“It wasn’t Novak? No way!” I said. “You sure?”
I’d have put good money on the fact that Staff Sergeant Novak of the Nefesh police department, asshole extraordinaire, especially where I was concerned, was the corrupt element.
“Positive. Novak’s a dick, but he’s honest.” Miles rubbed at his blood-shot eyes. I’d snagged a nap today. How long had Miles been running around cleaning up all these messes? “I fucking hate dirty cops.”
“Double and triple check your sources on this,” Levi said. “Ash, run down everything that’s happened, starting with your visit with Paulie. Arkady filled me in on some of it, but I want your version.”
Levi’s only comment about my time in Inferno was to ask if I had a problem with him giving the Queen the codename.
“If they can find 26L1 faster, have at it. Rafael is on board with it as well.” I was wrapping up the salient points when the doorbell rang. “You expecting someone?”
Levi shook his head. “I’ll get rid of whoever it is.”
Mrs. Hudson raced back into the kitchen, chasing a fly.
While Levi went to answer the door, Miles sat there looking vaguely uncomfortable. A moment later I heard Mayan’s enthusiastic greeting.
I laughed without any humor. “You invited her.”
In the spirit of our new truce, I waited for Miles’ apology for springing her on me. For a second, it seemed like I’d get it. That was until he nonchalantly topped up his coffee.
“You’re not questioning my decision as Head of Security, are you?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I clenched my jaw so hard I took off a layer of enamel.
“… This is a very nice bottle of wine, thank you.” Levi led Mayan into the room, holding some fancy-ass bottle with a bow stuck to it.
She wore her heart pendent again.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t helped—” She saw me and stopped short. “I didn’t realize you’d be here,” she said curtly.
“Why not? Because the hired help isn’t generally invited?” I said.
Levi shook his head, but a small smile played on his lips.
Miles extended an arm, inviting Mayan to sit down at the breakfast nook. “How are you feeling?”
She word-vomited feelings all over the room. And sure, I wasn’t a feelings person even on a good day and I was working on that, but this was a lot even for someone who had listened to a strongly empathetic friend like Priya unload. No one should need this much hand-holding through their own emotions and still have a driver’s license.
I cut my eyes sideways to the blood dagger stuck in the wall. Levi raised his eyebrows at me, and I heaved an aggrieved sigh and sat down at the table with the others.
The puppy caught and ate the fly, then settled at my feet.
“Mayan, coffee?” Levi said.
“No, thank you. I’m still jittery.” She shivered.
“Right then.” Levi joined us, taking an empty chair between Mayan and Miles. It happened to be the closest chair to where he’d been standing and I wasn’t threatened by Mayan. I was, however, deathly curious to see how far she’d go putting the moves on Levi.
“I need you to take me through your time with Jonah from first meeting him to this morning. But if it gets too much, just say the word and we’ll pause, okay?” Miles could be compassionate when he wanted to.
Mayan nodded bravely.
The gist of the story was that she’d met Jonah at a supermarket, of all places, here in Vancouver one night. They hit it off and started seeing each other. He was a very private person and didn’t like to go out a ton, but that didn’t set off any alarms. He was kind and funny and quite involved in his work as a medical researcher.
“When you said you’d gone to Hedon because you’d hooked up with a guy, you meant Gunter, not Jonah, didn’t you?” I said.
Mayan blinked at me. “How’d you know?”
“I’m a private investigator. My job is literally to put the pieces of a case together.” Mack on my boyfriend all you want, but do not diss my abilities.
“I know that, but…” Flustered, she fiddled with her heart pendant.
“You’re doing great,” Miles said, with a hard stare my way. “Keep going.”
They’d been dating for about three weeks when Mayan showed up earlier than she was supposed to and overheard a phone call. Jonah was arranging with a client to charm the head of a pharmaceutical company into handing over some formula.
“It was the first I knew of his magic. Or what I thought was his magic. I couldn’t have guessed Jonah was really a necromancer,” she said to me. “That doesn’t make me stupid.”
“Of course not,” Levi said.
I mentally eyed her moral high ground, wishing it would open up and swallow her. “I’m sorry for saying that to you when I didn’t have all the facts.”
She nodded stiffly. “I pretended that I hadn’t heard the call, but that night I phoned Levi. I really meant to tell you when we met,” she said, “but Jonah came over before our visit and that’s when it happened.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Could I get a glass of water?”
Levi squeezed her hand, his expression troubled. “Of course.”
I hated this. Not that they had a past, but that her pain was his pain. He was beating himself up for her suffering, even though none of this was his fault.
Mayan took a half-hearted sip of the water and then ran a finger around the rim of glass.
“Did you remember what happened that night?” Miles said.
Her face twisted. “Oh yes. Jonah said if I was going to tattle on him, I should have all the facts, but once that thing was inside me, I couldn’t rat Jonah out. It was physically impossible.”
“How did Jonah get the Repha’im out of Sheol?” I said.
“He just pulled it out? One second it wasn’t there and then there was a ghost thing hovering in front me.” Mayan pushed the glass away, leaning into Levi.
He put
