“Yes, miss.” The words popped out of her mouth, and her eyes rounded. “I am.”
Green rolled across her irises, and Grier gave a thumbs-up to the room before getting serious.
“Are you employed by the Grande Dame?”
“Yes, miss.”
Green.
“Do you have wings?”
Surprise jerked her gaze to Grier’s face. “No, miss.”
Green.
The easy cadence of Grier’s voice hardened. “Are you afraid of dogs?”
“Yes, miss.”
Red.
“Are you afraid of gwyllgi?”
“Yes, miss.”
Red.
“Have you ever been harmed by a gwyllgi?”
“Yes, miss.”
Red.
“Okay.” Grier massaged her lower back, and Linus fought his instinct to suggest she rest before she continued the interrogation. “You’re lying through your fangs here, Josephine.”
“No, miss.” Her eyes shimmered with unspent tears. “I’m telling the truth.”
Red.
“Do you see my ankles? These are not the ankles of a patient woman. Tell us what you know, or I’ll let my husband bring you in for questioning.”
Despite the circumstances, Linus had to admit, it warmed him to the bone each time Grier referred to him as hers.
Tears slipping free, Josephine shook her head in stark refusal.
“Did you have anything to do with the Grande Dame’s disappearance?”
“No, miss.”
Green.
“Do you know where she’s gone?”
“No, miss.”
Green.
“Does the secret you’re hiding have anything whatsoever to do with the Grande Dame?”
“No, miss.”
Red.
“Lethe will eat you,” Grier warned, massaging her forehead, “and I will let her.”
Josephine’s gaze shot to Linus, pleading with him, but he had no intentions of protecting her when his mother’s life was at stake.
“Tell us what you know,” Linus said, the words crisp in his mouth, “and you will come to no harm.”
Slow footsteps approached, and Marco appeared in the entryway. “She’s covering for me.”
“Covering how? And what?” Grier narrowed her eyes on him. “I cleared you of any wrongdoing.”
“Josephine and I have been involved for the last six months.” He only had eyes for her. “Madam forbade us to see each other after catching us kissing in the yard. It was after hours, and we were on our own time, but Madam doesn’t believe in allowing her employees to become romantically involved because of the potential of upheaval to her household.”
From the landscaping crew, Josephine must have experienced the keenness of gwyllgi noses. No wonder she ran before they got close enough to scent her emotions. Pity she had feared the wrong predator. His wife was infinitely more dangerous.
“That does sound like one of Mother’s policies,” Linus admitted, studying Josephine’s stark relief at Marco’s arrival. “What I don’t understand is why you would rather face justice at the Lyceum than confess your relationship to us.”
“I was hoping to call your bluff,” she said softly. “Madam’s disappearance must remain a secret.”
“Sneaky.” Grier appraised the woman with a keener eye. “I can see why the Grande Dame likes you.”
“Adapt to survive.” Josephine kept her head down. “This position is the best I can hope for, and I would be a fool to throw it away.”
“We’re all fools in love.” Grier swung her head toward Linus, and he struggled not to go to her, scoop her up off her swollen feet, and carry her home. “But we can’t afford to be blind in this matter.” She exhaled through her teeth. “Let’s get comfortable, and then we’re all going to talk. At the end of our conversation, I’ll decide if we’re taking you in for further questioning.”
The vampire’s jaw dropped open in clear shock Grier would risk the controversy.
“I’m the Potentate of Savannah,” Grier reminded her. “Unlike my softhearted husband, who has passing familiarity with you, I won’t flirt with the idea of the Lyceum and exposure. I’ll take you to a secure location, where no one will hear or see what I do to you. We’re not just talking any citizen of Savannah here, or merely your employer.”
“She’s the Grande Dame,” Josephine murmured in understanding.
“She’s my mother-in-law,” Grier corrected her. “She’s family. No one messes with my family.”
Josephine flicked her gaze down to Grier’s rounded belly, a question in her eyes.
“I took an oath to protect this city and everyone in it.” Grier rubbed her stomach. “That doesn’t change because I’m pregnant. If anything, pregnancy has given me teeth.” She bared hers. “This is the city, and the world, I’m bringing my child into, you see. It’s more than a promise to the citizens of Savannah, it’s a promise to my son.”
