Chapter 9
Trevor sat on the floor in front of his coffee table in the living room going over the information PIT had faxed over to him. They’d found another body a couple of alleys over from Moon Dance with the club’s stamp on her hand and a cougar sighting in Night Light’s parking lot.
The cougar sighting didn’t really bother him. He knew it was one of the Wilder’s just coming in for the night. What he wanted to know was where the cougar was coming from. There hadn’t been a reason for any of them to be out, at least not shifted.
Taking another drink of strong coffee, Trevor picked up the picture of the girl and studied it again.
This one was exactly like the others. A young girl, early twenties, deep slash across the neck, but that’s where the similarities ended. There was no rhyme or reason for the killings. Whoever was doing this obviously wasn’t picky about their victims.
He paused at his own line of thinking when a stray thought popped in his head. Why would the jaguars or cougars need to slash the throat of their victims? Were they looking in the wrong places?
A sturdy knock at the door made him jump and nearly spill his coffee. Setting it down on the table, Trevor stood up and stretched before walking to the door. Opening the door, he couldn’t help but smile when he found Mrs. Tully standing there with one of her cats perched on her shoulder.
“Here you are!” she said sweetly and handed him his car keys.
Trevor blinked and looked over her shoulder. His eyes widened and he took a step back when he saw his car sitting there with four brand new tires on it.
“Mrs. Tully,” he whispered and looked at her. “You didn’t!”
“I did!” Mrs. Tully stated.
Trevor stood back and let her in when she politely cleared her throat. “Where did you find it?”
“Oh, it wasn’t hard. Apparently my son found it in the parking lot of a club on the far side of town. Some place called Love Bites. He offered to have it towed for you but I went and got it myself.”
“You what?” Trevor shouted then placed his hands on her upper arms in a gentle manner. “I’m sorry for yelling but please, promise me you won’t go there again.”
“Now why should I make a promise like that?” Mrs. Tully asked. “I can very well take care of myself.”
Trevor ran a hand through his hair. “I know you can Mrs. Tully, but it’s a very dangerous place.”
Mrs. Tully smiled, “Oh, you mean it’s dangerous with all the vampires running around? I quite assure you young man. I don’t carry ordinary weaponry. Besides, it was daylight. And the next time you decide to shift in my back yard, come and scratch on the door so you can use the bathroom inside. The neighbors might think I’m housing a vagrant in my grandchildren’s playhouse.”
Trevor swallowed and looked at the door wondering if it was too late to run like hell. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Mrs. Tully.”
Mrs. Tully huffed but her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Of course you don’t, but if you pour me a nice cup of that strong coffee I smell, I’ll tell you all about it.”
Trevor sighed knowing when he’d been beat and gave her a soft smile, “Now how can I turn down an offer like that?”
*****
Envy sat in the parking lot for several minutes procrastinating. Chad had given her the keys to his other car because he got called in again.
Procrastination took work… First, they were playing her favorite song on the radio. Then she had to check her makeup in the rear view mirror for the third time since parking. Finally bored out of her mind, she looked at the clock on the dashboard and sighed knowing she only had fifteen minutes to make up her mind.
She thought again about simply going home or even to another bar. It wasn’t the job she was afraid of, or even the serial killer running around. It was the one night stand and the fact that she needed it to stay a one night stand. Plus the fact her new boss was that one night stand… it wasn’t a comfortable situation.
“Where the hell is she?” Devon growled into the com-link, while pacing back and forth within the small confines of his office.
He should’ve known better than to listen to anyone else other than his own instincts. If he’d just ignored his sister and went after Envy like he’d originally wanted to, then she would be safely beside him right now and not out there where some lunatic was killing girls.
“Kat,” he growled, watching the monitor that looked over the bar.
Kat glared up at the hidden camera. “Will you please quit watching me through that thing? I swear I can feel you breathing down my neck. If you weren’t my brother, I’d think you had some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. Maybe we should have the doctor look at you to make sure.”
“Go to hell!” Devon muttered and continued pacing.
“Calm down Devon, she’s been here for about twenty minutes,” Nick said from his post at the front door as he let people in.
“Where?” Kat asked, before Devon could even open his mouth.
“I think she’s still making up her mind on whether to get out of her car or head for the hills,” Nick smirked.
Devon stopped pacing and glared at another monitor showing him the outside entrance where Nick was standing. “You two are doing this to me on purpose!” He growled accusingly.
“How can you say that Devon?” Kat exclaimed in an aghast tone. “We love you!”
