Page 1147 of One More Kiss

Chapter5

Once she was boundup and her tongue loosened with a little truth draft, Deena spilled everything. It was almost sad. She’d gotten herself in debt to some less than savory types back home in Australia, and moving the tortoises for them was supposed to clear her debt.

She hadn’t intended to get Al involved at all, but when she saw the tortoises, she knew something was wrong with them. Lethargic, lacking color, a few with infections. She knew that Alan would be the one to be able to help her get them back to health, but she also knew that Alan would do the right thing and bring her smuggling to the authorities. So once she’d gotten him in with the tortoises—under the pretense that she was shipping them to a preserve—she’d sealed him in until the buyer came to pick them up.

Yeah, she kind of lost me when her sad story of debt turned into ignoring animal welfare, and doubly lost me when she tacked kidnapping an old man on top of all that.

Within fifteen minutes of that confession, half a dozen folks from EGW had filled the apartment, ready to check on Deena’s other shipments and records, and maybe even get the names of the people who had her shipping the tortoises in the first place. Hell, maybe the buyer would show up, too, although the shocking number of EGW vehicles surrounding the place as we went downstairs would probably deter them.

Most importantly, the tortoises were actually going to be taken to a preserve, and Alan was shaken and tired, but no worse for wear otherwise as we approached Graham’s pickup.

We stopped there and Lakshmi rested a hand on his shoulder. “Good to see she didn’t murder you.”

“Yes, I’m quite glad for that myself.” Alan patted her hand gently. “And don’t think that I blame you for this. No one knew what Deena was into. It’s not your fault.”

Lakshmi nodded, then stood straight. “Rhodes. If you want a glass of that scotch, I think you earned it. And officer: stay the fuck away from my apartment in the future. Glad you saved the tortoises. And Alan. But I really don’t ever want to see you or your people again.”

“Don’t get yourself indebted to the kinds of people who smuggle dangerous animals and I’m sure I can make your wish come true.”

She removed her hand from Alan’s shoulder, then awkwardly stepped away. She wasn’t going to be changing any time soon, but hell. I’d gotten invited over for scotch. I couldn’t help feeling at least a little good that I’d passed whatever barrier that was with Lakshmi.

The three of us piled into the pickup. As Graham was rounding the other side, Alan fixed his dark eyes on me and smiled again. “I got to hold a Wallsman’s jeweled tortoise.”

That’swhat he took away from it all. I nodded to him. “I saw. They really are beautiful.”

“They were young.” Graham climbed in and turned the engine over, then made his way out onto the street and away from the gaggle of EGW vehicles crowing around the apartment complex. “Our people estimated no more than five years old.”

“They hatched four years ago,” said Alan. “I counted the layers of inclusions on their shells. They’re four.” He stared down at his hands. “I held them.”

“Well I hope that wasn’t the last thing on your bucket list.” I patted his knee and gave it a rub. “Just got you back. Don’t need you leaving again so soon. Plus Raleigh would be distraught.”

Al’s brow furrowed. “Raleigh. Is he okay?’

“He will be,” said Graham. “We’re going to get you home right now.”

* * *

Peggy wason the front steps of the building when we approached, and it took me a minute to realize what felt so odd about that. If we could see her, that meant the barrier was down. Every last bit of it. Sure enough, when Graham stopped the pickup and we all clambered out, the distinct, low thrumming of a hell of a lot of animals filtered out from around the building.

Peggy ran straight forward as soon as Alan came into view and threw her arms around him. “Al. Al.” She squeezed him and tousled his hair and kissed him and grabbed for him like she had to make sure he was actually real.

I looked over at Graham, in part to give them some level of privacy, and in part just because I needed to say it. “Thank you. For this. And for not dumping me off to sit and wait for the outcome.”

“That’s my job.” He nodded curtly.

Peggy and Al had us both come inside. While Peggy reassembled all the barriers, Alan climbed the stairs, and we followed behind him. As soon as we reached the landing, a familiar, entirely welcome sound filtered through all the growling and hissing and snorting of the other creatures. Half song, half whistle, chirping up and down the scale. It melted all the unease that had settled into my chest to hear Raleigh again, and when we approached the aquarium, he was back to swimming his spirals and figure-eights, his colors rainbow-vibrant once again. When Al stepped up to the glass, Raleigh jumped up and rested his head on the edge of the aquarium, and his song got so loud it drowned out all the other noise in the space.

Al petted the little siren until it calmed and quieted. “I’m sorry I left you alone like that.” He rested his forehead against Raleigh’s and sighed as the singing quieted to barely a whisper among the cacophony. “I’ll play with you in a bit, but I need to be a gracious host to our two guests here.” He raked his eyes over the aquarium, and his gaze landed on a small cloth bag sitting in the water. He looked over his shoulder at me. “You told her about the ginseng tea?”

“Officer Graham did, actually.”

Graham pulled a little closer to me and rested a hand on my shoulder, draping his arm across me. “It was at the same time. And you can call me Max.”

Max Graham. I had to know. “Short for Maximilian?”

He snorted. “Maxwell.”

“That’s not any less pretentious.”

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