Must Love Fangs

Chapter Four

All the same, I plucked my eyebrows. Even I could take a hint.

When I came in the next evening, Sara gave me a wave from her desk, where she was perched on the massive thigh of her mate, Ramsey Bjorn, the biggest, scariest man I’d ever seen. It was odd to see them together, but she didn’t seem frightened of him in the slightest. The were-bear held a game controller in his massive hands, and as I walked past, Sara snatched it away. “Let me do it. You’re all thumbs.”

He growled.

She growled back, the rumble low in her throat.

I set my purse on my desk and sat down, avoiding them. Shifters were weird, and I supposed it was a good thing that they were off-limits. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to growl and snarl, and I had an aversion to fleas. Still, the way Ramsey watched her—hungry, possessive, adoring—made me feel a little wistful. Here I was stuck with Bert the vampire who thought I didn’t have enough donk in my badonk.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Ryder said cheerfully, approaching my desk and dumping a stack of folders on it. “Nice brows.”

“Shut up,” I said, mimicking her cheerful voice.

Sara glanced over at me. “I almost forgot to tell you—Bath has a new project she wants us to work on.”

I stifled a groan. When did Bath not have a project? I didn’t have time for this; I was busy trying to find myself a vampire. “Oh goody,” I said. “What kind of project?”

“You and I,” Ryder said, adding another stack of folders to my already towering stack, “are going to call everyone who hasn’t used the service in over a year, and ask them to come back because of the great dating selection we have now.”

I picked up a folder and glanced at it. Not a vampire. Not interested. “So we’re lying to them?”

Across the room, Ramsey snorted.

“Not really a lie,” Sara said, shutting down her computer and tossing the control into the inbox on her desk. “More like fudging the truth to drum up business.”

“I thought business was fine.”

“But why settle for this when we can have even more business? That’s Bath’s new motto.” Sara stood up and grabbed Ramsey’s big hand, dragging him to his feet. “We want to keep things bustling.”

I kind of liked it when things were quiet. “So we’re just supposed to magically find all these female shapeshifters that need a date and somehow convince them that they need to use our service?”

“Something like that.”

The doorbell clanged and in sauntered my nemesis, Joshua Russell. I tossed the folder back down on the stack. “Problem solved,” I said dryly. “We’ll just have everyone date Josh.”

Ryder giggled.

Sexy, irritating Josh winked in my direction and I ignored it, because sometimes I hoped that if I wished hard enough, he’d fall off the planet and disappear. So far, no dice.

“I see my gorgeous Marie is thrilled to see me once again,” he said, going to the chair that Sara and Ramsey had just vacated. He flipped it around and straddled it, his grin making crinkles form around those gorgeous, long-lashed eyes. “Don’t take her hard words to heart. She has a secret spot in her heart for me. I don’t know if you guys noticed, but she always pays special attention when I show up.”

Sara giggled.

I hated that man. “Ostie de tabarnak. I wish you’d go away.”

“No, you don’t,” he said easily.

“Yes, I really do.”

“Quit speaking all that sexy French at me if you want me to leave.”

“I’m cussing at you, tête de cochon.”

“Oh, I know that one! I think she just called you a pig-head,” Ryder said with a cheeky grin. “She called me one the other day, too.”

He didn’t look discouraged in the slightest. “Dirty French words are Marie’s way of foreplay. That’s how I know she loves me.”

I wanted to bang my head on my keyboard in frustration. “Please. Please just go away.”

“Now, Marie,” he drawled. “If you wanted me to go away, why’d you doll up and look so damn beautiful?”

I flushed. Crap. He’d noticed my makeup for my next date? I had to be more subtle.

I avoided making eye contact with Sara. If she found out what I was doing, she’d tell Bathsheba. If Bathsheba found out I was using the service without permission during working hours, my ass would be out on the street. She might have been okay with it once upon a time, given that she’d used the service to meet Beau, but with the shifter issues going on, human was a dirty word right now. Combine that with the fact that I’d need to date during office hours? It was best that I just didn’t ask at all. I noticed Ryder looked suddenly busy, as well.

