“Did Ilayda have some kind of calendar or notebook she used to keep track of her schedule?”
“I…I don’t know. Why don’t I know that? I should know that.”
“She may have used her phone,” Evie said soothingly. “We need to get a sense of her schedule in the days leading up to her kidnapping. Can you help us with that?”
Nereus nodded. “The bodyguards…they drove her to and from all her appointments. She hated it, said she wanted to drive herself, but I thought it was safer.” His lips twisted, but he shook it off and got to his feet, turning to Hefeydd. “Find Alwyn.”
Hefeydd disappeared, returning less than a minute later with another dark fae guy. This one had cut his hair short, showcasing his pointed ears.
“Alwyn is head of security for the household,” Nereus said. “He will cooperate with you for anything you need.”
Alwyn watched us with an inscrutable expression but nodded when we explained what we needed. “Ilayda didn’t have a formal schedule, but I’ll give you what I can.”
Kyla glanced at Nereus. “If you could also send us anything you have from the bodyguards, that would be great.”
Nereus merely nodded.
“We’ll be in touch,” Evie told him, but he’d gone back to sitting and staring blankly at the flowers once more. It was difficult to imagine him being involved in Ilayda’s disappearance, but a woman who felt safe and secure in her relationship didn’t hide a packed suitcase and a gun.
5
MEREDITH
“Hard to imagine a fae buying a gun,” I mused, glancing at Evie. She was driving, while Kyla had insisted on giving me the front seat and stretching her legs out across the back seat. “It must be difficult to go from being a powerhouse to not being able to trust that power overnight.”
“Interesting choice by Mother Nature to mess with paranormal powers right when they’re most vulnerable,” Kyla said.
Evie shrugged. “I heard a theory that the developing fetus is growing its own powers at the same time, even though it won’t be able to use them for years. Apparently that’s what messes with the mom’s power.”
Evie turned right onto Main Street. She slowed down as we passed Gary’s store and beeped. He poked his head out the door, waving back at us.
“Danica’s having a statue of a gnome built to stand outside the palace gates,” Evie said. “To thank the gnomes for everything they did during the battle.”
My heart sped up at the memory of all the blood and death and loss. The gnomes had saved our bacon that day, working together to get the artifact close to the front lines, all while Lucifer’s people had thought they’d destroyed it. If not for Gary and his friends, we’d likely all be dead.
“I bet the demons will love that,” Kyla laughed behind us.
“Samael will do anything to keep Danica happy,” Evie said. “It’s cute.”
She turned left onto Church Street and pulled into the first empty parking spot she found.
We walked toward the small store, positioned between an attorney’s office and a hair studio. The sign on the door was flicked toClosed,but Evie opened the door and strolled in like she owned the place.
I frowned, glancing around at the empty shelves. A male voice called out from the back room. “I’ll be right there.”
Thirty seconds later, an unremarkable white guy appeared. If asked by the police to describe him, I would have struggled. Light brown hair, average features, clean-shaven skin, dark brown eyes.
He was human. I knew it. And yet, if I ever met him in a dark alley, I’d run like hell. There was something about him that made me go into fight-or-flight mode.
“Evie. And you’ve brought friends.”
He was examining Kyla now, and if she’d been in her wolf form, her fur would have stood up. She didn’t snarl at him, but her eyes narrowed and she took a step back. Anyone who didn’t know her might think she was scared. I knew she was giving herself more room to maneuver. If she wanted to, she could shift in a fraction of a second and tear his throat out a moment later.
The guy knew that too. He went still, but his gaze never left her face.
“Martin, these are my friends Kyla and Meredith.”
Martin glanced back at me. “Meredith. The bar?”
