Six-Spot (Afterlife Book 7) Read online

  "Are you sure?" Conner asked. He reached out and touched her wrist. For the briefest moment, it seemed like she might turn and slap him, but when she looked over at him, her eyes were already glossing over. He noticed they were green, and couldn't help but smile. Irish girls always amused him.

  "You're very handsome," she said. "What's your name?"

  "I'm Conner," he said. "And who are you?"

  "Livy," she said. "I'm Livy. I don't think I've ever seen you before."

  "No," Conner said. "You certainly haven't. You're drinking beer, Livy. Why don't you let me buy you a shot instead?"

  Livy nodded. "That would be lovely, Conner."

  "Come on then," Conner said. He took her by the elbow and led her away from the pool table and to the counter at the front of the bar.

  "Excuse me," he said to the bartender. "My friend here would like a shot of rum. Same as I'm having. In fact, I'd like another too."

  "Livy?" the bartender asked, looking surprised.

  "Yes?"

  "Are you sure you want to be drinking with this kid?"

  Conner smirked. He could have charmed the bartender too but there was no reason. The bouncer had let him in, which meant that he was old enough to drink. If he was given any trouble, he could handle it.

  "Yes," Livy said. "Of course. He's very handsome, don't you think?"

  "I don't think Paul would agree."

  "Screw Paul," Livy whispered. She turned to Conner and stretched up on her toes, pressing her lips firmly against his. He reacted immediately, sliding a hand around her waist and pulling her closer. His other hand found her hair, and he pulled out her pony tail, letting her red curls spill over her shoulders.

  "There," he said. "Now you're even prettier."

  Livy smiled at him. Conner turned back to the bartender. "How about those shots?"

  The bartender sighed and poured two of them. He slid them across the counter to the couple. Conner and Livy each picked one up, clinked their glasses together, and downed the shots. Then Conner turned to Livy. "Let's dance. The music is a bit podunk, but I think we'll make do."

  "Whatever you want," Livy said. She took his hand, and they moved to an open area of the bar and began swaying to the music. Livy kept pushing her body up against Conner's, grinding against him, and trying to kiss him. He amused himself by playing with her hair and occasionally flicking one of her earrings. He liked the way it glimmered.

  "Livy! What the hell!"

  Conner turned to see a tall, bearded man approaching. He looked angry.

  "Go away, Paul," Livy said. "I'm dancing with Conner."

  "Like hell you are," Paul said. "I step out for a smoke and I come back to find you dancing with the captain of the high school football team?"

  "I was a swimmer," Conner said mildly.

  "Shut the hell up," Paul said. "I haven't gotten to you yet. Livy, go get in the car. We'll settle this at home."

  "I'm not going anywhere with you," Livy said.

  Conner grinned and put his arm around her waist. He yanked her closer. "Yeah, Paul, she's not going anywhere with you. She's with me. At least for tonight."

  "Only for tonight?" Livy asked. "I want to stay with you always, Conner."

  "I know you do, babe," Conner said. "But there's an open road ahead of me, and I have places to see."

  "Take me with you," Livy said quickly.

  "You're not going anywhere with this punk," Paul said, reminding them that he was there. He grabbed Conner and yanked him away. "Let's you and I take this outside."

  "Sounds good to me," Conner said. He followed Paul outside, winking at the bartender as he walked past. Once they were outside, in the parking lot, Paul rounded on Conner.

  "What the hell were you doing with my wife?"

  Conner shrugged. "I was about to take her back to a hotel and screw her brains out," he admitted. "But I don't think that's what you want to hear, is it?"

  Paul threw a punch at Conner, which was what he was waiting for. He transformed into his incubus form, and easily knocked Paul back. Paul let out a cry of surprise and fear. "What the hell are you?"

  "Your worst nightmare," Conner said. He approached Paul and shoved him. The man went sprawling on the ground, his cigarettes and wallet spilling out onto the ground. His lighter skidded away under a nearby car. "And I'm going to give you this once chance to get away. You're going to have to the count of five. Understand?"

  "What are you?" Paul repeated.

