Master Juggler (Untraceable Succubus Book 3) Page 14

  “Plus, I know it and that others will push us,” Dylan added. “I don’t care. I just want you, Jasmine. And you promised no running.”

  “Or if I do that you can give chase,” I reminded him. “I can’t promise no running, Dylan. It’s my default setting.”

  Elijah snorted. “Isn’t that the truth. You ran from me several times.”

  “I came back,” I reminded him, sticking out my tongue at him. “We all have our issues, okay? I had to run and a lot. It’s the only way I survived.”

  “I know, and I’m glad you did and it is your default setting,” he murmured. “Others attack first, but the smart retreat and reassess before taking out the enemy. You’ve always been the smartest that way.”

  And the deadliest. That was what he wouldn’t say in front of the others. It was a blessing that my default was to run because if I always attacked when I was threatened… There would be a lot less people in the world.

  A lot.

  “So I’m done being grounded?” I checked, smirking when he let out a slow breath.

  “I swear you love to try and push my buttons worse lately than normal,” he grumbled but then studied me when I flinched. His eyes flashed shock, and then he was hugging me. “You should have told me.”

  “I hated him,” I reminded Elijah, both of us knowing we were talking about my grandfather.

  “Of course you did, but he was still your family,” he murmured, smoothing his hand over my head and even my ponytail. “The funeral?”

  “No, I just had him cremated. They’re keeping him there with her, and I figured I’d spread them both over Mom’s grave when they’re gone.” I shrugged. “That or do one of those tree urns where they feed the new tree you can have planted. Too bad they don’t do that to replant the rainforests or something.”

  He moved his hand to the back of my head and leaned our foreheads together. “No matter how much you push my buttons, I won’t ever hit you, child. You test that boundary over and over again as much as you need, but I won’t. I won’t do to you what he did. We’re really family, and you know that.”

  I nodded, understanding that was exactly what I’d been doing. “I didn’t realize it.”

  “I know. Your brain is too big and you use it so well that along with how you were raised, your emotions are a bit stunted. It’s part of your charm. The rest of us have lived too much and our emotions are all over the fucking place.”

  “Yeah, you’re always crying and all of that,” I chuckled, wiping under my eyes when he let me go. “You have a big mouth like they do.”

  Elijah gave me a look that I’d insulted him. “They’ve all signed NDAs, even the new wolf. They’re magically enforced as well; the warlock was impressed.” He snorted when I couldn’t hide my shock. “This is why people snitch to me, child. You might forgive this and that, ignore it or let it go, but I will not. They’ve let enough slip, and now they’re gagged.”

  “The angels?”

  “We don’t let anything slip,” David promised, Nathanial looking amused at the suggestion as well.

  I looked over at Dylan. “And you can do that with ISLE?”

  “Yes, but it’s part of why the director wants to meet you so much.” He scratched his cheek and sighed when I just stared at him. “There are a few loopholes like Elijah can release me on certain topics if they have to do with work, but everything you is off limits. I’m fine with that, sweetie. Really, I am because I want to know you better and not have anyone use me to get to you.”

  “Good boyfriend,” I whispered, totally shocked and floored… And maybe turned on. Yeah, probably.

  We quickly packed up but didn’t close it all or worry about the food, as Kyle and the others were getting kicked to there for a bit. Elijah was still worried about all of us in LA so at least that spread some of us out. Plus, they needed some real sleep, and Elijah was a pain in the ass but only really when we were mistreating ourselves.

  He had a running line that young demons who didn’t take care of themselves never lived to be older demons. He would know as he had survived much longer than most.

  “Hello?” Tahnee answered hesitantly when I called her not even an hour later.

  “Hey, it’s Cara,” I told her, my tone not happy. “In what world did you think you could use my name with my friend and plot some big party? If you wanted to get in with Pete, you should have told me so, but telling him that I’m your bestie when I didn’t even have your number and I don’t know like your last name is just—”

  “Whoa, whoa, girl, I think we have some major disconnect,” she interrupted.

