Cruel Fate Read online

  The panel showed green, all the doors closed, the house secured.

  “Hmm?” he said.

  “The lights flickered,” she said. “It was disarmed and rearmed.”

  That had him out of bed in a blink. He faced the door, tense and listening. Then he remembered they had a guest.

  “Your father?” he said. “Stepping out?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t get a chance to show him the system.”

  The only other person with the code was Ricky. Even if he’d flown back to help Olivia in a crisis—which he’d been known to do—the front door had double deadbolts, one with a key lock and a second that could only be secured from inside.

  Olivia took her gun from the bedside table. It wasn’t kept in a lockbox. Rather, Gabriel had ordered a nightstand specially made with a secret compartment. Otherwise, he’d be haunted by visions of her sleeping alone while he worked late, and an intruder finding it and using it against her.

  Gabriel himself did not carry weapons. That wasn’t ego so much as habit. His size kept most threats at bay. His fists did the rest. Which wasn’t to say he didn’t own weapons—he kept them in his condo, secreted away, a leftover security blanket from a youth spent on the streets.

  He strode barefoot from the bedroom, wearing only sweatpants, a concession to having a guest in the house. Behind him, Olivia pulled on a silk wrapper as he padded down the hall. Todd’s door was closed, as it had been since he retired.

  Gabriel took the stairs with care. The fourth one would squeak, so he skipped it. One near the base unexpectedly chirped under his weight. He stopped and listened.

  Gabriel’s fae blood gave him only one special ability: a preternatural sixth sense for trouble. He paused, and he looked, and he listened, but he sensed nothing.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Olivia moved past him. As always, he resisted the urge to tug her behind him where she’d be safe. Pointless, really. One, she had the gun. Two, danger was equally likely to come from behind, and he’d rather she was in front, where he could see her.

  Moonlight flooded through the rear patio doors. They’d never bought blinds. This wasn’t the sort of neighborhood where people spied on their neighbors, even for idle amusement. That might have something to do with shockingly high fines for trespassing, peeping or any other invasions of privacy. The last thing the fae wanted was a bored neighbor peering through his binoculars when they relaxed at home and shed their glamours.

  Olivia had her gun in hand but lowered. After investigating the case of a husband shot by his wife as an intruder, she didn’t even walk around with the safety off.

  As she glanced back at him, something moved beyond the patio doors. Gabriel tensed, ready to grab Olivia at the first sign of a rising gun barrel. Instead, he saw only a figure leaning over the railing, staring into the yard. When the figure’s hand moved, Gabriel tensed again as the man lifted…

  A beer bottle. He raised the bottle to his lips, and Gabriel noticed the man’s stature and light hair.

  “Todd,” he murmured.

  Olivia was already jogging to the door. She flung it open so fast Todd jumped. Then he saw the gun in her hand, and his own hands shot up, fumbling the bottle.

  “Sorry.” Olivia set the gun on the counter before she stepped out. “I saw the system disarm and rearm, and I hadn’t given you the code.”

  “Sure you did, sweetheart. The code plus very explicit instructions. It’s in that huge binder upstairs, along with everything I need to know about the house. How to operate the coffee maker, the microwave, the shower…I didn’t find instructions for the toilet, but I think I’ve got it figured out. Flush after using. Right?”

  “Okay, I might have gone a little overboard. I just wanted you to be comfortable here.”

  “I know, and I am.” He lifted his bottle. “Got a beer. Figured out the alarm. Snuck off to enjoy the evening. If—”

  Todd gave a start as a black shape leapt onto the railing. The cat settled in and fixed its gaze on him.

  “TC?” Todd asked.

  Olivia nodded. “Yep.”

  “He…has a very intense stare.”

  “He’s trying to figure out who you are, why you’re here and, most importantly, whether you can open a tuna can.” She paused. “Nope, that’s a lie. He’s really only interested in the last part.”

  “Can I pet him?”

  “You can try.”

  Todd held the cat’s unblinking stare. “And risk a bloody arm?”

