Eye of the Beholder

Chapter Nine

She was in bed with a naked Travis. He’d told her he loved her.

And he was snoring.

She tried to hold back the giggles as the God of Justice put freight trains to shame next to her. He shifted slightly and she lost any and all urges to giggle.

He was rock hard, that thick, long shaft leaving a wet trail just below his belly button. From the look on his face it was one hell of a dream.

He’d better be dreaming of me.

She smirked and slid out of bed as quietly as possible. She brushed her teeth and went to the bathroom, careful to make sure the door was closed while she did it. For what she had in mind she didn’t want him awake.

She peeked out of the bedroom door and sighed. Still asleep. She tiptoed across the carpet, sliding back into bed as gently as she could. Good. Now, my turn.

She started by slowly teasing her fingers down his chest. He had a nice chest, lightly sprinkled with dark blond hairs, just enough to tickle the tips of her fingers. She plucked at one brown nipple, jerking back when he shifted and moaned softly.

She waited until he’d settled back down before continuing her explorations. Long, strong legs tapered to large feet. She leaned down and licked the inside of his calf, her eyes glued to his face to watch for signs of wakefulness. His brow furrowed, but he remained still, his expression slowly smoothing back into sleep.

When she licked the inside of his other thigh he hissed, his legs spreading.

Very carefully she grasped his shaft in her hand. Mmm. Breakfast. Stifling another giggle at the thought of sausages—“I’m gonna be a good girl and clean off my plate”—she bent her head to his heavy ball sac. She darted out her tongue, tracing the wrinkled skin before moving to the joint between his thigh and his dick. She gave him a good, long lick there, earning a whimper and another restless movement. A drop of pre-come glistened at the head of his dick, and she desperately wanted to taste it.

Not yet. He’d done his best to drive her insane last night, but this morning was all for him. She leaned over and sampled the other side between his thigh and his dick before pulling his balls into her mouth. She tongued them both, letting them roll around in her mouth before letting them go with gentle suction.

She was startled when his hand landed on hers. “Like this,” he muttered breathlessly. He showed her what he liked, stroking her hand up and down his shaft, twisting it slightly. The look of painful bliss on his face was incredible.

She drew his balls back into her mouth and he moaned, thrusting up against her chin. “Want my mouth?”

His answer was to sit up against the headboard, grab the back of her head and guide her mouth to the crown of his cock. She didn’t mind at all, since that was her ultimate goal, to make him want so badly that he took what he wanted. She grinned as she sipped at the tip of his dick, sucking that drop of pre-come into her mouth and savoring it.

“Yes, suck it, Jamie.”

Boy, was he in for a surprise. Something she’d learned to do, and do very well too, was suck cock.

Her ex had loved to have her go down on him, and she’d loved doing it. She knew it wasn’t something every woman got into it, but she got off on the way it made her partner feel. The sense that she held his pleasure in her hands and mouth was an aphrodisiac to her.

But Travis… Holy fuck. Travis tasted like heaven. Salty sweet and oh so good. She took him as deep as she could, her nose touching his curls on the third stroke. Before long her lips were wrapped around the base of his cock. His gasps of pleasure were music to her ears.

“I do not want to know where you learned that.”

The possessive growl in his voice, the way his hand curled into her hair, had her damn near purring.

She began to bob up and down, taking him into her, stroking the underside of his shaft with her tongue. He guided her with his hand, watching her, that white mist once more slowly taking over the blue until he closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

When his hips began to move, when he began fucking into her mouth she slowed down, allowing him to set the pace. She wanted to taste him, wanted him to coat the back of her throat. She needed to know that she was the one who’d brought him that pleasure.

He was moaning now, soft words in Norwegian and something else, something lyrical and beautiful.

She caught the words “beautiful” and “suck it”, but the best one was “mine” just before he gasped and came. She took as much as she could but it had been a while and some got away from her to dribble down his shaft.

His hand tightened in her hair, pulling her up his body so that he could kiss her hungrily. He tilted her back, laying her down on the bed, his mouth never leaving hers until she was settled, her legs spread wide by his hips.

He pulled back from her mouth and began kissing his way down her body, stopping long enough at each breast to pay homage to her nipples. By the time he was done sucking and playing with them she was whimpering, begging him to fuck her.

He shook his head, teasing her stomach with his beard. “I haven’t had my breakfast yet.”

With that he fastened his mouth on her pussy and began eating her with a single-minded intensity that had her fucking his face in no time. The sensations skyrocketing through her until her back arched and she came with a keening cry.

