A. Arthur - Passion's Prey

He was looking out the window once more. “That one’s FBI,” he said, pointing.

Darel went to the window and looked down at the African American man who had just taken a seat at one of the back tables. He was clean-shaven, dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt. He looked out of place here even though he was trying to fit in.

“I’ve seen him here before,” Darel said. “Like four or five times this week.”

Sabar nodded. “Put one of your shifters on him. Find out why he’s become a return customer.”

“Sure thing,” Darel said. Then because he just couldn’t resist he asked, “Where’s Bianca tonight?”

Sabar’s neck could have snapped for how fast he turned to glare at Darel. “I told you not to even utter her name.”

Darel shrugged. “Just looking out for you. Fine woman like Bianca can get herself in a mess of trouble if she’s not kept on a tight leash.”

The sting of Sabar’s fist crashing into his jaw wasn’t a surprise. The fact that he held his stance, only allowing his head to jerk back slightly, fists at his sides, ready but not jumping just yet, was.

“That’s your last warning,” Sabar said, his sharp teeth cutting into his bottom lip as he stared at Darel for another second before walking out of the room.

“Likewise,” Darel said, rubbing along his jaw with one clawed hand. “That was your last warning, boss.”

X walked into Nick’s office with a ready frown. The message on his phone when he’d stepped out of the shower in Caprise’s room was not the kind of news a man wanted to hear after a night of phenomenal sex.

What it did was offer him a quick route out of Caprise’s room, before she could expound on the weird-ass scent that still lingered in there and the way said scent was making X feel. He’d left her a quick note since she was still in the bathroom and made a getaway in the style he hadn’t employed in ages.

Now he was in downtown DC about to visit his lawyer and most likely that jackass Dorian Wilson from the DEA.

Nick’s assistant was an attractive enough middle-aged woman with enough photos and plants on her desk to make the small space before Nick’s office look more like a person’s living room than an office.

“Hi, Kerry,” he said with a smile. “Nick’s expecting me.”

She nodded, her eyes alight with the sincere smile she offered in return. “I know, Mr. Markland. Go right in.”

He did and wasn’t surprised to see Nick wasn’t alone.

“Good afternoon,” he muttered as he closed the door behind him because by the time he’d made it to his place to change clothes, then downtown, it was well after noon.

Following a nod from Nick, X sat in the guest chair closest to Nick’s side of the desk while Wilson and another man he hadn’t met yet sat across from them. X figured the new guy for a cop, probably local and most likely homicide since Wilson really had nothing to do with Diamond’s murder.

Nick made the official introduction: “This is Detective Eric McCoy. Detective McCoy, this is my client Xavier Santos-Markland.”

“Where were you two nights ago between the hours of midnight and five AM?” Detective McCoy asked immediately.

Nick looked at X and nodded again.

“In Sedona,” he said simply.

“Doing what?” Agent Wilson asked.

“Was anyone with you?” McCoy asked simultaneously.

“His alibi is Sedona and we’ll provide you with a list of corroborating witnesses,” Nick interjected. “Is that all, gentleman?”

“No,” Wilson stated. “When was the last time you visited Athena’s?”

“Last week” was X’s reply.

Wilson didn’t believe him. X didn’t give a rat’s ass. McCoy looked like he had more questions, but when he went to speak again Nick held up a hand.

“As I already stated, if you don’t have a warrant for my client’s arrest, we don’t have anything to talk about,” Nick told them.

“So are you saying your client doesn’t plan to be cooperative in this investigation?” Wilson asked.

“In what investigation, Agent Wilson? Because here’s what’s confusing to me. You work for the DEA, correct?” Nick didn’t wait for Wilson’s response. “So you really have no claim to the Diamond Turner case.”

“I’m investigating the Diamond Turner murder,” McCoy put in.

Nick nodded. “Fine. When you get enough evidence to arrest my client, give me a call and we’ll gladly head on down to the station. But until that time, you”—he pointed at Wilson—“stay out of his face or you’ll be slapped with a harassment charge so fast Detective McCoy’s head will spin.”

“I didn’t kill Diamond Turner,” X stated seriously. “If you want to find her killer, you need to take a closer look at what’s going on down at Athena’s.”

McCoy nodded, tapping the pencil he’d been using to write in his notepad against his chin. “Funny you should say that. We picked up two more bodies from Athena’s last night. Both females that worked there, just like Diamond.”

X was instantly alert. “How did they die?”

“You tell us,” Wilson interjected.

“You’re dangerously close to a formal suit being filed against you and your department, Agent Wilson,” Nick said, shaking his head with a smug smile.

McCoy shared a glance with Wilson, who didn’t look terribly intimidated by Nick’s threat.

With a shrug McCoy said, “Coroner thinks it may be a drug overdose, but there’s still some traces of foul play. One’s name was Raven, the other Icy. Those are their stage names, of course. Sound familiar?”

“I’m not a regular at the strip club so no, I don’t know either of those ladies,” X told them.

“You sure?” Wilson asked. “Because here’s where it gets really interesting. Raven was the one who told us about you giving her and a couple of other girls a hard time one night a few months back. And one of those girls was Diamond Turner.”

Inwardly X cursed as he replayed that night in the alley when he’d first met Diamond Turner. Raven had to be the tall one with all that dark curly hair and smart-ass mouth.

“This meeting is over,” Nick said, standing. “You two can see yourselves out. Remember what I said about that warrant.”

McCoy and Wilson both stood, Wilson eyeing X as he rose slowly.

“Just so you know, these new developments officially make you a suspect in not one, but three murders. In light of these circumstances I have no choice but to alert the director of the Bureau immediately.”

X stood as well, rage simmering slowly inside him. It wasn’t just that the man thought he was a murderer, but that now he would attempt to threaten X’s job. He wanted to prove Agent Wilson right and leap across that desk to take a chunk out of his throat. But he remained calm, or as calm as could be expected for a Topètenia .

“You do what you have to do,” he said coolly.

“I’ll caution you, Agent, don’t dig your ass a hole you can’t climb out of,” Nick said.

Wilson cocked his head at Nick. “Is that another threat, counselor?”

Nick shrugged. “Take it as advice from someone who’s not real used to losing in the courtroom. Build your case and find the real killer. In the meantime, leave my client the hell alone. We clear?”

“Get your house in order” was Wilson’s response to X as they moved to leave the office. “I’m coming for your ass.”

“Then you better come correct,” X said, unable to contain another ounce of restraint.

When they were gone and the door to the office was closed, Nick sat down with a huff. “Fuck!”

X echoed that sentiment as he turned to stare out the window. When he awakened this morning it had been after a night with no nightmares, a night when he’d thought light was penetrating the dark that had stalked him for so long. Now, as clouds moved slowly over the sky, he felt as gloomy and dour as the weather. This was his fate; he should have known better than to believe otherwise.