A Midsummer Night's Scream (The Dulcie O'Neil Series Book 7)

  “Everyone takes orders,” he corrected me with another smug smile. That was ironic, considering he was the one standing behind bars and wearing chains.

  “I was under the impression that you were at the top of the ladder?” I asked, fishing for information even though I wasn’t under any impressions where Jax was concerned. Sometimes, though, it was better to play the part of uninformed.

  “Everyone takes orders from someone,” Jax repeated, this time, more slowly.

  “So you had a boss?” Truthfully, I was disappointed. Why? Because that meant more work for us. Our main goal was always to get the biggest fish. Silly me for thinking he was exactly that.

  “Yes,” he answered, eyeing me with interest. “How long have you and Vander been together?”

  “I’m the one asking questions here. You’re not interrogating me,” I snapped.

  “Oh. Is this an interrogation?” he rebutted with practiced charm. “And here I thought we were just having a casual, albeit mundane, conversation.”

  “Who is your boss?”

  “I’m afraid that information cannot be disclosed.”

  “Why?” I asked. “If you’re truly on your way out, why continue to cover for someone else?”

  “Because it was my choice. It had nothing to do with him. He treated me fairly. My decision is on me. So I won’t rat him out.”

  “Okay,” I said with a frown. “Then just tell me who runs your organization.”

  “That’s simply a different way of asking me the same question,” he pointed out as he shrugged. “Good try though.”

  “Then tell me who is in upper management.”

  “How long have you been with Vander?”

  I inhaled deeply, trying not to let my annoyance with him get the better of me. “A few months,” I lied. He didn’t need to know anything about my relationship with Knight. As far as I was concerned, that subject was off limits.

  “I was in upper management,” he answered coolly.

  “Okay, that’s a good start. And where would you say you ranked in the pecking order?” I inquired, trying to understand exactly what role he played.

  “Right below my boss,” he answered with little interest. “I was one of the big guns.”

  “And who was your supplier?” I speared him with my narrowed gaze, trying to ascertain if he were being honest with me. “Or were the potions created in-house?” That was an interesting question. If their potion ring had purchased the contraband, he could possibly tell me what other rings were involved, if any. Well, if he was willing to part with that information, that is.

  “You’re asking me to divulge all my secrets,” he said with a sly smile.

  “Yes,” I answered, frowning. “I thought that part was obvious?”

  “But if I tell you everything, you’ll have no reason to come back and visit me again,” he explained with a shrug as he glanced around the small cell. “And I can’t imagine what else there is to keep me occupied in here.”

  I sighed. “I know you don’t know me, but the first thing you would know about me, if you did, is that I detest game-playing.”

  His smile broadened. “And I know you don’t know me, but the first thing you would know about me, if you did, is that I believe life is a game.”

  I scowled at him while shaking my head as I tried to deal with the burgeoning anger inside me. “You do realize, don’t you, that you can’t have it both ways?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re asking us to protect you against the numerous threats you fear, but in return, you are required to give us information. It’s not a one-way street.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve given you information already; and I intend to continue giving you information.”

  “But I have to play by your rules,” I finished for him.

  “You catch on quickly,” he smiled, his flirtatious nature in full effect. “Any last questions before we retire for the day?”

  I thought that was bizarre: him calling an end to our meeting when it was pretty obvious to both of us he had nothing else to do for the rest of the day. But I didn’t argue. Instead, I took it as an opportunity to foist more questions on him. “Do you know who is responsible for the hits currently contracted against you?”

  “I don’t, but I imagine everyone involved does. You can’t just retire from smuggling illegal potions without pissing off lots of people.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “I usually am,” he agreed, nodding, before his attention drifted to his fingers. He started to inspect his nails before facing me again, and his eyes suddenly began dancing. “Did you know I’m a Loki too?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you wonder how I’d compare to your man?”