“Maybe Marie just wanted to look pretty today,” Sara said lightly. “I don’t think it has anything to do with you, Josh.”

“Don’t be so sure, Sara. It always has to do with me. All the girls want a piece of me,” he said with a grin, clearly joking. When Ramsey cast a black look in his direction, he amended it. “Almost all girls.”

Sara grinned and slipped a hand around Ramsey’s massive waist. She glanced back at me. “We’re off for the evening. Bath said to call her if you had questions about the project, and leave her a report in the morning.”

“See you,” I said casually, picking up the first folder in the stack and pretending to be interested in it. I was more than ready for all of them to leave the office, so I could check whether a vampire had responded to Minnie’s profile. And I couldn’t do that if they were all sitting right there.

That was the bad thing about such a small, intimate business. My boss, Bathsheba Ward-Russell, was married to the head of the Paranormal Alliance, Beau Russell. The two businesses worked closely together and shared records. That meant that Beau was constantly dropping by the office, which was fine. He was handsome, polite, well spoken, and friendly. But it also meant his cadre of brothers and cousins was also stopping by at all hours.

And that drove me crazy. Most of the Russells were nice enough. Jeremiah was the tall, muscular one who showed up to work on the network from time to time. Ellis, Everett, and Austin worked for the security firm that Beau ran, and they popped by to flirt with Ryder, chat with Bath or Sara, and do background checks on clients. The three looked so much alike that I had a hard time telling them apart, save for the one who had a sleeve of tattoos up one arm. All of them were incredibly friendly and nice to everyone in the office.

Joshua was the thorn in my side. In personality, he was nothing like serious, polite, well-dressed Beau. Josh seemed to live in a plain black T-shirt, ass-hugging jeans, and a baseball cap. It didn’t hurt that he was flat-out gorgeous to boot. Tall, muscular, and handsome, with an amazing grin and sinfully beautiful eyes that didn’t belong on a man.

He was also a flirt who didn’t seem to take no for an answer. You would think women would see right through his overbearing, overly flirty personality, but you would think wrong. They loved his flirting, and loved him, and he had the dating records to prove it.

Until he didn’t call them back, of course. And he never did.

And unfortunately for me, Josh generally worked the same hours that I did. As a vampire security specialist, he tended to be up all night. That meant he often stopped by the office on his way to work, and again on his way back from his shift.

Ryder didn’t mind. She said it livened up our long shift.

I minded. Which only encouraged him more.

Tonight was one of those nights that I’d been hoping he wouldn’t show up . . . so naturally he was here, and he was early.

I shot Ryder an uncomfortable look as Sara and Ramsey left for the evening and Josh stood, flipped his chair around, sat again, and put his feet up on Sara’s desk. His self-assured gaze rested on me, as if evaluating me. He always watched me as I worked, and I was pretty sure he did it to annoy me. No supernatural could be that interested in a human woman who told him to buzz off repeatedly.

He was just acting so focused and determined to bother me. Typical.

Ryder moved to the coffeepot, preparing the first of several she’d brew tonight.

“So what’s the plan, ladies?” Josh gave me a mildly curious look, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

“Gee,” I said, flipping open the folder. Female. Mink shifter. Not my target demographic. “I don’t know. I thought tonight I’d go out on a limb and do some work. You know, that crazy thing that people expect in exchange for a salary?” I glanced over at him, hoping he’d get the hint. “That thing you’re supposed to be doing right about now?”

“My client won’t be up for another hour or so,” he said casually. “I thought I’d hang out for a few in the meantime.”

I had my next vampire date in an hour and a half. That was cutting it close.

“New client?” Ryder asked him, picking up her headset and adjusting it over her blond pigtails.

“Yup. Another vampire being stalked by a fellow vampire. Surprise, surprise.” He sounded bored. “So the shifter muscle has to show up and throw our weight around to make sure his new friends get the hint.”

“I hope he’s paying you a lot,” Ryder said with a grin.

“Oh, he is,” Josh said. “Premium security for a premium price.”

