Crazy Seduction(erotica)

Camila watched him go with a sad little frown. She looked to Sigrid who was standing at the window. She saw her friend wave to someone outside and give a thumbs up.

Sigrid looked to her. “The security team is here.” She pulled her cell out to quickly check in with Meixiu to see how Henry was doing. She hit send and watched the screen with a smile. Meixiu got such a thrill from receiving them and always responded instantly- except this time. Her smile dimmed. The second text failed to get a response, so she tried calling her cell. No answer. Odd. Very odd.

She called her home number, and no one answered. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up. “Something’s wrong at home.” Camila gave her a questioning look. “Meixiu isn’t answering texts or the phones. That doesn’t happen.”

Camila took out her cell and pulled up Roy’s number. Henry’s immediate safety took precedence over chasing down a leak in his department.

She stared at Sigrid as a sudden thought struck. What if- what if Roy’s leak was involved with what was happening at Sigrid’s? “Get that security team up here. They can take Nate and Jo to the Four Seasons in Manhattan. I’ll book them adjoining rooms, and our security team can watch over them there. We need to get back to your place now!” Sigrid nodded and left the apartment.

“Nate!” Camila called out.

He stepped out of his bedroom immediately. “What? What’s happened?”

Camila shook her head as Jo poked her head out of the door to her room. “Nothing. Sigrid is bringing the security team upstairs. She and I have to go. The team will take you two to the Four Seasons in Manhattan. I’ll book you rooms there until the police settle the issue with Chantelle.”

He blinked at her in surprise. “Oh! Ok.” He traded a glance with Jo who was staring at him as if he’d just announced being the winner of the Power Ball Lottery. “Ok with you?”

“Yes!” she blurted.

Camila nodded and went to the door when she heard a knock. “Who’s there?”

“Sigrid.”

She opened the door and entered with one of the security team. The other two were in the hallway keeping watch.

Sigrid made the introductions. “Nate, Jo, this is Allan. He and his friends in the hall will take you to the hotel.” They nodded to the large man.

Camila stepped forward. “My apologies for not taking you there ourselves but feel free to order room service and enjoy the amenities the hotel has to offer.”

With a final nod, Camila and Sigrid headed out. Camila immediately called the hotel and booked two adjoining rooms on VRL’s account. They rushed across the yard and jumped into the back of their waiting SUV. They pulled away from the curb.

A dark blue van pulled out and followed, unseen.

In the tailing vehicle, Chantelle smiled. She knew if she staked out the little blond bitch’s apartment the Incubus would show up. She’d planned on making him name the bitches responsible for Oletha’s death. She hadn’t expected them to show up too! When the Succubus and the Valkyrie rushed out of the building, she had a choice. Stay and deal with the three Werewolves before killing the Incubus or follow the departing SUV and see where it took her. Maybe she could get the brute who changed her too.

Not that she minded her new Were-form. It was significantly stronger and much deadlier.

No, the problem was, in the change she’d lost her glamor. She’d had to resort to physically changing to her Human-form. That was something glamors made redundant for Were-beings. Physically transitioning between the two forms was excruciatingly painful! She hadn’t had to do it since she was a child during her emergency training drills. God, she’d hated those!

Worse, switching from Human to Were required an immediate meal to compensate for the energies lost in the transition.

She heard whimpering from the back of the van and looked over her shoulder at the van’s owner, bound and gagged.

Her meal for when she became a Werepanther again.

Soon.

Roy was struggling to contain his frustration. He and Rick had arrived to find Billy’s house surrounded by police cars. That didn’t bode well for them being able to have a quiet talk with the man.

The quiet neighborhood had drawn a crowd of gawkers. As he walked closer to the police line, Roy overheard a few residents complaining that this is what happens when a house is rented out instead of lived in by the owner. He figured Billy had been renting as owning one of these small homes was probably beyond his means- unless he was also collecting a paycheck from someone else.

They spoke to one of the officers at the police tape and were guided over to speak to a detective. The large man in a dark blue suit turned to look at them with a frown. The expression froze when he saw it was Roy.

