The Shifter's Conspiracy (Paranormal BBW Werewolf Romance Novella) (7 page)

But there was hesitance in my heart when I had these thoughts. And not just because I knew it was wrong to entertain romantic notions about a coworker. There was something genuinely terrifying about Elias, something wild and untamed and fearsome in his nature, something hidden beneath that calm and collected everyday façade.

I was pondering what exactly this hidden layer was when my thoughts were interrupted by spoken words, words I didn’t catch because my mind had wandered so far away from the present moment.

“What?” I asked, trying to hide the fact I hadn’t been paying attention. “Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you.”

“You’re going to take the lead on this one. Have you ever done that before?”

“No. They barely ever let me out of the station,” I said, sarcasm shining through despite my attempts to remain professional.

“OK. The important thing to remember is to be thorough. Maintain your cool, listen intently. Don’t push too hard. Try to act in a way that makes them want to tell you everything they know. Smile a lot. You don’t want them to feel threatened. I’ll jump in if things go awry.”

“OK. I think I can handle that.”

“Good. I think you can, too.”

We parked a few blocks away from the salon; Alluring Cuts, was the name. It sounded foreboding, subtly dark and secretly cruel. But really, that wasn’t the case.

The inside was bright and friendly. The owner, Silvio Raducci, a flamboyant Italian man came out to greet us, more than pleased to answer any questions we might have. He led us into the back of the salon, into a private room so as not to concern the other customers.

He offered us espresso, which we declined. He got up to make himself one then joined us, sitting on a couch facing across from us, his legs crossed lackadaisically as he gave us a charming smile.

“So, how can I help you fine officers? Is officer the right term? I’m sorry, I have absolutely
no clue
about these sorts of things,” he said, cheerfully and somewhat playfully.

He didn’t seem to be taking the encounter particularly seriously, but he also didn’t seem like someone who had much to hide, at least nothing relevant to the abductions case, anyways.

“Well,” I started off cautiously. “Mr. Raducci…”

“Please, call me Silvio. I positively hate being called a mister of any sort.”

“Silvio,” I said, correcting myself. “I’m going to read off a list of names. If you can just confirm whether they were ever patrons of the salon and whether you knew them personally.”

“Can I see the list?” asked Silvio.

I looked over at Elias and he nodded in confirmation. I handed Silvio the list.

“Let’s see,” said Silvio, putting a finger to his lips as he took the list. “I know her, her, her… Yes, I’ve met all these girls before. Half of them I’ve styled personally. She in particular has a great head of hair. Very sassy.”

“You’re aware this is in relation to the ongoing investigation of the abductions that have been so prominent recently. Is there anything about your relationship with them that we should know about?”

“Relationship? Honey, I’m a stylist.”

“I mean, did they ever tell you anything questionable? Did they have any dark secrets that would make sense of their sudden disappearance?”

“I’m a stylist, sugar. I know all their secrets, at least the one’s whose hair I did.”

“Anything abnormal?”

“I wouldn’t say so. Typical boy issues. That sort of thing. A few of them were quite slutty, if I may say so. Wouldn’t surprise me to see them going home with a stranger, if you know what I mean,” said Silvio with a wink.

“Right. Other than that, any sort of emotional issues you were aware of? Outstanding debts? Drug use?”

“Are you asking me to break stylist-stylee confidentiality?”

“Umm…” I hesitated.

“It’s a joke, sweetheart. No, they were really pretty normal girls. You know, dancing, clubs, drinks. Partying on the weekends, but nothing nasty, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing any different from 90% of the young women in this city.”

“I see.”

“That’s basically all I know. Remember, I don’t know each of these girls personally, so you might want to talk to some of the other stylists. They might have some dirt you can use.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” said Elias, entering the conversation for the first time. “We’ll call you if we have any questions.”

“I certainly hope you do call,” said Silvio, giving a flamboyant wink.

Elias rolled his eyes and then looked over at me.

“Let’s get out of here, Tess. Thanks again, Silvio.”

“Well, that was a failure,” I said cynically, my eyes trained on the ground as we walked out of the salon.

“Don’t be hard on yourself. You did fine.”

“But we didn’t
learn
anything.”

“There wasn’t anything to learn. That guy didn’t know a damn thing,” said Elias as he walked beside me, his hands thrust into the pockets of his leather jacket, bracing against a gust of cold wind.

