Dead Shifter Walking (12 page)

Jerry, Tate, and Mercer wisely kept their
distance from me, banding together close to the door.

“That was fast,” Tate said to Mercer, leaning
against a metal table, his hands casually in his black pants
pockets, while his dark blue shirt contrasted nicely with his light
Mohawk and eyes. Bastard, I mentally berated.

Mercer cast an uncertain glance my way before
returning to his conversation. “After the attack on the second
family and Olivia, it seemed apparent I was being railroaded at
work when my requests for a rush job went unanswered.”

Tate was staring at me. “You were attacked
again?” he asked. I ignored him.

Jerry and Mercer only knew of the mental hijack,
while Tate only knew of the physical attack. Personally, I didn’t
need them in my business, and all of the above was exclusively my
business.

“What was the first attack?” Mercer asked.

Tate answered, “Someone turned her car into an
accordion and left her bleeding out.”

“Damn it,” Jerry cursed.

I sighed. “Yeah, I know, not my brightest
moment.”

“That opens up who could have gotten ahold of
your blood to the entire city!” he reminded me.

“I am aware of that,” I said. “I didn’t have
much of a choice; it was either run or get my head blown off by
some very upset gentleman.”

Tate’s eyes had started to take on a yellow
sheen. “What was the other incident?” he asked still staring eerily
at me.

Mercer answered steadily, “Yesterday, the
murderer hijacked Olivia’s mind and made her watch the murders
while leading her to the scene too late.”

I rapped my head against the concrete wall,
watching Gunner cast a terrified glance my way. He should be
scared; I was a walking time bomb. If Steven didn’t get me, the
unknown killer would certainly destroy my sanity.

“So-so,” Gunnar started stuttering, “just to
clarify…you…you have two sep-separate bad guys trying to eliminate
you?”

I gave Gunnar a genuine smile. “That would about
sum it up, this week,” I answered.

Gunnar nodded, his pasty cheeks turning bright
pink, getting back to the work in front of him, carefully
cataloging the samples I had brought.

I liked Gunnar; he had a simple nature, and he
didn’t enjoy us being here interfering in his work. “So Gunnar, how
long will this take?”

He cast a furtive glance at the three men behind
him. “More time than your love life and death threats could warrant
conversation.”

I threw my head back and laughed heartily,
standing up from the concrete wall. “Now, that is highly doubtful,”
I said, stretching.

Gunner cracked a small smile, trying not to
notice me stretching. “I’ll call Tate once I finish,” he said,
returning back to his work.

Climbing the stairs out of the bunker, Tate was
hot on my ass. “Keep your hands to yourself,” I mumbled quietly,
knowing he could hear me. “And quit checking out my ass,” I
hissed.

Mercer and Jerry climbed quietly into the Beast,
leaving me alone with Tate. What the hell?

“Drive back with me,” Tate requested
quietly.

“Need another hit?” I asked tapping my neck.

He moved faster than I could track, pinning me
against his ridiculous yellow sport car, whispering softly, “If I
wanted it, I would have it.”

Have I mentioned he’s a cocky asshole?

Shoving him away, I got into the bumblebee car,
not saying a word. Tate was pushing me, and he was well aware of
it. From staying the night uninvited to attempting to incite me
into fighting him, he was being a button-pushing ass.

The gray interior of the car smelled new, and I
had to admit the seats weren’t awful to sit in. Tate started the
engine and I understood why people called it purring, but
annoyingly loud.

I was aware of his sly cautious peeks as we made
the hour drive back. I may have wanted to ask what the hell he
wanted, but I kept my silence. Based on his silence, he may have
finally caught up with the fact that I killed for a living.

I thrummed my fingers against the door armrest
as my stomach decided to growl loudly. Tate pushed a few buttons on
his steering wheel and Jerry’s voice came over the speakers. Cute
trick.

“It appears Olivia is in need of sustenance,” he
declared.

“Did you ask her where she wants to eat?” Mercer
asked.

Silence met that question, followed by Jerry’s
laughter.