  “No.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m not lying,” I said with a quick laugh of derision. It puzzled me why his candor didn’t offend me like it should have. Yep, I’d definitely have to be careful with this one. His carefree, easy manner was undoubtedly masking a calculating, manipulative agenda. But, luckily for me, this was just another stroll in a very familiar park.

  FOUR

  That evening, I called Knight. I wanted to compare the information I’d pried from Jax with whatever Knight already knew about him.

  “I can’t talk long, Dulce,” Knight said as soon as our hellos were out of the way. “I’ve got a meeting with Caressa in a few minutes.”

  “Okay, then I’ll make it quick,” I answered. No, I didn’t appreciate how Knight basically had zero time for me lately, but the situation was what it was. Although I did understand it, that didn’t mean I liked it. “I talked to Jax a bit today,” I started.

  “I prefer that you avoid him in the future,” Knight interrupted me, his voice suddenly gruff. “He’s not exactly someone I trust and what’s more, I trust him even less where you’re concerned.”

  “Well, he’s also behind bars, bound by chains, and asking us for immunity. I think he’s probably a little more helpless than you’re giving him credit for.”

  “Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions,” Knight argued. “Jax and helpless are two words that should never be mentioned in the same sentence.”

  “Well, you brought him to Headquarters! What did you really think would happen? That I would simply sit back and tell him to enjoy his stay?” My voice was growing increasingly irritated. As a rule, I didn’t like him babying me, especially when I was a strong and very capable woman. Not only that, but I’d been working as an ANC Regulator for years, so it wasn’t as though I’d never interrogated a prisoner before.

  “I brought him to Splendor as a last-minute decision,” Knight explained after a long sigh. “My main concern was getting him the hell out of the Netherworld. I didn’t have time to predict what you would or wouldn’t do with him.” He took a deep breath. “But now I’m telling you in no ambiguous words: I want you to keep your distance. He’s unpredictable, which makes him dangerous.”

  “Okay, point taken,” I grumbled reluctantly. I didn’t know enough about Jax to argue how dangerous he really was, or wasn’t.

  “Give me some time and I’ll figure out what I want to do with him,” Knight continued. “For now, however, just sit tight. He’ll only be there for a few more days, at most.”

  Now it was my turn to sigh. Just when I actually felt like I could do my part to help with the new world order, my only opportunity was being ripped right out from underneath me. So now it would be back to the same old, same old. Great. That’s just great.

  “Well, I still have some information about Jax that you might find useful,” I started, failing to mask the frustration and disappointment in my tone. “We might as well compare whatever we both learned about him so far.”

  “Okay, let’s hear it,” Knight answered. He sounded rushed, almost as if he were concentrating on more than just this phone call. In general, Knight, like most males, wasn’t exactly the most competent multitasker. I always sensed when he wasn’
t paying attention.

  “You start,” I said while strange background sounds continued to waft over the line.

  He cleared his throat and took a few seconds before answering. “For starters, Jax turned himself in a couple of days ago. That struck everyone as odd because he ranks fairly high in his organization,” he said. I could hear the shuffling of papers on the other end and then his muted voice as he, no doubt, gave instructions to whoever was talking to him. Hmm, so it appeared Knight’s multitasking had definitely improved. Yay for him.

  “Jax told me he ranks only second to his boss whom he calls the Kingpin,” I added. “So, I’d say he’s pretty high up in Crossbones.”

  Knight was silent for a few seconds as more sounds of shuffling paper, mixed with muffled voices, persisted on the other end.

  “Are you still there?” I asked, after another lengthy pause.

  “Yeah,” he answered immediately. “Sorry, Dulce. Anyway, yes, he’s high up, but I’m not totally convinced he’s as high up as he would like you to believe. Who knows for sure? Titles and ranks in these circles move faster than a starving vampire in a blood bank.”

  “Ha-ha, really cute,” I answered, not able to keep the smirk from my tone even though I was trying to be a smart-ass. “So have you found out who his superior is?” I asked, putting on my detective hat again. “He wouldn’t leak a syllable on that information, at least not for me.”