“A son?” Her eyes watered. “Madam will be thrilled.” Josephine pulled the tattered edges of her pride together. “You can question us in the informal living room, if you like. There’s an armchair in there with an ottoman that will make you more comfortable.”
“Thank you.” Grier reached for Linus, and he was helpless to resist sliding his hand into hers. “That sounds lovely.”
Slowly, Linus guided Grier to the room where he had played as a child. He hadn’t been allowed to do more than sit on the sofa, and the area rug was an antique, so he had spent much of his time curled up reading rather than roughhousing.
A frown tugged at his lips, and he wondered how Grier saw the room through the lens of an adult about to have a son of her own. If she found it as cold and empty as his memories.
“Don’t picture yourself here,” she murmured for his ears alone. “Woolly is your home now.”
Woolworth House was the only home he had ever known. This was simply the house where he grew up, the place where he returned after school. It had never been the haven he found in Woolly.
“Also?” She leaned in as he helped her sit on the promised chair. “Our kid will grow up dirty, messy, and running wild through the woods with gwyllgi pups.” She kissed his cheek. “This isn’t a future you need to picture for LJ, either.”
“LJ?”
“Linus Junior.” She made it sound obvious. “Linus Andreas Woolworth?” A line bisected her brow. “Or would it be Linus Andreas Lawson Woolworth IV?” She waved a hand. “You’ll have to figure that one out.”
The swell of emotion behind his breastbone gave him chest pains as he sat on the arm of her chair to hide the weakness in his knees.
“We don’t have to follow tradition,” he managed. “You can choose a name of your own.”
“I like your name.” She patted his thigh. “Besides, LJ has potential as a nickname.”
The room contracted as it hit him, this conversation somehow more real than the ultrasound photos.
They were having a baby.
An actual child.
A son.
Linus Andreas Woolworth.
LJ.
“Josephine, sit on the ottoman, please.” Grier drew fresh blood and used it to paint a sigil on Josephine’s forehead. “Let’s start at the top, shall we?” She glanced at Marco. “You’re next. You might as well make yourself comfortable.” She returned her attention to a quivering Josephine. “This is going to take a while.”
Five
Forbidden romance aside, Josephine and Marco had nothing to hide. I was relieved to have two people on the inside who could field calls and visitors until we located the Grande Dame. The promise I gave them in return—not to out their secret love to their boss—was worth their cooperation.
As much as I hated to admit it, the only solid leads we had stumbled across involved Boaz and Corbin.
Corbin, due to the circumstances of his resuscitation, was watched by his superiors among the sentinels as well as the Grande Dame and the Lyceum as a whole. The rarity of a Deathless vampire had much to do with it, and the potential for exploitation of his talents covered the rest.
While Boaz’s duties as an Elite posted in Savannah overlapped somewhat with Corbin’s assignments as a sentinel assigned to the same general area, I wasn’t aware of them being chummy. However, I could see TPTB partnering them in this particular instance.
As paranoid as the Grande Dame was and had every right to be, she responded more favorably to those she knew and trusted. The sentinels were aware of her preferences and tended to allow her to handpick her guards when she required them. I saw no reason why they wouldn’t do the same this time.
The same logic held if she had left the sentinels out of it and brought in Boaz and Corbin herself to deal with a credible threat she wanted kept quiet.
However the assignments got handed down, it still hurt that Corbin hadn’t contacted me.
I’m not saying he should have blown his cover, or his mission, but a simple hello? He could have stopped by for a slice of cake, a hug, something. That he had done none of those things meant he either wasn’t supposed to be in Savannah, or we weren’t supposed to know he was in Savannah.
Fun times.
With Josephine and Marco briefed on their roles going forward, and no further leads to be found, I caved to the pain in my feet, knees, and hips, and told everyone to pack it in the van.
Absolute secrecy was necessary for this situation, and it ruled out our usual resources. Fumbling around in the dark carried less risk than alerting the Society their matriarch had been kidnapped from her own home.
We would have to reach outside for help solving this case. Luckily, Atlanta wasn’t that far.
By the time Hood pulled into the driveway, I had decided on a plan of action, starting with three calls.
One to Corbin, one to Boaz, and one to Tisdale Kinase.