Page 27

Chapter 26

G ordon had no idea what they should be looking for. Adler seemed content enough and given that he was in fact mostly observing people and not engaging Gordon in much conversation, he was certainly focused. At one point, he made them take a small table in a corner of the room and just sat there, his eyes watching, watching, one warm hand securely resting on Gordon’s thigh.

And if Gordon was honest, that felt good. Oddly, the very possessive-minded werewolf sitting next to him was the most normal and natural thing Gordon had done in a while. And all of it was easy.

It might not be down the line. But for right now, it is. For right now, I can have this, and maybe let it last. If I can stop myself from being afraid.

His thoughts went out the window when Adler stood all of a sudden, taking Gordon’s hand and leading him toward the restrooms and the emergency back exit.

“What—”

“Follow me.” Adler’s voice was commanding, focused.

He moved quietly. Gordon recognized the predatory part, a part he had himself, given that he was a vampire, however far removed from the blood-drinking monsters of legends.

Adler went into one of two bathrooms, and once there, Gordon understood why. They had literally barged in on the middle of a drug deal. A small baggy of pills was lying on the counter, and the apparent dealer, a guy with an ugly denim jacket, seemed to be taking his payment in digital form from a woman in high heels whose skinny guy friend was resting his chin on her shoulder while hugging her from behind.

The dealer brightened. He had an innocent, clean-shaven face. Freckles. Since when do dealers have freckles?

“Hey, big guy, nothing to see here,” he told Adler.

Adler wrinkled his nose while Gordon took a step forward. He wanted the drugs, didn’t want them going into anyone’s system.

“A lot to see here though. Hypothetical situation: I’m a cop and you’re a drug dealer, avoiding taxation and legal distribution networks and selling what shouldn’t be sold. But the twist is, I might not be here for the drugs but to get some info. You dealing in that too?”

Gordon had to work to get past Adler, who seemed to be gently blocking him, but he was insistent, and if he didn’t have every vampire strength in the book, he had at least some speed and could be wiggly if he chose to be.

“Whoa, dude,” the guy friend said, but then Gordon was already making eye contact with the woman.

“You’re not going to be taking illegal drugs tonight, or any night, not ever again. These can hurt you.” He didn’t know if the compulsion hit her or if it took, but he had to try. He turned to her friend. “The same goes for you. You don’t want illegal drugs anymore because they are too dangerous.”

He snatched the small baggy off the counter before indicating the door to the two humans. They left, giving the lot of them nothing more than odd glances.

The dealer spit on the floor. “You just ruined a lifetime customer there. Two of them.”

Gordon would have liked to slap the human. “They mean nothing if your drugs kill them.”

“Don’t sell those kinds of drugs.”

“That’s what all the dealers think, but you sell death, whether you want to know that or not.” Gordon remembered his residency and the overdoses he’d dealt with. He’d managed to save some, but not all. It had been before broader legalization, but still. Some things were difficult to control.

“Let’s talk some more about what we’re actually here for,” Adler insisted.

The dealer shrugged, adjusting the fanny pack he wore like a crossbody bag. “Fine. I’m not looking for trouble, man. What would your hypothetical cop ass want from me?”

“We’re looking for a woman who is flirty, especially with fae. Female fae.”

The dealer snorted. “Every other person out there. C’mon, you ever fucked a fae? They don’t get tired.” He gestured. “Not to imply you aren’t cute, vamp. I like the hair.”

Gordon saw Adler’s hands clench into fists, and he heard the deep, sonorous growl, though there was a chance the human wouldn’t pick up on it.

Gordon cleared his throat. “Thank you, but if you want to flirt with me or my hair, stop selling drugs to people.” He glanced at Adler. “Not like you’d have a chance, but at least then I wouldn’t want to grab you by the neck and shake some sense into you. The woman we’re looking for would have been strong. This height. Might have come here regularly.”

The dealer’s eyes narrowed in that way that suggested he was thinking of something. Adler saw it too, judging by how the tension eased from his fists.

“What can you tell us about her?” the detective asked.

The dealer shook his head. “Man, I don’t want to get people in trouble with you, but there was this creepy chick. I don’t know. One of my customers said she was creepy. She was butch, like you said, but many people are. Not a reason to judge, you know.”

“What else?” Adler pressed.

“Nothing.” He hesitated. “Just. I mean, I saw her driving one of these minivan-type deals. Seemed suburban. And out of place, that’s why I noticed, but she wasn’t a cop. The car was just odd.”

“Make and model?”

The man snorted. “Dude. I ride my bike around town. I don’t know cars. It was blue though, I remember that much. Light shade of blue. I thought it was fucking ugly, like flaccid whale dick or something.”

Gordon’s eyebrows shot up. “You have experience with whale genitals, flaccid or otherwise?”

The dealer rolled his eyes.

Before anyone could say another word, the voices from the front of the club grew in volume, something that suggested both excitement and panicky undertones to the mood.

Gordon went to Adler’s side.

“Guess our time is up,” the werewolf said and unceremoniously took the dealer by the shoulder. “You have to meet this friend of ours.”

“Huh?” the man said. His voice came out too high, scared.

Gordon almost felt sorry for this human who was about to meet Maxim and his hunter sword.