“But we love torturing you more,” Nick sang, then stopped. “Hurry Kat, lock the doors to his office. We got incoming.”
Kat giggled at the snarl they received over the com-link.
Envy finally took the keys out of the ignition and opened the car door. What did she have to lose? If she decided it was a bad idea, then she could always leave. It wasn’t like she owed Devon anything.
But she did owe it to Tabatha and the others who were showing up tonight just to support her on her first night with the newest job. It wouldn’t be right to bail on them. She took another deep breath and exhaled loudly hoping those friends didn’t wait till midnight to show up. She’d need the distraction.
Getting out of the car, she shut the door and set the alarm before heading toward the club entrance. She’d decided to start off with something simple tonight.
She wore flat ankle boots that laced up, and a pair of tight black short shorts with a dark purple tank top and a long sleeved fishnet shirt under it. She’d tied part of her hair back and put it in a messy bun at the crown of her head, while the rest of it fell down her back in a red waterfall.
She smiled at Nick when he saw her coming and waved at her before making room through the people clustered in line to let her through. She heard the grumbles of the other patrons and smirked; she worked here, they didn’t, so she had priority. HA!
Walking inside, Envy made her way to the bar and smiled when she saw Kat pouring a customer a good-sized shot of Heat. Moving behind the bar, she found a place to store her purse then approached Kat from behind.
Kat corked the bottle while giving the camera a look that definitely said, ‘I told you so.’ She could smell Envy’s scent mixed with Devon’s and immediately felt even more protective of the other woman. Envy was family now, even if she didn’t know it.
“Hey Kat,” Envy greeted. “Where do you want me to start?”
Kat looked over her shoulder at Envy and smiled. Envy immediately started to relax a bit more and realized this probably wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.
“Go ahead and take a look at where everything is and start at the other end. I’ve got this one covered.” She pretended to be busy so Envy wouldn’t feel like she was being watched.
Envy smiled and nodded before heading to the other end of the bar. On her way, she noticed the liquors were arranged by type, which would make her job a lot easier. Approaching one of the customers waving a twenty in the air, she went to him and asked what he wanted.
While mixing the drinks, Envy noticed there was an entire section dedicated to Kat’s specialty drink and knew she was going to get Tabby hooked on the stuff.
Two hours passed very quickly and Envy was nearly knocked over at the tips she’d gotten so far. She mixed drinks, chatted up and flirted with the men. She adamantly refused to look around, lest she see Devon hovering around. Instead, she kept doing what she did best… pretend she didn’t have a care in the world.
More than once, a good song was played and Envy would find herself dancing to the music with Kat at random times, which brought them even more tips. Envy was starting to wonder how she’d get it all home in her little purse.
Devon sat in the chair behind the desk in his office watching her every move. She was even more alluring tonight than she’d been last night.
It infuriated him that she was so close to him now, but he couldn’t do anything because he’d promised Kat to wait, so that Envy would see just how much fun the job was going to be. He had to admit that logic only worked in his favor and he didn’t like breaking promises once he’d made them. His ace in the hole was the fact he hadn’t put a time limit on that promise.
When Envy leaned over the bar to chat with another man, he saw right down the front of her shirt and felt jealousy rear its head.
Standing up, Devon left the office and made his way across the club and to the upper level bar. As he got closer, he could hear what she was saying. She finally turned away from the customer and asked Kat a question. He clenched his fists wondering if she’d even asked Kat about him since she arrived. He’d noticed she hadn’t bothered to look around for him.
Devon was about to approach to see how she liked her first night so far, when an overly friendly drunk swaggered up and took a seat in front of where she was standing.
Envy smiled at the man and approached, asking what he’d like to drink. The man made a comment about drinking her and she laughed, shaking her head then asked if he’d like a cup of coffee or a cab ride home. She was so used to handling drunks that she was a pro at it and the little things never fazed her.
The man opened his mouth to ask her out when he saw Devon saunter up behind her giving him a hard stare. The guy took one look at Devon and changed his mind. He quickly called for a cab on his cell and got the hell away from the man behind the bar… not exactly in that order.
He’d probably wake up the next morning not entirely sure if it was the alcohol, but he could almost swear to the fact that he’d saw the man’s pupils get long and slim… just like a cat's.
Envy frowned when the guy threw a twenty on the bar and ran off without even ordering. He’d been looking at something behind her and on instinct she glanced over her shoulder. She was hoping it was only Kat but knew she couldn’t be that lucky. Devon was leaning casually against Kat’s office door located a few feet behind her.
