Page 20 of Paws and Claws (Saltwater Grove Romances #4)
20
DOMINIC
D ominic leaned back in his office chair, his fingers absently tracing his lips where Tabitha had kissed him last night. The memory sent a pleasant shiver through his body. Her wild magic had sparked intensely between them, making the moment even more electric.
A stack of reports sat untouched on his desk. His thoughts kept drifting to dark purple hair and blue eyes instead of focusing on work. He'd never been this distracted before - and surprisingly, he didn't mind.
"Sheriff?" Connor dropped a manila folder on his desk. "Forensics finally got back to us about that lab equipment."
Dominic straightened, forcing himself to focus. "What did they find?"
"The equipment traces back to Elina Quinn." Connor tapped the folder. "Known Hunter sympathizer. Real tech genius."
"Quinn?" Dominic flipped through the file, scanning the details. "I've heard that name before."
"You would have. She's got quite the reputation for developing anti-paranormal technology. Real piece of work."
Dominic's muscles tensed up as he read her history. The woman had a string of citations for hate crimes against paranormals but always managed to slip away on technicalities.
"There's more," Connor said. "Word is she shows up at The Midnight Underground once a month like clockwork. Probably meeting with other Hunters in the area."
"The Midnight Underground?" Dominic's eyebrows rose. Suddenly, Connor's radio interrupted their conversation with an urgent request for back-up. Dominic gestured sharply towards the door and Connor hurried out of his office.
Dominic picked up his phone, unable to stop the smile that suddenly spread across his face as he dialed Tabitha's number. She answered on the second ring.
"Miss me already, Sheriff?" Her voice held that teasing lilt that used to drive him crazy - now it just made his heart race.
"Always," he replied, still smiling. Then his expression turned serious as he lowered his voice. "We got a lead. Ever heard of Elina Quinn?"
"The tech guru who hates paranormals? Yeah, I know the name."
"Forensics traced the lab equipment to her. And apparently she's a regular at The Midnight Underground."
"Of course she is." Tabitha's tone darkened. "That place lets anyone in if they've got enough cash. Even Hunters."
"You know it well?"
"Well enough to know we should be careful. That place has eyes everywhere - and not the friendly kind."
Dominic's protective instincts flared. "We'll figure out a plan. Meet me later?"
"Is that for the case or something else?" He could hear her smile through the phone.
"Both." Heat crept up the back of his neck. "Definitely both."
Her laugh made his chest tight. "Look at you, mixing business with pleasure. I must be a bad influence."
"The worst," he agreed, grinning like an idiot at his desk. "But I wouldn't want it any other way."
Dominic's phone buzzed against his hip as he finished writing up a traffic citation later that afternoon. Tabitha's name flashed across the screen, making his heart skip despite his best efforts to maintain his professional demeanor.
"Sheriff Blackmane," he answered, keeping his voice steady even as his pulse quickened.
"Don't be so formal," Tabitha teased. "I've got good news and slightly illegal news."
His lion stirred, both frustrated and intrigued. "Start with the good news."
"I know how to get us into The Midnight Underground. The slightly illegal part is that we'll need some creative documentation."
Dominic shook his head, fighting a smile. "I don't want to know where you're getting these IDs from, do I?"
"Plausible deniability, Sheriff." Her laugh sent warmth spreading through his chest. "But they'll get us past security without dropping a small fortune."
"Meet me at my place tonight?" The words came out quickly, more intimate than he'd intended.
"Why Sheriff, are you propositioning me?"
"For the investigation," he clarified, though his body hummed at the suggestion in her voice. "Though I wouldn't be opposed to..."
"To what?" He could hear her smile.
"You're impossible," he growled, but there was no heat in it.
"You like it." She paused. "I'll be there at eight. Try not to arrest me when you see the IDs."
"No promises." But they both knew he wouldn't. Something had shifted between them, turning their antagonistic relationship into something charged with possibility.
After hanging up, Dominic sat in his squad car, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. His lion paced, drawn to Tabitha's wild magic and even wilder spirit. A month ago, he would have been appalled at the idea of using fake IDs. Now he found himself almost looking forward to whatever scheme she had planned.
He checked his watch. Five hours until she'd show up at his door. Five hours to get his head straight and remember they had a job to do. But even as he tried to focus on the case, all he could think about was the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled at him, and how much he couldn't wait to see that smile again.
Dominic adjusted his collar one final time in the mirror, leaving the top few buttons of his crisp white shirt undone. His dark slacks and polished dress shoes completed the look - refined yet relaxed enough for a high-end club. His lion stalked beneath his skin, already anticipating the evening ahead.
