Rose of Jericho (Lilith Adams Series Book 2) (18 page)

Chapter 14

L
ilith
was tugging on a pair of jeans and a Wal-Mart t-shirt that read “Keep Staring, I might do a trick” when there was a knock on the hotel door. Chance peeked around the corner from the bathroom, one hand holding a towel loosely around his hips. Lilith’s eyes caught on the lily tattoo just below his navel and it brought a sly smile to her lips. For a moment she forgot about Farren, the bodies in the morgue, even Ashcroft.

Sadly, the insistent knocking woke her out of her little dream state. It was probably Cohen with dinner. Suddenly, she was ravenously hungry, for actual food this time. “I’ll get the door. You may want to… put on some pants.” Lilith grinned and flashed him a wink as she sauntered off for the door.

“Yes, Ma’am.” The sound of Chance’s warm chuckle from the bathroom made her smile all over again. “If that’s what you
really
want…”

Lilith glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes playfully, even as her cheeks flushed a rosy red. “Necessity, smart ass.”

Lilith swung the door open and ushered Cohen inside. As soon as he stepped in the room, he stopped in his tracks and just stared. “Well, I’m guessing Chance was all right after all.” There was a deep sarcasm in his voice that sounded a little hostile. “Thank you for the phone call and I see he found a suitable use for the emergency cash.” His eyes glared around the room at all the burned out tea lights littering every surface.

Lilith felt the burn of embarrassment in her cheeks which just bristled her defenses. The last thing she wanted to do was have a discussion with Cohen about her romantic life. Sure he had a right to be upset that she hadn’t called and that Chance had wastefully spent part of the emergency funds, but he was disproportionately angry.

“Please, by all means, come on in. Make yourself comfy.” Lilith stalked away from the door, leaving Cohen to close it behind him. She sunk into one of the chairs at the table and cut right to the chase.

“Obviously, the gun happy foot soldiers found us some other way. If they’d followed us from the hotel, they would have known Chance wasn’t in the car. They wouldn’t have hesitated and we’d both be dead. They tracked us some other way, Cohen.” Lilith cleared the tea light husks off the little prefab table and set her kit down on the floor so they could eat.

Cohen stiffly moved over to the table, putting the takeout bag down in the center. “Unless they didn’t give a shit that Chance was here.” There was definitely a hostile tone in his voice. “Assuming this has something to do with the case, you and I are the only ones worth going after.”

Men and their damn posturing. She really didn’t give a crap about Cohen’s issue with Chance. It had nothing to do with her, no matter what either of them thought. Cohen was used to getting his way. It’s how he lived his life, his little super power. He just became whatever he needed to be to get what he wanted, right down to his eye color.

Chance strolled out of the bathroom in a dry pair of jeans and a fresh black t-shirt with all the grace of a satisfied jungle cat. “Or they could have pinged the GPS built into the rental car. From what Lilith said, it sounded professional. Hitting the GPS would make more sense than tailing us around all day. The risk that they’d be spotted would be too high. Don’t really see that many big, black SUVs in this town.” His hazel eyes were intent on Cohen’s back, his own hostility barely restrained.

“While you two were playing house, I called Luminita to fill her in. Obviously, she wasn’t too thrilled about the attempted hit on us. Someone doesn’t want us to find that book. Either because they already have it or they want to get to it first.” Cohen was completely ignoring Chance and his input. The whole vibe in the room was awkward and hostile. It left Lilith frowning as she started unpacking dinner.

“I’m sure she wasn’t thrilled. It wasn’t exactly the ray of sunshine in my day either. Chance has a valid point. If they were tracking our GPS signal then it would definitely explain why they would be surprised by only two people in the car.”

Cohen only snorted in response, his jaw and weak chin set completely on edge. He was barely holding on to his anger. As long as he was in this fuming state, he wasn’t going to be any logical help. Whatever his problem was, it was clouding his vision. Lilith put Cohen’s meal back in the bag and handed it to him. “I need to make some calls. I think you should eat in your room.” Lilith fixed him with a steely stare.