  “No, I can’t say he’s provided me with any info on that subject either.”

  I was more than sure my chances of getting Jax to open up were far better than Knight’s. When it came to questioning men, women always seemed to have the upper hand. And Knight being the absolute alpha male that he was would only rub Jax the wrong way. Jax not only shared Knight’s ancestry as a Loki, but also his competitive instinct and masculinity. And two alpha males in the same room could only result in butting heads and horn-locking.

  “He’s trying to reveal only a little bit of information at a time because he says he wants me to continue visiting him,” I said with a frown.

  “Of course he does,” Knight replied, sounding more frustrated than I did. “He has eyes, doesn’t he? Of course he sees how gorgeous you are.”

  “I’m not sure that’s it,” I said and sounded uncomfortable because I was uncomfortable. I definitely wasn’t good at handling compliments.

  “That’s it for sure,” Knight said, no amount of hesitation in his tone. “He’s going to try to manipulate you into seeing him as much as possible.” He was quiet for a second or so. “And I don’t like the sound of that one bit.”

  “Well, if that means I can actually get something more out of him, isn’t it worth it?”

  “No,” he responded immediately. “I would much prefer it if you would just leave Jax to me.”

  “I’m not going to do that,” I said, figuring it was best to just come out with it. No use in beating around the bush.

  I heard Knight sigh and I imagined he was wearing his angry face. “Dulcie, don’t let him catch you off guard; and most of all, don’t let him get under your skin.”

  “As if I’d let a potions smuggler get under my skin!”

  “I’m just saying, be careful around him, Dulce,” Knight repeated, his tone somewhat sterner. “My preference is for you to avoid him at all costs, and not imperil yourself at all. If I had it my way, he wouldn’t be there in the first place. But, seeing as how he is, I’d really appreciate it if you left him the hell alone.”

  “Hmm, you almost sound like you’re jealous,” I announced with a laugh.

  “Damn right I am!” he answered emphatically. “Why should that asshole get to spend his time with you while I’m stuck up here? Dealing with this clusterfuck?!”

  “Ditto,” I said, sighing deeply. “Ditt-freaking-o.” Then, figuring the last thing I needed to do was focus on our crappy circumstances, I pulled my attention back to the main topic. “Can you at least cross-reference the stuff he’s given us so far, and see if the stories match up?”

  There was another lengthy pause and more shuffling papers. Knight then put the phone down on his desk to yell at someone, or so it sounded. He picked it back up a few seconds later, and continued. “We haven’t gotten very much out of him yet,” he admitted, sounding disappointed but still distracted. “Right now, unfortunately, I’m in the middle of extinguishing a series of more urgent fires.”

  “Isn’t interrogating the second-in-command for one of the biggest potion-smuggling rings a big and urgent fire to put out?”

  “Yes, Dulce, it is an important subject, no doubt, but Jax is not my priority at the moment,” Knight breathed out, sounding irritated. “And, FYI, we still aren’t sure if he really is the second-in-command.”

  “Point taken,” I mumbled. “So?”

  “So I still haven’t figure out what to do with him,” Knight admitted. “As soon as we knew about the death threats, I had to get him somewhere safe. Plan B is still being devised.”

  “Why don’t you just leave Plan B to me?” I replied, even as I realized my chances of getting him to agree with me were probably nil.

  “Dulce,” he started, his tone of voice warning me not to argue with him.

  But argue I would. “I can help you, Knight. It’s not like I have a hell of a lot going on here anyway right now. Why don’t you let me interrogate him?”

  “Because it’s a lot to take on,” Knight answered immediately. “Jax knows what’s up. He’s been around the block and …”

  “And you don’t think I’m capable of handling him,” I interrupted, my lips tightening. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until my lungs forcefully exhaled it.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to,” I snapped. “I could tell from the inflection in your voice.”

