Kinda Like Van Helsing (Afterlife Book 4) Page 5

  Harper had tried a few times, but Alec could hardly stomach anything she cooked. She over seasoned everything, cooked meat for far too long, and her noodles always came out a bit too crunchy. He wasn't one to complain, though, and he'd eaten anything she made without complaint. Most of the time, though, he cooked.

  "You two can sleep in the guest room," Alec said. "Sarah's staying there for now, but I don't think she'd begrudge you guys a nap."

  "I appreciate it," Brittney said. "Come on, Harper. Let's go snuggle."

  Alec watched the way Chloe's eyes darted over to the pair of them and then away. He had a theory about Chloe, but he wasn't ready to say anything yet. If he ever did. He wasn't one to gossip, or confront other people about their feelings.

  Harper and Brittney headed to the bedroom. They left the door cracked, got into bed, and pulled the sheet up over them. For Harper, it was too hot to sleep with a blanket, so she shoved it onto Brittney, who was perpetually cold. They liked to joke around that she was a sun lizard. In the wintertime she'd get incredibly cold, but in the summer she'd soak up the sun and radiate heat. Even with her lizard-like behavior, she still wrapped herself up as tightly as she could in comforters when she went to bed. She had told Harper once that it was a comfort thing more than anything.

  Chloe looked over at Sarah. "So, it looks like I'm with you tonight. Alec doesn't want me going along on the drug deal."

  "The drug deal? I thought you guys were going after goblins?"

  "Not tonight," Alec said from the kitchen. "Somehow Harper and Brittney got themselves wrapped up in the Trinity gang's affairs. They're have to go out tonight as undercover agents to make a trade with the gang. I told them it's a bad idea, but there's no real way to get out of it. Conner and I are going along as bodyguards. No offense, Chloe, but you don't come across as the bodyguard sort."

  "I suppose not," Chloe said, still sounding a little disappointed. "I'll live, I suppose. I just hate being left behind."

  "So do I," Sarah said. "But maybe it's for the best. We can keep track of what's going on here in the club."

  "Yeah, because something is going on," Chloe said. "Did you see how many people were out there at five? It's unusual. Maybe we should have Harper take a look around after her nap. Maybe it's a supernatural get-together."

  "Or maybe it's someone's birthday," Alec said with lifted eyebrows. Chloe shrugged.

  "I suppose it could be," she admitted.

  Conner finished chopping the potatoes, put them onto boil, and went to the living room with the others.

  "Alec, do you have any cards? Or something to play? Since you don't have television..."

  "No," Alec said.

  Conner groaned. "You're a boring man, did you know that?"

  "Thanks," Alec said, smirking. He finished the meatloaf, turned on the oven, and stuck it in. "There, we've got an hour minutes to kill. What do you guys want to do?"

  "We could play twenty questions," Conner suggested.

  Alec shrugged. "Sure, I'll play."

  "Seriously?"

  "Sure, why not?"

  Conner shrugged and sat down on the couch. "Alright, Alec. First question."

  "Plant, mineral, or animal?"

  "Animal."

  Alec considered a moment. "Is it a human?"

  Conner grinned at him, and nodded.

  "Is it someone I know?"

  "Sure."

  "Is it a girl?"

  "And he's on a roll."

  "Is it Harper?"

  Conner faked a groan. "And he gets it, after only five questions."

  "Oh come on," Alec said. "You weren't even trying. You know I only spend time with you guys. It would have been down between Harper, Sarah, and Brittney."

  Chloe cleared her throat.

  "And Chloe," he quickly added. He flashed her a grin. "Sorry Chloe. Couldn't remember if you were a boy or girl."

  "Oh ha-ha," she said. "Very funny. Okay, I'll play."

  For the next hour they played, going around in a circle. Even Sarah joined in after a few rounds despite how much she disliked the game. She found it too juvenile. Alec was on her side in that, but he had to admit that it was a little bit of fun. It killed the time anyway.

  The timer on the oven went off, interrupting their game. Alec got up, checked the meatloaf, decided it was done and pulled it from the oven. He made a rich gravy to go with it, and Conner mashed up the potatoes with butter and milk.