  Conner smirked. "One... two..."

  Paul scrambled back to his feet, grabbed his stuff, and began to run. He paused, looked back at Conner, and then ran faster.

  Conner looked over at Livy. She was watching the entire thing from the door, with that same glassy-eyed expression. He approached her. "You're not scared of the big, bad demon are you?" he asked.

  "No," Livy said. "You're very handsome."

  Conner had let out a sigh. That expression had gotten boring. He'd hoped she was entertaining enough to make up for it. After that thought, he'd taken her hand again and faded back into his human form.

  "Come on, Livy. My hotel is right across the street."

  ELEVEN

  Conner and Samuel woke up with hangovers. Samuel had crashed at Conner's place after they'd decided to take on the gypsies by themselves. They'd been too drunk at that point to actually do anything though, so they'd gone home, watched television, and passed out, deciding to tackle the gypsies in the morning.

  "What are you cooking?" Samuel asked as Conner worked in the kitchen.

  "Coffee and eggs," Conner grunted. "Best hangover food there is."

  "Amen to that, brother," Samuel said.

  "How do you take your coffee?"

  "Black," Samuel said. "I can't have sugar. Bad for my waistline."

  Conner snorted. "Like you have anything to worry about." Like Sarah, Samuel was in top-notch physical condition. He was lean, athletic, and could definitely keep up in a fight. Conner wondered whether he'd consent to a boxing match. Then his stomach gurgled and he realized he wouldn't be doing any fighting for a few hours at the least.

  Samuel shrugged. "If I didn't worry about it, I'd have to start worrying about it. Where are the cups?"

  "Second shelf," Conner said, pointing at the cupboard by the sink. His kitchen was small, much like the rest of his apartment. He could have afforded to live anywhere he wanted, but he liked the large bay window in the living room, and the comfortable closet in the single bedroom. It didn't matter to him that he barely had room for guests; if he wanted someone, like Samuel, over, they could sleep on the couch.

  Samuel helped himself to a mug and then poured it full of coffee. He took it over to Conner's table and sat down. "So these gypsies we're going after. Any idea how to find them? Without Harper's Sight, isn't it going to be a little difficult to locate them?"

  Conner shrugged. "I managed before Harper," he said. "We don't need her Sight for everything. How do you find people in Phoenix?"

  "Heather asks around," Samuel said, referring to his teammate, who happened to be a harpy. "Or sometimes Wren tries to track them. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying that it's easier with someone who has the Sight. Are you sure we don't want to handle this with the rest of your crew?"

  Conner considered for a moment and then shook his head. "Harper isn't going to want to deal with a bunch of gypsies," he pointed out. "She's never met another one. She's going to want to get to know them, maybe try and change their minds about what they're doing, and if she fails, she's going to be disappointed."

  "Oh, I see," Samuel said. "I thought we were doing this out of boredom, but it's actually about protecting your girlfriend. That's sweet, man."

  "Shut up, Sam," Conner said. He dished out the eggs onto two plates and put them on the table. "Just eat your eggs and help me brainstorm."

  "Can't brainstorm if I'm shutting up," Samuel pointed out.

  Conner rolled his eyes and Samuel grinned at him. They both began to eat.
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br />   "You know, they said their using their Sight to swindle people out of their money," Conner said. "So we just need to figure out who's lost money and ask them about it."

  "And how are we going to do that?"

  "Not me," Conner said. "You. You can go into the police station as an officer and find out names."

  "I don't have a badge," Samuel pointed out.

  "Easy," Conner said. "I'll use my persuasive charms on a female officer. Get her to hand over her badge and gun. You take her appearance."

  Samuel frowned. "I thought you didn't use your powers on people."

  "I don't typically," Conner said. "Never for anything bad, anyway. This isn't bad. We're trying to solve crimes. I'm not going to hurt or anything. Just get her to be a little more helpful. That's all."

  "Okay," Samuel said, convinced. He finished his eggs, and drained the last of his coffee. He went and poured another mug. "Are you going to eat those?" he asked, nodding at Conner's mostly untouched food.