He rolled them over again, his cock rock hard once more. He held her boneless, satisfied body in his arms and slid his cock into her still quivering pussy, ramming into her over and over again in a primal mating she’d never experienced before.

She pushed back, her hands on his shoulders. Her body took over and she began to ride him, sliding up and down on his cock. The curls at the base of his cock brushed her clit over and over as she fucked him, her sensitive nipples dragging through the hairs on his chest until they were painfully sensitive.

“That’s it, Jamie. Ride me, take me.” His hands guided her, held her up, but she barely felt it as he fucked her hard. And she fucked him just as hard, the wet sound of their bodies slapping together testament to the fact that she was claiming him just as thoroughly as he had claimed her.

He was muttering again, part English, part Norwegian, part that lyrical language and she knew he was close. She tightened her muscles around his shaft, crying out his true name just as he began stroking her clit with his thumb.

She came first, screeching, back arched, blinded by the fury of her orgasm as it washed over her. His cry quickly followed hers, his hand leaving her pussy and holding her hip as he emptied into her once more.

She collapsed on top of him, his cock still twitching inside her. “Good morning,” she slurred.

His shoulders shook. “Very much so.” He kissed the top of her head and cuddled her close, remaining inside her until his shaft had completely softened.

She loved that just as much as she’d loved the hot, hard sex.

Hell, she just loved him.

Grimm stared at Detective Mancinelli, delight dancing in his veins. He had arrest warrants for both Val Grimm and Travis Yardley-Rudiger in his hands. Once he had them both behind bars he’d be able to set in motion the little accident he’d arranged for them both. He had everything planned.

Now he just had to implement it.

“When do you plan on serving those?” The suspicion highlighting her face only made her more beautiful to him. He had plans to see much more than suspicion there.

Fear and awe would be a good start.

“Today.” Grimm sighed. Soon… Soon everything would be back the way it should be. With a few additions, of course. But first things first. He eyed the detective. He had to eliminate the threat of Tyr and Vali. He needed Gungnir. He had to regain control of Idunn and her apples.

He had to see to it that this time Baldur truly died. Too bad guns couldn’t fire mistletoe bullets.

Wooden bullets basically ignited as they left the barrel of the gun, exploding into tiny shards, making them great for movies but lousy for killing people. He knew, he’d tried it. Petrified mistletoe didn’t work, either.

It bounced off his pain-in-the-ass son’s hide just like everything else, because it was no longer mistletoe.

Finding ways around that damn protection Frigg had wrapped around Baldur had become a full-time hobby. He’d even gone so far as to wonder what would happen if he shot the bastard into space. Had she gotten a god-damn promise not to hurt Baldur from vacuum?

“Danny-boy.”

He blinked, irritated as once again she snapped her fingers in his face. The urge to truly try and force his will on her was so strong he nearly gave into it.

Not yet. He tamped it down, not surprised to see the startled look on her face. He smiled, allowing some of his will to slip its leash. “Sorry, long night. Are you in on the take-down or not?” He couldn’t wait to see the look on Tyr’s face when he and Vali got arrested for the murder of Oliver Grimm. And when they ran the DNA tests and proved that both Tyr and Vali had been there?

Priceless. They couldn’t have made his job any easier if they’d tried.

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

“Good.”

“Has any of the testing come back on the crime scene evidence?”

“Not just yet, but the lab promised today.” He hadn’t needed the results to get the warrant. If Toni wasn’t so resistant he’d lie to her to get her to believe him.

Hmm. She could be the one person capable of screwing up my plans. He’d have to think about that, maybe come up with a way to neutralize her and make it look like Val had done it. They were more likely to find Val had committed his murder rather than Tyr, so why not pin one more on him? Pity, though. He had visions of enjoying himself between the good detective’s thighs.

It had been a while since someone had fought him the way she did. It was a hell of a turn on.

She was looking at him oddly. “Shouldn’t you have waited for those results? How did you get a warrant without them?”

He shrugged. “The DA felt there was sufficient evidence for an arrest, and the judge agreed.”

She shook her head. “The DA doesn’t usually jump the gun like that.”

“What can I say? Prominent businessman, rich family, maybe the wife is putting pressure on them.

Who knows?”

“Mancinelli.”

Toni turned at the sound of her name, that long dark hair swinging. Grimm wanted to reach out and touch it, see if it was as soft as it looked. “Yeah?”

“Captain wants to see you and Solberg.”

