CHAPTER 31
Oliver checked the control panels on the surveillance system.
“Are you sure everything’s working okay?” he barked at Saul.
Saul gave him a funny look. “Yes, I already checked.”
“Just thought I’d, um—double check.” Oliver wished he could pace up and down to release some energy, but the van was too fucking small. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sat down. Stood up.
This was the trouble with loving someone, wasn’t it? You feared for their safety to the point of losing your fucking sanity.
The unmarked police van was parked a block away from the Humans4Monsters offices. Not knowing where Clare would be heading for her interview made him even more jittery.
Wherever she went, they would follow incognito.
In bed this morning as they held each other close, he’d let her reassure him, convince him that she was safe, at least for today. But they both knew, sooner or later, those dark forces would try to abduct her. The question was when—and whether their magick would be strong enough to combat that evil.
Even with Waldo’s reassurances, Oliver was not confident. He’d never dealt with such skullduggery before. The magick he’dhad to combat in the past had at least been in this universe, not another fucking dimension altogether.
Oliver picked up his cell and checked in with Grayson. “All set?”
“Yeah, we’ve got more plain-clothed officers around this part of town than you can poke a stick at,” Grayson told him.
“Okay, we’re on,” Saul called out. “She’s arrived, just greeting Emmaline now.”
They sat down and tuned in, and he watched as Emmaline fawned all over Clare, aka Anna. Oliver winced at Emmaline’s squealing and hugging, but Clare coped with it admirably.
They talked about the monster who would be interviewing her. A satyr called Jeremiah Logan, who owned a chain of jewelry shops. Saul had quickly checked him out, his credentials and business were genuine, which was a relief.
A little bit of small talk and some simpering niceties, then the mic picked up Emmaline’s words.
“We’re meeting Jeremiah at The Den for lunch.”
Oliver’s nerves screamed: high alert.
He glanced at Saul, who also looked worried.
“If Emmaline takes her into that room again, none of the devices will work,” Oliver said.
Oliver shouted to Trent, who was at the wheel. “Drive to the Tower complex. Get as close as you can. We need to be nearby in case of an emergency. Go. Go. Go.”
Clare’s mouth went dry when she saw the car that was waiting to take them to The Den.
A black limo. Just like the one Matteus used to drive. The one that had disappeared.
Emmaline squeezed in next to her. The driver was dressed all in black, with bulked shoulders, but he was not an orc—his skin was grey. He had dark glasses on and didn’t look at them. She had no idea what species he was.
Emmaline put her hand on Clare’s and squeezed it. “I always get so excited when I’m about to seal a deal. You are going to love this opportunity, Anna. Jeremiah is such a cool dude, and his company is going places. He’s even got stores opening in Selig soon.”
“That’s awesome.” Clare touched her pendant. Tried to maneuver it so the camera would capture the back of the driver’s head. She knew they would be trailing the car now. But she didn’t dare look around.
And despite her resolve to stay calm, she felt her pulse speed up, her confidence wavering.
When the lift took them down to The Den, she breathed easier, seeing monsters gathered at some of the tables and around the bar, lunching, drinking, doing business. With all these folks imbibing, laughing, enjoying lunch by candlelight as if they were in a gods damn fairy cave in the middle of a weekday, she decided this must be a legitimate meeting. She cast her eyes around the tables, looking for a satyr.
There was no satyr.
Clare’s nerves spiked as Emmaline led her toward those carved wooden double doors—the room where her mic and camera had failed before.