  "Go ahead," Conner said.

  Samuel grinned and took the plate. He began shoveling the remaining eggs in his mouth. "There, I feel better now. Those eggs are good. You should be a cook, man."

  "The secret is parsley," Conner said vaguely. "And I can't cook anywhere near as good as Alec. He's had a hundred years to perfect his recipes. I only learned the basics from this chef that I used to see. She could do amazing things with bacon."

  "What's that like?" Samuel asked. "To think back about the women you used to be with?"

  Conner's face grew dark. "It's not fun," he admitted. "Sometimes it still haunts me at night, the things I would do."

  Samuel winced. "I'm sorry, Conner. I didn't mean to hit a nerve. I've just never been friends with an incubus before."

  "The best thing that I can say is that I never killed them, and that I never tortured them," Conner said. "That's what a lot of them do. They torture the humans to drain their energy and then kill them so they can finish off the job. I never did that. I was selfish, and I was a prick, but I never killed."

  "Why not?" Samuel asked. "Wouldn't that have been natural for you?"

  "Maybe," Conner said. "But I was an arrogant jerk that liked getting laid. I wasn't ever a murderer. Never saw the point."

  Samuel nodded.

  "Did Heather kill?" Conner asked. "Before joining Serendipity?"

  "I've never asked," Samuel said. "It's one thing to ask you, because you're here, and if I don't like the answers I get, I can go home, and never have to see your ugly mug again. But with Heather, I have to see her every day. If I knew some of the things she's done, I might not be able to work with her."

  "You worked with Miriam," Conner said.

  "That was different," Samuel said. "I can't explain how, but it was."

  Conner shrugged. "Fair enough. That's how I feel about Alec. It doesn't matter what he did, it just matters what he's doing. Come on, let's get going."

  Both their cars were still at Afterlife so they had to call a cab to take them back to the club first. Neither of them had been in a position to drive the night before. Once there, they decided to take Samuel's car because it was more nondescript. Conner might have a modest apartment but his car was anything but.

  It took them ten minutes to drive to the police station. Once there, they waited outside for a female officer to come out.

  "Excuse me," Conner said, approaching her.

  "Can I help you?" she asked.

  "Yes," Conner said. He touched her arm, and watched the way her eyes glazed over. "I want you to give my friend your badge and gun. Then I want you to go wait in your car. Can you do that, sweetheart?"

  "Yes," she said. "You're very handsome, you know."

  "I know," Conner said. "Go on now."

  She nodded and took her belt and badge off. She handed them over to Samuel, who had already transformed into a replica of the officer. He clipped them on and looked over at Conner.

  "Now what?" the shape-shifter said in a soft voice.

  "Just go in, ask for the files on people who have been swindled out of their money. Make copies and come back out."

  "Why do I want copies?"

  "You'll see."

  Samuel shrugged and went inside. A few minutes later, he returned, holding a folder with the papers in it. Conner took the extra set from him and walked over to the car. He rapped on the window, and the police officer rolled it down.

  "Yes? You want me?"

  "Not like that," Conner said. "I mean, you're pretty but I'm seeing someone. I want you to go home. I don't want you to remember this ever happening. You just went in, asked for some papers about people losing money. You took the copies home, had lunch, read them over, and came back to work. Alright?"

  She sighed. "Are you sure--"

  "Very," Conner said.

  "How about a kiss?"

  Conner glanced over at Samuel, who looked a little amused. He'd already gone back to himself and was no longer impersonating the officer. Conner shrugged and leaned in, pressing his lips lightly against the woman's. She let out a content sigh.

  Samuel smiled at her and returned the belt, gun, and badge.

  "Now do as I asked," Conner said.

  "Alright."

  Once she was gone, Conner looked over at Samuel. "Good job. Now let's go read up on these and see what we can figure out."

  "It must be nice to have your powers work like that on someone," Samuel said. "She did exactly what you wanted."

  "It's a blessing and a curse," Conner said. "Trust me, it's gotten me into as much trouble as it's gotten me out of."

