Sealed with a Hiss: Book Four Supernatural Enforcers Agency (20 page)

Cora paled.  “I didn’t want to help him.”

The python howled.  “He almost killed Jessica.”

“I didn’t want anything to happen to her,” she cried, wobbling as she stood up.  “I’m glad it didn’t, I’ve felt guilty ever since I agreed to it.  I just worried that you were getting too close to me, and I thought…”

“Her brutal murder would throw me off?” he suggested acidly.

“I wasn’t proud of myself.  I didn’t even know I was meeting Barry that night – he was referred to me by another client.  But after I did, there was no going back.  When I heard you rescued Jessie, I was glad, but I knew it was over.”

She looked at the stone in her palm.

Gerry motioned for everyone to fall back.  This wasn’t going to end well.  She wasn’t going to put it down.  She wasn’t going to let him arrest her.

“Cora, do not do this.”

Cora gave him a defiant look.  “No matter what you think of me, I helped a lot of people.”

“Cora!”

She dropped the stone, and it exploded.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Gerry, Jessie, pancakes are ready!”

“Ummm, five more minutes,” mumbled Gerry as he nuzzled closer to her body.

Jessie snickered, vibrating against his body.  “We better go, or she’ll come up here and whack us with a spoon.”

“Ugh.”  She wasn’t kidding.  Jessie’s mom, Barb, had done just that the morning before.  She was adamant that each day was far too beautiful to be wasted in bed. 
Gerry disagreed.

Jessie threw back the pink covers and slipped out of his grasp.  It was Christmas Eve, and they were staying at Jessie’s parents for the holiday.  Two of Jessie’s younger sisters were sleeping in the living room, much to the jealousy of their brothers who also wanted to make a fort each night in there, and Jessie and Gerry were sharing their bedroom.  It was an explosion of pink and Gerry was adamant that the eyes in the posters were judging them as they had sex.  He complained about it until Jessie stopped laughing and took them down.

After the explosion at the airport, it was chaos in Los Lobos.  The city’s biggest airport was closed at their busiest time of year.  Luckily no one was actually hurt in the confusion.  Security managed to evacuate everyone before it happened.  Well, no one other than Cora and Gerry.

He suffered minor burns and bruises, but he managed to wangle a bed in the hospital next to Jessie’s, and when Nurse Hatchet Face wasn’t looking, he pushed their beds together.  Jessie was still fussing over his bruises now and frowned at him every time he tried to do anything strenuous.  She’d tried to suggest that they abstain from sex, but that was never going to happen.  He didn’t mind her fussing at all.

Actually, he didn’t mind about much at that moment.  He had his mate; he had reasonably good health, and he actually didn’t have a care in the world.

He supposed all the open cases over the past year were now closed.  It was unlikely they could arrest anyone else for the deaths.  The people who committed them would claim Cora was lying, and she wasn’t around to deny it – plus she didn’t actually implicate anyone for those murders.  He imagined the SEA was trying to uncover everything Cora had done, but Gerry wasn’t sure they’d find out.  He doubted Cora was lying when she said she killed twenty-two people.  She was smart, and he doubted she would have been caught if it weren’t for the other people involved.

Gerry only knew about four deaths, five including Maxwell Crescent.  He wondered who the others were she mentioned.

Lance was at least off the hook – since she had confessed to framing him in front of numerous SEA agents, the charges were dropped. 
Millie Crescent was nowhere to be found.

Barry was being charged with abduction, and the DA was trying to push for attempted murder.  He hoped it stuck. 
Fucker
.

Of course, Gerry was still suspended from the SEA, so he didn’t have to worry about the clean up for any of this mess. 
Well, having an SEA agent facilitating vigilante murder revenge fantasies was hardly good.
  Gerry had shied away from the news – he didn’t want to know what they were reporting about this.

No, he had gladly packed up and joined Jessie for a family Christmas in Nutsville.  Jessie’s parents were a little nervous around him, but they were trying not to let it show.  Her dad had even offered to put in a good word for him to the post office in case he needed a new job. 
He was grateful for the offer.

Jessie dragged him out of bed, and he tried cuddling her, but she was having none of it.  “If it isn’t the spoon she’ll send in Hayley.  Do you want my baby sister to come in and find you nude again?”