  “He doesn’t scratch or bite. He might enjoy being petted, or he might look at you like you’re a peasant daring to touch nobility. Depends on his mood.”

  “He’s a fae cat, right?”

  “He’s a matagot. In lore, they give golden coins. It’s a scam. All he gives are those looks. He’s been around a long time, though. He used to hang out with Mom when she visited here.”

  “And now he’s yours.”

  “He’s not really anybody’s. He only deigns to accept my food.” She motioned at the open door. “Your dinner awaits, sir.”

  TC hopped down and regally strode into the kitchen.

  “We’ll leave you be,” Olivia said to Todd.

  “You’re welcome to join me. It’s a nice night.” He looked over her shoulder. “You, too, Gabriel. Grab a beer and come out. Just leave any weapons on the counter, please.”

  “Gabriel doesn’t carry weapons,” Olivia said.

  “Because Gabriel is a weapon.” Todd smiled at him. “I’ve seen you in court. Pretty sure you can talk your way out of anything.”

  “Usually,” Olivia said as she tossed Gabriel a grin. “But sometimes he uses his fists instead. More satisfying. I’ll sit out for a few minutes. I’m not tired. And you…?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I’ll go back to bed.”

  She watched him a moment, making sure he was all right with that. He was. It saved him from making a mistake trying to comfort her. A coward’s move, perhaps, but Gabriel hated making mistakes.

  He started to withdraw. Stopped. Moved forward and kissed the top of her head, and then headed back upstairs.

  Five

  Olivia

  I was up early the next morning to make breakfast, as much for Gabriel as for my father. Gabriel was going into work while I stayed home with Todd. As we ate, Todd said he’d be fine by himself.

  “I’ve got my binder,” he said. “I can operate all the appliances, and I’m sure Gabriel needs you in the office.”

  Gabriel glanced at me. Not urging me to come in—we’d cleared my investigative desk. He was just checking in case I wanted the excuse.

  “I’ll work from home today and tomorrow,” I said. “I might go in Thursday.”

  Todd insisted on cleaning up after we ate, and as Gabriel finished getting ready, I took my laptop into the dining room. Or I did for two minutes before I hefted it under my arm, stalked upstairs and shoved it onto the bathroom counter while Gabriel adjusted his tie.

  “Fix it,” I said.

  His brows lifted. “I believe you are mistaking me for a computer technician. If you require support, the number is in our contact list.”

  “The number I need is in your personal contact list. Lydia’s grandson.”

  “You know that I prefer to be the point of contact for Bryant. In the event that anything I should ask him to do skirts the borders of legality, I don’t want any link between him and you.”

  “You’re going to play this all the way, aren’t you?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Olivia.” He plastered a stray curl back in place, gave his reflection a cursory glance and headed into the bedroom. “Should you decide to leave Todd to his own devices and drive into the city, I am free for lunch today.”

  “I need to look out for him.”

  “He is a grown man, and this house is as secure as humanly possible. If you are truly concerned, ask Veronica to come over. She’d like to meet him, and she is the elder least likely to cause him any
discomfort. In fact, I’d suggest you introduce them even if you don’t wish to join me for—”

  “For a brilliant man, you are so very good at playing dumb. It’s an art form with you.”

  He took his suit jacket from the closet. “It is not ‘playing dumb.’ It is feigning innocence. I have a lifetime of experience at it. However, in this case, I really do not know—”

  “You hacked my computer and blocked me from searching on my father’s name.”

  “That would be wrong.”

  “Yep, which is not a denial.”

  “Perhaps you are mistaken, and there is simply nothing online about your father’s release from prison.”

  I stepped in front of him as he moved for the hall. A wave of my hand sent him back into our room with a deep, put-upon sigh.

  I closed the door behind us so Todd couldn’t overhear. “Thanks to you, we got out of the prison without a battalion of reporters waiting, because they all expected him to be released today. I appreciate that. However, I screwed up, and we were spotted at that restaurant, and someone notified the media. They swarmed. And yet, apparently, they decided the release of Chicago’s most notorious serial killer didn’t warrant even a mention in today’s papers.”