  "I don't see how."

  Conner laughed. "Maybe some day I'll tell you. Come on, let's go. Before I start using my powers on you. Do you really want to be begging for a kiss?"

  "I wouldn't have to beg," Samuel said. "You know you find me handsome."

  "Oh yes, you're so good looking, Sam. I don't know how anyone could ever resist you. You should be the incubus," Conner said, smirking. He punched him lightly in the arm and the two of them got back into Samuel's car so they could head back to Conner's apartment.

  Samuel laughed as they drove back to the apartment. Once they got there, Conner tossed him the case files and went into the kitchen. "I'll make us burgers. You work on finding a pattern."

  "You know, if there's a pattern, the police are going to find it too," Samuel said. "Shouldn't we just let them handle this? I mean, gypsies aren't demonic. They're not going to kill the police officers."

  Conner shook his head as he dug meat out of his freezer and set it to defrost. "Are you kidding? Sure, they'll find the pattern. Then they'll find the gypsies, and they'll question them, and all of their paperwork and alibis will be in order and the police will find nothing. Without probable cause, they won't be able to get warrants, and the gypsies will simply move on."

  Samuel nodded.

  "No," Conner said. "We have to take care of this ourselves."

  "If you insist," Samuel said. He flipped open the folder and began to read.

  "I do," Conner said. He glanced out his window and thought of Harper. They hadn't been able to get together the night before, and he missed her already. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if she actually missed him too.

  TWELVE

  Harper and Brittney joined the others in the Afterlife back room. Alec looked especially tired, and Harper reminded herself that it was daytime. Of course he looked weaker.

  "Are you guys alright?" Brittney asked, taking Chloe's hand.

  "We're fine," Sarah said. "Something as simple as a succubus isn't going to get the best out of us, Brittney."

  Alec shook his head. "Don't let Conner hear you say that succubi are simple. You might offend his delicate sensibilities."

  Everyone shared a laugh, though Harper felt a little bad about it. She knew they weren't making fun of him, not in a mean way, but it still felt weird to talk about a team member who wasn't present. Of course, before she began dating Conner, she never worried about it. Now,
she worried about a lot of things.

  She sighed, wishing, not for the first time, things would get back to normal. She didn't want to catch Alec's eye and immediately wonder who was watching and what they might make of it.

  "So you got nothing on the keno guy?" Alec said, steering their conversation back to the actual case they were working.

  "Nothing," Sarah said.

  "Not unless you consider his snow globe collection," Chloe said, looking over at Brittney. "It puts yours to shame. His wife collected them. They were married for over fifty years. Can you believe being with someone that long?"

  Sarah shook her head. "Let's not focus on his marriage or his snow globe collection. Neither of those are actually relevant, Chloe. Alec, there's no bad luck. No other good luck either. Nothing to suggest the fey are involved at all."

  "I didn't find anything out either," Alec said. "Neither did Brittney and Harper. This case is sure a mystery. I have no idea why he keeps winning at keno. It doesn't make sense, and I'm getting frustrated. We don't have a single lead, and Conner hadn't reported back in."

  "He's with Samuel," Sarah said.

  Harper was surprised. She didn't even know Samuel was in town. "How do you know that?"

  Sarah picked up her phone. "Drunk voicemails," she said. "They tried to sing. It gets pretty ugly. Trust me, you don't want to hear it."

  "Oh, I think we do," Chloe said, her eyes lighting up. "We all want to hear it! Play it!"

  Alec shook his head. "Leave her alone, Chloe. She doesn't have to share. If Conner had something to report, he would have done that instead of getting drunk and singing on Sarah's phone. Let's assume there's nothing there either."

  Harper found herself wondering why Conner hadn't called and left a drunk voicemail on her phone. Was he writing her off already? Maybe she was the reason he was drinking. Maybe he'd somehow found out what had happened with Alec in Phoenix...

  "What do you think, Harper?" Alec asked.

  "I have no idea," Harper said. "I don't know what we're supposed to do now."

  "The Sight gets nothing?"

  She shook her head. "Nothing at all."