Oak & Thorns Page 3

  Everything had been fine until he called me to look over a break-in at his bakery, and it was then that his obsessive nature had presented itself. Ever since then, he had phoned me, texted me all the time, although I never responded, sent me bouquet after bouquet of flowers, and parked outside my condo building more than once, waiting for me to get home. I had repeatedly told him to stop, and had refused every gift that he sent me, but he refused to listen.

  I folded my arms, saying nothing as he approached. Angel stood beside me, looking as stoic as I felt.

  “I called you ten times last week. Why won’t you answer? Why won’t you call me back?”

  I shook my head. “I told you to leave me alone. I’ll tell you once again: Ray, I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want your gifts, and I don’t want you around. What’s so hard to understand?”

  His expression shifted from determined to petulant. “You owe me. You owe me an explanation, and an apology.”

  I was quickly losing my patience. “I owe you nothing. How dense are you? We’ve been over for a long time. Go away. Leave me alone.”

  “No, we’re not over! You still love me. I know it, because I still love you. Ember, you can’t just walk away from me. I won’t let you go. We’re meant to be together.”

  For a man who made the best doughnuts in the city, he was distressingly divorced from reality. But if there was one thing I had learned during the past year, it was that you didn’t have to be dysfunctional in every part of your life to be a nut job.

  “I’m done. Keep bothering me and I’ll call the police.” It was an empty threat—oh, I’d call them, but they wouldn’t do anything. But it sounded good. I turned to head up the stairs but before I could take another step, Ray grabbed me from behind. He managed to get hold of my wrist and tried to drag me down to the sidewalk.

  “Please, just talk to me. I know you’ll change your mind if you just talk to me.”

  Startled, I almost tripped over the steps. Immediately, I began to pull away. Ray was strong, but I was stronger. I shook him off, but as I started to back up on the stairs, my boot heel caught on a crack and I fell backward, landing hard against the concrete stoop.

  “Leave her alone,” Angel said, hurrying down to my side.

  “Stay out of this, it’s none of your business.” Ray shot her a nasty look.

  I took the opportunity to push myself to my feet, and before he could grab me again, I shoved him away. We were three steps from the sidewalk and he went tumbling down to the concrete, landing on his ass. He jumped up, his eyes flashing dangerously.

  “You shouldn’t have done that, Ember.”

  I turned to Angel. “Get on in, he’s off his rocker.”

  I reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh. If Ray wanted to play rough, I’d play rough. I kept my eye on him as I began to back up the stairs, one cautious step at a time. Ray would reach me before I made the top, but I didn’t want to turn around to run. Never give your opponent the edge, and presenting my back would give him an edge.

  “You fucking women. You treat us like dirt, you lead us on, you make promises and then you break them, and we’re supposed to turn around and run away with our tails tucked between our legs. Not anymore.”

  I held up my dagger. “I will use this if you push it. I told you to go away and leave me alone. I told you we’re done. I told you I’m never going to start up with you again. What more do I have to say to get you to believe me? Do I have to fucking beat the crap out of you?”

  Apparently, that was a challenge. He snorted, then began to bound up the stairs toward me. But two steps in, he froze, staring beyond me, an uncertain light in his eyes.

  From behind me, a voice boomed out. “Think twice before making another move.”

  Oh shit. Herne. I froze. If Ray knew what was good for him, he’d turn around and run right now.

  “Ember, what’s going on?” Herne appeared by my side, never taking his eyes off of Ray.

  “Once again, I was trying to convince Ray to leave me alone.” I hadn’t told Herne much about what Ray had been pulling, more for Ray’s sake than anything else. I had been hoping that he would quietly withdraw. Calling the cops wouldn’t do any good—it never did in situations like this, unless you either had money or your stalker managed to hurt you first. But Herne…he could do some serious damage to Ray, and I knew he would if I said the word.

  “How long has this been going on?” Once again, Herne kept his focus on Ray.

  “For several months,” Angel spoke up. “I know Ember was hoping he’d stop, but it’s time to stop covering for him.”