“She isn’t talking to you, is she?” Jerry asked,
and I smiled. “Oh, you’ve really pissed her off now. I highly
suggest you pull out all the stops and get us some amazing
sustenance,” Jerry said, disconnecting the call.

Tate gave me an irritated glance; I raised one
eyebrow at him, accepting the challenge.

His grumbling was music to my ears, ever so glad
to share my irritation. After a few more clicks on his steering
wheel, another voice came over the speakers, one I did not
recognize, nor could I place the language. Whatever was said,
though, gave Tate a smug smile as he zoomed in and out of traffic
into a questionable neighborhood.

“Should I bring my guns?” I asked earnestly.

He scoffed, parking in the small lot and coming
around to open my door. “Madam,” he said with regal elegance.

I rolled my eyes at him, crossing my arms and
turning to face him. “Right this way,” he motioned, offering an
arm. I took it as Jerry and Mercer exited the Beast. Jerry buttoned
his black coat, giving me a look, asking if I was serious. I
shrugged, staring pointedly at Tate.

Chapter 7

Thirty minutes later, I was singing his praises.
Seated in a maroon open booth in a quiet romantic Italian
restaurant, I was on my third piece of four-cheese pizza and in
heaven.

Tate had his arm resting leisurely on the back
of my seat, admiring his handiwork. My eyes had rolled back in my
head as I moaned with pure bliss. He chuckled before taking another
sip of what I assumed was blood.

I didn’t rightly care, as I was too engrossed in
the explosion of tastes occurring in my mouth. Jerry and Mercer
were equally enthralled, although Mercer was having a harder time
relaxing in such a high vampire population. I wasn’t sure if he
knew what was around him or if his instincts were kicking in.

I felt relatively safe in the company of a
master vampire and with guns hidden under my jacket, while the
bullets wouldn’t kill the vamps, it would give us time for an
escape.

Leaning back stuffed, I sighed contentedly.

All I wanted to do was curl up and sleep. Here
would be fine; I wasn’t picky. But I had a full afternoon and night
ahead of me. Tate took care of our bill, while we waited for him in
the shade.

“Well, Olivia,” he said, taking my arm again,
walking to the car, “what do you say to some quality time
together?”

I stopped midway to the vehicles. “Look, Tate,
knock it off. I’m going to get to the bottom of these murders even
if you don’t try to seduce me.” I leaned forward, brushing his ear
with my lips, “I appreciate your help, but I know you’re not really
interested.”

Standing back, a sheepish smile graced his lips.
“I’m that transparent?” He said, spreading his hands and
shrugging.

I shook my head heading to the Beast. “Call me
once you hear from Gunner,” I answered, getting in the back seat
with Mercer and Jerry in the front.

“Men,” I complained, trying not to notice the
pang my heart gave at that complaint.

Jerry smiled behind his aviator sunglasses.
“Tell me about it.”

Mercer scoffed, looking out the window
pretending not to hear us.

“You want a rundown of your agenda for the rest
of the day?” Jerry asked in his efficient voice.

“No,” I grumbled. “I would really love a
nap.”

…

There was no nap. Instead, we dropped off Mercer
with a promise he would call if he succeeded in getting around the
blocks in the investigation. There was something going on with the
children; I just didn’t have a clue what. One battle at a time, I
reminded myself. We now had an undead helper finding out everything
illegally and a detective trying to find out everything legally; we
had to catch a break.

At Kitten, I signed a heap of paperwork,
reviewed the dances, interviewed a new line cook, and slept in the
offices until it was time to learn the new Latin routine,
undoubtedly my favorite style of dance, not to mention the outfits.
Our costumes were belly dancing sheer silk scarfs tied cleverly to
hide the matching undergarments with the traditional rows of coins
embroidered to the fabric. We jingled like it was Christmas.

That’s how Kass found me, shaking my ass to see
how much noise I could make. Yeah, at times, I was like a
four-year-old.

Laughing, she sat me down, putting layers upon
layers of makeup on.

“You going out as Kitten?” she asked.

“Nope, not tonight, just Olie,” I answered,
smiling and trying to keep my good mood. I wanted to be tearing
apart information on who was killing and why, but there was no new
information for me to work on. Honestly, I was just hoping to get
out of entertaining the master shifter who arrived today.