I tuned out their conversation and pulled up the record of my date on the computer, glancing back at the were-mink’s folder as cover. My date, a vampire named Lewis, hadn’t yet cancelled. Good. I’d tried setting up another date last night, but the guy had cancelled on me once I’d sent him a picture.

To ensure that my date would show up this time, I’d googled “sexy brunette in glasses,” picked a suitably suggestive photo, and sent that one. It had been a little white lie, but I didn’t care as long as he showed up.

There were thirty-two vampires in the Midnight Liaisons database. Nineteen of them were currently available for dating, and I was already down by two. I was starting to get anxious. I only needed one, but what I needed seemed to be a pretty big favor. I had to tread cautiously.

The cowbell hanging against the front door clanged, and I jerked in surprise.

“Little jumpy tonight, aren’t we?” Josh teased.

I glared at him and didn’t dignify that with a response.

A trio of loud, noisy men entered the office and my heart sank all over again. “Just what we needed,” I said with a sour look. “More Russells.”

Austin pulled up a chair across from Ryder, and the twins sat down at Sara’s desk. I didn’t know which ones were Josh’s cousins and which ones were his brothers; they all looked like they were cut from the same mold. Tall. Muscled. Incredibly good-looking. Dark, thick hair. Same rakish smile. The twins had deep dimples, though, and one had a sleeve of tattoos. Jeremiah was quiet and soft spoken, but he didn’t show up around the agency much anymore, now that he was in a relationship with a were-fox. Well, rumor had it that he was in a relationship with a were-fox and another guy, but that was probably just rumor.

“Can I help you boys?” Ryder asked with a slow, sweet drawl. “You dropping by the agency to see me, or were you wanting a date?”

“Always dropping by to see you, of course,” Josh said lazily, giving me that sleepy, sexy look.

I ignored him.

Austin leaned back in his chair and yawned, lacing his fingers behind his head as if he was bored. He fixed his gaze on Josh, who hadn’t moved from where he was parked across from my desk. “We saw the car out front and figured you were in here setting up another date. Since you’re making other plans, Everett wanted to know if that hot little number from the dance was up for grabs.”

Josh shrugged, his gaze on me. “Don’t know. You up for grabs, Marie?”

“Very funny.”

“I’m serious,” he said.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“The hot one,” Everett emphasized. “Were-lynx. With the dress.”

“The blonde?” Ellis asked. “With the rack?”

Austin shook his head. “The redhead. The one with the freckles and the . . . ” He coughed, getting flustered at Ryder’s direct stare. “Uh, sports car.”

“For the record, I went to the dance with Jayde Sommers,” Josh said. “And we’re not seeing each other anymore.”

Oh, I was sure that hot-tempered Jayde loved that. She wasn’t one of my favorite clients. “Gee, that’s a shame,” I said in a voice that implied that I didn’t think it was a shame at all. “I’m crushed you two didn’t work out.”

Josh shrugged.

I pulled my keyboard close. “Well, since you’re here, who did you want to be fixed up with, since you’re no longer seeing Jayde?”

“I was never seeing Jayde,” he pointed out. “She was just a date once or twice. And I’m not here to get set up with anyone.”

“It was the were-tigress,” Ellis announced after a minute. “The tall one. Looks like a supermodel.”

Everett snapped his fingers. “That’s the one.”

“Rebecca,” Josh said with a grin. “Nice girl.”

“Not too nice, I hope,” Everett said with a frown. “I like ’em wild.”

“Nope, not too nice,” Josh said amiably. “Nicer than Marie here, though.”

“Marie would be a lot nicer if you would go away,” I said sweetly. “And if I get you Rebecca’s number, can we make that happen?”

“We can,” Everett said with a grin. “You get me her number and I’m buying everyone in this room wings and beer.”

“How do you know she’ll want to date you? Maybe your brother made her swear off were-cougars forever.”

Everett gave me a smug look. “I can be persuasive, though I’m not as smooth as Josh here.”

I gave him the number and all the men left, laughing and teasing each other.

