Page 30 of The Paranormal Investigation Bureau
“I don’t know why I’m not killing you right now, but if Nicolai and Merlin say anything like that to me, I will. Beyla may have told Nicolai she’d sell his body on the black market, but I’ll make sure he’s never found.”
“I’m tired, drunk, and the testosterone in here just got overwhelming,” Nyx said, standing up. “Bevan, I love you, but get the fuck out of my apartment so that I can get some sleep. Arden, I’m not kicking you out, but Beyla wakes up at this ungodly early hour every morning. She barely knows you, and, based on what I know about her, she wasn’t joking about selling skinwalker parts on the black market. If I were you, I’d be damn sure to be long gone before she wakes up.”
Nyx was my best friend because she was always be brutally honest with me, and we had a lot in common. One of those things we had in common was that we had close, personal relationships with our snooze button.
Ihadto do this. I had a feeling I’d be camped outside her door until she accepted me, or told me for sure she wasn’t the property of the Unseelie.
I just couldn’t blow it and let her catch me out there.
Chapter24
Beyla
Bevan’s moonshine was excellent, and it sure packed a massive punch! I didn’t just excuse myself because of the whole Unseelie Court thing, but because If I stayed out there I would keep drinking, and I’d be too hungover to perform in class.
I really needed Kaine to pull files for me on Selena’s arrest, but I knew better than to call him that late. Dragons liked their sleep and I liked to give him a hard time about how early he went to bed and how hard he slept once he was out. I’d had to dial him a million times when he was asleep before, and he would be a total crabby pants even when he realized it was me calling.
Kaine pretty much lived in a grumpy state, and it was worse in the morning. I always got up early to get my dancing in. If Kaine didn’t have to be at work early, he’d definitely sleep in. Even with the time difference, I knew he’d be awake right now. He picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, twinkle toes! How’s ballet life treating you?”
“I’m enjoying the classes, Madame Lucinda is great, but I’m still here to do a job. Can you pull some files for me? I doubt they’ve been digitized so, uh, sorry for the extra hassle.”
“I have good news. We have interns scanning in all the old files now, they are still uploading them to the database, but it should make it much easier to find than it used to be. What am I looking for?”
“I need anything about the arrest of Selena Whitmore. It’s a long shot… but if she’s still alive, even if she’s in prison somewhere, and still coherent, I need to know. I need files on the disappearances of Tabitha Rex, Dashiell Moriarty, Freeman Rex, and Ballard Calarook. I also need to know if Santiago Suarez is still alive, and what his new name is.”
“That fucking fairy that wanted a federal agent there can’t give you that information?”
“He’s not that old, Kaine. He could probably still be performing if he hadn’t hurt his knee. He probably only knows what’s in files other artistic directors wanted people to read. Marsden wouldn’t have details about what’s in bureau record files.”
“Do I need to fly out there and burn his ass a bit?”
“Please, don’t. I’m an adult and can handle it. Can you get me those files?”
“Check your email when you get home from rehearsal. They’ll be there, I swear.”
“Thanks, Kaine.”
“I know this is your usual dance time, but take it easy on your body while you’re there. Don’t injure yourself.”
“I’m nursing a bit of a hangover at the moment, so I’ll be making your hangover cure instead of getting extra hours of dance in.”
“Don’t skimp on the Sriracha. You want your nose to be runny from the heat!”
“I know, I know... I made it for you after you got shit faced when you won your bowling tournament and brought home that shiny trophy.”
“It was solid gold, Beyla!”
I had a feeling most bowling trophies were plastic and painted gold, but Kaine was in a bowling league with other dragons, and they liked shiny things. Kaine loved to show off that big, gold trophy, and everyone had to pretend to adore it, or he got cranky.
“Yes, it’s a beautiful trophy, and you beat the other dragons to win it.”
“Damn straight! There are rumors next year’s prize is going to be jewels instead of trophies.”
I excused myself then, because when Kaine got started about bowling and treasure he could talk all day. My head was pounding, my stomach was turning over itself, and it tasted like something died in my mouth.
After I managed to get myself off the phone I nearly tripped on a massive gryphon sprawled out in front of my bedroom door. What exactly happened last night after I left? If Arden was so drunk that he couldn’t make it home, I could see Nyx letting him crash on the couch… unless Bevan also got so shit faced that he couldn’t walk back to his apartment and was sleeping there.
