Lacey's Luhpynes [Beyond the Veil 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (15 page)

“And me now.” She grew serious. “Fucking asshole. Not you, the bastard that has kept us apart for as long as he has. The asshat that has been sending me flowers.” She sighed and shook her head. “No I didn’t mean to say it but it doesn’t make it any less true.”

“We will get him, Lacey,” he told her softly. “When we do he will pay a hefty price for his actions. He’s obviously starting to lose it if he’s trying to blow you up instead of win you over. Which means he’s escalated. According to the FBI seminar I stayed awake for out of sheer will, that’s a damn bad sign.”

“Yeah tell me about it. Trust me, I was in the FBI if you will recall. It freaking sucks ass that this son of a bitch has escalated but to be perfectly honest with you I am surprised that it took him this long to do so,” she admitted.

“Why?” He shot her a look. “We hadn’t laid any claim toward you before, he only escalated once we all started to get closer to you. I’m betting that first bomb was for Zhubin alone, but this one.” He looked up as they walked into the warehouse. “Where it was placed, the projectiles, it was meant for maximum damage. So he was out to ensure you never mated with us or us with you.”

“Yeah. I think it might have had something to do with the fact that I’ve started being very public and visible when I trash his gifts,” she admitted. “I’m sick of this asshat, sick of living in fear and now that I no longer have to I won’t.” It’s as simple as that.”

“Good.” He nodded and gave her a squeeze. “I’ll be back in a minute, I’m going to go back up and see what kind of spread he managed.” Pressing a kiss to her cheek Ansell let her go and moved under the beams overhead. He crouched and then shot straight up, catching a beam before pulling his bulk up and onto it.

“Sounds good to me.” She watched him leave and shook her head. “Good lord, that freaks me out. I don’t think I will ever get used to that,” she admitted aloud so that he would hear her. It was crazy the things that her boys could do, and frankly, she loved it.

A low male chuckle from above echoed through the warehouse.

“He’s just showing off is all,” Zhubin said from where he was crouched near the body. He was back about six feet, plenty of space for Briar not to feel crowded, yet close enough to be able to see everything clearly. “It’s a Luhpyne trait, sadly one that overrides our brains most of the time.”

That had her laughing and she shook her head. “Well I like it, even if I freak out every time he does it.” Although, truth be known, she was really glad that her men were as impressive as they were, and damn were they ever!

He snorted at that and turned to accept the little baggie from Briar. He wrote down whatever she was telling him to and then set it into the box to one side. “Feel up to taking a few pictures?” he asked after a moment. He picked up a camera and held it out to her, “Anything that catches your eye as well as the rest of this mess. We’re going to have to do a computer simulation to pull out all the crap from the bomb. But hopefully between what we saw when we got here and the computer model we’ll get a good idea of the scene.”

“Which we should be able to get, since the initials that responded got a massive amount of video. The new cams that the units use begin recording the moment they accept a call. We will be able to tap all of that video as well as what I took before you guys got here too,” Briar said and took a step back to begin taking images of the scene.

Nodding, he stood up and grabbed the box. “I’ll put these in your vehicle, Briar. And I’ll let those idiot interns know they can come for the body. Can’t believe they’re still hiding out behind the vans,” he muttered, heading for the doorway.

“Do you blame them?” Briar asked with a grin. “I mean seriously, can you blame them? Hell, if I wasn’t ME and had a job to do I would be right there along with them. Without the shadow of a doubt I would.”

“You’ve just got bigger balls than that lot combined,” Ansell said from the rafters. “That lot need to learn to buck up and roll with the punches.” A moment later he landed in a crouch a few feet away. “This guy certainly knows his bombs. There’s not a single thing above that rafter, everything was directed down toward the ground and us.”

“In other words you think that he has escalated his attacks on Lacey?” Briar voiced what they had all been thinking. “Well hell, that’s just not good. I happen to like her so you boys need to do whatever the hell you have to in order to keep her safe because I will be pretty pissy if she’s lost, got me?”

Ansell cocked a brow. “Look who’s getting all bossy again. About fucking time, female.” He snorted and walked toward a wall. “And, for the record, Briar, we don’t intend on letting anyone take her from our lives. She’s ours and we’ll kill anything and anyone that thinks otherwise.”