Cohen glared at the bag and then stared hard at her with his pale blue eyes. There was an anger broiling in their depths that Lilith really didn’t understand and she didn’t want to. “Excuse me?”

Lilith pushed herself up from the table and stared Cohen down. “Did I stutter? Your attitude is not constructive. Go cool down, eat your damn food. Maybe we can have a rational, sane discussion in the morning when I get the lab results from the cops. Right now, I’m not interested in finding out what bug has crawled up your ass.”

“Not constructive?” Cohen’s eyebrows flew up in genuine surprise that quickly melted into pure animosity as his sharp eyes fixed on Chance. “You know what’s not constructive? A billion tea lights in a fucking hotel room!”

With an irritated huff, Cohen turned back to Lilith. “You can’t tell me that you aren’t the slightest bit angry that while we were being slammed into and shot at, Chance was here trying to recreate some damn Harlequin book?!”

“I am not having this discussion with you, Cohen.” She wasn’t sure if she was more pissed that he wasn’t completely wrong or that he was saying it at all. It was absolutely none of his business what happened between her and Chance, much less his responsibility to lecture her about it. “Just walk away and go eat your food.”

Cohen stared back at her defiantly and then slowly the anger seemed to leak out of his eyes. It was as if he finally realized he’d overreacted, or at least she could hope. “Right.” His aristocratic voice was flat and emotionless as he pushed away from the table. His eyes flickered over to Chance who stood perfectly still in the room. For once he didn’t add any smartass comments trying to goad Chance into a fight. He’d already said plenty.

“Good night then. Enjoy your dinner.” He used the stoic voice that reminded her of Farren’s matter-of-fact tone. Cohen straightened his tie, physically composing himself before slipping out of the room and shutting the door firmly behind him.

“Please tell me I don’t have to thank him for saving your life. I’m not sure I’m up to that.” There was a feral growl to his voice as he stared daggers at the door.

With a bit of her old smug self, Lilith grinned over at him. “Actually, I took down three of them myself.”

His handsome face snapped over to her with a look of complete surprise. Some small part of her felt vaguely offended. “Seriously?” When she nodded, the surprise turned into a proud grin that definitely eased her wounded pride. “Well look at you. Next thing you know you’ll be wearing a latex body suit.” He flashed one of those leering, hopeful smiles as he slid into the chair across from her. “I’d totally be fine with that, for the record.”

“Ha, ha. You wouldn’t be so quick to suggest it if you’d ever worn one or tried to take one off.” Lilith slid his food across the table before taking a bite of her dinner. Delicious. Most restaurants either made it too savory or too sweet, but the little strip mall take out place had it just right. Guess that explained the long line.

“Wait. You’ve actually worn one?” All the humor drained from Chance’s face as he paused with crab Rangoon half way to his mouth. There was a look of boyish hope mixed with manly lust on his slightly stubbled face that was enigmatically endearing.

Lilith flashed an impish grin and took another bite of her peanut chicken. “So did you get ahold of Timothy?”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Lilith couldn’t help but laugh at the expectant look on his face.

“You’re right. I didn’t.” Lilith flashed an impish grin that only made Chance’s petulant frown deepen as he dug into his General Tso’s chicken.

As soon as they finished eating, Lilith fished out her burner phone and perched on the bed to check her voicemails. Meanwhile, Chance stretched his six foot three frame out on the bed and clicked through the local channels.

The first two voicemails featured Timothy’s frantic voice. He still hadn’t heard anything from Gregor or Chance, where the hell was she, what was going on, etc.

“Chance, you did stop to call Timothy while lighting candles, didn’t you?”

When he didn’t answer, she craned her neck to look back at him. He was staring slack-jawed at the TV. When she glanced over at the screen, she immediately understood while it held his rapt attention. He apparently landed on a news report about the mysterious car wreck and shoot out in New Haven, Connecticut.