“Yeah, we’ll be there in a sec.” She turned to Grimm and made a face. “Probably about the arrest.”

“Yeah, probably.” Grimm followed Mancinelli into the captain’s office, prepared to dazzle his boss with bullshit. He couldn’t afford any serious mistakes at this point.

Once Tyr and Vali were behind bars, his plan could go into action. When he had Gungnir, everything else would fall into the palm of his hand.

Travis was feeling extraordinarily good today. He’d thrown on a pair of pants, intent on making Jamie, who was still sleeping, breakfast in bed. He wasn’t a gourmet cook like Logan, but he knew how to make a mean French toast and fresh fruit breakfast. He gathered the bread, eggs, cinnamon and milk and put the frying pan down on the burner. Next he wanted to slice the fresh strawberries he’d put in a bowl earlier. He turned around to grab a bowl of fruit off the counter and saw her standing there, clad in nothing but that see through Vera Wang nightgown.

“I’m hungry.”

He actually gulped. Here he was, over a thousand years old, and he was gulping over the sight of a woman in a sheer nightgown.

Not a woman. My woman.

“So am I.” The bowl of fruit went back on the counter. The nightgown hit the floor. He had her spread out on the kitchen table before she could blink, feasting on the most delicious pussy it had ever been his privilege to taste. He held her hips down and took her clit into his mouth, sucking it in, sipping at the folds, drawing her essence inside him. He’d never be able to get enough of her taste. Each of her moans, every one of her sighs belonged to him now. He took great pleasure in drawing them out.

She shuddered below him, moaning, letting him know in the sweetest way that she’d come. With one last, loving lick he stood. He undid his jeans and slid his cock in the only place it ever wanted to be again, fucking her on the kitchen table and mentally thanking Logan for getting nice, sturdy wood.

He took his time, moving slowly at first so that she’d be able to catch up to him. And, really, after the sex they’d had yesterday he had no problem taking it slowly this time. She’d practically drained him dry with her mouth, then ridden him so beautifully his head damn near exploded along with his balls.

His thumb began a lazy stroking of her clit. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her heels digging into the small of his back. Her hands dug into his shoulders and pulled him down to her. He allowed it, seeing the heat slowly building in her eyes.

She offered him her breasts, and the world began to fade at the edges. All of her inner beauty opened before his eyes, her light shining from within nearly blinding him. He could see all of it now, every damn inch of her displayed before him. Her strength, her courage, her devotion to those she loved shone forth like a beacon to him. All of her, even the tiny, dark corners of her soul, was precious to him.

She’s so beautiful. Her strength humbled him, her courage dazzled him, and her love?

Her love made him whole again.

He could feel his orgasm creeping up on him and desperately tried to hold it off, but he could sense the beginnings of hers and it damn near threw him over the edge. Determined to send her over first he balanced on his right arm and took her nipple between his teeth. He tugged at it the same time he strummed her clit with his fingers, throwing her into another orgasm. Her gasped shriek was music to his ears, her pussy spasming around his cock like a vise, pulling him into his own orgasm. He drained himself into her, wanting so much to be a part of her forever.

“Y’know,” she panted beneath him, her South Philly accent thickened and slurred, “donuts are my usual breakfast, but I could learn to live with this.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

“Okay, people. Gary, you and Paul are serving the warrant on Val Grimm. Danny and I are taking on Yardley-Rudiger. Any questions?” Toni looked at the men heading into the condominium complex just outside Rittenhouse Square. To a man they looked grimly determined.

She still couldn’t believe she was serving a warrant on so little evidence. She’d never had to deal with something like this before, but the judge had signed off on it, the captain had organized it, so here she was.

She just hoped they weren’t making a huge mistake.

Danny seemed oddly excited, but some guys got like that. The thrill of the takedown was the best high ever. Hell, she’d probably be feeling something similar herself if her instincts weren’t screaming at her that she was doing the wrong thing, that they had the wrong men.

The fact that the blood and fiber work still hadn’t come by the time they left the precinct this afternoon was going to cause problems. Their defense attorney was going to be able to get them off on that alone. But trying to point that out privately to the captain and the DA had been an exercise in futility.

Feh. She hated when a case went south because some gung-ho asshole bureaucrat was screaming for closure and forced the hands of the cops. It was frustrating as hell.

Here’s hoping Danny’s proof is waiting once we get these guys in lock-up. Because if anything went wrong she had the feeling it wouldn’t be Danny’s ass on the line.