Feeling her knees start to go weak, she quickly turned back to her customers, taking the twenty off the bar and pocketing it. Ignoring the man behind her completely… yeah right, Envy started mixing more drinks as the orders came in.
How was she supposed to pretend he wasn’t right behind her watching her? It was bad enough the second she’d seen him, she’d felt relief enter her so fast that she couldn’t stop it. And to make matters worse, now she was having flickering flashbacks of last night that were making her hot in places, that was distracting her from her job.
‘One night stand means it only happens once, you dummy,’ she mentally berated herself.
Trevor had never had this effect on her while she was working and she’d slept with him way more than once, so what was going on? Every time she caught a flash of him as she turned to reach for the bottles, it was like lightening would shoot through her system and its target was starting to throb.
Devon pushed away from the door, glaring at the back of her head. He’d be damned if he would let her get away with ignoring him when he could smell her scent changing so rapidly. He stalked up behind her just as she handed another drink to a customer.
When she stood upright, Devon had to smile when her back brushed against his chest.
Envy froze when she felt the solid heat behind her. Fear and desire ran down her spine and she barely suppressed the shiver that went through her body. She could feel his presence bigger than life, surrounding her, filling her entire being with his scent and overall masculinity. He was like a gathering storm cloud in the distance that she was unable to get away from.
Staying perfectly still, she waited to see what he would do. ‘Think Envy. What would you do if your brain hadn’t just turned to mush?’ she thought for a moment, then the answer dawned on her, ‘Fake it.’
“We need to talk.” Devon whispered next to her ear, his throat tight with the heat she sent flushing through him.
“About what?” Envy asked, while pasting a sweet smile on her lips. She slid out from between him and the bar and took another breath. Quickly turning to face him, she pretended this was the first time she’d really noticed him all night.
“Oh, hi Devon, I thought you were someone else. Kat has already showed me the ropes and everything is going smoothly.” She shrugged and stepped away to take another order. Just her luck… no one needed a drink so she started tidying up behind the bar.
Now knowing she was purposely avoiding him, Devon decided to stop tiptoeing around her. Placing a hand on the bar on each side of her, he trapped her so she couldn’t run away. “We need to talk about last night and the fact that you left while I was still asleep.” He smirked, when half the people at the bar stopped talking and turned to look at them curiously.
Envy gritted her teeth and tried to count to ten… she made it to one. How dare he bring up something so personal in front of the customers? If she’d been in their shoes and heard the boss say that to one of the bartenders, she’d automatically assume the girl was a slut and the guy a letch. No way in hell was she letting him get away with that.
Swinging back around, she pressed her hand against his chest to make him back up. She shrugged, “I’m sorry, but I needed to get home to feed the dog and like you said you were still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you.”
When that only made his expression harden, she sighed trying to keep in mind the mantra she’d been chanting since seeing him behind her… that she was single now and did not want a boyfriend. The way he was looking at her almost made her change her mind but she tried to shake it off.
Crossing her arms over her chest she frowned up at him, “I didn’t know there were rules to one night stands about sticking around and watching the other person sleep. I’ll remember that little fact for the next person I sleep with. Maybe he won’t fall asleep on me.” She heard a couple of the customers laugh. Yep, pay back was hell.
A glass shattered only a few feet away and both their heads turned at the same time, catching Kat’s startled look, as she bent to clean up the mess.
Kat locked her teeth in place so she wouldn’t butt into their spat, but Devon was being a prick and Envy was human. That last remark had almost made her laugh out loud. Kat blinked trying to get her inner voice to stop giggling long enough to make sure Devon didn’t completely blow it.
Devon frowned at Envy. Why the hell was she suddenly so quick-tempered? It dawned on him that maybe it was because he’d just announced to everyone around them that they’d slept together. As far as he was concerned, it was the most natural thing in the world to sleep with one's mate. His eyes darkened when it finally seeped in what she’d meant by that last remark.
Devon growled, “There will be no more one night stands.” He took a threatening step closer to her.
Envy glared up at him. “Is that so?”
“Yes it is,” Devon responded, with enough chill in his voice that it sucked the warmth right out of the room. “If it’s sex you want, then I’ll give you more than you can handle.”
Kat had been amused at first, but now she felt all hope for Envy and Devon wash down the drain and decided all men were stupid… especially men named Devon. She quickly added Quinn’s name to that list.
