“Yeah.”
“Good drinks. Good atmosphere. What can I do for you ladies?”
Something in his eyes had shifted, and now he looked like any other frat boy. But I knew what I’d seen.
“We’re investigating a kidnapping,” Evie said. “The victim had one of your guns.”
He raised an eyebrow. “In that case, follow me.”
I really did not want to follow him anywhere. But I had an over-powered witch ahead of me and a pissed-off werewolf at my back. We all trailed after him, and I gaped as he led us into his “stock room.”
Except it wasn’t a stock room at all. It was several times larger than the store itself, and while the shelves in the front were empty, this was…an armory.
Every inch of the wall was taken up by machine guns. The open drawers spanning one entire side of the room displayed smaller guns. The tables in front of us? Yep. Guns.
Revolvers, pistols, shotguns, semiautomatic rifles, and plenty I couldn’t recognize.
Evie reached into her purse and pulled out Ilayda’s gun, handing it to him. “I recognized one of yours.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s one of mine. I remember this woman. Light fae?”
“Yeah. Her name was Ilayda. We’re trying to figure out why she was scared enough to buy a gun, and when she would have purchased it.”
“She was pregnant. Just enough to show, but she kept doing that thing pregnant women do where they touch their stomachs. Seemed she was terrified. Wanted the gun for ‘protection.’”
“Did she say what she wanted protection from?”
He frowned, leaning against a table. “No. I remember her because we don’t get a lot of paranormals in here. The occasional bloodthirsty witch—” he smirked at Evie “—but until her, I’d never sold a fae a gun. Of course, rumor is, they’re easier to kill while pregnant.”
I tensed, and he glanced at me. Evie shot me a warning look.
“Did she say what she wanted protection from?” she asked.
“No. But she wanted to know if I knew someone who could teach her how to use it. Said she’d never shot a gun before and she should probably learn how it worked. I referred her to a guy I know, but I’m not sure if she ever contacted him.”
“Can we have his name?”
He sighed. “My associates won’t want to be involved in an ongoing investigation.”
“It won’t go any further than us,” Evie promised.
After a few minutes of cajoling, Martin gave us the details, and we walked back toward the car.
“Not only was she scared enough to buy a gun, but she wanted lessons on how to use it,” Kyla said.
I nodded. “She figured someone was coming for her. But…why not tell Nereus?”
“Because she was either scared of him or someone he knew.” Evie frowned, staring into the distance as she unlocked her car.
“You think we should look into Favir?” I asked.
She nodded. “We look into anyone connected to Nereus, the bodyguards, and anyone who was regularly in that house. And we need to start putting together a list of Ilayda’s contacts. Including a family tree. Maybe one of her relatives wasn’t happy about her shacking up with an unseelie.”
“Good plan,” I said. “Send me through anyone you want me to research. But right now, I need to get back to the bar.”
“I’ll come with you,” Evie murmured. “I could use a drink.”
I glanced at Kyla. “You in?”