Jamie pulled her shirt down over her sore breasts, actually grateful Travis was working on the computer. The man had an unhealthy fascination with her nipples that had left them a little bit sore, too tender to wear a bra. She was going to have to have a little talk with him about that. Later. As it was, the cotton of her T-shirt was rubbing against them, making them perk up.

Hmm. Maybe I’d better put a bra on. If Travis saw nipple boners he’d be on her in a flash, her pants would be down around her ankles and her body would be singing the Hallelujah Chorus before she could blink. Did anyone pack my padded bras?

She was digging through her underwear when the doorbell rang. Crap. Her relatives did not get to see her all perky. She thrust her arms through the bra, closing it quickly. She tugged on her T-shirt and darted for the door.

“…under arrest for the murder of Oliver Grimm.”

Jamie’s jaw dropped open. Travis was being handcuffed by some woman wearing a badge at her hip, the one going around his right wrist tight enough to keep him from wiggling his arm free. Behind her was another man, a dark smirk on his face that made her want to hit him. Something about that man, the way he stood maybe, seemed awfully familiar.

Travis stood docilely while the woman finished snapping the handcuffs closed. He looked at Jamie, and that was when she saw how truly angry he was. “Go to Logan’s.”

She nodded. He didn’t have to say a word. If anyone could get him out of this it would be the Trickster.

“Ms. Grimm?”

She turned to the woman, stepping further out into the light. “Yes.”

The woman’s brows rose, surprise and suspicion all over her features. “You look remarkably well for someone who was tortured a month ago.”

Jamie raised her chin and glared. “I heal quickly.”

“Apparently.” The woman pulled Travis toward the door, ignoring Jamie’s hiss of protest.

“Listen to me! Travis didn’t do it.”

The policewoman turned. “Have that much faith in him, do you?”

Jamie nodded. “I do.”

The woman returned Jamie’s narrow eyed stare, her expression searching.

“Mancinelli, we have to get him down to the squad car. The others are arresting Mr. Grimm right now.” A gloating expression quickly passed over the male detective’s face, taking his handsome features and making them ugly.

Where have I seen that look before?

“Uncle Val?” Better and better. Fuck. “Why would you arrest my uncle?”

“For the same reason I’m arresting lover-boy. Murder.”

“They didn’t murder Oliver Grimm.”

“Then who did?” All of a sudden the detective was in her face, practically nose to nose. “If you know something about this and are hiding it I will have your ass in jail so fast your dust won’t have time to settle.”

“Leave her alone.”

Jamie could hear that odd echo in Travis’s voice and knew she had to distract the detectives. “What’s going to happen to Travis?”

“Mr. Rudiger will be taken downtown, processed, read his rights and interrogated.”

“When will bail be set?”

The detective smiled grimly. “That depends on the judge.” Detective Mancinelli backed away.

“Remember what I said. Accessory to murder, Ms. Grimm.”

“Have you looked at my fucking hospital records, Detective Mancinelli? I couldn’t have swatted a fly, let alone killed a man.”

“I know how to do my job.” The cop was glaring at her again, but there was something about the look on her face, like she was waiting for something to happen but wasn’t quite sure what that something would be.

Bring it, bitch. “Could have fooled me.”

The male detective started toward her, a second set of cuffs in his hand.

“Solberg, play with the girl later. We have to get the perps downtown.”

With one final glare the detective joined his partner by the door. “I hope you can sleep at night, Ms.

Grimm.”

“I won’t. Not until Travis is brought home to me.”

With one final, inscrutable look the female detective was gone, Travis right beside her.

“Good night, Jamie.” The male detective left with a soft smile, closing the door quietly behind them.

Jamie felt all of the blood rush out of her head, her heart pounding in terror. She grabbed her shoes and her keys and ran for Jordan’s condo. She pounded on the door, screaming to wake the dead.

“What?” The door was pulled open by an angry looking Logan. Actual flames danced around his hands, his eyes burning, literally burning, down at her.

“They’ve arrested Travis and Uncle Val.”

Logan blinked, his flames dousing. “What?”

“The. Police. Arrested. TRAVIS!”

Logan’s eyes crossed as she shrieked. “Down, Pita.” He pulled her into the condo. “Dampen the light, will you?”

“What?” She turned toward the light switches.

“Not them. You.”

That was when she realized she was glowing. She drew in a deep, terrified breath. “JORDAN! ”

Jordan and Kir came running out of the den, both of them looking frantic. “What?” Jordan stared at Jamie, her mouth dropping open. “Holy fuck.”

“Apparently.” Jamie held out her still glowing hands. “What’s happening?”

