“I’m not saying a word until my attorney’s present.”
He blinked as if surprised. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Like hell!”
He held up both hands. “I mean it, Morgan. This is an unofficial visit. Like you said, I’m out of my jurisdiction.”
“Then what do you want?” I sounded a bit snarly, and he hadn’t said anything to deserve it, but being in jail didn’t do good things to my overall attitude.
He folded his hands and put them on the table, leaning forward as if to keep it just between him and me.
Yeah, him, me, and whoever was watching and listening through the fake mirror behind his head.
“I want to know what’s going on,” he said, keeping his voice low but not quite whispering. His eyes locked on mine as if he could read everything he needed to know if he just gazed at me intently enough.
I leaned forward, mirroring his position. “When you find out, let me know.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, and those caramel-colored eyes of his warmed with good humor. His expression was so friendly that for half a second I almost liked him. Then I reminded myself what he was, and the temporary insanity evaporated.
“Either get my attorney in here, or stop wasting my time,” I said, and watched that good humor leak away.
He sat back in his chair, ditching the whole conspiratorial act. “I know you didn’t do it, Morgan.”
I had to laugh at that one. “Yeah, I know that, too.”
He ignored the jibe. “I read up on your case, and about your 911 call the other night.”
“Why? What do you care? You’re a demon hunter, not a policeman.”
If Adam has a temper, I have yet to see it. A normal guy would have taken offense at the suggestion that he wasn’t a real policeman. Adam just ignored it.
“This is a demon-related crime. And you’re obviously being set up. That begs the question of why, don’t you think?”
It did, but I couldn’t come up with any logical explanation. I mean, my sunny disposition meant I had plenty of people who didn’t like me, and maybe even some honest-to-God enemies. But I couldn’t imagine anyone who hated me enough to try to frame me for murder.
“I’d like to help you, if you’d let me.”
I shook my head, confused. “Why the hell would you want to help me? I kill your kind for money, remember?” That made me sound more mercenary than I really was, but I guess I was still trying to get a rise out of him.
“And I hunt my kind when they break the law. I know you have issues with me being a demon, but we’re on the same side, whether you like it or not.”
“That doesn’t explain anything.” Hell, I didn’t even know why he was so convinced I wasn’t guilty. He certainly knew how I felt about demons.
He cocked his head at me. “You think I need an ulterior motive to try to help someone I know is being framed for a crime she didn’t commit?”
“When that someone is me, yeah.”
He leaned forward again, reaching across the table to grab my hand in a firm, warm grip. It shocked the hell out of me, and of course I tried to pull away. Fat lot of good it did me. He clasped my hand between both of his.
“I’m trying to be your friend. I don’t hold your profession against you, and I think you are a very honorable woman. That’s why I came to you Monday to help with Dominic.”
If I didn’t suspect Dominic had been more than a friend to him, I might have thought he was coming on to me a bit. There was something in his eyes, a kind of softness, I’d never seen in him before. But I’d have understood a come-on better than this sudden bid for friendship.
“Let go of my hand, Adam.”
He did, but he didn’t lose that intimate look in his eyes. “I think you’re in trouble. And I think you need help. And I think you’re too stubborn to ask for it.”
I figured he was right on one and three, but the jury was still out on two. And if it did turn out I needed help, Adam wouldn’t be the one I’d turn to.
“It’s very nice of you to try to rescue the damsel in distress,” I told him. I tried not to be overly sarcastic, but I think I failed because he lost the bedroom eyes, or whatever it was he’d been giving me. “I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself just fine.”
The look he gave me then wasn’t quite so friendly. “We’ll see.” He pushed his chair back from the table and grabbed the handcuffs. I wasn’t stupid enough to resist, so I passively held out my wrists to him while trying to read the look on his face.
“You know, Adam, that sounded suspiciously like a threat.”
The cuffs closed around my wrists. He met my eyes for a moment, and I couldn’t read a thing. He’d wiped his face clean of all expression. That blankness disturbed me more than anything else I could have seen, and I dropped my gaze.
He left without another word, and the guards took me back to my cell.
When I woke up in that blinding white room again, I was kind of shocked. I hadn’t thought I’d sleep a wink in that jail cell. It wasn’t exactly the Hilton, and I wasn’t what you’d call relaxed.
I blinked a couple of times, and Lugh was standing in front of me. He’d ditched the bomber jacket and wore a skintight black T-shirt instead. The rest of the outfit looked about the same as last time. The clingy shirt showed off a broad, powerful chest tapering into a lean waist that I’d bet anything featured a six-pack in the ab area.
I considered throwing a temper tantrum because this was so not what I needed right now. If I was actually getting some real, honest-to-God sleep, I wanted it to be peaceful like it’s supposed to be. I didn’t want to have a chat with my own personal demon.
I put my hands on my hips and glanced around the empty white room. Then I faced Lugh again.
“Love what you’ve done with the place,” I said, faking a nonchalance I certainly didn’t feel.
He smiled, showing movie-star white teeth. I’m pretty sure smiles like that are against the law in some states. My dream-self got a severe case of jelly-knees, and I had to look away.
“I thought I’d focus on the important things first,” he said.
That got me to raise my eyes back to his. “You mean like yourself?”
The smile widened. I was so glad I amused him. “Yes, I suppose I do. But I think I’m getting better at this, so I’ll try for a little more flourish.”
A sofa, coffee table, and love seat appeared out of nowhere. The sofa and love seat had spare lines and bland, cream-colored upholstery, and the coffee table was a piece of unvarnished lumber on legs. I’d have said I wasn’t impressed, but I can’t make furniture appear out of thin air.
“Shall we have a seat?” Lugh asked, gesturing to the couch.
I crossed my arms over my chest. I didn’t like the idea that I might be here long enough to sit down for a cozy chat.
“Sorry, can’t stay,” I said. “I’ve got a bail hearing in the morning, you know.”
He nodded gravely. His hair was unbound today, and I found myself admiring the blue-black shine of it. I rolled my eyes at myself the moment I noticed myself noticing.
“I know about your troubles, Morgan. I may not be able to control you, but I am still with you at all times.”
My dirty little mind conjured up pictures of rolling around in bed with Brian. Had Lugh been a conscious passenger through all that? My cheeks heated and I wished I’d wake up right this moment.
“Please don’t fight me now,” Lugh said, interrupting my spiral into humiliation. “We need to talk, don’t you think?”
I forced away the image of giving Brian a blow job while Lugh rode along. It wasn’t easy, and I had a feeling I’d go back to it later. But Lugh was right, and we needed to talk.
Reluctantly, I dragged my feet toward the sofa and sat down on the middle seat, taking up as much room as I could. I might be willing to talk to Lugh, but I didn’t want him sitting on the same couch as me.
My first thought was that he moved with the grace of a dancer as he strode to the love seat. But that image was all wrong for someone who practically radiated danger, so I amended the mental image to one of a martial artist. That worked better. He folded himself into the love seat, stretching long legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles. His skin looked almost golden against the creamy fabric, and his long, silky hair was raven’s-wing black. I reminded myself of nice, wholesome Brian and told my hormones to get a life.