“I’ve got hours before I have to go to work. Want to fool around?”
“After you put your head in a toilet bowl?”
My hands slid down to his pants. “Then let me take care ofyourneeds.”
He captured my wrists and lowered my arms. “If there’s one thing I have, it’s patience. For you, I’ll wait an eternity.”
I fell into his arms and rested my cheek against his warm chest. “Thanks for looking after me.”
“It was either that or let you wander the streets mounting light poles.”
“I might have caused another blackout and electrocuted myself.”
He gently kissed my head. “I’d have passed out sparklers and vibrators at your funeral.”
Christian’s heart thumped in a steady rhythm. His embrace was safe, something I’d only ever experienced with my father. “Anything new happening at home?” I asked, curious if he’d tell me about Lenore’s visit.
He stroked my hair. “Nothing you need worry about.”
Christian was right. We were stronger than that, and this conversation didn’t need to devolve into a petty argument about another woman. I had something she wanted, and that was Christian’s loyalty. Maybe there were two sides to the story, and I was trying too hard to villainize a woman who might have done what she did to protect herself. Maybe you can only toy with a killer’s emotions for so long before they turn that rage on you. Christian was willing to do anything for me, and because of that, I’d kept secrets about Houdini. Not because I wanted to, but it was the only way I could protect Christian from self-destructing.
In any case, Lenore no longer had influence over him. She might have a sweet position with the higher authority, but money or power wasn’t enough to sway Christian. His second home was a shack in the woods, and he’d spent all his money to save my father, a man he didn’t particularly care for.
“Do you have any suspects?” he asked. “Shepherd has a few in mind.”
“None that jump out.” I backed up toward the door. “I do have one guy that approached me last night and gave me his business card.” I stared at it on the floor where it lay next to my bra. “I’m going to call him and see if it leads anywhere.”
“Keep your boots on so Wyatt can track you. And if you leave the club, use the front door so Blue will see you. I had to call her this morning to let her know you were here.”
“Do you think she’ll tell Viktor?”
“Aye. She’s loyal like that. But Viktor will understand why I had no choice but to get involved, and Claude was a witness. We haven’t compromised the mission. I was careful moving about the club. I put you in the cab alone and rode separately.” He propped his hand on the door and looked down at me.
I reached up and stroked his beard. “Can you do me a favor?”
“And what’s that, lass?”
“Order me Chinese food. I have an insatiable appetite.”
A crooked grin wound up his cheek. “So do I, Precious. So do I.”
Chapter 13
After ordering Raven orange chicken with fried rice and egg rolls, Christian surreptitiously left the hotel through a back door. Without sunglasses, driving his Ducati with the sun in his eyes was pure torture. Since he had ripped up his shirt, all he had was his trench coat, which flapped behind him in the wind.
As he sped down the long and winding rural road, he regretted leaving that man at the club alive. But a dead body would have shut the place down and drawn attention to Raven. Still, if Claude hadn’t called him, Raven would be having a different kind of morning. Christian would have never held her accountable for doing anything under the influence of magic. All that guilt she felt was her human side talking—the one she cleaved to. Despite her past experiences, there were many things she didn’t yet know about the Breed world. Most of them she would have to learn on her own, like how potent Sensor magic could be. Sometimes telling a person wasn’t enough.
Christian throttled the engine at an intersection, impatiently waiting for the light to turn green. Who had given her that drink? After this assignment was over, it would become his mission to find out. Thinking about the ways he’d kill that bastard had distracted him during the painfully long hours he’d spent watching Raven pleasure herself. Last night’s visual would stay with him forever, and just the thought of it was making him hard.
Once he entered Keystone’s gates, he slowed his bike near the house. Instead of veering toward the underground garage, he drove around the circular driveway and parked next to the Harley-Davidson. He didn’t have to guess who was here. After he shut off his bike, a tapping sound from inside was all he could make out.
Christian glided through the front door, flung his coat on a winged statue, and spotted Crush facing the stairwell, one foot on the bottom step and his arms folded. Oil stains covered his jeans and white T-shirt. Those weren’t clothes he wore around his house, so he must have come straight from work.
When Crush heard the door shut, he stopped tapping his foot and turned around. “Where’s Raven?”
“As always, delightful to see you, Mr. Graves. Can I get you a drink? Perhaps a fire hose to clean your soiled garments?”
“Cut the shit. I want to know where my daughter is.”
