s familiar wave. “Our office is in the next county over. It takes a while to make the drive here, but the tradeoff is fewer skirmishes between the fae marshals and the Chandler wargs.”

“It’s no problem.” The long wait had been torture, but I’d worked at my fair share of rural outposts, and sometimes the drive to cover your territory was a bear when problems arose that required immediate conclave intervention. A phone call would have been nice, though. “I expected there might be a delay.”

The sandy-haired officer strolled over with a handshake and a backslap for Comeaux. “Stepping on my toes again so soon?”

“I’m a dancing man, Donaldson.” Comeaux shuffled his gleaming dress shoes on the pavement. “What can I say?”

The younger man groaned. “That you won’t do that again?”

Pleasantries normally didn’t ruffle me, but my lip was in danger of curling as the two dragged out their manful greeting ritual. Interdepartmental relationships were critical in order for the fae to suppress what humans knew about us, but this time I was cast in the role of relative of the victim, and that act held less and less water as I waited for their attention to refocus.

Catching my eye, Comeaux returned his hands to his pockets and sobered. “What do you have so far?”

“Not much.” The cop’s attention wandered to me. “Nothing that warrants the FBI getting involved.”

Taking the misconception in stride, Comeaux leaned in close and lowered his voice. “The suspect is on our watch list.”

“How do you want to play this?” Donaldson’s mood went somber. “Say the word, and the force, such as we are, is yours to command. We can line up local news coverage to get the word out if you’d like to borrow extra eyes from the community.”

“The situation is…delicate. We believe he might have taken a hostage when he stole this truck.” Comeaux fixed a serious expression in place. “For now, we’d like to fly this incident under the radar.”

“Understood, sir.” Donaldson eyeballed me again. “I don’t mean to be rude by staring, ma’am. I noticed you were here when we arrived. Are you with the FBI as well?”

A cool lie prepped itself for launch, but Comeaux intercepted.

“Agent Ellis has a personal connection to this case. Her cousin is the alleged hostage.” He let Donaldson absorb that. “To keep things aboveboard, she was issued strict orders not to engage with the local law enforcement until my arrival.”

I extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Officer Donaldson.”

His grip was firm, dry and utterly mundane. He was one hundred percent human. But I felt better after checking to be sure.

“Shit fire and save the matches,” Comeaux muttered under his breath. “Just what I don’t need.”

Eyes in the back of my head weren’t necessary to see what—no,
who
—had set him off.

“That guy? He going to be a problem?” Donaldson hooked a thumb through his gun belt, too near his weapon for my comfort. “I can detain him until we finish if you want.”

A tendril of comforting warmth tickled my nape, a heated rush of awareness that Graeson’s eyes were on me.

“That won’t be necessary.” Even I heard the edge in my voice. “He’s with me.”

“Why don’t you go touch base with the techs?” Comeaux checked his phone, expression slipping before he forced a smile for Donaldson. “Wrap this up in the next hour, and we can grab a burger at Havarti’s and gripe about the Mets.”

“Deal.” Donaldson peered over my shoulder, sizing up Graeson with seasoned focus that missed nothing. “Holler if you need assistance.”

“Will do.” Comeaux crossed his arms over his middle, scratched his elbow and pegged me with a wary glare. “He’s with you? In what capacity?”

Evading his questions, I angled my hips toward the weathered split-rail fence across the road and savored Graeson’s approach. Even at a distance, the newly minted alpha stood taller than most. Slabs of muscle packed his frame. His expression read as a man who had zero fucks left to give this town. Mind set on the future, he was done with this place that reeked of the past. Heavy bands of ink circled his wrists, and lush cypress trees erupted up his forearms. His rolling gait was that of a predator, and Comeaux tensed in anticipation of the trouble that plagued warg-on-fae interactions.

Humans loitered on the fringes of the parking lot, dipping their hands into chip bags or slurping on frosty drinks as they indulged in a little harmless voyeurism. One look at his harsh expression, and they scattered as leaves before a tornado.

“Mr. Graeson.” Comeaux greeted him with all the enthusiasm of a flu diagnosis. “What brings you to town?”

Grin stretching his cheeks, the imposing warg slung his arm around my waist and tucked me against him, savoring Comeaux’s apparent bewilderment. “Ellis.”

Shrinking under Comeaux’s scrutiny, I resisted the urge to stomp Graeson’s instep for all but peeing on my leg to mark his territory. It took physical effort not to shrug him off and duck from his embrace to regain control of the situation. “He means that literally.” I went for casual, despite the warg sweater I was wearing, and pointed at the gleaming truck parked on the curb. “We rode together.”

“I see.” Comeaux struck a casual pose that failed to hide his interest on every level. “You never said what brought you back to our neck of the woods, Agent Ellis.”

“I’m following up on a case.” Not an exact lie. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all.” His Southern accent thickened. “Do you often bring your family along?”

“This would be a first.” His barb struck me between the ribs and stuck there. “Seeing how it turned out, it’s safe to say it’s also the last time I involve them in my work.”

A chime rang out, and Comeaux held up a finger while he located his cell. He swiped his thumb across the screen, read the message, and his expression darkened. “Your name was flagged on my incident report, so I had my partner dig deeper. It says here you’re on leave.” His gaze bounced between us, judgment heavy in his eyes. “So I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you again. What business do you have in Villanow?”

Any answer I gave him put me on the official record. The truth might land me in prison. A lie, well, that could end my career.