When Josh looked back and gave me a wink, Ryder grinned and returned to her computer. “Boys will be boys.”

“Those weren’t boys. Those were men in need of a hobby.”

“Or a girlfriend,” Ryder said lightly.

I glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes before my date. I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. “I’m going. Cover for me!”

“Yay, more Red Bull,” Ryder said, twirling her finger in the air.

“I’ll be back soon,” I told her. “Wish me luck.”

• • •

A half hour after my date’s scheduled time, I had to accept the fact that I’d been stood up. I’d sat at a table for two in the small, dark, popular little Greek restaurant, drumming my fingers on the tabletop and waiting.

Câlice.

Why was it so hard to find a damn vampire to date me? I was young. I was single. I was O freaking positive. I’d sent a suggestive picture as Minnie. I was making myself available. What was I doing wrong?

Desperation made me feel suddenly exhausted, and I rubbed my eyes. I hadn’t slept in three days, and it was wearing on me. I wanted a nice, long nap, but that was useless. As soon as I lay down and closed my eyes, I was unable to sleep.

Sleep was torture. I’d lie in bed, exhausted and aching, but sleep never came. It was the most frustrating thing in the world—to know that most people could just turn over and go to sleep while I’d stare at the ceiling for hours, wishing I knew how to shut my brain off so I could get in a few hours of rest.

But I had to keep going. Find a vampire somehow. I got up from the table and dropped a few dollars for the soda I’d downed, ignoring the pitying looks of the waitstaff. I made my way out of the sea of closely crowded tables, pushing through the front door. The parking lot was busy despite the late hour, so I cut around to the back alley. I didn’t want anyone to see me leaving, in case a client spotted me and mentioned it to someone at the agency.

Damn, this stung. Was I truly so unappealing? My pride was starting to feel wounded. More than that, my anxiety was skyrocketing. What if I couldn’t find a vampire to turn me? What if I died before I could accomplish my goal?

My stomach churning, I ducked my head and walked faster. A text buzzed on my phone and I paused, my heart flipping over with hope. Maybe the vampire was just late? Maybe he’d been held up?

It was Ryder. Is everything okay? Text me back.

Sigh. I’m fine, I sent back. He was a no-show. Heading back now.

I repocketed my phone and glanced up just in time to see the hindquarters of a large beast slink into the shadows of the alley. I froze. I’d definitely seen a tail, and I was pretty sure I’d seen a paw, but it had been so quick that I doubted my own eyes. Was I crazy?

I wasn’t scared, since I worked with shapeshifters, but I was annoyed that I was about to be caught in the act. I studied the alley for a long moment. Run away and assume that the shifter wouldn’t report me back? Or be brave and take my lumps? I thought for a moment longer, then sighed, gut-checked myself, and strode forward.

I turned the corner into the dark alley—and ran smack into a naked Joshua. I yelped in surprise, stumbling backward a step even as he reached out to catch me.

“You okay?” His big hand moved to my waist, as if to anchor me against him.

“Fine,” I said sharply, pushing away from him and averting my gaze. The glimpse I’d seen of him was . . . well, it was making me feel flushed. I hadn’t expected him to be quite so . . . impressive . . . naked. His shoulders were broad and thick with muscle, his stomach flat and delicious, so tight that I’d seen a very nice six pack. I cast my gaze to the ground, and that wasn’t any better, because I had a shadowy view of well-muscled thigh and one long, bare foot. I turned and stared at a wall, hating how red my face felt. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m working. Checking out a few scent trails in the area for a client who is convinced he’s being stalked by someone. He’s not, of course, but that doesn’t mean I don’t check things out anyhow. What are you doing here, Marie?”

“Red Bull run,” I told him, falling back on our story line. “Ryder asked for some.”

“Really,” he said in an amused voice. “Then why is it that your hair smells like olives and feta?”

I looked over at him, startled, and touched my dark curls. “What?”

“Olives. Feta. Greek.” He touched his nose and grinned at me, looking tousled and like he’d just gotten out of bed. He gestured back down the front alley. “Were you at the restaurant?”

