Page 46 of Incubus with Benefits
It was empty. And by the sound of the bass coming up through the floor, he was probably downstairs. It was a Saturday night after all. I flopped down onto the couch and closed my eyes, letting the subtle drone of the beats guide my thoughts into nothingness.
There was a sound, and I opened my eyes to see Julian standing there in the living room. I was going to have to get used to that. I didn’t know how Penny dealt with it when Prax popped in and out of existence.
“You’re back, Vixen.” He pulled me in for a kiss that had me thinking of the conversation I’d just had with the girls.
No doubt about it. This was definitely way into relationship territory. I was going to have to find another solution to my shadow creature problem that didn’t involve cohabitating with an incubus, because if I stayed any longer, I was going to lose my heart.
I filed that in my mental to-do list for Monday, giving myself permission to just enjoy the rest of my weekend.
“Ready for tonight?” he asked. “Everything’s set up and ready to go.”
Yesterday a few more micro cameras had arrived, and I was surprised to find out that Julian had ordered them for the club. He’d sheepishly admitted that he wasn't very good with techy things like this, and everything in his club had been set up by Nathan. He wanted to set up the new ones secretly in strategic places to see what he could find.
So we’d done it together, choosing key places where we’d catch interesting conversations. And I showed him how easy it was to get them up and running. Still, he looked at me like I was some wizard.
Then we’d picked up all my extra monitors yesterday when I’d gone back home for my old notebook. We set up his dining room table like a secondary security room with all the feeds going. If Nathan knew anything about the missing women, we were going to find out.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter 21
Julian
Thebasspulsedthroughthe floor, vibrating up my spine as I moved across the dancefloor. Lights strobed overhead, casting brief flashes of color across the crowd. I nodded at a few regulars, kept my expression neutral, and made my way toward the bar.
Gina lounged at the bar with a drink in hand, her eyes sweeping the crowd like she was sizing up a buffet of fresh meat. She didn’t bother hiding it.
I leaned in just enough for her to hear me over the music. “Anything to report?”
She shook her head. “Just the usual. But I’ve got eyes everywhere.”
She really did. Technically, our private room didn’t have cameras. But that didn’t mean Gina couldn’t send a bit of her soulstuff up there and keep watch on all of the rooms. That was her job today. I trusted her to tell me anything she might be able to learn.
I moved on.
Nathan was near the back by the hallway leading to the security room, talking to a group of shifters. His posture seemed relaxed, but I knew him well enough to spot the note of tension in his shoulders. I waited until the group peeled off, then stepped in.
“You good?” I asked.
He nodded. “That guy’s still following me, and he’s not being subtle at all.”
I glanced toward the man lingering near the hallway. It was the PI that Marissa’s family hired, minus the safety vest. Total amateur hour. I’d seen better stealth from underage teens trying to sneak into the club.
I wondered if Lily could pick him out from her seat at my dining table upstairs.
I tried not to glance over at the micro cameras we set up. Only Lily and I knew they were there, and the goal was either to catch Nathan doing something and prove he was behind the disappearances or to find something to exonerate him.
I made one last stop at the bar, checked in with my bartender, confirmed everything was good, and ordered aGuilty Pleasure, before slipping away for a moment to see my trouble-making witch, fruity drink in hand.
I turned off my headset as I stepped into my home so Nathan couldn’t hear me. I found Lily wrapped up in my plush robe. She’d basically claimed it as hers over the past week. She’d moved the monitors over to the coffee table.
“See anything interesting?” I asked, scanning her setup and handing her the drink.
“Oh, my favorite! Thanks!” She took a sip and grinned, making a warm fuzzy feeling blossom in my chest.
Sure enough, Lily already pinpointed the PI.
“He isn’t very good at the ‘private’ part of private investigator,” Lily said, singling him out in the crowd. “I programmed the cameras to put a red outline around him whenever he’s in frame. Does he really think he fits into a club wearing that? I bet everyone who sees him thinks he’s a narc or something.”