The knock at his door came precisely at eight. When he opened it, his jaw dropped. Tabitha stood there in a black cocktail dress that hugged every curve of her body like a second skin. The neckline dipped low enough to make his mouth go dry, and her purple hair cascaded over one bare shoulder in elegant waves.
"See something you like, Sheriff?" Her blue eyes sparkled.
"You look..." His voice came out breathier than intended. "Stunning."
A light blush colored her cheeks as she stepped past him into his home. The scent of her perfume mixed with her natural magic made his head spin. "You clean up pretty well yourself."
He caught her hand before she could move further away. "These IDs better be good."
"Please." She pressed against him, sliding the fake cards into his front pocket. "Have a little faith."
The drive to The Midnight Underground was torture, with Tabitha's dress riding up her thighs every time she shifted in her seat. Dominic's lion wanted nothing more than to pull over and show her exactly what she was doing to him, but he forced himself to focus on the road.
The club's entrance was guarded by two large bouncers checking IDs. Dominic's arm slid possessively around Tabitha's waist as they approached. To his relief, the guards barely glanced at their cards before waving them through.
Inside, the club pulsed with expensive lighting and even more expensive clientele. Crystal chandeliers cast rainbow patterns across the dance floor while private booths lined the walls, shrouded in shadow.
"We should split up," Tabitha whispered, her lips brushing his ear. "Cover more ground."
His grip tightened on her waist. "No. We stick together." The thought of her wandering alone in a club full of Hunter sympathizers made his protective instincts spike.
She turned in his arms, pressing her body flush against his. "Then dance with me. We'll look suspicious just standing here."
Dominic's lion purred as Tabitha soon pressed against him on the dance floor, her body moving sinuously to the pulsing beat. Her hands slid up his chest, her fingers playing with the open collar of his shirt.
"You're supposed to be watching for Quinn," he growled softly, even as his hands tightened on her hips.
"I am." She smiled up at him, those blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "But we need to blend in. Besides..." Her fingers traced patterns on his chest. "You're not exactly complaining."
His response died in his throat as she rolled her hips against his. The lion in him wanted to claim her right there on the dance floor. Instead, he pulled her closer, one hand sliding up her back. "You're playing with fire, witch."
"Maybe I like getting burned."
Before he could respond, Tabitha stiffened in his arms. "There. By the VIP section."
Dominic turned them smoothly, keeping their dance going as he spotted Elina Quinn heading toward a private room. Two burly guards flanked the door.
"I've got this," Tabitha whispered. She flicked her fingers and suddenly the guards' phones started ringing simultaneously. As they fumbled with their devices, Dominic and Tabitha slipped past them into the darkened hallway.
They pressed into an alcove's shadows as Quinn entered a room at the end of the hall. Dominic's enhanced hearing picked up multiple voices inside. When the door opened again briefly, he recognized four faces - all high-ranking Hunters.
"No Roy or Bruce," he murmured against Tabitha's ear. She shivered at his proximity, and his lion hummed in satisfaction.
"Focus," she breathed, but her hand found his in the darkness.
He squeezed her fingers, marveling at how natural it felt to hold her hand now.
Dominic's heightened hearing picked up every word through the door as Quinn's clinical voice described her latest weapons. His lion bristled, fighting the urge to burst in and stop this immediately. Only Tabitha's warm presence against him in the alcove kept him grounded.
"The HF-1000 emits frequencies specifically calibrated to a shifter's enhanced hearing," Quinn explained. "Even in human form, the discomfort is... significant."
Dominic's jaw clenched. Next to him, Tabitha's fingers tightened around his.
"But this," Quinn continued, "is my masterpiece. The Magic Disruptor interferes with a witch's connection to their power. The results are quite spectacular."
The sound of metal sliding against metal made Dominic tense. "And for the more resistant specimens, the X-Taser. Ten thousand volts, specifically modulated to penetrate supernatural defenses."
His lion roared inside him, demanding action, but years of discipline kept him still. They needed more information.
"However," Quinn's voice took on a prideful edge, "my crowning achievement is this." A soft beeping filled the air. "The P-Tracker Mark II. Range of fifty feet, accurate to within inches. In fact..."
The door suddenly flew open. Quinn stood there, a sleek silver device in her hand pointed directly at them. Its display pulsed with two bright dots - one gold, one purple.
"Well," Quinn's lips curved into a cold smile. "What do we have here?"