“No,” I said defensively, clutching my purse to my chest. I kept my gaze on his handsome face, not daring to look any lower, since his arms were crossed over his chest and that meant the rest of him was, well . . . open for business. “Of course not. I’m just on break.”

“Then why are you slinking away down a dark alley so no one can see you?”

“I like dark alleys,” I said defensively.

“They’re dangerous. You should be careful.”

Getting mugged in an alley was the least of my problems. But I forced out a tight “Fine.” I turned and began to march away. “I’m going now.”

“Wait, Marie,” he said, and I heard him fall into step behind me. Damn it, damn it. “What’s it worth to you for me to keep my mouth shut about you hanging out at a vampire joint when you’re supposed to be working?”

I stopped in my tracks.

He ran into me this time and he chuckled, then moved to the side. I felt his big hand graze my hips, sending a tingle through my body, before he moved away. “Going to make me guess?”

I ignored him, turning to glare at his face. “I wasn’t at a vampire joint.”

“You smell like Greek food. Didn’t you know that Konstantine’s is run by a vampire? It’s well known in the Alliance that it’s a vampire feeding ground.”

It hadn’t been known to me. I thought our clients liked the place because it was dark and private. Why did no one fill me in on these things?

“So.” He rocked on his heels. “What’s it worth to you to keep me quiet?”

“Are you blackmailing me?” I gave him an outraged look.

“Only for information,” he said with an easy grin. “You tell me which vampire you’re in love with and I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

I hesitated.

He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

Criss. I kept my eyes locked on his face. He had me. “How do I know I can trust you?”

He laughed. “You found a naked shapeshifter in an alley who’s twice the size of you, standing close enough to rub against you. And you’re worried you can’t trust me?”

Point taken. “You’re not twice my size,” I felt obligated to point out. “More like one and a half times.”

He put a hand to his chest in mock pain. “You wound me, Marie. Never tell a man he’s smaller than he claims.”

His motion made my gaze go to his chest, and I noticed the fuzzy sprinkling of hair across his broad pectorals. Odd how that was so appealing. The pectorals themselves were something close to a work of art—flat, hard, and smooth. Like little bricks of man-muscle—

Josh snapped his fingers at me.

I flushed, realizing I was staring at his naked chest. “Sorry.”

“So what’s his name?”

“I hate you for making me tell,” I said, then dug my phone out of my purse, glancing at the note in my calendar. “Lewis.”

“Boy, it must be love if you can’t remember the guy’s name,” Josh said, and snatched the phone from my hands, beginning to flip through my calendar.

“Hey,” I protested. “Give that back!”

But he began to saunter away, phone in hand. “Let’s see. Two nights ago, it was Bert. And Valjean’s here, too. Why, Marie, you minx you. I had no idea you were a vampire groupie.”

I reached for the phone over his shoulder even though I had to brush up against his naked chest. “Give that back!”

He held it out of reach and turned around, grinning when I lunged against him again. His other arm went to my waist, pulling me close, and I found my mouth inches from his, my body pressed up against his naked chest.

I became instantly aware of his very, very naked flesh. How hard he was all over, how big and strong. He loomed over me, tall, but not overwhelming. Just . . . right. Just delicious. My pulse fluttered in response.

“Why do you want a vampire, Marie?” Josh’s gaze dipped to my mouth, as if he was contemplating kissing me. Then he glanced back up to meet my gaze. His voice dropped to a husky, seductive tone. “If you want to play with your wild side, I’m right here and more than willing.”

I pushed him away. “I’m not looking for a one-night stand.”

He gave me a bemused smile. “Aren’t you? Then what’s with all the vampires?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, instantly regretting saying anything. Humans weren’t supposed to have ongoing relationships with supernaturals. We were okay for a fling here and there, but commitment? Wasn’t allowed.

I reached for my phone again. “Just give that back to me.”

He held it over my head for a moment longer, but when I wouldn’t play this time, he handed it to me.

I glared at him and stalked away. He was far too naked for me to be comfortable, and I’d noticed far too much of his physique for my own good.