Envy became perfectly calm for all of three seconds then her heart leapt into her throat. That was about the sexiest thing she’d ever had a guy say to her. She almost believed he meant it… but then she had also believed that Trevor was a normal college student and the guy didn’t even go to college.
No, Devon was probably just feeling slighted because she wasn’t drooling over him after last night. Truth was, if she’d hunted him down as soon as she got here, he would probably be ignoring her now.
Just who the hell did he think he was? He couldn’t tell her who she could sleep with and he had no right to have this much control over her hormones. “I’ll make sure to behave when I’m on the clock. I promise not to let it go any further than kissing.” She added sarcastically, “But break times are mine and I’ll do what I want to.”
Devon shook his head in warning. “If you need to be kissed…” He closed the distance between them, when she backed up until the bar behind her stopped her retreat. Wrapping his arm around her, he brought her up against him and slashed his lips across hers before her perfect little mouth could open to tell him just where he could put his kiss.
Envy pressed her palms against his chest but it was too late as his lips took possession of hers and his thigh came up between her legs like an answer from god. She felt him rock against her, adding an erotic rhythm to the assault on her senses.
The little wall she’d been building around her own desire for him broke and hit her like a tidal wave, leaving her unable to fight the kiss. This only served to piss her off that much more and when she was that pissed, she fought fire with fire.
Clutching the front of his shirt, she kissed him back with enough passion to reheat the room. She smiled deceptively when Devon ended the kiss and looked down at her in startled confusion. Good, maybe now he would quit torturing her.
“Thanks for the warm up, but the next time I kiss someone, it will be someone of my own choosing.” She tried to keep the blush from rising in her cheeks at the fire she saw in his eyes and the hardness that was now pressed against her belly.
Devon knew she was lying to him and to herself and realized what this reaction really was… fear. He could smell the desire she had for him and that was what she was scared of. That knowledge made the corners of his lips hint at a dark smile.
“After last night, I’m the only one you will be kissing,” he said, with a little too much confidence.
Kat smacked herself in the forehead and squeezed her eyes shut hoping she was wrong about Envy’s stubborn streak. Envy’s comeback let her know she’d been right on target and Devon was now digging his own grave.
“I can kiss the next person I see, if I want to,” Envy informed him, with just as much confidence.
“Is that so?” Devon demanded, mimicking her words from moments before.
“Yeah it is,” Envy confirmed, then smiled sarcastically.
*****
Tabby and Kriss waited in line next to Jason. She liked Jason. He was one of the good guys. She slid him a smile knowing he was excited to have Envy single again. She didn’t have the heart to tell him Envy loved him but not in the way he was wanting.
“How’d she get a job at this place?” Tabby asked, looking up at the neon sign. “It’s hard enough just to get in the doors.”
Jason smirked. “Envy and Chad came here last night after I called them to let Envy know about Trevor grinding on the dance floor with a couple of other women.”
“And they came?” Kriss asked, with a big grin, as if he was enjoying himself but truth was his he had a bad feeling about tonight. Seeing Tabatha’s light heartedness was the only reason he hadn’t informed her that they weren’t staying.
“You bet they did,” Jason answered. “Chad even gave her a taser for the occasion. It’s gonna be a while before the poor boy can have children.”
Kriss cupped both hands over his crotch. “Now I remember why not to get on her bad side.”
“Fear not,” Tabby stated. “Your manhood is safe.”
They got up to the door and were met by a man wearing a leather jacket with a black T-shirt that had the name ‘Nick’ across the front of it. His hair was in long layers that hung down around his face. The moment he looked up, Tabatha wondered why he let his hair hide such dark smoldering perfection. She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and glanced up at Kriss curiously.
“Back again huh?” Nick asked, grinning at Jason.
“Had so much fun last night that I had to find out if anything was happening tonight.” Jason answered. “Is Envy here yet?”
Nick nodded his head toward the door. “Yeah, it’s her first night so don’t distract her.” What he really wanted to say was don’t piss Devon off but he figured the boy wouldn’t get it.
Tabby looped her arms through Jason’s and Kriss’, “We promise to behave ourselves as much as possible. But with someone like Envy around, you just never know.”
Nick unhooked the rope and let them in. Tabby and Kriss followed Jason in and Tabby looked around with wide, happy eyes.
“Oh, I like this place already!” she exclaimed. “Hey Jason, can you show me where the bathroom is?”
“Yeah, right over there between the break in the bars,” Jason said and pointed.