  Herne stepped in front of me and started down the steps toward Ray. “When a woman tells you to leave her alone, you leave her alone. What’s so difficult to understand about that?”

  I wasn’t sure just how much Ray knew about Herne, but I doubted that he knew Herne was the son of a god.

  “Don’t interfere, man. Ember just needs to realize how much I mean to her.” But there was a flicker of hesitation in his voice, one that made me question just how much Ray actually believed what he had been saying to me.

  At that moment, Angel tugged on my elbow, motioning for me to join her a few steps higher. “He’s not crazy,” she whispered. “He knows full well what is going on. He’s just trying to fuck with your head.”

  “You mean he’s just been harassing me because he’s a jerk?”

  It was bad enough thinking Ray had asked for a divorce from reality, but if he really was just harassing me to make my life miserable, then as far as I was concerned, Herne could twist him in knots. Angel was an empath, and she had the ability to sense when people were lying. If she said that he was fully cognizant of the situation, I believed her.

  “Oh, yeah. This is the first time I’ve been close enough to him to feel out the situation. I can tell you right now, he knows exactly how to push your buttons. He doesn’t think you love him. I don’t even think he loves you. He’s just being an asshole.”

  I hadn’t caught what else Herne had said to Ray while I had been talking to Angel, but at that moment Ray puffed up and pointed to the sidewalk.

  “Seriously? I’d think twice over challenging me.” Herne flexed his fingers.

  I groaned. The thought of two men fighting over me wasn’t a scenario I had ever longed for. I wasn’t into drama, but I resisted the impulse to race down and intervene. Ray had set the stage for this, he needed to take the fall.

  “Prove it, pretty boy. Put up or shut up,” Ray said.

  By that point, the two men were on the sidewalk. Ray was blustering, and I wondered why I had ever found him attractive. But the Ray I had first met had conveniently hid his contempt for women, his controlling nature, and his lack of impulse control.

  At that moment, Ray gave Herne a little shove on one shoulder. I leaned against the wide railing, glancing at Angel, who rolled her eyes and shook her head. As we watched, Herne picked up Ray and, in one smooth move, threw him halfway across the street. He crossed his arms, waiting, as Ray flopped around, then managed to pick himself up.

  The look on Ray’s face made me break out in nervous giggles. He looked stunned. He obviously hadn’t expected that response. For a moment, he fidgeted, still standing in the middle of the street, until a car headed directly toward him. Ray darted back to his own car, shooting laser-sharp glances toward Herne. Then, he slammed himself into the driver’s seat and screeched out of his parking spot.

  Herne let out a loud sigh. “Are you all right?” He jogged back up the steps to my side.

  I nodded. “Thank you. I don’t know why he’s intent on trying to make me miserable, but something set him off a few months ago.”

  “You need to be careful. He’s not crazy, he’s just pissed out of his mind. Crazy, we can deal with. But that sort of deep-seated anger can be deadly.” Herne wrapped his arm around my waist as we headed for the elevator, followed by Angel.

  I wasn’t sure how, but I
needed to defuse the situation, and defuse it quickly.

  AS WE GATHERED around the table in the break room, Angel prepared a fresh pot of coffee. She had settled into her job quickly, and seemed content. In fact, both of us had become far more comfortable over the past few months, and it didn’t hurt that we were making more money than we ever had before. Oh, we weren’t rich, but we could actually make ends meet and still have some left over at the end of the month. Shopping was no longer confined to the thrift shops and garage sales.

  Without missing a beat, Herne slid into his chair and turned to Talia, our resident researcher. A harpy who had lost most of her powers, Talia was an older woman with long silver hair, kept out of her face by small braids on either side, caught back by a butterfly barrette. She was neatly dressed, wearing a pair of tan culottes, and a black linen tank top. A narrow gold belt encircled her wasp waist, and as usual, she looked perfectly pulled together.