  “Oh, really?” I drawled, glancing at the monitor to show how close Mason was to getting a lock on her phone so we could track it. That and we could know who she was talking to. If we got eyes on her and used the right mic, we could get audio.

  I knew wanting to put something on her phone wasn’t too much. Next time I would overrule Kyle and put the right stuff to turn on cameras and microphones when we were in complicated situations and in the dark on too much.

  “Look, I don’t know what Pete got wrong but—”

  “No, no, we’re not playing that game where you try and turn this around,” I seethed. “I’ve known Pete a long time, and he doesn’t get shit wrong. It’s his whole thing after all.”

  There was a long pause. “Hello, did you hear me? I think you cut out.”

  “No, I didn’t hear you,” I replied, rolling my eyes at the obvious delay tactic. Next she’d make noises like she was going through a tunnel and how cell phones used to be.

  “I said then what Diana told me was messed up,” she grumbled.

  My eyes flashed shock as I glanced at Elijah. Oh, so she was ready to throw her cohort under the bus to get me, which meant I had more value. I shot a glance to Aidan and Bain. Yeah, I just bet I did. “Who’s Diana?”

  “Your friend from here,” she muttered. “The lust demon who I met at the gym too.”

  “And Pete knows her? He didn’t mention anyone but you.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, I assumed you guys were all friends,” she said, her voice gaining confidence. “I got his number from her after she said you wanted to throw the party. She said you guys had thrown them before and lust demon parties were the best.”

  And there it was. She was going for a big score.

  “Look, assuming I can believe anything you say since Pete was clear you were saying all of this, not someone told you I said this was what’s what, but I don’t know a Diana in LA, Tahnee. I rarely come here and know Pete from somewhere else. The gym is a national chain.”

  “Shit,” she hissed. “Shit, Cara. Shit. I’m so, so sorry. I-I don’t even know how I phrased it to Pete. I totally bought it. She waved at you one of the last times you were walking out of the gym and you waved back, so it made sense you were actually friends.”

  I rolled my eyes. Or I always gave a wave to the attendants at the desk when I walked out to be polite, which she knew as we’d walked out together a few times. “I want the contact info for this chick then. I’ve got several bones to pick with her. I don’t—if I wanted to throw a party with you, I would have told you. I just fucking saw you, Tahnee. And honestly, you were acting weird then too.”

  “Yeah, I know, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so busy with that stuff and work I’ve not gotten much sleep and—”

  “I get it, and honestly, I’m not sure I care. We were gym buddies, and I don’t do all this type of drama. I’m bouncing LA soon anyways so—”

  “No!” she shouted. “No, don’t do that.” She cleared her throat. “At least let me make it up to you before you head out. I know we didn’t get to a real friends level, but I thought we could be friends like that. I thought this was you reaching out and I got too excited. I get it. Let me at least buy you dinner before you go.”

  Mason flagged me and pulled up a map on another screen. I smirked as something pinged the first cell tower I had this phone routed to match up to, which meant someone was
trying to trace me. So yeah, the goal was my number for sure.

  I nodded I got it. “I don’t know, Tahnee. I got a lot going on too, and this shit with Caden and Bain is just too—”

  “What did those idiots do now? They don’t listen.”

  “Listen to what?” I purred. “See, this is weird.”

  “No, no it’s not,” she sighed, sounding frustrated and probably with herself and getting caught in lies. Had she really assumed I was so stupid? “I talked to Caden again since he blew off the fundraiser but promised to at least send a check and told him to leave you be and you weren’t interested. I didn’t tell him I thought you left with Aidan O’Malley which, wow, that man is easy to get flustered around.”

  If she was anyone else, I would have bought that as yeah, he was super powerful and young anyone could feel it. I had when I’d first met him, but she wasn’t flustered, she’d been excited like something panned out.

  “Yeah, we grabbed some food, nothing more. He’s nice.”