“I’m betting Lewis didn’t show up tonight, did he?”

I paused. Gritted my teeth.

“I can help you with that, you know.”

Damn it. Why did he have to keep talking? And how did he seem to know that my vampire date hadn’t shown up? I turned around slowly. He hadn’t followed me this time, and now he stood twenty feet away, which allowed me a full frontal vision of his Adonis-like body.

Naturally, I realized this a moment too late and yelped, raising a hand to cover my eyes.

Too late. The vision of Joshua Russell, male perfection in one arrogant, cocky package, was now burned into my mind. Those tight hips, narrow waist, broad shoulders. That small birthmark on his groin just to the left of some very . . . impressive equipment. Great. Now I was going to be thinking about his birthmark whenever I saw him. “I can’t talk to you unless you put some clothes on,” I snapped.

“Come on now, Marie,” he drawled, a chuckle in his voice. “You know shifters aren’t shy about nudity.”

“This human is!”

“I thought you liked what you were looking at? You were staring earlier.”

“Ostie de tabarnak,” I spat at him.

“Oooh, the French. Now I know I’m getting somewhere.”

“Joshua Russell!”

“Okay, fine, I’ll get decent.”

I paused, waiting a moment, then moved my hand and peeked at him again. He stood there, still facing me, still full frontal, hands on his hips.

And he was getting erect.

I covered my eyes again. “You said you were getting decent!”

“Give me a minute to get excited, and I’ll be plenty decent.” He gave me a sultry look. “You could always take your top off and help things along.”

“That is not what I meant! You are a pig, Joshua Russell.”

“And you’re too shy, Marie Bellavance.” He said my name with the flat drawl of a Southerner. “It’s good for you to look at a man every now and then. Get that stick out of your ass.”

I did not have a stick up my ass. “If you’re not helping me, then I am leaving now,” I announced again.

“I’ll change,” he said. “Give me two minutes, and I’ll finish scouting the area and grab my clothes. Then I’ll follow you back to the agency to make sure no one takes advantage of you.”

“Good idea,” I said, a bite to my voice. “It would be terrible if I was accosted in a dark alley by a naked man.”

He chuckled. “It’s only accosting if you don’t enjoy it. And you enjoyed it.”

“I did not.” Even if I had, I would never, ever tell him that.

“I’m changing now,” he announced.

I could have turned and walked away. He would have let me, I knew. Josh came on strong, but that was because he assumed that everyone found him utterly irresistable.

But for some reason, I stayed. Partially because I did want to find out exactly what he thought of the vampires avoiding me, and partially because this would give me a good chance to look at his naked body undistracted. I peeked, watching him. Just a little. His buttocks had the most amazing dimple that flexed when he changed, and my pulse sped up in response. But then he sprouted fur and began to contort, and I covered my eyes again.

Not the glamorous side of being a shifter. I winced when I heard bones crack, and I kept my eyes covered, waiting. Long moments passed, and when I was just about to open my eyes and ask what was going on, something furry rubbed up against my leg. I opened my eyes to see a massive dun cougar stalking away from me, his tail lashing slowly back and forth. He sniffed the alleyway carefully and moved forward, then glanced back at me.

I relaxed a little. “I like you much better like this. Quiet and not naked.”

He made a chuffing noise that might have been a laugh. And then he began to sniff around again. I paced a few steps behind him as he followed a scent trail, moving along the back alley and turning down another, before doubling back and rechecking the area he’d already gone over.

The back door to Konstantine’s opened, letting out a waft of delicious scents. I stopped just as a man in a dirty apron emerged and headed for the Dumpster. He paused at the sight of me, and then Josh, his eyes widening in alarm.

Shit! I’d just been caught with a shifter in cat-form. The Alliance was going to kill me. I was—

Josh meowed, a sad, pathetic, house-cat meow.

“Bad kitty,” I said automatically, figuring out his plan. Genius! I smiled at the man standing frozen in the alley. “Silly cat refuses to go potty on the grass.”

“That’s your cat?” He took a step backward, uncertain.