Kir and Logan exchanged one of their enigmatic looks. She really wanted to slap them upside the head until they told her what they were thinking. “Boys.”

“Tyr is Lios Alfar, remember?”

“And?”

Logan drew closer to his two lovers. “We think maybe you need to learn to control your temper.”

“What do you mean? Travis doesn’t glow only when he’s pissed.”

“Think about it, Jamie. The first time he glowed in front of you was because he knew you were hurt.”

Logan grinned. “Trust me when I say I know when Travis glows. I’ve seen him pissed off at me plenty of times.”

“I am not pissed. ”

Jordan coughed and turned away.

“Okay, maybe a little.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Mostly I’m scared.”

“Why?”

“Because I think one of the detectives who arrested him was Grimm.”

Travis sat in the chair, waiting for the cops to join him. He’d been fingerprinted, his picture taken, his clothes removed and processed, and his body cavities searched.

Yeah, that had been enjoyable. Not. Now he got to sit here in a lovely orange jumper and stare at the cheap acoustic tile ceiling while someone watched him through video cameras to see if he was acting guilty.

The door opened and the female detective walked in holding a file folder. Her expression was cold and closed as she took a seat behind the utilitarian desk. She opened the file, stared at something, and leaned back in her chair.

“So.”

Travis remained quiet.

“Interesting test results.”

He stared at Detective Mancinelli, keeping his expression blank. He was curious himself what the tests would show, but refused to give her that satisfaction. Some day he might be forced to work with her so antagonizing her wasn’t a good idea.

He was glad Jamie hadn’t managed to piss off the detective. It was nice to know his woman would stand up for him, but if she got her pretty ass arrested he was going to be annoyed.

“The lab tells me that your DNA isn’t human.”

Uh-oh.

“In fact, they tell me that they haven’t seen anything like it. Ever.” Her gaze bore into him, trying to see through him. “Why is that?”

“Your lab fucked up?”

She took a deep breath. “Three times?”

He frowned.

“It seems Mr. Grimm also was not human.”

He snorted. “I could have told you Val wasn’t human. Hell, I’m not sure he hits ape some days.”

“Not Val Grimm. I mean, him too, but also Oliver Grimm.” She leaned across the desk, her eyes diamond bright. “Explain to me how I have three non-humans, one dead, two living, in this file folder.”

“You’re really good at Origami.”

Her hand slammed down on the table. “Mr. Rudiger.”

“Yardley-Rudiger.”

She sighed. “You’re going to be a hard-ass about this, aren’t you?”

“It’s hardly my fault if your lab screwed up.”

“Then you don’t have a problem giving us a blood sample?”

As long as Jamie has gotten to Logan, no. “Not a—”

There was a knock on the door just as Detective Mancinelli stood. She opened the door, frowning at the man on the other side.

Shock raced through Travis’s system. What the hell?

“Detective, I believe you’re questioning my client.”

What was Nik doing here?

“Who the hell are you?”

Nik held out his hand, those strange silver eyes of his flashing. “Niklas DeWitt, Mr. Yardley-

Rudiger’s attorney.”

Travis stood. “Glad Jamie got a hold of you.”

Nik’s lips quirked. “She’s quite…vocal.”

Travis bit his lip. “Having a fit, is she?”

“You could say that.” Nik’s expression turned dreamy, but Travis knew he was anything but. “I bet right now she’s giving Logan and Kir a hard time.”

“That’s my Jamie.”

“Ugh. Can we end the love fest?” The detective looked disgruntled. “You promised a blood sample before your lawyer showed.”

“He’s not giving it. You already have a sample. Use that.”

She growled at Nik, earning a glare from the other man. “The samples showed Mr. Rudiger isn’t human.”

“It’s not Mr. Yardley-Rudiger’s problem if your lab is full of incompetents.” He took Travis’s arm and guided him from the room. “Bail has been posted.”

“I can get a court order… Hey!” Nik led him from the room into the hallway, the detective following them. “How can bail be posted? It hasn’t been set yet.”

He smiled and handed her some papers. “I think you’ll find that Judge Crosby disagrees with you.”

He could actually hear Mancinelli’s teeth grinding together.

“I’ll also be representing Mr. Grimm.” Nik handed her another set of papers. “Please see to it that he’s brought to me.” Nik turned his back on the detective with a sniff. “We’ll have you out of here momentarily.”

She handed Val’s bail papers to a hovering officer and waved him down the hall. “We have reason to believe your client killed a man.”