  “Oh really? I thought you would have taken him back to your condo or something.”

  I bit back a laugh. She really was the worst spy ever.

  Especially since I’d never told her I was staying at a condo.

  “I would never have been strong enough to hold out against his charm. I would have brought him right home and let him do whatever he wanted to me.”

  “He just wanted dinner. He’s old fashioned I think and wants something real. I don’t, and Bain started enough trouble, so I’m just going to blow town and lay low until that cools. I told him I’d call him after the death threats stopped maybe, so probably never.”

  “The poor guy. He was so, so all about you I heard. I mean, he was gushing in interviews. That is one wolf wanting to do nothing more than lick you as his.”

  And if I was the coven’s, then they would lock him into whatever the full deal was. I shook my head. Disgusting. That was so much more disgusting than just a brothel sort of thing. Well, all of it was disgusting since the demons weren’t willing.

  “I gotta run for a thing, but I’ll think about dinner. There are a few places I did want to check out before I left. I’ve got a lot on my plate too, Tahnee. I just don’t know if I can.”

  “Yeah, of course you do,” she agreed, sounding like she doubted that.

  And then I had a brilliant thought. “You know, I had some chick that was bugging me left and right a while ago. Let me send you a picture and see if it’s the same bitch. I filed a police report and everything because she broke into my hotel room. Total jealous loser, you know the type.”

  “Yeah, send it to me. I’ll text you her number. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered like I was distracted. “Hey, something else has come up. I don’t think I can do a dinner but—”

  “No, come on, I’ll work with your schedule since it was so my bad. Bring Pete too so you can say goodbye.”

  Every red flag was raised on that. So Pete was a goal too. Fuck. I played it off and chuckled. “Oh, so you got excited because you wanted to meet Pete. You should have just told me.”

  She blew a harsh breath, probably in relief I bought her bullshit. “He’s hot, and I didn’t know you were tight with him. Caden keeps saying he’ll introduce me but then plays it off like I’ve got to convince him better.”

  “Yeah, Caden’s a dick like that for sure,” I drawled. “I wouldn’t think you were into demons.”

  “I like demons a lot. I mean, you’d obviously recommend him since I heard you gave him a glowing review.”

  I smiled. Wow, she really was a bad spy. Nice to let it slip just how much Caden had told her. “For a night? Oh yeah, Pete’s a solid ten for the full package, but if you want more than that, I wouldn’t go there. His followers, peeps, and biz will always rank above anyone else. His YouTube channel and review blog is the love of his life, and any woman would come second.”

  “Maybe he just needs a vampire with a thick ass and who loves giving head?” she purred.

  Yeah, right, that was all someone needed to lose focus on their dreams. She really thought too much of herself, and she had no clue how bad at the game she was when playing with someone who knew it was a game instead of a victim.

  The minute we hung up I moved Mason over and got to work, pulling a photo of the traitor from her social media once someone told me her last name.

  “Can you explain what you’re doing for the rest of us?” Elijah asked, his tone amused like I’d forgotten about all of them.

  I had.

  “I’m attaching one of my spy programs to the picture file, and the moment she opens it, we’ll have access to her phone, including camera and mic that we can turn on anytime. It’s a good failsafe if I’m bait.”

  “It is,” Dylan chuckled. “That’s my sexy genius girlfriend.”

  I flushed so hot a few of them snickered. I was used to getting complimented on my body and features I changed all the time… But not my brain. I kept that part hidden so yeah, someone noticing it was apparently a good way to get me to blush.

  Oh boy. I could see that being dangerous information in their hands.

  11

  The next day I was heading into the belly of the beast with Dylan using my cover of Sloan Chen. She would check out, as her cover was as deep as Cara’s and I used it when I needed to handle technical or black market cases, as she was well known in those arenas and people guessed constantly what hacker name she used.