His eyes widened as the camera focused in on the damage to the rental car. The right side of the car was smashed in brutally. Lilith didn’t remember it being that bad, honestly. She was surprised the whole right side of her body wasn’t a mass of broken bones and bruises. Chance was thinking the same thing as he stared at the TV in disbelief.

Lilith turned away from the screen to face Chance again. There was no sense in rehashing it right now. Her arm still ached but it was definitely healing. The gash in her scalp had closed up and was now just a light pink scar. She was fine. “Chance.”

Finally his glazed eyes snapped over to her. “What’s up?” He was trying to make his voice smooth and casual, but she could hear all his nervous energy.

“Did you call Timothy?”

“Uh yeah, briefly.” Chance closed his hazel eyes for a moment, focusing and trying to erase the shattered rental car from his mind. “I just told him that things were under control. That you and Gregor are fine and I’d contact him soon.”

Lilith frowned and tilted her head to the side. Chance didn’t need to hear the question, he was already answering it. “There was no sense in telling him Gregor is…well anyway, he is more likely to keep his trap shut and stay put if he thinks everything is fine.”

It made sense. Lilith nodded and turned back to her phone leaving Chance gawking at the TV. The New York-Italian female voice that rumbled over the cheap speaker was definitely one she didn’t recognize.

This is Nicci DeLuca. The guys at the station filled me in on your current situation. I wanted to send my condolences. I’ve been assigned as your new liaison with the police department and I look forward to working with you. Just give me a shout when you’re ready to get to work. I have some notes about the last case Detective Alvarez was working on. Talk ‘atcha later.

The tone in her voice was sincere but somewhat uncomfortable and Lilith didn’t blame her. It couldn’t be easy leaving a message on a stranger’s voicemail that you were replacing their recently deceased partner. It was bound to be at least a little awkward.

After two more panicked messages from Timothy was one from the forensics office in N.Y.C. involving case #529-821456. Apparently, there were some unusual results and they were unsure what to do with the samples. They forwarded the file to her new partner, Detective DeLuca. It had to be something Alvarez was working on before he came down to help. Whatever it was, it could wait.

There was another message from Nicci DeLuca, just touching base and offering a friendly shoulder if Lilith needed one. She sounded sympathetic but not truly concerned… yet, but she was getting there. Lilith would have to give her a quick call soon before she filed a missing person’s report.

Timothy’s panicked voice rattled from her phone  yet again and bordered on being flat out rude. It was a good thing Chance called him. Timothy sounded like he was mere seconds away from calling the FBI, CIA and anyone else he could think of.

The next one was a saved message and she hadn’t the faintest idea what it could be. So much had happened in the last couple days. As soon as Gregor’s warm voice rattled through the speaker, tears sprung to Lilith’s eyes.

Lily, I’m heading to the airport now and I’ll be back in New York in a few hours. I know you’re hurt and angry, but please know that I love you and that has never changed. From the moment you were born, you have been the redeeming light of my life. I hope one day we can overcome the specter of my past and become even closer. I realize that on top of everything else, I didn’t react well to your new…relationship with Chance. He’s an exceptional person and lord knows he’s carried a torch for you all these years. I’m just concerned because one day he will grow old and you won’t. I have been there and it is indescribably painful to watch the one you love wither away and die. Like any other father, I just want what’s best for you. I love you, Lily and I want us to have dinner when I get back in town.

For a moment, Lilith forgot that her father was dead, forgot that she was just listening to a voicemail. Her first impulse was to call him back and apologize for everything. Tears burned down her cheeks as the delusion evaporated and reality began to settle in. She realized that she must have started the voicemail last night and pressed the save button as soon as she’d heard Gregor’s number.

Then the image flashed in her mind. The image of Gregor slumped against the wall, a red, angry hole in his head, his lifeless grey eyes staring out into space. It was too much. Lilith struggled to breathe through the tears as her stomach lurched. She dropped the phone on the bed and ran for the bathroom.