  “It is rather dull news.”

  “Do you want to come home tonight? Because I know how to change the security codes.”

  “That would only bring the local police, which would be terribly embarrassing for you.”

  “I can change the locks.”

  “I can pick them.”

  “Not the single-side deadbolt.”

  He sighed again and backed to sit on the bed. “You don’t need to read those articles, Olivia.”

  “Yes, I do. I need to know if there are any serious threats. We’ve discussed this, and you know it’s plausible. What if, online, people start talking about doing something to him, but—whoops—you blocked me from seeing that site.”

  “I will be monitoring for legitimate threats.”

  I opened my mouth to argue. It took me a moment to come up with something. “Okay, but I know there’s going to be bullshit on there. It won’t bother me. I’ve gone through it for years myself.”

  “As have I. The difference, Olivia, is that if the vitriol is directed at ourselves, we don’t care. The worse people say about me online, the more clients I get. It’s free advertising. As for what they’ve said about you, it rolls off you. I understand that. Here’s the difference. When I first met you, and you were being maligned online for being the daughter of convicted serial killers, I didn’t care. It wasn’t my concern, and I barely knew you. As I got to know you, that changed. It bothered me. Then it infuriated me. Then it enraged me. It was unfair. You’d done nothing wrong, and to have people saying these things about you was unconscionable. That is how you will feel seeing anything about Todd. Infuriated and enraged. And what can you do about that? Absolutely nothing.”

  I didn’t answer, just stood there, in front of the bedroom door.

  He took out his cell phone and punched a few keys. Then he turned it to me. On the page was an article about Todd’s release. He’d scrolled down to the comment section. I took one look. Then I handed the phone back.

  “I don’t like being coddled,” I said.

  “Have I ever done such a thing?” He slipped the phone into his pocket. “Reading those comments can do you no good, and it’s hardly a mark of character to do so. It will only cloud your mind and upset you. Focus on work. Perhaps join me for lunch, but I’ll understand if you choose not to. Invite Veronica or Rose to tea, instead. If I find any credible threats online, I will let you know. I do not expect to. People can be small and hateful, and those comments are simply an expression of that.”

  “I know.” I opened the door. “I won’t say thank you for blocking my searches. I’d rather you asked first. But I know why you did it, and you’re right. I don’t need that.”

  Knowing Gabriel was right did not keep me from fussing. It didn’t keep me from running a search on my phone an hour later. When I found that he hadn’t tampered with that, I closed the browser. Gabriel had not forgotten I could run the search on my phone or my tablet. Blocking my laptop wasn’t barring me from looking up mentions of my father. It was the equivalent of turning the knob lock and leaving the deadbolts unfastened.

  I’m merely making the point that you ought not to open this door. You will not like what lies behind it, and there is no reason for you to open it.

  He was right. And so, when I found that I could open that door if I really wanted to, I decided I did not.

  I went for a walk with Todd, and I had a coffee with him, and then I worked as he poked about the backyard and gardens.

  I didn’t go into the city for lunch. It was a long drive, and I knew the only reason Gabriel suggested it was a subtle hint that I shouldn’t hover like an overanxious parent. Again, he had a point, and I would drive in tomorrow. I let him know that with a text, and then I made lunch. Todd and I ate out back, and I talked about my plans for the garden and how we planned to add a conservatory when we had time to hire and supervise contractors.

  Over lunch, I saw a magpie. Not that unusual…if you lived in the western half of the country. They were extremely rare here unless you were me. Unless you saw things that didn’t exist.

  One for sorrow…

  That omen was nearly enough to send me running to my cell phone to google my father’s name. Instead, I settled for typing a reminder for Gabriel to conduct the search…which I deleted unsent. He would not forget, no matter how busy he got, and the reminder made me seem like a fretful child. Which I kind of was right now, but I’d rather not broadcast that any louder than I already had.