  “I want you to look up Ray Fontaine. He owns the bakery over on the Eastside—A Touch of Honey, I believe it is. Find out everything you can on him.” Herne glanced at me. “He’s been harassing Ember, and it’s going to stop. I want you to dig up every skeleton in his closet.”

  For a moment, I felt guilty, then shook it off. That’s what friends were for. They helped you bury the bodies and hide the shovel.

  “Second, and more important at this point, we’re starting a new case day after tomorrow. It’s on Whidbey Island, and it’s private.”

  Yutani frowned, glancing over at him. “Are we driving there every single day? That’s a long haul.”

  “Yes, it is, which is why we’re going to stay there for a few days.” Herne flipped open his file. “We should plan on being there at least three or four days. It may take longer, depending on whether we find enough evidence to warrant taking the case any further.”

  He ran down what Rhiannon had told us, hitting the high points.

  “Tomorrow, I want Talia and Yutani to find out whatever you can about Jona—Rhiannon’s cousin. Also find out whatever you can about his murder. I’ll make a couple phone calls and dig up any dirt I can through official channels. Since Cernunnos and Morgana aren’t behind this, we may find it harder going. But a few people owe me favors, so I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “The hippocampi, what are they like?” Viktor asked, crossing to the refrigerator to poke around inside. Viktor was half-ogre, startlingly tall and brawny, with a smooth bald head that he kept well oiled. He was also brilliant, and one hell of an investigator. Viktor had his sensitive side, though, and all around, I liked him.

  “They’re water horses, at least while they’re in the water. On land they can take either horse or human shape. They’re relatives of the Fae, but they don’t consider themselves part of the Fae community. They tend to hold themselves above and beyond. They are a proud people, but not snobbish. At least, that’s my takeaway from the interactions I’ve had with them,” Herne said.

  “Why do you think the cops wouldn’t look into the murder?” Yutani asked.

  “I don’t know. That’s one thing we need to find out. I don’t think Rhiannon was holding anything back about her cousin, and it sounds like he was happy. But if this had been a run-of-the-mill homicide, you’d think the cops would have done their best to find the murderer.” Herne leaned back in his chair, tapping the table with a pencil. “Something has been bothering me about this case since we talked to Rhiannon, but I don’t know what. I just feel like there’s more here than meets the eye, so if anything triggers an alarm, be sure to mention it.”

  “When she filled out the intake form, I can tell you that Rhiannon was really upset. I think she really loved her cousin.” Having Angel as the receptionist meant that we were able to use her empathic sense as a first impression. Herne had been one smart cookie to hire her.

  Herne nodded. “Okay. We’ll meet tomorrow at noon to compare notes. Yutani and Talia, use the rest of the day for research. Viktor, go through the armory and decide what we might need. It’s hard to say until we know what we’re up against, but we’ll want to take an assortment of weaponry.”

  “What should I do?” I asked.

  “If you could update the paperwork on all of the cases we’ve closed in the past couple weeks, that would be great. I doubt if you can finish all of the notes, but do what you can. Angel, find a hotel for us on Whidbey Island near the hippocampi encampment. A moderately priced one. Make reservations.” Herne consulted his tablet. “We’ll check in on Thursday. Also, find out when the ferry sails, and plan our itinerary in order for us to make check-in time. Give us some leeway, considering traffic.”

  “How many reservations should I make? Who’s going?”

  He grinned. “Everybody. We’ll close up shop for a couple days. I know how hard all of you have been working lately. While this is no vacation, it wouldn’t hurt for any of us to get away. As far as rooms, I’m assuming you and Ember, Yutani and Viktor, and then Talia and I will each have a room. So, four.”

  He gave me a quick look, and I smiled. I wasn’t offended that he expected me to share a room with Angel. As he said, this wasn’t a vacation, and we were on the job.

  “Any preferences on whether there should be a restaurant in the hotel?”

  “Find one with restaurant and room service. We don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, especially since this will come out of the hippocampi’s pockets, but we’re not going to skimp either.” He frowned, then glanced at his phone when it chimed. “Excuse me. I have to take a phone call.” He stood, and without further comment, left the room.

