Mercenary Read online

  I held up a hand. “I understand completely. You don’t want to upset him with news about the threat to his girlfriend’s life.”

  Jeff blinked, and his mask slipped, just for a second. “Girlfriend?”

  “Mr. Carter, please don’t say anything.” Illyana put her hand on my shoulder, and I tensed. There was no magic in the touch—yet. But I could feel her energy humming beneath the surface. “Ms. Renard, please step back.”

  I did as she asked, but I didn’t look away from Jeff. For the first time the ranger was looking at me as if I might have valuable information.

  “You can’t blame us for thinking she’s your girlfriend,” Liam said, taking advantage of Illyana’s focus on me. He held up his cell phone, showing a copy of the pictures plastered all over Jeff’s bedroom door. “I do apologize if we were wrong.”

  Jeff stared at the phone. “Is that my house?”

  “Enough!” Illyana raised her hands, holding one toward me, and one toward Liam. “Get Mr. Carter in the SUV. We’re leaving. Now.”

  “We’ll follow you then,” I said. “We can chat while we wait for Mr. Winters.”

  Illyana shook her head as the green-skinned guard took Jeff’s arm and led the contemplative ranger out the door. Blackjack swept through the air to follow them out, staying with Jeff without perching on his shoulder. A cautious bird.

  “No. Mr. Winters will see you after sunset.” She gave me a curt nod, then turned on her heel. “Goodbye, Mother Renard. Detective Osbourne.”

  “Wait,” I said, taking a step after her.

  “What is it?”

  The exhaustion had crept back into her voice, and I suspected that part of her haste to leave was the desire to get back to her quarters and rest. Illyana was running on fumes.

  “I think you should know I have reason to believe Ian Walsh is setting Jeff up.” I nodded to Liam and he held out his cell phone to the sorceress. “We took those pictures today. I think someone planted them there to make it look like Jeff has romantic feelings for his best friend’s wife.”

  Illyana glanced at the screen, but only for a second. “You found the ranger. That is most impressive, Mother Renard. We’ve been looking for Mr. Carter for weeks now, with no luck. I myself searched the Borvo Springs for Blackjack several times. May I ask how you found him?”

  I gestured at Scath. “She found him.”

  Illyana stared at Scath with an intensity that made me think she was using her third eye. A second later, her eyes lit up like those of a marine biologist who’s spotted a creature the world had written off as extinct. “Ah, I see. Interesting that the bird chose to reveal himself to you.” She shook off that thought and looked at Liam. “Do you believe Mr. Carter is being set up, as Ms. Renard puts it?”

  “I think double talk is a beloved sidhe pastime,” Liam said. “Ian Walsh has been incredibly blunt in his answers, and his dissemination of information. It’s out of character enough to be suspicious.”

  “And do you have any proof? Any evidence to support your claim against Ian Walsh?”

  I shifted my weight to my other foot, then froze, trying not to fidget under the woman’s silvery stare. “Not yet.”

  “In that case, may I posit another theory?”

  I didn’t like the tone of her voice, but I nodded.

  “Suppose the demons attempted to take on Underhill, but found that not only did Ian Walsh’s company enjoy a close and respectful relationship with a human who holds great sway in the private military industry, but also had the financial and political backing of Mr. Winters himself. The demons enlist the help of a dream sorceress who uses her position and her hotel to prey on the minds of politicians—politicians like Mr. Temple.”

  I already didn’t like where this was going.

  “Together with the sorceress, the demons convince Mr. Temple to give them an opportunity to show him what they can do. They come up with a plan, even bringing over a centaur from Syria for the added strategic advantage she provides.” She met my eyes. “Did the demons tell you what her advantage was?”

  “They refused to discuss her mission,” I said hesitantly.

  Illyana gave me a wan smile. “Of course they did. Their mission involved relieving a certain eccentric of materials he’d managed to gain through illegal means. Materials that may have been useful to someone attempting to weaponize a virus which the owner of the new materials had stolen from his place of employment. This particular eccentric lives on a farm, out in the mountains of Wyoming. His security is proportional to his activities, as you can imagine.”