“Tell him.” Graeson’s fingers bit into my side, the pressure meant to convey a message that stumped me. “It’ll be okay.”

I wet my lips, wishing I’d had the forethought to prick his finger before making a beeline for Comeaux. A mental bond would come in handy right about now, because I had no idea what he was playing at by encouraging me to spill my guts in front of the marshal. Still uncertain, I embraced the lesser of two career-dooming evils.

“I came to visit my…” I sucked in a sharp breath then whooshed it out, “…mate.”

“I wanted to meet the in-laws.” Graeson rewarded me for claiming him by dropping a kiss on top of my head before adding, “That’s why her family joined us here.”

“I see,” Comeaux said again, and it was clear he did. Both the warg’s possessive hand resting on my hip and the way I had fought my instincts and lost. As though my brain were chanting
act professional
while my body made
pfft
noises and did what felt right. Leaning into him for support kept me stable. As long as I had Graeson at my side, I could survive this. “I don’t expect Bessemer was thrilled with this turn of events.” His smile wasn’t unkind. “Wargs mating with fae is taboo in this part of the state, in most of the country if I’m blunt.”

“No,” Graeson answered in a clipped tone. “He wasn’t.”

“Graeson has severed ties with the Chandler pack and will be establishing his own.” Confiding that information felt like extending a peace offering. It also made our situation so much more
real
. Tacking on, “We can’t share any details beyond that,” sounded better than admitting we hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Let me know when you get settled.” He clapped Graeson on the back with sincerity. “A pro-fae alpha is something our office can get behind. The magistrates will be thrilled to endorse your pack. We could all use insight from a man in your position to help smooth future interactions with the warg community.”

“I won’t make any promises.” Graeson inclined his head toward me. “I’ll have to discuss it with Ellis…and our pack.”

The urge to squirm returned when Comeaux’s jaw fell open as Graeson’s full meaning registered.

A fae alpha. Stranger things had happened.

Right?

“Sir.” A tidy man wearing a crisp navy polo paused at Comeaux’s shoulder. “We’ve finished processing the truck.”

Shuffling to one side, Comeaux opened up our circle and gave the man room to join us. “What can you tell us?”

“Not much,” he admitted. “An erasure spell was cast sometime in the last forty-five minutes. Our technicians made attempts to recover evidence, but the scene has been sterilized.”

Report given, he turned on his heel and returned to the rest of his polo-clad crew.

“Forty-five minutes,” I echoed. “That’s not possible. I’ve been here for over an hour. I would have…”

“The cercibis,” Graeson reminded me.

“I’m sorry?” Comeaux anchored his hands at his hips. “You said cercibis? Do you mean Bert?”

“I didn’t ask for his name.” Bert. Yeah, he looked like a Bert. “He was flighty, and I didn’t want to spook him.”

“Flighty,” Graeson murmured.

Great. Now Dell had him poking fun at me too.

Comeaux glanced between us and chuckled. “Locals are convinced there’s a chupacabra on the loose.”

“He revealed himself to humans?” I had spotted him loitering on the edge of the field and assumed I’d gotten lucky. Maybe not. “That was a bold move for such a nervous guy.”

“Well, it’s like this. He got the name Bert in part because he resembles a reject from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and in part because he was half of a pair. See, there used to be an Ernie. It turned out she was an Earnestine. She startled some hunters last deer season, and they shot her. We couldn’t prosecute, because the humans had no idea what she was to be aware she was endangered. Bert lost his mind after that. He started people-watching, getting bolder about where he goes and who he reveals himself to. A few of us are concerned he’s stalking the humans responsible for his mate’s death, but he can’t stay cohesive for long enough to present a true threat. At least not yet.” The marshal’s tone sharpened. “How is he mixed up in this?”

“The cops arrived within minutes of us, so we parked on the curb to wait for you.” Without a badge to grease the wheels, I didn’t have much choice. The local boys wouldn’t take my word that I was a law enforcement officer without proof, and admitting the truck belonged to my missing cousin would have gotten me barred from the scene before I contaminated it. “I noticed the cercibis’s crest twitching in the wheat field and went to question him.”

Comeaux flicked Graeson a questioning glance. “Alone?”

“No,” he answered, managing to sound insulted. “A pack mate provided backup while I went across the street to the feed store.”

Tactful as any seasoned alpha, he avoided mentioning that in Dell’s heightened emotional state, she had exploded into her wolf form the second the cercibis’s scent hit her nose and bulleted in pursuit of him, leaving Graeson no choice but to let me calm her while he purchased the necessary bribe.

“I read a paper on cercibis in the academy, which is why I knew Bert would make an ace witness if I could get him to cooperate,” I explained to Comeaux. “Offer one a gift and, if they accept it, they’re obliged to answer any one question truthfully in the future.”

“Huh.” Comeaux turned contemplative. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“One more thing to keep in mind,” I advised him. “Get as much information as you can before you give up the seed. Cercibis are worthless after you reward them.”

“Good to know.” He traded his phone for a thin spiral notebook and pencil, scratching a few notes before glancing up at me. “How much information did the seed buy you?”

“Enough. He told me a pink-haired girl was on the scene.” I didn’t name names, but I didn’t have to.

“Not Harlow.” His hand froze poised over his notes. “How did she get mixed up in all this?”

“She was abducted from the last crime scene I worked before going on leave.” Hating to do it, I slid a half-truth past him. “I’ve been trying to find her ever since.”