But given what I now knew about my origins, could I really blame them?
I smiled grimly to myself. You bet your ass I could. I’d been doing it all my life. Why should I stop now?
CHAPTER 3
The doctor on call wanted Andy to stay at the hospital at least one more night for observation. My parents were disappointed, but far be it from them to argue with the doctor. Not when he was another Spirit Society member whom they obviously respected.
I left them to get reacquainted with their real son. I would call Andy when he was out of the hospital and my parents were nowhere to be found. Then he and I could talk some more.
It was nearing dinnertime when I stepped out of the elevator into the hospital’s lobby. My stomach was growling at me for skipping lunch, but when I considered my various options for dinner, none of them seemed terribly appealing.
All thoughts of food fled my mind when I saw Adam standing at the information desk.
Being gorgeous was something of a job requirement for a demon host, and Adam was no exception. He was a little shorter than Dominic, though his swagger always made him look like the biggest guy in the room. If Dominic was tall, dark, and handsome, Adam was tall, dark, and dangerous. No matter how much I didn’t like him, I couldn’t say I minded the view. Now if I could only put up a wall of bars between us and duct-tape his mouth shut, I might almost be happy to see him.
As it was, the sight of him made a hard day even worse. I scowled at him as he grinned and met me halfway to the exit. I had managed to avoid him ever since the night he shot my brother, but apparently my lucky streak was at its end.
“What are you doing here?” I growled, my hand itching for the Taser I didn’t dare draw. “You sure as hell better not be following me!”
He gave me a look of mock innocence. “Who, moi?”
At my savage expression, Adam dropped the phony innocence and shook his head. “Actually, the fact that you’re here, too, is merely a happy coincidence.”
I snorted and headed for the door, not at all surprised when he fell into step beside me.
“I heard the news about your brother,” he said. “I’m glad he’s doing better.”
“No thanks to you,” I muttered, then wished I’d kept the thought to myself. This wasn’t a conversation I was anxious to have with Adam. I glanced at my watch. “It’s been less than an hour. You must have a damn good informant.”
It figured Adam would have someone keeping an eye on Andy. If my brother had blown our cover story, Adam would have been in the worst trouble of us all.
He shrugged benignly. “It was in all our best interests to know if and when he snapped out of it, and I couldn’t count on you conveniently being by his side when he did.” He held the door for me like a gentleman, and protesting would have been more trouble than it was worth. I stepped out onto the sidewalk just as a bus was pulling away from the stop in a cloud of exhaust fumes, reminding me why I’d always preferred living in the suburbs.
Before I had a chance to start walking toward my apartment, Adam took hold of my arm and steered me in the opposite direction. Naturally, I tried to jerk my arm out of his grip, but he didn’t let go.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s time for you and me to have a talk,” he said, still gripping my arm.
Now I did reach for my Taser, though it was an awkward reach with Adam holding my right arm. He noticed what I was trying to do and rolled his eyes.
“Don’t assault a police officer, love. You could get in trouble for it.”
True, but I was still mighty tempted. “Let go of my arm.”
To my surprise, he did. “Better?” he asked, turning to face me.
It was still rush hour, and the tide of pedestrians wasn’t happy that the two of us had stopped. They walked around us, but I was aware of the dirty looks cast our way as we disrupted the flow of traffic.
I didn’t answer him, but I started walking in the same direction he’d been leading me. “So, where are we going?”
“How about to my car? I believe Dom said he was cooking chicken cacciatore tonight. I’m sure there’ll be enough for three.”
I hated my traitorous stomach for growling the way it did, but I knew from personal experience that Dominic was a fantastic cook, and I couldn’t help but be tempted. Until I thought about hanging around with Adam and Dom together. I have no problems with gay people—I have a lot of prejudices, but that isn’t one of them. What I do have trouble with is public displays of affection, and I swear Adam loves nothing more than making me squirm. Dom’s a little more modest, but not so modest that he ever refuses Adam’s advances. They’d probably be all over each other the moment the door closed.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said, hoping I wasn’t blushing at the mental images that came to mind, trying to pretend that it was their making out itself that made me uncomfortable around them, rather than my own involuntary reactions to it. Because, you see, no matter how uncomfortable they made me, they were both seriously sexy guys, and seeing them together never failed to arouse me, and to create fantasies in my mind that I’d rather not acknowledge. That was the last thing I needed right now, with my hormones already bitching at me for being celibate since I’d broken up with Brian.
For once, Adam resisted the urge to tease. “It’s important for us to talk. I promise Dominic and I will be on our best behavior.”
I flashed him a sardonic grin. “And with you that means what? You’ll keep your clothes on while you paw each other?”
He laughed. “We do have some self-control, love. I think we can avoid the temptation to make you blush for one evening, no matter how much fun it is.”
I gritted my teeth against a retort. Both Adam and Brian got quite a kick out of making me blush. With Brian, it was because he found it funny that a tough broad who wears a total of seven earrings and has a tattoo on her lower back blushes like a schoolgirl at sexual innuendo. Adam just does it because he knows it pisses me off.
“Why should I trust you?” I asked instead.
“Because whatever you might think of me, I’ve never done anything to betray your trust.”
He didn’t say “unlike you,” but we both knew that’s what he was thinking. Admittedly, I had called the police on him and accused him of murder. But then again, he had actually murdered someone—my former best friend, Val, who’d turned out to be part of the conspiracy to kill me. With a little time and emotional distance, I had to admit to myself that he hadn’t had much choice at the time. But I would never admit that to him.
I once again annoyed the harried pedestrians by bringing us both to a stop. I looked up into Adam’s eyes and tried to decide whether I was up to dealing with him and Dom tonight.
“If I say no, will you actually let me go, or am I going to find myself in handcuffs?” I finally asked.
He didn’t give me the evil grin I was expecting. “You’ll have to talk to us eventually,” he said. “You know that as well as I. But no, I won’t drag you along by force. Not tonight, anyway.”
Maybe I was being a pushover, but I believed him. And because I believed I had free will, I found myself able to agree.
“All right,” I said. “I’ll come with you on one condition.” He raised an eyebrow and waited. “Let me enjoy Dom’s cooking in peace. We can talk business after dinner. Deal?”
He smiled. “Deal.”
Adam has more money than I can explain for a government employee. His house is huge, by Center City standards, and doesn’t share walls with the houses around it. Which is a good thing, considering just what his neighbors might hear if they were too close.
The scent of garlic and peppers and Italian spices hit me as soon as I stepped through the doorway, and I took a deep, appreciative breath. My mouth started watering immediately, and I almost forgot the distasteful price of admittance.