  He sighed and grew quiet for a few seconds. “Dulce, you know you’re great at your job, and I know you’re great at your job; but you’ve never come across a Jax Rochefort before. He attained his stature for a good reason: he’s treacherous and dangerous. It’s not about my confidence in you, and it’s not about me doubting your abilities. It’s just that I don’t want you anywhere near him! I don’t even want him to know you exist! I don’t trust him.”

  “He already knows I exist,” I pointed out the obvious.

  “Doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

  “You might not have a choice,” I pointed out. “I mean, who knows how long you’re going to be stuck out there? Meanwhile, he’s here!” When he didn’t respond right away, I continued. “Seriously, Knight, what’s the worst that can happen? That I don’t ask the right questions? Or he refuses to give me the answers we need? Maybe he’ll feed me a line of bullshit? Regardless, those stakes aren’t very high, Knight.”

  “That’s fair enough,” he replied with another distracted sigh.

  “So rather than ignoring a possible gold mine, wouldn’t it be better for you to coach me on how to interrogate him? Just tell me what information I need to get from him. You know your load is already too heavy, and dealing with Jax would be taking on more than you can handle right now.” I inhaled a deep breath and figured my argument was persuading him because he wasn’t arguing with me. Well, not yet anyway. “You know I can help you, Knight. Just tell me what I need to know about Jax, and advise me how to approach him.”

  “Dulce,” he started.

  “Help me help you,” I finished.

  “It’s not that simple. You…”

  “I know I can get him to talk,” I interrupted. “It’s not like I’m the new kid on the block. I’ve been doing this for a long time, Knight.”

  He paused for another few seconds. “You make arguing with you very difficult.”

  I smiled as soon as I heard his exasperated reply because it meant my victory. “You’d think by now, you could have learned that it’s better to agree with me from the get-go; if only to spare us this back-and-forth.”

  Knight chu
ckled. “Guess I’m just slow.” He was quiet for another few seconds and I heard the sounds of high heels clicking on the floor in the background. “And on that note, Dulce, I gotta run. Caressa just walked into my office. It looks like there’s another emergency fire we have to put out. I’m sorry.”

  I could tell he was flustered. “It’s okay,” I replied calmly.

  He’d given me the answer I wanted, even if I didn’t have all the information I needed. Now I had the green light from Knight to discover whatever I could. Granted, I imagined there was no way he would find any time in the near future to come up with a prioritized list of questions for Jax, but I wasn’t really concerned. I had faith enough in myself; I knew I could get the answers we needed from Jax. What was more, there was no way I was just going to sit on the treasure trove of information known as Jax Rochefort in the hopes that Knight would school me on everything he wanted or needed to know. Nope, I had to take the proverbial reins now and handle Jax all on my own.

  And, really, whatever Knight didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.

  ###

  “We meet again,” Jax greeted me the next morning with a polished smile. Unbeknownst to him, his attractive smile was wasted on me. I’d already severed all relationships with my hormones and left them at the door. Now he was dealing with the cold, hard, fact-seeking Dulcie.

  “I want answers,” I said tight-lipped. I glanced at Judah and Ernie, but neither one said anything. They simply nodded their understanding before starting for the hallway, which was just as well because I wasn’t in the mood for any arguments. I had no clue where Wally was, but I also couldn’t say I cared.

  I strode up to the prison bars and gripped them with my hands, leaning into Jax’s cell as closely as I could. I wanted Jax to view me as his equal; and the only way to do that was by not showing any fear. I figured this was about as daring as I could get from a personal space standpoint.

  “I was wondering when you might visit again,” he answered in a charming tone. He took the few steps that separated us and stood in front of me, his cuffed hands wrapped around the bars beside mine. “It gets very lonely in here,” he whispered, looking me up and down as obviously as he could. Even though he was definitely trying to make me feel uncomfortable, it didn’t work. I was already fully prepared for it.