Gerry shuddered – no he did not want Jessie’s five-year-old sister to see him naked again.  She ran and told her parents that Gerry had a
thingy
just like her brothers - that meant he was a boy.  And because he was a boy he shouldn’t be sleeping in the same room as Jessie, who had a
vagina
.  Jessie’s mom tried to explain that it was like her and daddy sleeping together, but Hayley didn’t look convinced on that – that was something only mommies and daddies did.  Hayley already went around telling everyone that she had vagina –
it was the way she answered the phone
.  He’d prefer that the young squirrel stay away from the discussion on his sexual organs.

He pulled on some sweats and followed Jessie downstairs.  He was enjoying Christmas he really was, but hey, five more minutes in bed with his mate – there was no contest.

Breakfast was the usual chaotic scrum for food, chatter, and laughter interspersed as neighbors and scurry members popped in through the back door to say hi or ask to borrow something.  Barb told them foot traffic was high as they wanted to get a glimpse of Jessie’s young man.

Gerry tried not to scoff when she said that.  He was actually the same age as her parents – he didn’t have the heart to correct her.  If his age bothered them they didn’t say; they seemed to be warier of his python.

So far, as a family, they had been out Christmas shopping five times – he was highly sought after for shopping as his strong, lithe frame was excellent for winding its way through crowds.

They had cut down the Christmas tree.  Again Gerry had been given the honor given his height and strength.  Jessie’s dad was five-foot-six and paunchy and was glad to let someone else take a turn.

They then decorated the tree and Gerry, as the tallest, was tasked to put the star on the top.  But on seeing Hayley’s sad little face, he lifted her and let her do it.  She insisted she sit next to Gerry for every meal now, even in spite of the ‘thingy’ incident.

He’d played football with her younger brothers, and then with her younger sisters who insisted they get a turn but didn’t want to play with their brothers because boys smell.

He’d learned how to make gingerbread men with her mom – because Jessie mentioned something about how sexy it was to have a man who cooked, and because Gerry was all for impressing both his mate and his mate’s mother. 
Brownie points and all that.

He’d even spent some time with her dad out in his workshop where he liked to make furniture.  Gerry was hardly skilled with his hands, despite the lewd comments Jessie made on that subject, but he enjoyed spending time with Bill who treated him like a son despite being only a few months older than him

They naturally had a heart to heart where Bill asked him his intentions towards his daughter.  Gerry immediately said he loved her and wanted to mate her.  Bill seemed pleased and said he hoped it went this well with his other daughters’ future mates.

Bill even let Gerry have a go with his woodworking tools. 
He was terrible
.  The wooden Christmas ornament he made was supposed to be a French hen from the Twelve Days of Christmas song.  It kind of looked like a hen, but one that had been crossbred with a duck and had been run over with an SUV.  He presented it to Jessie who loved it and told him she’d treasure it.

Yes, Christmas with the Duchamps was like a real-life scene on a Christmas card.  Rather than a scene from a Russian novel – like at his house growing up.  To be fair to his parents, the hotel had to stay open for Christmas.  They didn’t have time to care whether their sons were enjoying Christmas.  In his family, the usual feeling was of diffidence at each other’s presence.

But at the Duchamps’ house, everyone was happy and glad of each other’s company – it was unlike anything he’d experienced before.  It was a strange sensation actually to feel accepted and to indulge in the festivities.

“Now, Gerry,” said Barb, Jessie’s mom.  “I was talking to my friends in my book club about your family’s money troubles.”

There was also no hiding anything in Jessie’s family, and they then went out and passed it on to everyone they knew.  In his family, repression was the key.

Barb tossed another pancake onto his plate and nudged the maple syrup in his direction.  “And we would like to help.  We were thinking about holding a bake sale.”

Jessie patted her hand.  “I don’t think that’s going to be enough, Mom.”

“How much money is it?”

“Two and a half million,” said Gerry.

There was a collective ooh from the rest of the table.

“Ah… I can see we’re going to have to think bigger.”

Gerry smiled.  She was sweet.  He could see where Jessie got it from.

His phone rang.  He looked at the caller ID and groaned.  “Excuse me.”

“Who is it?” asked Jessie.

