Page 23 of The Devil's Embrace

There was a photo of the object pulled from Gorty’s mouth, a blood red wax seal with a leaf at the center. It didn’t mean anything to Cal, but according to the messages Mitri had sent, it was the symbol of some secret society, one that apparently Aodhan had a connection with. Bruce had been the one to suggest bringing him in on things, and from there the conversation had shifted to an exclusive party happening tonight.

Cal checked the time just as the elevator reached the floor, stepping out with a grimace when he saw the party supposedly had started six minutes ago. He picked up the pace, stepping into the brisk night air already searching for the black vehicle he’d spotted earlier.

Aodan was waiting in the driver's seat and Calix let himself in, realizing they really were on a time crunch at this point.

“How do you know about all this?” he asked as they pulled away from the hotel.

“Read the messages, did you.” Aodhan was dressed in a three-piece pink suit a shade lighter than his eyes. There were tiny flowers decorating the left side of the jacket and the right side of the pants. The shirt underneath was white, and he’d gone without a tie, the top three buttons undone to show off the necklace he wore high on his neck.

He caught Calix staring at the bubblegum pink leather and gold chains and grinned when Cal noticeably dropped his gaze.

“It’s a martingale collar,” Aodhan explained, even though he hadn’t been asked. “If you put your finger through this center loop here,” his right hand lifted off the steering wheel so he could demonstrate, “and tug, the chain tightens the leather around my neck.”

“That’s…” weirdly erotic, “interesting.”

Aodhan barked out a laugh and let go.

“I’m underdressed,” Calix pointed out, and then, as though drawn there of their own accord, his eyes made a beeline back to the collar. “Do I need to wear one of those?”

“That’s not my call,” he answered cryptically, then motioned toward the back. “As far as the outfit, I got you covered. You should change now, we’re less than ten minutes away.”

Since there was no reason to be embarrassed about the guy seeing him in his underwear at this point, Calix didn’t argue. He undid his seatbelt and reached back to grab onto the garment bag. Inside, there was an almost identical suit to the one the doctor wore, only in a darker shade.

“This matches your eyes,” Cal said. “And your collar.”

“It’ll help sell that we’re together if we arrive as a matching set,” Aodhan replied. “This isn’t the type of event thattakes kindly to uninvited law enforcement, Detective. It’ll be better for the both of us if we blend in while there. Which leads me to my next warning, whatever you see, just act normal.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Calix pulled his jacket off and tossed it into the back before making quick work of his gray t-shirt. “What kind of party is this?”

“The illegal kind.”

“And you were able to get tickets to an illegal event, how?”

“That’s a secret, Detective.”

“I don’t like secrets, Doctor.”

“How unfortunate for you.”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to be able to get him to talk, Calix shifted gears. “What’s the symbol mean? The one found inside of Gorty’s head.”

“It’s a grapevine leaf,” he told him. “It’s a symbol used for one of the more notorious underground criminals of the city. The public knows him only as Baccus. Not much is known about him despite there being many attempts by both the police and the press to identify him and bring him to justice.”

“What kind of crimes does he commit?” Cal stripped out of his pants, trying not to notice when Aodhan’s gaze greedily swept down his bare legs.

There was no way the other guy was attracted to him, not after what he’d witnessed at the reunion. It had to be all in his head.

“All kinds,” Aodhan said. “You name it, he’s probably done it a time or two. Take tonight, for example. The invites were kept vague to help prevent a leak, but anyone who’s been around long enough will understand the subtext. Everyone has their own…vice, so to speak. What works for some won’t work for others.”

“Just get to the part where you tell me you’re special and know all about it.”

“Someone’s getting snippy.”

“These pants are too damn tight,” Calix complained, pulling the pink monstrosity up his body and fastening the button.

“They’re a perfect fit,” he disagreed.

“What, did you hack into my personnel file and find my measurements or something?” Cal joked. “Come on, Doctor, what should I expect tonight?”

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