The Devil In Disguise (Bad Things #1)(13)

“Not ditching me, not until I get what I want,” Garrick snapped. He hauled the bartender to his feet. The spider that had been on the guy’s neck?

It was gone.

Because that damn thing came across the bar at me. Nervous now, Garrick looked around the dimly lit storage room.

“You need to let me go,” the guy huffed. “You don’t even want to mess with the friend I’ve got.”

Friend? As in…singular? Like one friend was supposed to intimidate him?

“My friends are all waiting just behind that door.” Garrick inclined his head toward the rear exit. “And one word from me and they’ll throw you into that pit I mentioned. And soon enough, you will be talking.” They always talked.

The guy’s eyes were bulging from his head.

“Your name,” Garrick demanded.

“Eli.”

They were making progress. “Where’s the woman, Eli? Because I know she came here.” He’d already tracked her movements to the dive bar. He just didn’t know where Mina had gone once she left the place. “Let me tell you more about Mina. She’s a woman who sounded like every wet dream you’ve ever had. She would have looked like pure sin and when you heard her talk…you would have been ready to do anything for her.”

He’d fallen into her trap a time or two himself.

Paranormals. They couldn’t be trusted.

Eli was shaking. “H-he’ll kill me…”

“Death is easy.” Garrick’s voice was hard and he made sure his face showed no emotion. In his line of work, emotion just got in the way. “What you’ll have with us won’t be easy.” The words sounded like a promise. They were. “I have to find Mina James. Tell me where she is, now.”

“I-I don’t know!”

He yanked the guy closer. Shit…was that another spider tattoo on the back of the guy’s hand? It had better not start moving toward him. “Mina was here tonight.”

And…Eli gave a grim nod. “But she left! I swear! She left!”

The spider had moved just a little, a bare inch.

Garrick shoved the bartender away from him. “Did she leave alone?”

Eli hesitated.

And we have a winner. “Mina left with a man.” Figured. Probably some dumb ass that she mistakenly believed would help her. The woman had already led him on a chase all the way down to the tip of the U.S. What had she thought? That she’d get on some boat and—

“They rode off on his boat,” Eli admitted.

Yeah, she’d definitely thought she could ride off into the night. She needed to think again. She was too important to his agency. The woman didn’t get to vanish.

She had a job to do.

“Tell me the guy’s name,” Garrick ordered.

But Eli started shaking his head. Back and forth, again and again and…

More spiders were appearing on his skin. At least a dozen of them. On his hands and neck. “What are you?” Garrick asked.

But he saw the answer in Eli’s wide and desperate eyes.

The guy is terrified.

And suddenly, Garrick understood. “The man she left with…you think he’s the one who’ll kill you?”

Eli rubbed at his hands, at the marks that appeared to be tattoos of spiders. “Y-you don’t piss him off…”

“Give me his name. His name, and you walk away.” A total lie, but…

Eli looked up. “You don’t scare me. You’re nothing compared to him.”

The back door burst open. Other agents—two men and a woman dressed in black and wearing bullet proof vests—stood with guns drawn. Garrick nodded to them and then glanced over at Eli. “We’ll see about that.” Then he pulled out his gun.

And he shot Eli, slamming the bullet right into the guy’s chest. Eli went down, not making a sound as the drug pumped into his system. It was a real sweet little blend, one designed to knock out even powerful paranormals.

“The spider trick is interesting,” Garrick said as he approached the fallen man. He toed the guy’s leg, but Eli didn’t stir. “I think my bosses would like to learn more about that.” He motioned to the agents. “Take him into custody.”

“Yes, sir,” Timothy Lang said immediately. That was Timothy, always eager.

Garrick pointed to Madeline Slate. “Our girl disappeared with a man. Knowing Mina’s taste, he’ll be rich.” Mina had grown up with nothing, and she was always like a little girl with her nose shoved up against a fancy window, looking inside at the world others possessed. “The guy has a boat, so we need to start checking the properties near here. Maybe a private house or…” He tapped his chin. “An island?” That would certainly mesh with a rich man’s lifestyle. The mystery man had to be rich and powerful…because Eli had feared the guy. Garrick nodded as he considered the options. “Yeah, let’s pull up a listing of the private islands around here.” He knew they dotted the area. “Mina’s close by, and we’re going to find her.”

She was far too f*cking valuable to lose.

He stepped over Eli and headed for the back door. “Oh…” Garrick looked over his shoulder.

Timothy was crouched near the fallen man. He was reaching for Eli’s hands, getting ready to cuff the guy.