“Lagging.” She left the hallway and the door clicked shut behind her.
“Come on.” Alec held the paperwork out to her. “Fill out your parents’ information. And yours.”
She looked at the form, noting that it asked for name, address, and phone number for up to three individuals. “Okay.”
He smiled. His expression was warm and pleased, telling her how much he appreciated her obedience. That surprised her, considering how easily he accepted the same from everyone else. He seemed more comfortable in command than Gadara did. Gadara manipulated to get what he wanted; Alec simply expected that his orders would be followed.
Alec looked at Wilson. “We have a Nix problem.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
Eve looked up at him. “How?”
“As with any possible infestation,” Wilson said, “we prevent the pest from gaining access in the first place. In the case of Nixes, we insert a deterrent into the main water pipe to the residence.”
“After you do that, can I take down the crosses I have hanging in my showers?”
“You could.” Wilson smiled. “It would only be a benefit to you, though, to keep them up.”
She looked at Alec. “Since I’m living in a Gadaramanaged building, why didn’t I have something like that in place to begin with? It would have saved Mrs. Basso’s life.”
“We don’t work like that.” He pushed his hands into his jeans pockets. “Imagine if Infernals set up a barrier in the town of Baker, California. It would effectively prevent Marks from traveling between Nevada and California. We have to work case by case, Infernal by Infernal. Otherwise, we’d end up battling for territory, which would put mortals in the crossfire. We—Marks and Infernals both—need mortals to survive. Since we have a mutual need, we make certain concessions.”
Her pen tapped against the clipboard.
He rocked back on his heels. “When, in the last two days, did we have a chance to come in here? Besides, you were safe with me. I never thought he’d hit your neighbor.”
The phone rang on Wilson’s desk and he answered it. Eve returned her attention to filling out the paperwork.
“They’re right here,” Wilson said into the receiver. “Yes, of course. I’ll tell them.” He hung up. “Raguel will be calling in ten minutes. He wants you to take the call in his office.”
Alec nodded. Eve passed over the clipboard.
Wilson’s gaze was sympathetic behind his glasses. “I’ll send someone out immediately.”
“Send two people simultaneously,” she suggested, “so there’s no one to follow from my house to my parents and vice versa.” She set the pen on his desk. “Will whatever you’re doing keep my parents safe?”
“The Nix doesn’t know where they live,” Alec reminded. “If he did, he would have gone after them instead of Mrs. Basso. Can he find another way in? Yes. If he finds them and he has the time, he can work it out. But this will slow him down. Hopefully long enough for Hank to find him.”
She nodded. As far as feeling better went, it wasn’t much, but what else did she have?
“One thing at a time,” Alec repeated in a murmur. “We’re dealing with the Nix. Now, we’ll go upstairs and deal with Raguel. We’ll get it all done. Trust me.”
Her mouth curved ruefully. “You’re good at this, you know. It’s a shame you’re stuck with someone clueless like me. You should be managing bigger fish.”
Alec’s face closed, although his pleasant mien did not change. It was more of a feeling she had of a sudden withdrawal, as if she’d struck a deep chord.
The sensation set her mind spinning. By the time they returned to the elevator, she’d thought of something she hadn’t before: if nothing was a coincidence, how was it that she lived in a building for which Gadara was the trustee?
Had he been lying in wait for her? If so, what was the event or purpose that set her marking in motion?
And what would it take to be free of it?
CHAPTER 16
Hello, Cain. Ms. Hollis.”
As the elevator emptied Eve and Alec into the antechamber of Gadara’s office, the archangel’s secretary greeted them with a wide smile. He was an elderly man, one who appeared a wee bit past the retirement age. He smelled like a Mark, though, which made Eve wonder what he could have done to get into trouble so late in life. “Can I get you both something to drink?” he offered. “Coffee, perhaps? Or a soda?”
Eve declined. Alec simply shook his head.
The secretary led them into Gadara’s office and gestured for them to occupy the two chairs before Gadara’s desk. He used a keypad to lower the projection screen and dim the lights. Eve was once again taken aback by the size of the room. It was cavernous and richly appointed. As an interior designer, she was well aware that a person’s preference in room size and shape said a great deal about him. Gadara obviously felt a need to astonish and impress. How much of that was directed toward the mortals he did business with? And how much of it was for the benefit of the Marks under his command?