“How is everything going?” I asked
tentatively.

Kass shrugged, her eyes shining as she blinked
rapidly. “Logan and Darren got into a huge fight,” she said, coming
to sit in the chair next to me. I swiveled my chair to face her.
“He accused Darren of neglecting his responsibilities to the clan
by picking me over them,” she said, sniffling.

“What did Darren say?” I asked softly, wondering
if the accusations from his brother would prompt a change of heart
in him.

“He said, yes, he was. He was choosing his
family over the clan, and if Logan had a problem with that, they
could part ways right then without further communication.” She
sobbed quietly. I placed a hand on her back, letting her cry into
her hands.

Darren had made the right choice, at great
heartache and peril to himself. Why Logan couldn’t understand the
concept of family being more than a clan, but an underlying bond of
beings who would never abandon or stop fighting for each other, I
could never understand. I respected the terrible decision that
Darren had made and was proud of how easily he had made it.

Kass reined her emotions in with a deep breath.
“I feel awful, causing that rift,” she whispered, wiping away the
tears with the tissue I gave her.

“Kass, it’s not entirely your fault. Hannah is a
succ. Whether or not Darren and you fell in love, he would be
making the same choices he is now. “

She nodded. “You’re right.” She tried for a
smile.

“Thank you, Olivia; I’ve been telling her the
same thing,” Darren said, coming into the room.

I smiled at him. “How’s the house hunting
going?”

Kass brightened at that. “Amazing. We found this
great home; needs a little work, but it’s perfect and close to the
manor.” She smiled as Darren walked behind her, brushing a kiss
against her forehead and placing his hands gently on her
shoulders.

I smiled. “You’ll have to show it to me soon,” I
said and mentally added, when my life settles down, which really
had no chance of ever occurring.

Kass squeezed Darren’s hand on her shoulder and
a pang of jealousy raged through me before I clamped down on it
with my iron will. I wanted to be cherished like that, to have no
greater worries than family rivalries. Pushing a slow breath out, I
reminded myself that the reason it was her only problem was because
of me killing anything that came remotely near her and my kind.

I forced a smile, standing. “I’ll see you guys
out there.”

“Oh, Olie,” Kass said, calling after me. “I
almost forgot; we are trial running warded mage bracelets to see if
they can block some of our powers. We wanted to try it with you
tonight, since you have the strongest reach, so let it out,” she
said with a smile.

…

The music pulsed through my veins until my heart
kept beat with it; my breathing became heavy and labored from the
constant and never-ending movement of my hips. Sweat dripping down
my back to be absorbed into the sheer silk above my ass. I loved
every second of it.

My power swelled and rose twirling around my
body and those dancing with me. I hadn’t caught a glance of Kass
yet, but I assumed it was only because our stage hadn’t circled to
her yet.

Our second outfit was a golden glitter sequined
mess with a halter-top and a perfect skirt that flowed with every
twist, turn, and booty-shaking move. Smiling, I lost myself to the
music, the sense of beauty I found in every perfectly executed
move, and the release I felt in my muscles along with my relaxed
control.

I never did see Kass, but I did see the majestic
demigod from the mall. He gave a small wave, which I acknowledged
with a smirk and slight head tilt, much to the annoyance of his
date. I can’t lie; I did smile a little wider at that.

When Shakira sang of the She Wolf in the closet,
I took Kass’s words to heart and took the lead, pulling out all the
stops as I ended on my knees, thrusting my hips and running a hand
along my side. The tension in the air thickened as I pulled myself
back into the other dancers.

The bracelets were good as gold; no one rushed
the stage in a fit of passion, but the effects of the dance were
still evident from gaping mouths and panting breaths. After more
testing, I could see implementing this full time.

Backstage, I had forgotten how nice it was to
have the semblance of a normal routine as I saw the same faces and
caught up with the latest gossip. Traveling as often as I did, TV
characters became more reliable for social interaction than actual
people.

After showering and drying my now short hair, I
went out back in the new pink dress Jerry and I picked out with
cowboy boots and a few key bling pieces of jewelry.