Nik turned back and just stared down at Mancinelli, those cold eyes of his sending chills down Travis’s spine.

“Nice to know a real shark is representing him.”

Nik glared. Mancinelli smirked. Travis was impressed. It took a lot to get a rise out of Nik these days, but somehow the good detective seemed to do it without even trying.

“I didn’t kill Oliver Grimm. How many times do I have to say it? I didn’t kill him. ”

“Then how do you explain your hair and carpet fibers at a scene where someone had obviously cleaned up a large amount of the man’s blood?”

“First off, how do you know it was his blood? You had his DNA on file?” Nik folded his arms across his chest.

“Mrs. Grimm was able to supply us with a sample. It matched that recovered from the floor of that fucking fun house.”

Nik nodded. “I’ve seen the timeline you have for the murder. How do you account for the fact that Val Grimm was seen at the hospital, admitting Ms. Grimm, who’d been tortured right around the supposed time of death?”

Mancinelli blinked. “We believe the time of death was some time before Ms. Grimm was admitted.”

“How do you account for the technician’s report that Val Grimm was at the hospital at the exact time Mr. Grimm was allegedly killed?”

“My partner and I believe he was incorrect. We’re in the process of verifying that now. Besides, his partner, Mr. Rudiger, was not at the hospital making sure his sweet fiancée was all right, was he?”

“Ah. Tell me, did you find Ms. Grimm’s blood there?”

“Yes.”

“did you ever speak to Ms. Grimm about her ordeal?” His statement made it clear he already knew the answer.

“I’ve read the report.”

“Do you know what Mr. Oliver Grimm is accused of?”

“I’m well aware of it. Are you saying your defense will be that Oliver Grimm staged his own death?”

“Not at all.”

“Because no one could lose that amount of blood and live.”

“Of course not.”

“Evidence was found at the scene that points directly at Mr. Rudiger and Mr. Grimm.”

“But Mr. Grimm worked there as head of security, so how can you prove that his fibers weren’t there long before the crime was committed? There was a long-standing association between Guardian Investigations and Grimm and Sons. Three of Oliver Grimm’s grandchildren work for Mr. Yardley-

Rudiger.”

“It also means that, as head of security, Val Grimm was probably well aware of the fun house. With their hair and fiber all over the place? Mr. Rudiger must have known too.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Frankly, if someone had done that to my niece I might have done far worse than stab him multiple times. I know why he felt he had to do it. But I believe he needs to stand up and take responsibility for murdering his own father.”

“Oh, believe me. The man who murdered Oliver Grimm will pay.”

Her expression blanked. “Do tell.”

Nik merely smiled and leaned down. He whispered something in Mancinelli’s ear that had her eyes going wide.

“You’re freakin’ kidding me, right?”

Nik shook his head.

“You better not be pulling my leg.”

Nik looked at something over her shoulder as he replied, “Trust me, it will be worth it.”

Travis saw the male detective, Solberg, leading Val toward their group. He looked terribly angry.

“How could they have made bail this quickly? They haven’t even been in the fucking jail yet.”

Mancinelli waved at Nik. “Ask him.”

Solberg paled when he saw Nik, then turned back to Mancinelli. “All the paperwork is in order?”

“Yup.” Unspoken was unfortunately. They could all hear it in her voice.

Nik took hold of Travis’s arm. “Are you two ready to leave?”

“More than,” Val growled.

Mancinelli put a hand on Travis’s arm as he tried to move past her. “You’re still under arrest.” She let go. “And I’m watching.”

They followed Nik out of the police building, but Travis knew it wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Grimm watched as Heimdall took Tyr and Vali out of the police station. He could barely contain his fury at the sight.

Beside him, Mancinelli shivered. “Is something wrong with the air conditioner?”

How could it have gone so wrong? Who could have expected Nik to show up and take custody of Tyr and Vali? “I have to go.”

Mancinelli turned back to him. “We have to figure out how they managed to get Judge Crosby to post bail. There wasn’t a hearing or anything.”

He barely heard her. He was practically trembling with rage. Frost began to coat everything around him. “I have to go, Mancinelli.”

She gasped, and he wondered what had made her do that. Not that it mattered anymore. He’d soon be back, erasing this incident in the minds of all those who’d witnessed it.

Since he couldn’t erase his partner’s mind, he’d erase her life.

Grimm strode out of the building, his mind whirling. As he climbed into Solberg’s car, he knew what he had to do.

There was only one way to get Tyr and Vali out in the open now. And he would take great delight in implementing it.