“Good afternoon, Detective Harmon. It’s been a while,” Roy said watching the man’s left eye tick. He’d lost weight, but it didn’t look good on him. In general, he wasn’t looking too healthy. Roy picked up the scent of alcohol, rum maybe. Another bad sign for another victim of the witch’s manipulation. He knew Camila had tried her best to limit the damage, but the shocks must have gone too deep into his mind.

“What- how are you involved in this?” Harmon struggled to say calmly.

“Billy Cooper worked for me at VRL. He quit this morning, but I never had a chance to make an exit interview. We came to speak to him.”

Harmon swallowed and looked away. “Well, you’re out of luck. He won’t be giving any more interviews.”

Roy frowned. “He’s dead?”

Harmon looked Roy in the eye, then as quickly looked away. “Happens when you’re strung up like he was.”

“He hung himself? I wouldn’t have taken him for the type to commit suicide,” Roy said softly.

The detective looked at Roy sharply. “It’s a fucking mess in there. That was NO suicide!”

“Easy detective,” Roy said gently.

“NO! DON’T! YOU… PEOPLE… AT VRL, DON’T-”

“HARMON! What the FUCK!”

They turned to see an older detective storming up to them, red-faced.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Get back to the station! I knew it was a mistake taking you back out into the field,” the gruff man scolded then looked to Roy as Harmon walked stiffly back to his car. Roy saw Harmon’s hands tremble and felt sorry for him.

“Who the hell are you?” the detective asked.

“Roy Duncan. Billy worked for me as in-house security at VRL Investments. Until this morning, when he quit,” he said quietly

“You’re here now because?” the old man growled as he scribbled in his pad.

“Billy never gave an exit interview.”

The detective snorted. “Listen, if we have any questions we’ll come find you. For now, the investigation is ongoing, and this is an active crime scene. Get behind the police tape.”

Roy nodded and led Rick back to the tape and they ducked under it. Roy sighed and looked to the other man. “You live nearby, don’t you?”

That drew a smile from Rick as his boss had remembered. “Just a few blocks west of here.”

Roy nodded. “Why don’t you head home. Take the rest of the day off. Don’t worry. I won’t tell the boss.”

Rick grinned. “Thanks!” He turned and walked away before Roy changed his mind.

An older woman approached and plucked at Roy’s sleeve. He turned to look at her. He immediately picked up the scent of tea, shortbread cookies, and a cat- maybe more than one. She was maybe in her early seventies and dressed like a suburban grand-mom.

“Dearie, did that man say it was suicide?” she asked and his ears picked up the subtle Scottish accent. He smiled as he shook his head. She took this as permission to ramble on. “Well, there was a suicide not a week ago just three doors down! A police officer shot himself in front of his wife! The Carstens. Such a nice couple! She’s a policewoman! I heard some officers saying Jeff confronted Mary and her lover. The officers who came to investigate all thought it was murder, but there’s no way Mary would do such a thing. You can tell about people! You can see in their eyes if they’re capable of such evil-”

“Did you know the young fella who lived here?” Roy jumped in, and she smiled at his accent as well.

“I only saw him come and go. The two who visited him today were frightening. They looked the type to have murder in their hearts,” the woman said.

“Tell me more!” Roy said with a smile. He needed to ensure the woman didn’t offer this information to the detective. If he could distract her long enough, then the shitty detective would be on his way.

The woman’s eyes twinkled in delight. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

“That sounds delightful! Lead on,” he said with a smile.

The woman paused. “Do you like cats?”

“I love them… but, they never seem too fond of me,” he gave her an unhappy look, and she patted his arm to comfort him.

“Cats are most mysterious creatures. Their whims are not for the likes of us to discern,” the woman said with a smile as she led him across the street to the house two doors over.

Mary Carsten watched them leave from where she’d stood, resting back comfortably against a tree. Helen was such a busybody but otherwise, a sweet old woman.

When the detective had identified the big man was from VRL, she started paying attention. She’d learned Henry Gable also worked at VRL. They’d gotten him out of jail the night she of her suspension. She saw the paperwork before she left.

Now here they were in her neighborhood once more.