  "Chloe," Alec said, "can you wake up the girls?"

  "Sure," Chloe said and headed into the room. Alec could hear her sing-songy voice announcing that it was time to get up and eat. He heard a muffled reply from Brittney, and the sound of something hitting the wall. It sounded light, though, and he assumed that it was a pillow.

  A few minutes later, the three women came back out. Harper and Brittney both looked like they could use another hour of sleep. Harper flopped on the couch next to Sarah and closed her eyes.

  Brittney glanced over at Alec. "We'll eat in a few minutes," she said. "Go ahead and start without us. Chloe wanted to show me something downstairs."

  Alec shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. I'll save you plates."

  "Thanks, Alec," Chloe said. "You're the best." She skipped over to him, kissed his cheek, and then went to the apartment door, leading Brittney away.

  "What was that all about?" Sarah asked.

  Alec just shook his head.

  "No idea," Harper said, her eyes still closed. She yawned once, then twice, and then stretched her arms. She got up from the couch, went to the kitchen, and sat down at the table. Sarah and Conner joined her as Alec served up plates. He also poured each of them a glass of iced tea from his fridge. Together, as if on cue, they held up their glasses and clinked them together.

  "To friends," Harper said. "May we always stay that way."

  "Cheers to that," Conner said, and took a large gulp. "That's really cold! Brain freeze!"

  Everyone laughed, and Alec leaned back in his chair. "Well," he said, "no better way to end a toast than that."

  SIX

  After they'd finished eating, Harper stretched and got to her feet. "I think I'm going to go check on Chloe and Brittney," she said. "Make sure they're alright. It's been a while."

  Alec glanced over at her. "Are you sure?"

  There was something in his tone that Harper didn't like. It felt like the question was aimed at making her decide not to go down. She frowned at him.

  "Yes, I'm sure," she said. "If there are people after us, I want to make sure everyone is safe. We can't afford not to."

  "I'm sure they're fine."

  "Well I'm not," Harper said. She imagined the worst; that someone had brought a gun into the club and fired upon her friends. Or perhaps a demon attack. Anything was possible. "I'll be right back."

  Alec sighed, and shrugged.

  Harper let herself out of the apartment and walked down the stairs to the conference room. The inner door was locked, and so she slipped her key out, unlocked it, and opened the door. At first she didn't see Chloe or Brittney. She looked around, and was about to yell for help when she saw them standing in a corner, locked in a tight embrace, kissing.

  "Oh," Harper said. They both looked over at her, their faces turning bright red. Harper quickly slammed the door back shut, and stood facing the apartment steps trying to reconcile what she saw with what she knew of her best friend. Brittney had never shown the slightest interest in women. In fact, she'd had many more boyfriends than Harper ever had.

  And Chloe! Harper never would have pegged her as a lesbian. She just didn't give off that vibe. Immediately, Harper felt guilty for thinking this: it wasn't like lesbians were all short-haired broad-shouldered women. They didn't wear signs around their necks proclaiming their gayness to the world. She just felt a little hurt that neither Brittney nor Chloe had thought to tell her about their relationship.

  The door opened behind Harper, and Brittney and Chloe joined her. Chloe gave them both a fleeting look, gave a smile o
f embarrassment and then went up the apartment stairs. Brittney faced Harper.

  "So, uh... you're a lesbian?" Harper asked in disbelief. "With Chloe?"

  "I'm not a lesbian," Brittney said. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm normally not attracted to women. Or at least I didn't think I was. But with Chloe, it's different. We connect on a more spiritual level."

  "Spiritual," Harper repeated.

  "Well, not the kind of spiritual where you go to church and hold hands," Brittney said. "But she's been teaching me a lot about paganism. Apparently her parents were both pagan, and so are most fairies. They worship the earth, and believe in reincarnation."

  "So that's why you two are together?"

  Brittney shook her head. "We're not together together. I don't think. I mean, maybe we are. It's not like we've gone out on dates. It just kind of happened. Long nights of texting back and forth, seeing each other every day, going for runs together... look, she gets me like no guy ever has. Like nobody ever has."