“Juliet.”

“Ugh.”

“Who’s Juliet?” asked Barb.

“Our vampire boss.”

“Ugh.”  The table gave out a collective shudder.

He stepped outside the house into the cool air.  “Hello.”

“Where the heck are you?” came Juliet’s irritated voice.

His snake rumbled, but Gerry didn’t take any offense.  He was far too happy for that.  If he didn’t know it wasn’t so, he’d swear he’d taken some happy pills.  “Merry Christmas to you too, Juliet.”

“Gerald,” she warned.

“I’m at Jessie’s parents’ house.  I’m still on suspension remember?” 
He was just waiting for the firing phone call.

Juliet let out a long, unnecessary breath.  She must be stressed.  She only breathed when she was stressed.  She hadn’t actually needed to for centuries.  “Right, yeah, well we’ve been having a fun time in your absence.  Grant Collier’s been kicked off the Council.”

He had heard that. Edith phoned him to ask where he wanted divorce papers sent to, and she happened to mention that fact while thanking him for freeing her brother.  Not that he had much to do with that.  Catching Cora was down to luck, and his mate almost being murdered. 
Grrr
.

“Now the Council is sending someone to audit us thanks to Cora’s shenanigans,” complained Juliet, with just a hint of bitterness in her voice.  “But at least, it’s not just us.  Cora worked at three other SEA branches before descending on us.  They’re also being audited, and they’re combing through their cold cases to see if any can be attributed to her.”

“How’s the crisis with the airport?”

“Not that bad, they managed to close off the affected parts, and they’re still using it.  Basically, she just destroyed the gift shop.  Christmas vacationers may be pissed that they can’t buy a travel pillow, but they won’t be delayed.  But I didn’t call about that.  When are you coming back to work?”

Gerry raised his eyebrows.  “I still have a job?”

“Of course, you do,” she snapped.  “I doubt anyone will even remember you trying to throttle Barry now.”

Shame he hadn’t killed him at the time thought his snake in annoyance.  Although, they may not have caught Cora so quickly if he had.  Yeah, he was in two minds about that.  But on the plus side Barry was out of the picture.  The agents were probably throwing a party in celebration of him leaving.

“So,” said Juliet testily, “when can I expect you back?”

Gerry’s immediate reaction was to say as soon as possible.  But his snake stopped him.  Before now he’d worked every hour possible.  He caught sight of Jessie through the patio door, and she blew him a kiss.  Hayley saw him and did the same.

If he went back to working the same crazy hours again, he’d miss out on things like this.  Could he really go back to his boring, monotonous life again?  Even if he wanted that –
which he didn’t
- he owed his patient little mate more.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I don’t know if I want to come back.”

Juliet was silent for a few moments.  “You’re joking right?”

“No.”  He was met with more silence.  Nobody could manage silence in the way a vampire could.  He cracked before she did.  “Look, Juliet, I used to work nearly every hour of every day, but I can’t keep doing that.  If I were to come back, something would have to change.  I have other priorities now.”

“Well… we can work around that…”

“Half it.”

“Pardon?”

“Half the job.  Bring in another director to oversee half the teams, and I’ll still cover the other half.  I’ll still cover the Alpha and Beta Teams…”

“Keeping an eye on your squirrel,” she teased.

He ignored her.  “But I won’t cover all the teams.  I’ll work nine to five, five days a week.  I can be flexible when I need to be, but for the most part, I need it to be a regular job.”

“Jessie’s not pregnant is she?”

His beast almost spluttered in shock.  “No!  At least… no.”  Not that she’d told him.  “I mean, maybe one day.  Not right now.”

“Well, I suppose it would work,” she said slowly.

“You agree to that, and I’ll come back.”  He wanted to go back to work, but he wanted to spend time with Jessie more.  Otherwise, he supposed he could get a job at the insurance company again.

“Agreed, on Monday we’ll…”

“Nope, no can do.”

“You’re kidding?” she drawled.

“Nope, I’ll be back on January 2nd.  I’m afraid I’m all booked up until then.” 
He wasn’t joking
.  He had potluck meals, parties, an engagement party and a couple of baby showers penciled in from now until New Year’s Day.  “Take tonight, for example, I’m attending a Christmas sweater party.”