  “Wyoming?” Liam asked.

  “Wild horses,” I murmured. “Stasya wouldn’t leave footprints. And she could hide among wild horses without causing a stir.”

  “You’re more right than you know,” Illyana said. “Because Stasya was not a purebred centaur. Somewhere in her bloodline, there is sidhe.”

  Understanding dawned. “She had glamour.”

  Illyana swayed on her feet, caught herself, and grasped the back of the couch for balance. The second guard, the one with arms bigger than my thighs, shifted forward, not quite offering help, but putting himself close enough to offer it if needed.

  “Yes,” Illyana continued. “Stasya could hide among other horses, and you’d never see a trace of her human half. She could look completely and utterly equine.”

  “Sidhe blood,” I repeated. “Did Ian know?” I was sure he’d never mentioned it.

  “He did. And I believe that is why he was able to convince Stasya to leave Scoria Security and join him at Underhill.” Illyana shrugged. “Say what you like about the sidhe, but they call to their own. And I have yet to meet anyone with sidhe blood who didn’t yearn, at least in part somewhere deep inside their soul, to be part of that world.”

  For a split second, I could have sworn Illyana glanced at Scath when she said that last part. I bit my lip. If what Illyana said was true, then it was possible Stasya had defected.

  “In addition, we have recently been made aware of certain phone conversations between Aaban and Jeff.”

  Liam stepped forward, his blue eyes locking on Illyana. “Jeff talked to Aaban?”

  “Yes. Not only that, Borvo Springs has informed us that the dream sorceress Arianne Monet has been inside not just Roger’s mind, but Jeff’s as well. It seems this invasion occurred within the past hour. Isn’t that interesting?”

  Liam looked at me, a question in his eyes.

  “Arianne was in the dreamworld questioning Jeff,” I admitted, hating how it sounded. Whatever I’d said to Arianne, the fact of the matter was, I did think Ian was guilty. But the odds were not looking good.

  “Do I need to tell you what that means?” Illyana pressed.

  “It means Anton can’t use hypnotism to get the truth from Jeff. If the hospital can prove that Arianne was inside Jeff’s head, then his memories are suspect. Anyone could argue that Arianne planted the images in his head, manipulated them to suit her.”

  “And her allies,” Illyana added. “So I’ll ask you now, Ms. Renard. Who do you believe is responsible for the centaur’s death?”

  “Sounds like you’ve got everything short of a confession,” I said quietly.

  Illyana’s smile widened, and my heart fell. “Now that you mention it, we did encounter a pair of baobhan sidhe on our way here. They’ve confessed to their part in Roger’s unfortunate condition.”

  Liam straightened. “Did either of them say who they were working for?”

  “They are bound, as Roger was. Neither of them can say who gave them their orders. But Nathan did ask me to speak to you about his cell phone?”

  I gritted my teeth, but there was nothing I could do. I was sure Nathan had already told her. “There are calls between him and Aaban. But a couple of calls don’t prove anything.”

  “I would posit that in addition to everything else we’ve learned, it proves a great deal,” Illyana chastised. “Which you would admit if you didn’t have an understandable, if unfo
rtunate, prejudice against the sidhe.”

  I stiffened, holding my breath as I waited for her to follow up on that little comment and mention a certain leannan sidhe. She held my gaze for a moment longer, then looked away. Just a warning then.

  I wanted to argue, to point out that if Ian were setting up Aaban, having the baobhan confess while leaving them unable to name their master was the perfect crime. As frightening as Anton was, Ian probably could have convinced the baobhan to confess, pointing out that the vampire wasn’t one to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Anton was infamous for letting people work off their sins in his employ. And I had no doubt the vampire could find a good use for baobhan sidhe. Ian could have promised them anything in exchange for serving under Anton for a time.

  Illyana released her grip on the couch. “I can see you have a great deal to think about, Ms. Renard. I trust we’ll see you later this evening?” She headed for the door, then paused. “I’ve taken the liberty of tidying up.” She slipped a small vial out of her suit jacket pocket and popped the cork. Liam’s nostrils flared, then he wrinkled his nose.