“I’ll go with you,” Kriss said, immediately sensing shifters from one end of the house to the other. He knew the scent of vampire also lingered and that’s why he’d made sure he was off work tonight. This wasn’t the kind of place he wanted Tabby wandering around alone. She may know about the fallen and that there are things that go bump in the night, but he had yet to point any out to her.
Jason watched them go then looked around the bar area. He spotted Envy behind the one he’d sat at the night before and walked up, taking the seat directly behind her. She had her back to the customers and he frowned at what she was saying.
As soon as Envy turned around, she saw Jason sitting at the bar directly behind her watching the proceedings with wide eyes. Her gaze made contact with his and he saw the frustration and annoyance in them. Leaning forward, she smiled and wrapped a hand around the back of Jason’s head and pulled him in for a mind-blowing kiss.
Suddenly, he was half way across the bar with Envy’s lips attached to his. If this had been all it would take, he would have done it a long time ago.
Kriss and Tabby finished in the bathrooms and started searching for Jason.
“I wonder which station Envy is at,” Tabby pondered.
Kriss buried his fingertips in the tight pockets of his jeans. “I’d say the one where Envy is eating his face for dinner.”
Tabby’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the scene. “But she doesn’t even like Jason that way. Why would she kiss him like that?”
“I’d say it has a lot to do with the sex god standing behind her, glaring hard enough to set everything on fire,” Kriss answered, wondering if it was too late to take both girls and get the hell out of this paranormal hot spot.
Tabby frowned, “Another possessive man coming in and attempting to take over my territory? I don’t think so.”
Kriss’ eyebrows shot into his hairline as Tabby ran across the level to the bar. He had to see this.
“What the hell?” a new voice demanded, from several feet behind Jason.
Envy broke the slow kiss and looked over Jason’s shoulder at Trevor.
“Hi Trevor,” Envy said cheerfully. “Head on down to the dance floor, I think the two girls you were dancing with last night are already here.”
“To hell with them,” Trevor exclaimed, as his blood boiled. “Why the hell are you kissing Jason?”
“Aw, is little Trevor feeling left out?” Envy asked, knowing she’d lost control a couple of exits back and frankly, she didn’t give a damn.
Devon growled as his muscles strained to keep himself from moving. He doubted Envy would forgive him for killing Jason, so he trained his dangerous gaze on Trevor, “Are you going to kiss him, too?
Envy glanced back at Devon and felt like she was losing it. Why the hell couldn’t she be single and just date? Other people did it. She looked back at Jason and almost giggled at the expression on his face. He looked like he was half on cloud nine and half confused.
“Sorry, I’ll explain later,” she whispered to him and stood upright.
“If Envy is handing out kisses, then I want one, too!” Tabby exclaimed, just as Kriss caught up with her.
Envy smiled brightly when she saw Tabatha and Kriss grinning at her. Tabby rushed forward and nearly vaulted over the bar to give her best friend a hug. Envy mentally roared with laughter when Tabby suddenly kissed her full on the lips. She heard Trevor gasp in shock while Jason made a whining sound.
Tabby was suddenly pulled back over the bar, taking Envy with her until the red head was sprawled across the top of it. She suddenly had her arms full of Kriss and his lips were on hers, moving sensually. Damn, he was a good kisser… she’d always wondered.
The two of them heard a distinct growl and looked back at Devon. If it were possible, she’d swear there was steam coming out of his ears.
“Don’t mind me,” Kriss announced. “I’m the gay guy of the group.”
Kat had to lean against the back counter over that one and fought like hell to keep from falling over with laughter. Oh this was priceless, she was glad Warren kept a video record of everything on burned DVD’s. When she’d calmed down a little bit, she noticed the golden highlights that were seeping into Devon’s irises and took this as her queue to step in.
Putting herself between Devon and Envy, Kat smiled, “Break time. Go visit with your friends,” Kat offered, hoping Envy would hurry and get away from Devon before he vaulted over the bar and hurt someone. At the moment, there were way too many targets.
“How long do I have?” Envy asked, even as Kriss was sliding her the rest of the way across the bar.
Kat shrugged, “Take an hour, you’ll probably be here till about six in the morning helping me with the cleanup.”
Envy nodded as her feet hit the floor on the other side of the bar. She blew her bangs out of her eyes in relief when Devon strode into Kat’s office and slammed the door behind him. Now that everything was as clear as mud… she might as well go have fun. Ignoring Trevor, she turned within the
