For A Few Demons More. Kim Harrison

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СКАЧАТЬ he said, rocking back as soon as their handshake ended. “How … how many Jane Wolfs do you get on average a month?”

      His voice carried a hint of panic, and Iceman went closed, sitting back behind his desk. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hue. I really shouldn’t—”

      David held up a hand and turned away, head bowed in worry. My good mood vanished. A sharp cadence of hard-soled shoes in the outer hallway brought our attentions up, and I puffed in relief when Glenn’s powerfully built frame came through the door, his thick hand holding the heavy metal easy and his dark skin and pink fingernails standing out against the stark whiteness of the chipped paint. He was in his usual coat and tie, the butt of a pistol showing past his jacket. Angling himself, he slipped in almost sideways so he wouldn’t have to open the door entirely.

      “Rachel,” he said as the door swung shut. His gaze lit on David and Kisten, eyebrows settling into a closed cast of F.I.B. officialness. David’s confidence had degraded into depression, and Kisten was nervous. I was getting the distinct impression he didn’t like it down here.

      “Hi, Glenn,” I said, conscious of my less-than-professional appearance in sneakers, faded green T-shirt, and dirt-marked jeans. “Thanks for letting me get you out from behind your desk.”

      “You said it was about the Jane Wolfs. How could I refuse?”

      David’s jaw tightened. The reaction wasn’t missed by Glenn, and his gaze softened, now that he understood why David was here. I could feel Kisten behind me, and I turned to him. “Glenn, this is Kisten Felps,” I said, but Kisten had already pushed forward, smiling with his lips closed.

      “We’ve met,” Kisten said, grasping Glenn’s hand and giving it a firm shake. “Well, in a manner of speaking. You were the one that downed the waitstaff at Piscary’s last year.”

      “Using Rachel’s splat gun,” Glenn said, suddenly nervous. “I didn’t …”

      Kisten released his hand and stepped away. “No, you didn’t tag me. But I saw you during the wrap-up. Good shooting. Accuracy is hard to find when your life is on the line.”

      Glenn smiled to show his flat, even teeth. He was the only F.I.B. guy I knew besides his dad who could talk to a vamp without fear and knew to bring breakfast when knocking on a witch’s door at noon. “No hard feelings?” Glenn asked.

      Shrugging, Kisten turned to the double doors leading to the hallway. “We all do what we have to do. It’s only on our days off we get to be ourselves.”

      You aren’t kidding, I thought, wondering what kind of a mess Kisten was going to find himself in if Piscary got out. I wasn’t the only one the master vampire had unfinished business with. And while Piscary could hurt Kisten while he was still in prison, I had a feeling that the undead vampire enjoyed drawing out the fear of the unknown. He might forgive Kisten for giving me Egyptian embalming fluid to incapacitate him, seeing the betrayal as the act of an unruly, rebellious child. Maybe. Me, he was just ticked at.

      His shoes scuffing, David came forward. “David. David Hue,” he said, eyes pinched. “Can we please get this over with?”

      Glenn shook his hand, his expressive face turning to a professional detachment I knew he used so he could sleep at night. “Of course, Mr. Hue,” he said. The F.I.B. detective glanced at Iceman, and the college kid tossed him the Bite-Me-Betty doll with the key. Catching it, the rims of the upright, meticulous F.I.B. officer’s ears darkened in embarrassment.

      “Rachel?” Kisten murmured as we all headed that way. “Ah, if you can get a ride home with David, I need to fly on out of here.”

      I stopped. Glenn turned from holding the door open for me. Through it I could see the comfortable seating arrangement and Iceman’s work partner puttering around with a clipboard, peering over his glasses at us. Kisten is afraid of the dead?

      “Kisten …” I coaxed, not believing it. I had wanted to stop at The Big Cherry on the way home to pick up Glenn’s tomato fix, at a charm shop for the lilac wine, and just about anywhere for a box of birthday candles for me in the hopes that a cake might be in my future. But Kisten backed up a step.

      “Really,” he said. “I have to go. There’s some rare cheese coming in today, and if I’m not there to sign for it, I’ll have to go to the post office and pick it up.”

      Rare cheese, my ass. And I hate not having my own car. Hip cocked, I took a breath to complain, but David interrupted with an easy, “I’ll get you home, Rachel.”

      Kisten’s eyes were pleading. Giving up, I muttered, “Go on. I’ll call you later.”

      He jiggled on his feet, his usual poise gone to make him look charmingly vulnerable. Leaning in, he gave me a quick kiss on my neck. “Thanks, love,” he whispered. His hand on my shoulder tightened, and with a quick hint of teeth he sent a spike of desire to my core.

      “Stop that,” I whispered, gently pushing him away and feeling myself flush.

      Grinning, he retreated. With a self-assured nod to the rest of the men, he stuck his hands into his pockets and sauntered out.

      Lord help me, I thought, pulling my hand down from my neck. I had the feeling he’d just used me to restore his confidence. Sure, he was afraid of the dead, but I was his girlfriend, and apparently proving it in front of three other guys had reaffirmed his masculinity. Whatever.

      My face was still warm when Glenn cleared his throat. “What?” I muttered as I entered before him. “He’s my boyfriend.”

      “Mmmm-hmm,” he murmured back, shaking the Bite-Me-Betty doll to make the key jingle. The living vamp intern checking tags left at Glenn’s look. It was just us and whatever newly dead vamps were cooling their heels until dark.

      David was cracking his knuckles when Glenn stopped beside a drawer, eyeing the Were. “You think you know these women?” he said, and I bristled. There had been more than a hint of distrust, his need to have someone to blame for their deaths, coming to the fore.

      “Yes,” I interjected before David could open his mouth. “He has a couple of girlfriends he can’t reach, and since he was holding something for me that the right person would kill to get, we thought it better to check it out so we could sleep at night.”

      David seemed relieved at my explanation, but Glenn wasn’t happy. “Rachel,” he said as his short fingers worked the key, but he didn’t open the drawer. “They are Weres. Technically this isn’t a FIB matter. If someone calls foul, I could be in a lot of trouble.”

      I could sense David’s rising fear and anticipation, and I wondered if that was why Kisten had left. Though not directed at him, it would have pushed his buttons. “Just open the drawer,” I said, starting to get mad. “You really think I should bring Denon into this? He’d have David in the tower and under a spotlight. And besides,” I said, praying I was wrong, “if I’m right, then this is an F.I.B. matter.”

      Glenn’s brown eyes narrowed, and with David’s brow pinched, the FIB detective opened the drawer. I glanced down at the harsh sound of the bag opening, seeing the pretty woman in a new light, imagining her fear and the pain of turning into a wolf and not having a clue. God, she must have thought she’d been dying.

      “That’s Elaine,” David breathed, and I took his arm as his balance wobbled. Glenn СКАЧАТЬ