Page 38 of Discord
“No one answer that in front of a sixteen-year-old,” Kaine growled. “We’d better sit down so you can tell me what kind of shit I’ve been dragged into.”
I mean, technically, Kaine brought up porn first, and Beyla probably knew full well what it was. Fuck, she’d probably even watched some. I certainly had by the time I was her age. She rolled her eyes hard enough to answer that question. I liked this kid.
I started leading everyone upstairs to my apartment. We all knew how crazy this shit sounded. Silvaria could recruit because she had a demon contained in a shipping container. We had Reyson, and her demon was passed out on my sectional.
Kaine had to believe us, right?
27
Felix
Ialways gave Balthazar a hard time for not taking anything seriously. Even if I found half the shit he said amusing I’d never tell him. I knew what was at stake with this dinner. I might have been stuck as a house-cat, but I could still read over Ripley’s shoulder and watch television. I knew who Kaine Dragovich was, and I knew the manpower he could bring to our cause.
Still, this entire dinner was just so bloody amusing. Kaine loved the food. We all did, but him especially. We let Ripley tell the tale, since it started with her resurrecting Reyson. Kaine didn’t sit on his laurels and wait for anyone to finish. He was like the Kanye West of detectives.
What I was trying not to giggle at was that he’d clearly brought Beyla here because she wanted to see the library, but she was taking such an active interest in the case. She was apparently a very talented ballet dancer, and that was what Kaine wanted her to be doing, but she was asking some really fucking good questions. Kaine was getting flustered because he clearly didn’t want her anywhere near the bureau.
We all took over once Ripley had the basics down. Balthazar talked about how he found the storage facility, and how we scouted it. Reyson talked about his astral projecting and promised Silvaria and Dorian’s lives were about to get complicated.
None of us had any idea what that meant, but with Reyson, it could mean anything. Silvaria and Dorian could have some sort of fatal car crash headed their way, or they could just sprout big floppy dicks out of their foreheads. I wouldn’t put either past him. He kept a lot of his god powers close to his chest and only revealed what he wanted. He waswaytoo old to be putting knobs on people’s faces, but he still acted like a sixteen-year-old virgin at times.
“Okay, this is how things are going to go,” Kaine growled. “None of you are agents. Not even you, Balthazar. You brought me in on this cluster fuck, but don’t get in my way. I still need to interview this sleeping demon, and I don’t need any of you fucking this investigation up. The raid on that storage facility is going to lead to a ton of arrests, and I’m reasonably sure a lot of those people will be linked to this whole demon plot. Silvaria wouldn’t have used her actual name to rent that container unless she knew she was among friends there. We are keeping this quiet and will only be rounding up people where it’s not going to make headlines. Silvaria and Dorian Gray aren’t in the country at the moment. If they get tipped off the bureau is onto them, they’ll just fly somewhere we can’t extradite them. That means no money can disappear from their accounts to make it difficult for them to get back to the US, Balthazar. I haven’t arrested you for that, butI know.”
Balthazar fluttered his eyelashes over his wine glass.
“I only liberate money from bad people.”
“Which is why your ass hasn’t been frog marched to a holding cell in handcuffs… yet.”
“I love it when you flirt with me.”
It was official. Balthazar was insane, and he would hit on anything with a pulse. That was how you got eaten by a big ass dragon. If my dreads got singed in the process, I was going to be so mad. Kaine must be used to it, because he just grunted and shoved another piece of meat in his mouth.
“I haven’t busted you for the shit I know about, and haven’t looked deeper into the shit I probably don’t want to know about because you help, and you don’t get in my fucking way. But… if you fuck this up, I won’t hesitate.”
Balthazar finally got way more serious than I thought he was capable of.
“When have Ieverdone anything to mess up an investigation?”
“Never, but you’ve always been a lone wolf before. You’ve found your clan here I see, just know that I’d burn this entire city to the ground to keep Beyla safe, and I think you’d do the same for these people.”
“Shut up, Kaine,” Beyla said. “We both know you wouldn’t compromise an investigation and let a criminal walk to keep me safe. Balthazar wouldn’t either, and he can do things you can’t legally.”
I liked this kid. There were several powerful creatures at this table, and the only ones with the balls to mouth off to Kaine were a horny vampire and a baby witch who couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet.
Kaine just grunted and seemed to accept that. It was so fucking weird. Balthazar could have sworn on his mother’s fangs he wouldn’t do anything, and Kaine wouldn’t have believed him. I hadn’t known Balthazar long, but I knew the things he got up to on his computer were some of the few things he took seriously.
I knew Balthazar wouldn’t mess this up, but Kaine apparently wouldn’t believe it, at least until Beyla said something. Interesting.
Kaine wasn’t done. He pointed his fork at Reyson.
“That goes for you, too. Rein in the god shit! I don’t care who you are. Don’t do anything that is going to keep them out of this country.”
Reyson just smirked and drained the last of his wine.
“She seems to think I’m a docile god who would be happy being babysat by a meek hedge witch. Silvaria has a bit of an ego problem, she won’t even suspect me.”
“If you’re going to make a dick grow out of her forehead then she’s going to know,” I said.
