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Chapter 1
Tansy
Thelarge,GothicRevivalbuilding towered overhead, blocking out the early afternoon sun. It might not be the tallest building in the city, but with its steepled roofs, pointed arch elements, and excess of decorative trim, it was the most imposing. The sounds of Darlington’s streets seemed to disappear as I stepped into the shadow of the building.
I looked down at the address I’d scrawled on the lipstick-smudged café napkin. Yup. This was the place. It was a far cry from the dingy motel room I’d left this morning.
This was a horrible idea. This place looked expensive, and I’d probably be laughed out of the office. I fingered the strap around my neck. The pouch held all the pieces of expensive jewelry I owned; they were the only things of value I had. They had to be enough.
I could always offer to work off my debt—that was my backup plan—but I’d probably be working it off forever, considering how ridiculously swanky this place looked. If they could afford an office here, they must charge an arm and a leg. I probably wasn’t the type of client they usually took on. I’d bet they normally worked with the rich and famous.
But what other choice did I have? I was fresh out of options, and if I didn’t do this, I might as well kiss my very existence goodbye.
“Here goes nothing.”
I stepped through the revolving doors to an ornately decorated foyer. There were offices on the lower floors and luxury condos above. I checked the map on the plaque set against the dark granite wall, looking for Redrock Protective Services. They were on the ground floor.
I headed down the corridor to the office, pulling my wheeled luggage that held my entire life behind me. I needed to be mobile, so I couldn’t bring much, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. I’d had a lot less the first time I found myself with no hope and no home. Life had taught me to keep everything essential on my body, so if I had to ditch and run, I could.
Turning the corner, I came face-to-face with a huge mirror in a gold filigree frame, and I stopped to check myself out. I looked out of place here in my jeans and comfy, oversized hoodie, and I tried to ignore the feeling of being woefully underdressed.
The woman in the mirror looked tired, like she hadn’t slept well in days. Because she hadn’t.
“Hi, I’m Danie,” I said to her. There wasn’t anyone else in this part of the building to witness me talking to myself. “I need your help.” That wasn’t hard. “I’m Danie. I’m Danie. My name is Danie,” I repeated. I’d gone by Danie for several months now, and it came out almost as naturally as my real name. Almost.
“Squawk!”
“Shh!” I hushed, placing my hand over the lump in my hoodie. “Not now, Nugget.” Chicken Nugget was my sun conure. I unzipped the top a fraction to look down at the small yellow, orange, and green parrot. “Can you be sneaky for me? Real sneaky. Shh.”
She looked up at me with intelligent eyes. “Shhh,” she mimicked softly.
Nugget knew it meant I wanted her to be quiet, but whether she chose to be or not was a total crapshoot. She was adorable but naughty. Lucky for me, she decided not to fight me on it today. She’d been such a good girl through all this.
Nugget was part of the reason I’d chosen this outfit. I’d trained her to stay in my hoodies, and she wouldn’t stay in anything else. She’d happily hang out in my hoodie all day if I let her. A good thing, too, since I wasn’t able to bring her cage along. The other reason to dress casually and in dark colors was to make sure I blended in with everyone else on the streets.
The door to the Redrock office was just as outrageously opulent as the rest of the building. The wordsRedrock Protective Serviceswere written in gold above a heavy-looking, dark wood door. The door frame was equally ornate and stood out against the granite walls.
I almost chickened out again. But no, I had to do this.
The man on the phone, Eamon, had sounded nice enough. And most importantly, I knew he was who he said he was. At least for now. He had a low, rumbly voice that I’d felt down to my toes. I wondered if he was as sexy as he sounded.
I tried the door, but it was locked. There was a panel with a button next to the door, so I pressed it, not seeing anything else to do. Moments later, a camera I hadn’t noticed before turned to face me. I smiled and waved at it, and the same sultry, masculine voice from the phone answered.
“Come on in.”
There was a click, and the heavy door to the office opened.
I stepped into a waiting room with a few leather chairs lined up against the wall and a side table with a statue of a gargoyle on it. Of course. The Redrock brothers were gargoyles. I wondered if Eamon was one of them or just someone who worked here.
There were several closed doors, and when I stepped toward the closest one, it opened. I found myself staring up at a tall, muscular man with a dusky complexion. His eyes sparkled as he looked me up and down, the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile.
“Hello, beautiful,” he rumbled. “I’m Eamon. Come on in.” He ushered me into the office.
As the door closed behind us, a thrill of excitement shot through me at his closeness. With our bodies only inches apart, his heat radiated to warm my skin, and his spicy masculine scent filled my nose. Oh yeah, he was most definitely as sexy in real life as he sounded on the phone.
I tried not to be obvious as I inhaled his enticing scent of earth and spice. They needed to bottle that shit; I’d slather it all over my body and roll around in it like a kitty on catnip. I kept my face neutral as I met a pair of gorgeous green eyes. They glowed with otherworldly magic and seemed to see right into my soul.
Eamon wasn’t a gargoyle, but he wasn’t human either. His dusky aura surrounded me, and I knew exactly what he was. He was a demon!