“Good,” Briar said and pulled back slightly. “I’m not bossy, I just care a great deal for my friends and she’s one of the few that I totally call friend. I adore her. She’s funny and she’s got you boys running in circles which makes me like her all the more.”

He gave a small growl at that. “If we didn’t like you, Briar, oh if we didn’t like you,” he muttered.

“You poking the beast again, Briar?” Zhubin grinned at Lacey as he came back in. Dropping a kiss to her cheek he rubbed his nose over her skin. “How you doin, little mate?” he asked softly. Rubbing his hand over her arm he straightened back from her a little.

Briar snorted and shook her head.

Lacey brushed her nose to Zhubin’s and nodded. “I’m as good as I’m going to get right now. I really think that we need to ensure that we tie up all the loose ends that we possibly can so that we can go to your home on the other side of the Veil for a time.” She was hopeful that maybe the ass that had focused so much on her wouldn’t be able to follow them and would make a misstep perhaps.

Nodding in return, he pulled her in closer and held her to him. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he rested his forehead to hers. “We’ll take the time we need as we need it. No one, this asshole or any other, will take from us our time together. Even if the world goes to hell around us we all need to take a moment now and again and just breathe.”

“Good,” she said quietly and leaned into him as she did so. “I hope to be able to have time alone with you boys and I think that on the other side of the Veil we will have that. I really do. I think that we will be able to keep that bastard on this side of the Veil so that’s even better.”

“We’ll have guards posted at the Veil. Only those approved will get through and everyone will be scanned and identified before they are allowed through. Even if they are on an approved list I’m not taking any chances.”

“Good,” she murmured. “I didn’t know that humans could pass through the Veil without an escort.” Part of why she had never been through the Veil, she didn’t know who to trust. “Because I have the oddest feeling this guy is a human.” She didn’t know why she thought that but she did.

“Most humans cannot, there are a small number that can, genetic flukes,” Zhubin said, holding her tighter. “Mated humans can of course because they are tied to the race or races of their mates. That link negates any negative effects but otherwise humans have to be allowed in or escorted.”

“Will I be able to?” she asked quietly. “Because we haven’t cemented our bond. Will I be able to cross because we are meant to be?” That she wasn’t sure of at all. “I’ve never been on the other side of the Veil,” she added.

“You will be able to pass through because we are fated. Plus we will be right there with you to ensure you have no troubles. Let’s finish up and get home. We’ll get Briar and her body off and do one last run through the place. After that we will go home, shower, have a damned stiff drink and pass out for the night.”

“Sounds good to me. Especially the drink part of it,” she admitted to him. “We will work out the details of everything later, for now I’m just ready to get out of here. This place is creeping me out more and more by the second,” she confessed. “So yeah, the sooner we are out of the wide open, the better.”

“Stick close, Lacey. I know that will likely grate your independent nature but,”—Zhubin shrugged—“I’ve got a feeling he’s here, watching, gauging us and figuring out what to do next. Don’t give him a shot at you. He’s still likely planning to kill us but he’ll take you out as collateral if he can. But if he can grab you and leave us without a mate he will.”

“Yeah, too true and I feel as if the skin on my body is about to prickle up and come off. I’m really not liking this feeling in the least, at all. So yeah, if you wouldn’t mind I think that it would be best if we were able to just simply live through the night please.” She teased him.

“Fully plan on it,” he assured her. Winking, he looked up. “Ans, let’s give Briar a hand so she and her gang can get rolling.” Looking back at her, he pressed his fingers to her arm. “Stick close, no more than ten feet from us until we leave. We’ll get Briar moving and then have the uniforms lock down the scene. We’ll head out after that.”

“That sounds like a plan to me.” She watched Briar and how she interacted with everyone. It wasn’t just men from the other side of the Veil, it was human men as well.
Interesting.
She had begun to loosen up, however, they had all seen that. “So how close do you think he is?” Lacey asked softly.

“Probably over in the brush line about forty yards from here. There’s enough shadows and with the slight breeze any movement he makes would be camouflaged. He’s far enough away and downwind but I can feel it on my neck. My instincts are on full too,” he said softly. “Let’s get going, I don’t want you in the open any longer than necessary.”