  The truth was I used several when I needed to. Using just one was stupid and could get you caught faster. Physically I looked like an Asian/Chinese/European mix, the jet black hair and dark, hooded eyes selling it but also helping me blend as a lot of people had those features. I played up the computer nerd side, acting as if I was nervous to be out of my normal wheelhouse.

  Or even step foot out into the light, certainly ISLE. I wore slip on sneakers with an oversized business casual winter dress, moving the long sleeves over my hands a lot. No one would believe a demon with glasses, but I braided my hair like a mess and was wearing one of those goofy winter ushanka hats with two poms added. It was amusing and people would notice me…

  And immediately dismiss me. Trying too hard not to be noted got you noticed, but wearing something that would draw attention but was easily passed over was the way to truly blend.

  We went through security, and they checked my IDs and what I had with me. I clutched my laptop to me like it was my prized possession once I got it back, sticking it in the messenger bag slung across my body. I tugged on my braid while they finished up, making it clear I was nervous and why my braid was already messed up.

  The vibe was much better this time I was at headquarters. Not only just I wasn’t coming in with the troops, but what I was picking up from people. Even security who was with me kept giving me reassuring smiles or thanking me for complying.

  A few minutes later we were in the elevator and Dylan had to swipe his ID and have his thumb scanned to hit the button we needed. I moved closer and checked out the system, shaking my head. It was a basic model that I could fool way too easily.

  Maybe if we decided we could trust them, I’d tell them that.

  Maybe. I did want to keep Dylan safe after all.

  Dylan nodded to the two admins in the outer area before we were shown into the director’s office. A sharp gaze landed on me, and I instantly felt like prey. He stood and had Dylan’s height and frame, at least six-five and built like he was not to be fucked with. But unlike Dylan’s longer hair, this guy had short, blond hair cut in a professional style and had the clean, crisp suit to match it.

  He thanked the admin who’d showed us in before moving closer. He extended his hand to me but then slowly dropped it, studying me closely before a slight grin tugged at his lips. “So are you really Sloan Chen or Jasmine Stewart or Acadia Collins?”

  I chuckled as Dylan flinched, smiling at the director. “You’re good.” I pulled off my hat and took out my hair tie, noting
his desire as I changed to Acadia since he liked the rainbow hair. “Legally I’m Jasmine Stewart, and if you know her, you know I have diplomatic immunity.”

  “I do. A pleasure, Ms. Stewart,” he said, extending his hand again. “I’m Phillip Stevens, the new director of ISLE, and I thank you for your help in part in getting the old, dirty regime out.”

  I studied him as we shook. “But you know they won’t all be gone with one sweep.”

  “I will do as many sweeps as needed to get every traitor and law breaker out of ISLE, you have my promise.”

  I nodded as I dropped his hand. “Yeah, I heard you’re a rule follower. That concerns me.”

  His eyes flashed shock. “I’m not sure why.”

  “Oh, I like moral people, and I’m a big fan of the good guys winning, but people stuck to rules sometimes lose sight of the big picture, instead trying to nail everyone to their rules.” I smiled at him as I toed off my shoes. “It’s a good way to trap people and use them for what you want instead of being fair.”

  “I believe in fairness more than the current rules,” he clarified, watching what I was doing.

  “You agreed to be interrogated, right?” I checked, smirking when he nodded. I pulled off the dress in a flash and dumped it to the ground, wearing nothing under it. “Then let’s get started.” I dropped to my knees and reached for his fly, both of them flinching.

  “Um, Jasmine?” Dylan muttered, clearing his throat as I undid his boss’s belt.

  I glanced at him over my shoulder, frowning at how much shock was on his face. “You remember how I interrogated you, right?”

  “Well, yeah, but that was me,” he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I didn’t get that.”

  I realized what they were missing. I smiled up at the director. “You guys really are out of the loop on demons. Wow, okay, so when you agree to let a demon interrogate you, you agree to let them use their powers on you and read everything they can.” I slowly unzipped his fly and pulled out a half hard, very large dick. I chuckled at what I got off of him. “So much for those rules if you get a blow job, huh?”