“You’re sure about this? I know he was dismissive, but maybe it was just an act,” I said suspiciously, keeping my mind open to all the possibilities.

“I’m positive. I have a sense for these things. He’s just a strange character, nothing more, nothing less.”

“If you say so.”

“Listen, do you want to grab a bite to eat? Frankly, I’m starving and the cafeteria back at the precinct station serves some of the worst food I’ve ever had in my life.”

I laughed. Yes, the food was horrible; that much was undeniable.

“Sure, I could go for something. There’s a pretty famous deli just around the block actually. Well, kind of famous, kind of an insider secret.”

“That sounds good. What’s the name? Maybe I’ve heard of it.”

“Arturo’s.”

“Hmm, doesn’t ring a bell, but I’m game to check it out,” said Elias.

“It’s the best. You’ll love it.”

When we got to the deli, I was grateful for the warm air inside. It was cold outside, even for late October. A gregarious, portly man stood behind the counter ready to take our orders. I was surprised that there were actually several open tables given that it was right around lunchtime.

“I’m going to make a quick phone call,” said Elias, heading toward the back of the restaurant. “Order me whatever you get.”

He walked off without another word and I ordered two hot Italian subs, which sounded absolutely perfect on a day like this.

I went and sat at a table toward the front of the restaurant by the window overlooking the street. I stared idly at the people walking by outside, pondering the case and realizing just how hungry I was as I waited for our food to arrive.

To be honest, I was pretty annoyed at how the questioning at the salon had gone. Did this mean we were back to square one? Where the hell do we go from here? I guess Dr. Geiss could review the files again, but if there was anything substantial I assume she would have mentioned it in the briefing earlier.

Once again, I found my mind wandering back to Elias. I was in awe of him, how confident and self-assured he was, especially with respect to the interview we’d just conducted. How could he be so sure? He said he trusted his senses, his instincts. Was that something I could learn? Or was it inborn?

I thought about this question, but also started wondering where he’d gone. I looked toward the back of the deli but couldn’t see him from the angle of my chair. The food was going to be here soon and if he was going to experience the full magic of an Arturo’s sub he’d better get back here and eat it while it was still hot.

Elias made an excuse to get away from Tess. The fact was there was something strange about this place, something that put him on edge. The air tasted like poison to him; he sensed other shifters in close proximity.

Walking toward the back of the restaurant, his sense of danger got ever sharper. What exactly was he dealing with here? He tried desperately to organize his thoughts. It’d been awhile since this part of his nature had even dared to rise up to the surface of his being.

Sure, his wolf instincts helped him in the daily aspects of his job as an agent, but it’d been a long time since he’d run into other shifters. Had he stayed with the pack, this wouldn’t have been the case. But when he’d left to pursue a career in the human world, he knew that for the most part he’d be leaving his own kind behind.

They’d called him foolish at the time. They told him he’d never fit in. They asked him why he wanted to do it, why he wanted to forsake his pack and go into human society.
Because I want to protect them
. That had been his answer. But his packmates had just laughed in his face.
Protect them? Why? They’re too stupid; they deserve every petty harm that befalls them
. That was the only answer he’d heard from the chorus of voices and howls.

But Elias had never believed that. He believed there was something special about humans, these strange, sensitive creatures who were capable of the most extreme suffering, but also great accomplishments. Just look at their societies, the cities they built. New York was a case in point of the genius of the humans. Something about it had always had a pull on Elias, but this wasn’t to say he didn’t sometimes miss his own kind.

The fact was that most shifters in human society were ruthless, tireless villains pulling the strings from behind the scenes, covert criminals out to profit from human misery. That was why Elias always maintained great suspicion anytime he ran across his own kind out in the human world. It usually meant great danger.

For the time being, however, he couldn’t find the source of what was putting him on edge, the locus of energy that had struck a chord with his inner nature. It was then that his mind wandered back to Tess. He’d better head back, he thought. No need to make her suspicious. He turned and walked calmly back to find her sitting at the table, gazing serenely out at the busy street.

He made a mental note of her face in this moment, how the light fell on it through the storefront window. She also awakened within him something of his inner nature. He’d never felt
this
type of attraction before. It was new and intriguing, and it made him feel lucky to know he’d have the chance to work with her over the coming weeks, even if his stay in this city was to ultimately come to an end.