“Sounds good.” She was starting to wig out like crazy as well. “I feel as if my skin is crawling and someone is totally watching us. I hate that feeling too.” She felt as if she were being watched through a scope right now and it was driving her crazy.

“I could just go and gut him,” Ansell offered as he moved in closer. “It would be my greatest pleasure to make him squeal like the little rat he is.”

“Ansell. It may not even be him. It could be someone he hired to keep watch while he’s planning his next step. Or it could be a homeless person. Yes, someone is watching us but that is all we know.” Zhubin’s voice carried the frown in his tone.

“Yeah. I think that no matter what he will keep himself hidden until the last possible moment. He wouldn’t take any chance at all at getting caught, we both know it, honey. Even if he were close he wouldn’t make a mistake at getting caught.” Lacey’s voice came out after a deep breath, one that it was obvious she had been holding.

“You two are just no fun at all. You need a hand with that?” he asked Briar, moving toward her straight on.

“He’s in an awfully bloodthirsty mood. Not that I blame him in the least, but we may need to keep him on the sidelines until after the full moon. He tends to be even more temperamental than even I. And given I’m not exactly.” He frowned. “Damn it, I remember reading the nun’s name in your history but for the life of me I can’t recall it. Did all those good deeds, there’s a saying involving her name.” Zhubin looked to her for assistance.

“You mean Mother Theresa?” Lacey supplied with a grin. “Because yeah, I can’t see either of you as her.” She loved that about them though. They were just as bloodthirsty as she was when it came to protecting those that she thought of as hers. “Anyway, yeah let’s get out of here before he chooses not to listen to us, shall we?”

Nodding, he waved her ahead of him but he was right on her heels. Slightly behind her, a protective position, his whole demeanor harder now. He was watching the shadows, she was sure. “I want Briar and her people out of here before we leave. The uniforms are in large enough numbers I doubt he’ll do anything if it is him. But I won’t let Briar or her people get hurt.”

“Agreed,” Lacey murmured. She looked to Briar and gave a winding motion of the hand and when the ME nodded she said, “She knows something is up, you can tell by the way that she’s moving.” Briar had moved so that there were at least three uniforms between her and the shadows. “They will have the body bagged and boarded in likely two to three minutes.” Tops.

“I know, she’s nothing if not fully efficient. Just like you.” He smiled down at her. “And she’ll do it faster so that Ansell can’t keep bugging her.” He chuckled. “I swear he’s totally doing it on purpose because he knows it spurs her on while keeping her mind off things.”

“This is very true.” Snickering, Lacey nodded. “I would lay money down that he’s doing it just to annoy the hell out of her. I know that look and it’s totally one that screams him bothering her just to get her ass in gear. I know because he’s used it on me far more than once.”

“It’s effective, you have to admit,” he said, pointing. “Look at that, she’s practically throwing everyone into the van and racing for her car. She just wants to get away from him. Not really a bad plan, given everything here.”

Lacey snickered and shook her head. “When she figures out how you boys manipulated her she’s gonna be out for blood, you do realize that, right? She’s gonna be in your faces and I’m just going to sit back and giggle.”

“If she ever gets back to herself enough to get into our faces I’ll stand there and take it,” Ansell commented from behind her. “But she’s not there yet and if this helps get her there, get her past the fear of men, so be it. I’ll take whatever the fuck she has to say in the end.”

“Yeah, let’s just hope that she can get back to herself soon because I miss the old Briar. The in-your-face and giving-you-hell Briar.” That’s why Lacey and Briar got along so well, they were both kindred spirits.

“We all miss her,” Zhubin said softly. “But I doubt she’ll truly heal until we catch the Luhpyne asshole who hurt her. Whom we will catch, soon. Come, let’s clear out of here. I don’t like having you standing out in the open like this Lace.”

“Agreed.” Lacey moved with Zhubin, it was time for them to get the hell outta Dodge and worry about one issue at a time and she knew it. “We will figure stuff out but one issue at a time. Since my guy is trying to kill me I think we should deal with that first and then we will find Briar’s pain in the ass and make him pay.”