“And I agreed just like that?” Gillian asked in disbelief. “This cover you’ve created makes you sound a little possessive and impulsive. Do you honestly think anyone will buy it?”
“What if you said you’ve always secretly fantasized about getting swept off your feet? You and I both wanted to explore this thing between us and give it a real chance, so you moved in, end of story.” His face changed back to normal, the heat now gone from his eyes. He moved in a flash of light, to a chair at the dining room table and booted up his laptop. “Do we need to go over this again?” he asked, not bothering to look her way. This little game seemed to have had zero effect on him.
Her face flushed. “You’re one hell of a storyteller, but do you really think my friends will believe that after a couple of dates, and some good sex, I moved in with you?”
“It could never be just good between us, Gillian—exceptional, mind-blowing, yes.” He looked up and his eyes turned dark, almost molten.
The conviction in his words made her nipples tighten into points and heat pool to her inner thighs. His confidence bordered on cocky. She wanted to deny it, but the words got sucked back in her throat, along with all the air in the room. “Even still, I’ve never been flighty.” Okay, maybe she was, but he didn’t need to know that. Ever since a dark fae tried to abduct her and turn her into fish bait, she’d made an oath to live life to the fullest every day.
“It’s your job to convince them for their safety as well yours, but I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.” The warmth in his voice made her melt.
She shook her head from the sexual haze. “This all seems so out of character, even for me.”
He pinned her with his gaze, as though trying to delve beneath the surface. “Yes, but when it comes to love and passion all bets are off. Don’t you agree, Gillian?” Her name sounded decadent on his lips like warm chocolate.
She nodded her head, shock jolting through her body. She never imagined Mulroney to be such a romantic. The knowledge made her a little dizzy. “I hope I can remember everything we talked about.”
“Make some notes if you have to. It always helps me to refer back, and most of all, try to sound convincing.” The genuine concern in his voice caught her off guard. Could she have been wrong about him? The question nagged at her. “Oh, and disregard what I said earlier about staying off social media. I permit you to tweet away. Let’s see if it lures him out.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to concentrate on work at this point. Her heart tugged with worry over Brooke, and she was still heartsick over Salem. Now there was a pretend relationship to contend with and a smoking hot detective at her beck and call. She got to her feet, cut through the hallway, and up the staircase without looking back at Garrett. Why did it feel like she was getting in bed with the devil, an icy-blue eyed one at that?
Chapter 12
After Garrett walked Gillian through the doors of her shop, he’d made sure the place was secure and then crossed the street to the unmarked late model Sedan parked on the corner. An officer Garrett had seen around the station rolled down his window, and Garrett flashed his badge. “Detective Mulroney,” he said and offered his hand.
“Scott Andrews. We’ve never met, but I’ve heard a lot about you, and Gillian Howe, of course.” He cracked a smile. Garrett ignored the friendly ribbing. “I’ll be your eyes and ears, Detective.”
“Good. I’ll be back at some point today after my meeting.” Garrett handed Andrews his card. “My cell number is written on the back. Don’t hesitate to reach out if anything looks suspicious.” He hoped the officer didn’t pick up on the protective note in his voice.
The officer’s grin widened. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on your girlfriend.” So much for being discreet.
The MBI offices were located twenty-five miles due north of Raven’s Hollow. The building couldn’t be found on a GPS or a map. Garrett had been here many times before since the two agencies worked together to solve a myriad of cases over the years.
And yet, coming here never got old. From the outside, the huge brick structure resembled a run-down factory, but inside, it was a high-tech mage facility. Wall-sized computer screens filled much of the space, along with life-size moving holograms of wanted criminals.
Denopoulos insisted they meet here, mainly because it was off the grid. There was too much at stake to risk talking at the station. Garrett hated the idea of dirty cops on the payroll. But like it or not, the investigation on the Shadow Cabal proved it was very much a reality. Going forward, there were few on the force he would trust these days.
“As far as we can tell, Lawrence has gone underground since he kidnapped Brooke Corey. He was last seen at a hotel in Clifton twenty-four hours ago; then, the trail goes cold.” Garrett slid the file across the table to Alex Denopoulos, the only human on the MBI, and his demon partner, Cayden Teague, hoping they had something more to go on than he did. “We have the client list from the Cherry woman, which might be a place to start. We’ve contacted all the witnesses from the party, and no one’s talking.”
They were seated at a long conference table with Dubrosky on one side of him, Denopoulos and Teague on the other. As far as he could tell, they were the only creatures in the building. The staff consisted of robotic arms and artificial intelligence. Since the MBI had jurisdiction over the case, it had been decided that the RHPD would assist in an unofficial capacity during the investigation. For Gillian’s sake—and Brooke’s, of course—he would do everything in his power to help, even if it meant revealing his connection to Malcom and things from his past that he’d rather forget.
“Where do we go from here?” Dubrosky broke in, tapping her fingers on the conference table. She wore a navy suit and kept her dark hair pulled off her face in a tight ponytail. The only thing missing to her detective ensemble was a trench coat.
“First, I want to get the matter of the coven off the table. We’ve got uniforms parked outside.” Garrett turned to his partner. “Dubrosky, can you stop by periodically to make sure those women are safe?”
“Got it covered, partner.” Dubrosky smiled. “That should score some points with Gillian.”
The three of them laughed. He ignored them and continued. “I’ve made some calls to check on Lawrence’s alibi for the night of the murder. I’m still waiting to hear back.” After Garrett filled them in on the captain’s plan to use Gillian as bait, he exhaled, not sure how they’d react to this new information.
Teague nodded his approval, running a hand through his spikey, blond hair. “Let me get this straight, you and Gillian under the same roof, pretending to be a couple?” He burst into laughter. “Don’t ever let me hear you complain about getting the shitty assignments, Mulroney.”
Garrett muttered a curse. “Wait a minute. It’s not like that—”
“Yeah, give it time. How’s that working out so far?” Denopoulos chimed in, scratching his beard. “Does she know you’ve got the hots for her, Mulroney? I hope she’s not walking around your place in those short little robes all the girls wear around the coven.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me.” Garrett rubbed the back of his neck and tried not to groan. He’d already taken one cold shower this morning, which did nothing to fan the flames of his desire.