  I returned to work. Midafternoon, when I heard Todd in the kitchen, I popped my head around the corner.

  “Break time?” I said. “I have cookies. Baked them myself, and they are actually edible.”

  “I’d love one,” he said. “But I was going to suggest… There’s a local diner, right? Within walking distance? I remember you worked at one before you started investigating for Gabriel, and I’m presuming it’s nearby.”

  “It is.”

  “I also recall your mom said a diner here made old-fashioned milkshakes. Same place?”

  I nodded. “New owners, but same milkshakes.”

  “Let’s do that, then.” When I hesitated, he said, “Unless you’re busy.”

  “Not at all. I just thought you might want to take it slower, meeting people here. The diner is where the elders hang out. It could be…overwhelming.”

  “Is anyone likely to ask if I’d like virgin’s blood with my milkshake?”

  I smiled. “Definitely not. You’re welcome here. The elders are happy to have you. They can just be a bit intrusive. They take their senior citizen glamours to heart. Bunch of old busybodies.”

  “I am fine with busybodies.”

  “Let me grab my wallet, then.”

  Six

  Olivia

  TC followed us to the diner. Of course, he didn’t act like he was following us. He’s a cat. He pretended he was just going in the same direction, trotting across lawns and then, if a car passed, stopping to clean a paw, feigning indifference.

  “He watches out for you,” Todd said.

  “No, he’s just curious. With a new person in the house, he’s wondering what’s up. He’s also hoping we’re going to the diner. They give him cream.”

  “I thought cats weren’t supposed to have cream.”

  “It’s bad for them? Shhh. Don’t tell him.”

  TC fixed me with a baleful look.

  Todd laughed. “I think he understands you.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he does. It’s a love-hate relationship. We love to hate each other, don’t we, kitty?”

  I swear TC rolled his eyes. He kept trotting along behind us, though, and I would get him his saucer of cream. I knew it wasn’t ideal for his tummy, but it wasn’t poison. For TC, it was like ice cream fo
r a lactose-intolerant kid—it tasted too good for him to give up.

  Cats weren’t the only curious ones around, either. We passed a few people out walking dogs, and while they only gave us a cheerful “hello,” I felt gazes following after us. When we headed down Rowan Street, I did not fail to see the curtains move on an adorable Victorian dollhouse across the road.

  “Gabriel’s aunt?” Todd asked.

  “You see her?”

  “No, but I see the sign in the window. Rosalyn Z. Razvan, Take Charge of Your Future. I’m guessing she’s the only local psychic.”

  “She is.”

  I raised my hand as we passed, but Rose had already moved away, dealing with a client. She’d peeked out to see whether we were coming to her door. I knew better during office hours.

  “Not even going to stop and say hello, are you?” a voice called from my other side.

  “Hello, Grace,” I called back. “Lovely day for a stroll.”

  “Get your ass over here, girl, and introduce me—”

  “Love to. Can’t. Feel free to get your ass off that front stoop, come to the diner and say hello.”

  Todd shot me a look of surprise and mild horror, that I should speak that way to a wizened old lady, sitting on her front stoop.

  “She’s not human,” I said. “That’s Grace. One of the elders. She’s really a troll.”

  “I heard that,” she called.

  I paused to look back at her as I shaded my eyes. “Whoops. Sorry. Not a troll. Are there trolls?”

  She glowered at me.

  “She acts like one,” I continued to Todd. “Guarding the front porch, there. She’s the landlord. That’s where I used to live. It’s the only rental property in town, and trust me—you don’t want to move in there. Infested with fae.”

  Grace snorted. “Better than being infested with humans. We’ve got one of those I’d like exterminated.”

  Todd looked at me, but I only shook my head and continued on. She meant Seanna—Gabriel’s mother—but there was no need to explain to Todd. It was, however, another reason why Todd couldn’t live there. I wasn’t letting anyone I cared about near Seanna Walsh.