  "Even me?"

  "We're best friends, Harper," Brittney said. "But there are things I can't tell you that I can tell Chloe."

  "You can tell me anything."

  "This isn't about you and me," she said. "This is about me and Chloe. I love her."

  "You hardly know her!"

  "Just like you hardly know Alec?"

  Harper shrugged and then sighed. "I guess you're right. It was just weird seeing the two of you kiss like that. I've never seen you so passionate with anyone. And... well, she's a girl!"

  Brittney glared at her. "Getting a little homophobic, Harper?"

  "No, of course not," Harper said, feeling her face flush red. "No. You know I'm not. I go to all the pride parades with you, every year, you know that. I'm not a bigot."

  "Then why is this bothering you so much?" Brittney asked.

  "Because you didn't tell me!" Harper burst out, pushing her. "You're my best friend, you have been for twenty years, and you didn't think to tell me that you were falling in love with someone! Someone that we both know. Why would you keep that a secret, Brittney?"

  "Because of this," Brittney said. "Because of your reaction. I didn't want to have this conversation. I didn't want to have to explain why I only like guys, but now I like Chloe. I didn't want you to try and talk me out of it."

  "Oh, Brittney," Harper said. She reached forward and pulled her friend into a hug. "I wouldn't do that. If you love her, I'm happy for you. I really am. She's a step up from a lot of the guys you've dated, you know. She's special, and so are you. It makes sense that you'd make each other happy."

  Brittney hugged Harper tightly and then let go. "You won't tell the others? I don't want them to know until I know if it's something serious or not. We haven't even talked about what we are, yet. We've just kissed, that's it."

  Harper thought briefly of Alec trying to convince her not to go downstairs. She had an inkling that Alec might have known what was going on. She felt like an idiot for not putting the pieces together herself. All of Chloe's sketches of Brittney or the way the two of them laughed together. The tiny gestures between them, like a touch of the arm, or a holding of the hand. It made perfect sense now. She felt a wave of relief. For a while, she thought Chloe had been slowly replacing her as Brittney's closest friend. Now she realized that the two of them were more than friends and that her role in Brittney's life wasn't going to change.

  "I won't tell any of them," Harper promised. "But how are your parents going to react?"

  "I don't know," Brittney said. "Not well. Peter will understand; he's always been sympathetic to the LGBT community, but you know my parents. They don't think it's natural."

  "Well, when you're ready to tell them, I'll be right there at your side."

  Brittney grinned. "Can't we tell your parents instead? I bet your mom wouldn't care."

  "She won't," Harper said. "Last time I was on the phone with her, she asked if I had any special man or special woman in my life. She seems to think because I haven't had a serious relationship in years that it means I must secretly be gay. I swear, her and my father are hoping that I turn out that way."

  Brittney rolled her eyes.

  "I'm kidding," Harper said. "But yeah, we can tell my parents together too."

  "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me. How much your support means. Harper, I really love her."

  "I know," Harper said. "I can tell."

  "Come on," Brittney said. "Let's go upstairs. I'm starving."

  Harper nodded and followed Brittney up the stairs, her mind still racing. She would support Brittney no matter what she decided, but they were going to have to have a long talk about honesty between the two of them. She was still a little offended that Brittney hadn't told her herself. She didn't know how long she would have waited to tell her if she hadn't walked in on them kissing.

  When they got upstairs, they saw everyone lounging around the table, looking comfortable. Brittney went over and joined them. Harper watched the way her gaze met and locked with Chloe's and the small smile that appeared on both of their faces. Alec brought Brittney her plate of food and set it in front of her.

  "Thanks, Alec," Brittney said. "What would do we without your culinary prowess?"

  "Starve," Alec said darkly.

  Brittney laughed.

  "So tonight," Alec said, approaching Harper, "you can't go dressed like that. It screams FBI. Have you thought about what you're going to wear?"

  Harper shook her head. "What do criminals usually dress in?"

