CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Instead of dropping Aiden off somewhere she let him take the car, telling him she would give him a call when she needed to be picked up. He almost got out of the car, before realizing she needed to get his phone number.
What’s the worst that could happen? She would have to file a stolen vehicle report. She could deal with that. Not that she wanted it to happen. If it did, it did. This was more of a test in Harley’s mind. She had let Aiden into her life; she needed to know if she could trust him, or if she should send him packing.
Five minutes later she was sitting in a comfortable leather chair in front of the lieutenant’s desk. He had handed her a report as soon as she walked in.
The report conclusively said the bite marks were human size. The claw marks were also smaller than that of a gargoyle and were thought to also be of human size.
She told the lieutenant about her spell vision, giving him as many details as she could remember. He spent the better part of an hour questioning her. He was trying every way he could think to get a description of the assailants.
Harley didn’t have much information. There were six of them. All between the height of 5’8” to 6’2”. She hadn’t seen any of their faces, nor did she really get a good look at what could have been ethnicity markers.
“Let’s break for dinner. Maybe I can jog some more information out of you with some wine.”
“Why Lieutenant Meyers, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were flirting with me.”
The lieutenant blushed. “No. I can’t do that. The misses would kill me. I just know how much you like wine.”
Harley laughed out loud. He had a point. She did love her wine. Harley sent Aiden a quick text. He was apparently deeply involved in a video game war of some kind and didn’t care if she took longer than expected.
Lieutenant Meyers was a very handsome man. She respected him too much to even try. That didn’t mean she could not enjoy a meal with a very handsome man.
They went to a steak house. Not a major surprise. She had pictured the Lieutenant was a meat and potatoes man. Both ordered thick juicy rib eyes with all the trimmings.
He ordered a nice bottle of merlot. The dinner was enjoyable. They even ordered dessert. Unfortunately, the wine did not help her remember any more information.
Three hours later they returned to his office. Harley texted Aiden and waited for him to come. She would be doing more investigation in the case. Hopefully, she and Meyers could find a lead.
“Hey, how was your day?”
“Fine. Played a lot of Hero’s Storm. I’m starved, though. Can we stop somewhere for pizza?”
“Sure thing.”
Harley stopped at her favorite pizza place and ordered an extra-large pepperoni, breadsticks, wings, and a pan of brownies. Aiden ate the entire meal by himself. Guess he wasn’t kidding about being hungry.
The conversation on the way back home was nice and easy. Harley found she was enjoying Aiden’s company. He was easy to talk to.
The age difference didn’t seem to really matter. They had more in common than Harley originally thought. Of course, he was still a jester.
Harley couldn’t shake that knowledge. She would have to tread carefully. She was beginning to feel comfortable around Aiden, and that could spell disaster.
She also had to deal with Luc. She was very attracted to him. She didn’t know which was more dangerous at this point, liking Aiden or liking Luc.
Harley was exhausted by the time they got home. She had made sure to text Mrs. Reyes earlier, so she wouldn’t worry.
The porch lights were on. She had no doubt that Mrs. Reyes had also left more lights burning, to make sure that Harley could easily make her way through the house.
Aiden headed towards his room as soon as they were inside. As tired as Harley was, she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was too involved in the case, and her personal life.
She made a hot cup of herbal tea and went to the front porch. The evening was chilly, yet not too cold. She sat on the porch swing, wrapping up in the thick blanket that had been laying on the back of it.
Watching the stars, enjoying her tea, and rocking back and forth in the swing, Harley didn’t hear Aiden come out.
“Can’t sleep?”
He startled her, and she nearly spilled the tea everywhere. Aiden’s big hands helped steady the cup.
“Sorry didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I guess, I should have been paying more attention.” She smiled at him. “I thought you went to bed.”
“No, just went to take a hot shower. It’s beautiful here. Peaceful. Not much peace where I live now.”
“I imagine not. You live with Zoe.”
“Technically, I live with Luc. She just lives in the same house.”
Harley studied him for a few moments. “You two had a thing?”
Aiden looked surprised. “How did you know?”
“You just told me. Also, she didn’t want to kill you after you used your power on her.”
“We don’t have a thing anymore. It’s been over for a while.”
“Can I ask what happened?”
“She got boring. Clingy too. I’m not looking for a relationship.”
“Relationships must be hard in your line of work.”
“What line of work is that?”
“You work for a vampire. At the very least, that’s not easy. At the most, you’re his hitman.”
“Yeah, I work for a vampire. Not every jester is a hitman.”
Harley noticed Aiden didn’t deny being a hitman. Death by laughter wasn’t exactly a highly traceable method of death. She regarded him for several moments. Just drinking him