  “How often do you guys get cases outside of Seattle?” I asked.

  Viktor swallowed the rest of the sandwich that he had made. “Not all that often. Oh, sometimes we end up over on the Eastside, or a little farther. But usually not far enough away that we have to rent a hotel. I won’t be sorry to be out of the city, though. I feel like I haven’t had a day off in weeks.”

  “That’s because we haven’t,” Yutani said. “I wonder how they feel about coyotes up on Whidbey Island. I haven’t had a chance to go running for a while.”

  Yutani wasn’t talking about jogging. He was a coyote shifter without a pack. He had been ousted from the small town he used to live in because Great Coyote dogged his heels, so to speak. And anybody that Coyote chose to take under his paw, well, by the end of things, they usually didn’t have many friends left. Yutani often found himself at the mercy of Coyote’s sense of humor. Or at best, at the butt end of the joke. Sometimes, it was better to be somebody’s enemy than their friend.

  “Why don’t you look up their ordinances while we’re doing our research?” Talia said. She glanced over the dossier. “There’s something fishy about this murder. The cops usually don’t ignore homicides unless there’s a reason.”

  “Maybe it’s really as simple as a vampire kill. Sometimes, when there isn’t an easy answer, people don’t want to face the fact that they’re not going to get the closure they want.” Viktor shrugged. “I don’t care whether or not she talked to the vampires on the island. Most vamps aren’t going to own up if they think one of their own killed somebody. Especially not with the treaty in place. The United Coalition has been both a blessing and a curse in that sense.”

  “So you’d rather see humans making all the laws without the rest of our input?” Talia shook her head. “No thank you.”

  “Don’t put words in my mouth. I didn’t say that.” Viktor twisted his lips into a frown. “I think all the major races have to be represented in the United Coalition. However, that doesn’t change the fact that politics can be problematic, especially with creatures like vampires. The Vampire Nation has a vested interest in protecting its reputation, given the past, and given the fact that they have managed to finagle their way into most of the economic markets in the world.”

  “It’s not like the Fae Courts don’t do the same thing, though.” I decided to jump into the argument. “They influence t
he authorities—especially law enforcement—heavily. Hell, they practically run the police stations in most major cities. I think the only group in the United Coalition that hasn’t tried to pull strings is the Shifter Alliance.”

  Yutani snorted. “Think that if you like, but I wouldn’t place bets on you being right.”

  I stared at him. “What are you talking about? I have never heard a single complaint that the Shifter Alliance has tried to influence politics, other than laws relating to their lives.”

  The United Coalition was composed of four groups that ran the country. Most nations followed a similar formation. In the United States, the UC was composed of the Shifter Alliance, the Vampire Nation, the Fae Courts, and the Human League. A set number of legislators from each group joined to form the governing councils of both the nation, and the varying states. By law, there had to be a proportionate number of lawmakers in each government body as there were members of that particular population. It didn’t ensure that justice was fair, but it was a long cry from the gerrymandering that had gone on in the past.

  Yutani leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His hair spilled over his shoulders in a silken cloud. “Just because the Fae come on like sledgehammers, and the vampires sneak in with their money, doesn’t mean that the shifters don’t look for ways to influence society and the laws. Take a long look at the school boards and PTAs. Education is a good venue from which to change society.”

  I frowned, biting the inside of my lip. I had never really thought about the matter, nor did I take any notice about who was in the PTA or on school boards, given I didn’t have children and I wasn’t really that interested. But if Yutani was right, it might actually be something to pay attention to. Especially since the shifters didn’t care much for the Fae, and they sure as hell didn’t like vampires.

  “Save the political discussions for later, children,” Talia said with a dry laugh. “While you were busy arguing, I took a quick look at the shifter ordinances up on Whidbey Island. There is a large park where you can go running safely, Yutani. But pay attention to the hours. The big cat shifters and canine shifters are kept separate. And prey-shifter types have their own times as well. You can be fined heavily if you break the rules.”