  “What’s that?” I asked warily.

  Illyana bent to spread some of the oil over Dr. Dannon’s forehead. “Just a little something to cloud the good doctor’s mind. He’ll be a little befuddled when he wakes up.” She straightened and replaced the vial in her pocket. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. It’s best he doesn’t worry about his missing patient. Mr. Winters will see to a more permanent solution later.”

  Liam stiffed and took a step toward her. Illyana’s beefy guard scowled and put himself between them.

  “A permanent solution so he doesn’t remember Jeff,” Illyana said dryly. “No one is going to harm Dr. Dannon, detective.” She swayed on her feet, then immediately stiffened, forcing a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse us. We’ll see you later tonight?”

  I nodded dumbly, my mind still spinning over everything Illyana had said as they left.

  “Arianne has made a mess of things,” I muttered as soon as the door closed behind them. “If only I’d found Jeff before she did.”

  “So you don’t think it was Aaban?”

  I shook my head.

  “Why not?” Liam paused and glanced at the couch. Dr. Dannon stirred.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said, keeping my voice low.

  I made sure Peasblossom was tucked safely underneath my hair, and we slipped out of the house, closing the door quietly behind us.

  “So why do you still think it’s Ian?” Liam asked.

  I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to isolate the source of doubt eating at the back of my mind. “Well, for one thing, centaurs are not known for being fickle when it comes to battle. The centaurs I’ve known would rather die on the battlefield than switch sides. The more I think about it, the more I have a hard time believing that Stasya would defect.”

  “She’s part sidhe,” Liam reminded me. “In my experience, that trumps all else. Besides, you said Stavros mentioned a fight between Stasya and Charbel over Aaban’s disapproval of their relationship. It sounds like there was tension there. And nothing can destroy an otherwise healthy professional relationship like romance.”

  I paused and glanced up at him. “Strange. Nathan said something very similar.”

  Liam shrugged. “It’s true. I’ve seen it plenty of times. Two cops who think they can get together romantically and keep it from affecting their job. But it always does. Eventually, you have to make a choice between doing what’s right personally for the relationship and doing what’s right professionally. It’s never a pretty situation, and someone always gets hurt.”

  He looked at me then, and his gaze caught mine for a split second. He walked behind the truck before I could be sure, but for a second I thought maybe he might be referring to something more than the complication in Aaban, Charbel, and Stasya’s working relationship. Or Barbara and Jeff’s relationship. Or Barbara and Ian’s relationship. Or—

  “Gah, why are the relationships in this case so bloody complicated?” I moaned, leaning on the truck.

  Liam snorted, but didn’t address the question as he opened his door. “Ian told you Stasya switched sides, and sidhe can’t lie. Did he say it outright?”

  “He did.” I sighed and opened my own door so I could haul myself into the truck with all the dignity of a three legged hippo. “That’s what I told Arianne. He said it outright, no dodging, no fancy phrasing. Nothing.”

  “That’s weird,” Peasblossom spoke up from her position on my shoulder.

  I paused in the middle of putting my seatbelt on and looked at her. “That is weird, isn’t it?”

  “Honey!” Peasblossom shouted.

  I scowled. “I’ve asked you not to shout in my face. And this is no time for—”

  “Not for me—well, not yet—I mean Ian’s tea! At the restaurant, Barbara ordered it with extra honey—the way the gods intended—saying she knows that’s how he likes it. But when you met him at Goodfellows—”

  “He took it with milk, no honey,” I finished slowly. I stared at Peasblossom. “If it was just the tea, then I’d say he wasn’t in the mood for honey, but add that to his sudden affinity for straight talk…” I stared at Liam. “That wasn’t Ian I had lunch with.”

  “You mean he sent someone disguised as him to find out what you knew and feed you false information? So who has the magic to glamour themselves to look and sound like Ian, and also the ability to lie?” Liam asked.