“All mine,” I said, and snapped my fingers at my side. Josh immediately came to my hand, rubbing up against my fingers and purring wildly. I scratched at his face, his whiskers, and he began to lick my fingers, and then my palm.

It . . . tickled. And made me a little squirmy, knowing that there was a human brain behind all that licking. What was going through his mind right now?

The man in the apron chatted with me as he tossed bags into the Dumpster, giving side glances at Josh as he made out with my hand while I stood making small talk. The man told me about his pet dog, and how he’d once seen a big cat at the zoo, and asked me where I’d gotten mine. I told him that my cougar was a gift. And Josh was great at obeying. Harmless. Declawed, I added. All this time, Josh kept licking and nuzzling at my hand.

As soon as the man disappeared back into the restaurant, I jerked my hand away from Josh. “Is this the shifter version of first base?”

He chuffed at me again, then turned, batting at my leg with his tail, indicating that I should follow once more. I did, and he took me down a set of alleys, leading me through the backstreets of downtown Fort Worth, before we came to a neatly stashed pile of clothing and shoes.

He paused, staring at me expectantly.

“Time to change?” I asked.

He reached out and licked my hand again.

“I’m going to take that as a yes. Go on, then.” I turned around, picked up his cell phone, and clicked on it, payback for his snatching my phone.

Locked. Darn. So much for my chance to snoop. I waited until Josh finished changing, listening to the sound of clothing rustling as he dressed. Then he leaned over my shoulder and neatly plucked his phone out of my hands. “That’s mine.”

“Afraid I’ll get all the numbers of your girlfriends and tell them about how you’ve been harassing me in an alley?”

“What, and give away all my smooth moves?” he teased. “Let’s get back to the agency. I imagine Ryder’s waiting. I assume she’s in on this scheme of yours?”

She was, and she was going to kill me if I showed up at the agency with Josh.

We walked back to the small strip mall off a service road. Midnight Liaisons had an unassuming storefront, since the last thing we wanted was to draw attention to our business. The lights were on inside, as they were twenty-four hours a day, but the blinds were pulled shut. When I entered the small waiting room, I frowned to see that all four desks in the main office were empty. I glanced over at Ryder’s desk. Her purse was still hanging off the back of her chair.

Not good.

I turned to Josh. “Can you wait here for a minute?”

He shrugged. “Or I could sit down and we can talk for a bit and explore this vampire fetish—”

That was the last thing I wanted right now. “Just . . . stay . . . here,” I said, placing my hands on his chest and giving him a nudge backward.

He put his hand over mine, as if to hold it. “I know you want your hands on me, Marie, but think of how jealous poor Ryder will be.”

I shoved him harder, ignoring the boyish grin on his face. “I’m going to talk to Ryder, and then we’re going to head out for a bit.”

“We are?” He seemed surprised. “Shouldn’t you be ‘working’ at your ‘job’?” He made air quotes, teasing me.

“Shouldn’t you?” I hissed back at him. “You’re being paid to track something, right? So go track.” When he didn’t move, I sighed. “Give me two minutes and I’ll tell Ryder where we’re going. Just wait here.” I didn’t want him following me in.

I half expected him to follow me in, but he did as I asked. I hitched my purse closer on my shoulder, braced myself, and headed to the back conference room, where I knew I’d find Ryder.

I cracked the door open just enough to see scaly flesh and curled wings. One misshapen arm shot out, clearly re-forming. The creature turned to me, eyes wild, and I recognized Ryder’s bright blue gaze in that awful face.

“Hey,” I said softly, forcing myself to ignore the fact that she was turning into a monster right before my eyes. “I’m taking Josh and we’re going to go get something to eat. Call me if you need me, okay?”

The hand wavered, shuddered, and clenched. Then she slowly raised it into the air and jabbed a thumbs-up.

I gave her the thumbs-up sign back and shut the door, leaving her to her business.

After all, I knew all about secrets. There were some things you just didn’t want other people to know. I swept through the office and brushed past Josh to the front door. “Come on. There’s bound to be something open this late.”