  "Clothes," Alec said.

  "Right," Harper said. "That's so helpful, Alec. Really. I appreciate your input so much. Do you have any other tips for me? Like, should I wear shoes? How about socks? Do criminals wear socks?"

  Brittney and Chloe both snickered from the table.

  Conner got up and approached Harper. He took a quick look at her and said. "I know what you should wear. Jeans, a dark tank top, and running shoes."

  "Running shoes? Really?"

  "Yeah," Conner said. "If we need to make a quick getaway, they're going to save your life. You won't be able to carry a gun -- they'll frisk you as soon as you arrive. You're not going to wear wires, are you? Because they'll pick up on that too."

  "No guns, no wires," Harper said. "So what do we do if they attack us? Shoot them with our fingers?"

  "No," Alec said. "You're going to rely on me and Conner for that. Bullets don't hurt either of us unless we're shot in the head, and trust me, that's not going to happen."

  "That you know of," Harper said.

  "They're not going to be shooting to kill," Alec told her. "They're going to want to question us if something goes wrong. Torture us. Find out who's behind this."

  "That's very reassuring," Brittney said.

  "Well it should be," Conner said. "Alec's right. Bullets won't hurt us." He lifted his shirt to prove it. The bullet wound from earlier was almost completely healed. "So they'll shoot us in the leg, or in the stomach, thinking that'll stop us. Then we can turn the tables on them."

  "Right," Alec agreed. "Worst case, I can hypnotize them. Luckily for us, they're not demons, just thugs from Trinity."

  Chloe sighed. "I wish I could go along."

  "I know," Alec said. "But you know why you can't. I'm sorry, Chloe."

  Chloe just shook her head. "It's fine," she finally said. "I'll get to hang out here with Sarah and hope the whole lot of you show up in the morning, and that I don't see your faces on the news as Trinity's latest victims."

  Brittney finished eating, rinsed her plate off, and approached Chloe.

  "Hey, we're going to be just fine," she said. "You'll see us first thing in the morning. All of us. We know what we're doing out there."

  Harper thought that was a bit of a stretch; they'd never before masqueraded as FBI agents in a real case. They were expected to go undercover, pretend to be thugs, infiltrate a gang, find out who the head shark was, and then get out of there alive, report back to Moore, and... wel
l, just the very thought of it all was enough to make Harper start sweating.

  "Come on, Brittney," Harper said. "Let's go to the house and get changed. Most of my clothes are there now. Alec, Conner, we'll meet you guys at the station, alright?"

  "Sure," Alec said dismissively.

  Together, the two of them headed out of the apartment, and through the club. It had filled up with people who were dancing under strobe lights.

  "You know," Brittney said, "I know you told me things couldn't work out with you and Alec, so why don't you start looking? That man over there, he's kind of cute."

  Harper followed her gaze. "That's an incubus," she said shortly. "I'm not getting involved with an incubus."

  "Oh," Brittney said, looking around again. "What about him?" she asked, pointing at another male.

  "Well, that's a cupid," Harper said.

  "So you could ask him to set you up with someone," Brittney said. "Come on, we have plenty of time. Let's go talk to him."

  She grabbed Harper's hand and pulled her in that direction. Harper dragged her feet, not wanting to play this game with Brittney. Of course, she knew it really wasn't her choice; once Brittney had her mind set on something, she was hard to convince to do anything else.

  "Excuse me," Brittney said, tapping the man on the shoulder. "Excuse me, you're Cupid, aren't you?"

  The man turned to look at her, blinking in surprise. He offered a warm, gracious smile. "I don't call myself Cupid," he told her. "That name means something quite different from what I do. My name is Carrle, and yes, I am a fairy that specializes in love. That much is true. How can I help you? Do you need love in your life?"

  Brittney shook her head. "I have love," she said. "It's my friend here who needs the help." She shoved Harper forward. Harper folded her arms, resisted the urge to sigh, and instead said, "It's nice to meet you, Carrle."

  "And what is your name, dear?"

  "Harper."

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harper," Carrle said. "So, you're looking for love."