  “Why would Ian contract work to an entertainer?” I said, repeating my earlier question. “I bet it was Stavros. The wizard from the racino. His involvement isn’t limited to drawing up the contract. He helped Ian lie afterward.” I slammed my hand on the door. “Okay, new theory. Ian’s mad Roger gave the contract to Aaban. He kidnaps Stasya to get information on Aaban’s job so he can sabotage it. Someone tips Roger off, he goes to Acme with Jeff and catches Underhill in the act. Nathan goes after Roger, but Jeff is there covering him, and Roger gets away. Ian’s either there, or his people call him. He realizes if Roger gets away, his chances of getting another government contract are nil, and that will make Anton very angry.”

  “Nathan catches Jeff, but he escapes, hurt bad, but still alive,” Liam added.

  “Ian sends Stavros disguised as himself to Roger’s house to shut him up. He can’t kill him, because he doesn’t know where Jeff is, and if Jeff rats him out, then he’s toast for Stasya’s murder and Roger’s.”

  “So he starts looking for Jeff while simultaneously setting up the ifrits to take the fall,” Liam continued.

  I leaned closer. “But why pick the ifrits?”

  Liam drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Convenience. Scoria is the enemy to Underhill, so he could argue that the ifrits are framing him. And they both employ a large variety of creatures, so they can make it look like Nathan was working for Aaban. And if Ian was collecting Stasya from the fight club, it makes sense he would have gone there disguised as Aaban. Stasya was in no shape to notice anything was wrong, and glamour is the sidhe’s entire wheelhouse.”

  “So he figures Aaban is already implicated in Stasya’s murder because people will report him as the last one seen with her,” I continued. “He sends the fire elemental dressed in the fire retardant clothes to make him look like an ifrit, which might have worked if Asher hadn’t gutted him.”

  “And they stole the bones because Ian wanted you to think Jeff was dead and not look for him, and if you’d found a pile of bones and Jeff’s weren’t among them, that would make you think he got away.”

  “So what about the pictures in Jeff’s house?” I asked.

  “Backup. Ian needs to discredit Jeff just in case he’s found before he can complete the setup. He makes it seem like Jeff has a thing for Barbara, maybe he’s jealous of Roger and worked with the ifrits to put him in danger. And all the pictures of Ian with Barbara could make it particularly incriminating since it looks like he was jealous of Ian too.”

&
nbsp; I slumped against the back of my seat, staring unseeing at the dashboard. “So how do we prove all this? We need hard evidence, something that can’t be explained away…” I sat up straight, moving so suddenly that Peasblossom yelped and fell off my shoulder into my lap. “The contract. We need to find the contract.”

  “You know where it is?”

  I nodded. “I think so. We need to get to the racino. The only way to prove Ian is involved is to get our hands on that contract. It will have his signature on it, because he’s the one Roger would have given the oath to. Ian is too much of a control freak to give anyone else the power to release him from the contract.”

  Liam’s eyebrows rose as he slipped the key into the ignition. “If he’s a control freak, you think he’d let the wizard keep it?”

  “Ian wouldn’t keep it on his premises, it’s the first place Anton Winters will look when he checks out Ian’s story.”

  “How are we going to find it? I don’t think Rosso is just going to let us inside to look around his files.”

  “The wizard likes to negotiate treaties between powerful people in the community. So we’re going to give him the opportunity to negotiate a deal.”

  Liam’s eyes narrowed as he pulled into the street. “A deal between who?”

  I smiled. “Between a powerful witch and a bossy alpha werewolf.”

  Chapter 23

  “Authoritative and bossy aren’t the same thing.”

  I stared out the windshield, gaze locked on the racino. “That’s just something bossy people say.”

  Liam glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “I’m the alpha of my pack. You expect me to hesitate before making decisions? Wait around to be told what to do?”

  I touched my head for the fifth time, resisting the urge to mess with the wig. I should have gone blonde. Red hair was going to make me stand out too much. “I think I started this case working solo, and now I have a personal space heater traveling with me everywhere I go.”

  Liam snorted. “You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do after you so graciously offered your help the first time we met.”