“A penny for your thoughts,” Alec said, once the secretary had left.
“I’m not sure they’re worth that.” Her tone was as dry as her palms. After all she had been through the last several days, she should be a nervous wreck.
“Are you okay?”
Eve looked at him, noting that even in poor lighting Alec was drop-dead gorgeous. The planes of his face were strong and bold, but softened slightly by his overly long hair. She could get used to seeing his face every day. If she let herself. “I don’t think everything has sunk in yet. Ask me again, once we’ve had a chance to settle down.”
A soft beeping noise filled the air, then the screen flickered to life. Gadara’s face appeared. His dark skin and eyes held a wealth of majesty and a touch of divine refinement that was enchanting. Eve was once again arrested by the sheer force of his charisma, evident even across the digital signal that broadcast him. Behind him was a window, and beyond that was a view she recognized immediately—the Las Vegas strip. He was dressed in a suit and tie today, and the more formal look suited him. It complemented his air of power and affluence.
“We’ve got a problem,” Alec began.
“Yes, you do,” Gadara drawled. “Where is Abel?”
Eve’s brows rose.
“He doesn’t know anything.”
“Exactly.” The archangel leaned back in his chair and ran a rough hand through his coarse gray hair. “He is her handler, Cain. He needs to be kept in the loop.”
“If that’s his job,” Alec retorted, “he shouldn’t need help doing it.”
“The two of you are going to get her killed.”
“If you don’t manage to do that first.”
“I’m not going to die,” Eve interjected quietly.
The sound of clapping turned her head. Reed exited the elevator in an expertly tailored three-piece suit of graphite gray. The sheer perfection of his appearance—the faultless cut of his garments, the perfect combing of his inky hair, the sensual curve of his welcoming smile—took her breath away. “That’s my girl,” he drawled. “Don’t let them push you around.”
Alec pushed to his feet. “Eve was right. The tengu had no details and no scent.”
Silence gripped the room so completely Eve could have heard a pin drop.
“What do you mean, ‘Eve was right’?” Gadara bit out.
“When the tengu first attacked me a few days ago,” she explained, “I noted that he didn’t have any details. Alec and Reed both said my super senses hadn’t fully developed and that’s why I couldn’t see them.”
“‘Super senses’?” Gadara laughed.
“But obviously, they were wrong,” she continued. “Alec didn’t see anything last night either. You can’t tell me he hasn’t come into his gifts yet.”
Reed moved to the desk and leaned against it. “It’s never happened before. All of these centuries, millions of Infernals . . . It’s never been possible for an Infernal to hide its details. There has to be an explanation.”
“Such as?” Eve asked.
“Perhaps his details are a similar color to the stone from which he’s made.”
“Okay. Why didn’t he stink?” she countered.
Gadara made an odd noise, drawing all eyes to him. “Tell me everything that happened, Cain.”
Alec went over the events of the night before, finishing with the death of Mrs. Basso.
Reed moved from the desk to Eve and set his hand on her shoulder. “Were you close to her?” he asked quietly.
“Yes. I loved her.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“The police came,” Alec said. “They say the Nix has been killing for some time. If that’s true, why hasn’t he been vanquished?”
“The order did not come down, until today,” Gadara replied.
“That’s sick,” Eve said.
“It is the way we work, Ms. Hollis.” Gadara’s gaze was hard. “We are not vigilantes.”
“He’s killed at least a dozen people! We’re not talking about vigilantism. We’re talking about justice and protecting the innocent.”
“Do not lecture me,” Gadara said coldly. “You want to shed the mark and go back to your careless life. You do not give a damn about protecting the innocent.”
A slap in the face could not have affected Eve more. “Don’t make me feel guilty for wanting my life back.”
“It is one thing to be ignorant; it is quite another to deliberately bury your head in the sand.”
Reed moved to a spot a foot or so in front of her. “Don’t attack her for our own shortcomings.”
“We need to decide what to do about this,” Alec interjected, his stance widening and his arms crossing. The pose made him imposing, depicting him as immovable, stalwart.
