Note to self: never get on Oliver’s bad side.
He hadn’t so much as let on that he held any interest in the attempts on my life and Leanne’s. But he had. It reminded me of all those other times he’d noticed things. He’d figured out the Samhain murders before I had, he’d been the one to point out the killer in Romania had been a cambion. Oliver noticed things and, despite his reputation for having loose lips, I was beginning to understand that he calculated a great many things.
“Byron and Maggie aren’t the only officers involved, either,” he said now.
“There are more?”
“Oh, honey, lots more. So you know how I’d been sleeping with the chief constable?”
I suppressed my shudder. Oliver, however, didn’t bother suppressing his. “By the way, remind me never to date old men. They’re all wrinkly, and saggy, and—”
Ew.
“Don’t date old men,” I rushed out.
He clucked his tongue. “You’re not supposed to give me that advice right now, Corpsie. Anyway, I’ll have you know I screwed that man for you.”
I scrunched my face. “Please be lying.”
“’S all in the line of duty. He made terrible grunts though. You know, when he—”
“Oli-ver!” Eeeeeewwww!
“Relax. Wouldn’t have pegged you for a prude.” He opened his mouth to continue, eyed Andre, who watched the fairy with flinty eyes, and clicked his teeth shut. He cleared his throat. “As I was saying, men talk when they feel good, and Chief Constable Morgan had quite a lot to say about the Eleusinian Order. Do you remember them?”
I nodded. They were the cult that wanted to reunite me with the devil. They’d believed he was Hades and I was his Persephone.
“The wrinkly old constable admitted everything in a few moments of weakness. Apparently there are a number of Politia officers working with the order, and several more who are in it. Seems being a part of it is a pretty high honor. It’s the kind of exclusive club that draws in fat men with little arms and big egos … and hotshot Politia members. Byron’s a part of it. So is Maggie, and—” Oliver paused and looked at me regretfully, “Caleb was being groomed to join.”
That news didn’t hurt nearly as much as it once would’ve. “How long was he aware of them?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know that, sweets. But I don’t think he ever officially joined.”
On the T.V. Chief Constable Morgan was led through the crowd.
“How did you accomplish all this?” I asked.
Oliver cocked a hip, an irreverent grin pulling at his lips. “You mean besides boning an old man?”
I scrunched my face. “Besides that.”
“Camera phone, recorder, a few favors—” he lifted a shoulder, “the usual.”
I nodded, breathing deeply as some weepy emotion welled up in me. “Why did you do all this?”
Oliver took my hand. “No one fucks with my friends.” He gave it a squeeze. “No one.”
Damnit, I was going to cry.
“Also, I enjoyed the shit out of being sneaky.”
I sniffled and laughed, then I yanked on his hand and reeled my friend in for an epic hug.
“Whoa,” he said, as I squished him to me. “Hey there—don’t mess up the hair,” he wheezed. “And maybe let up a bit. You’re still strong.”
“You’re seriously the best.” He’d gone out of his way to bring me and Leanne justice.
Andre stepped around me and clasped the fairy on the shoulder. “Oliver, I owe you for meting out my mate’s revenge.”
The fairy in question preened under Andre’s words. “I like being owed. And I believe that’s two favors I’ll have to cash in at some point in the future.”
I noticed Andre tense slightly under the reminder, and I bit back a snicker.
I was looking forward to this normality. Worrying about your boyfriend meeting your mom and your friends all getting along together. My life would never be typical, but finally it would be free of darkness.
I pulled Leanne aside a little while later. Andre had wandered off to catch up on his many business ventures, which he’d neglected while we were on the run. Oliver, meanwhile, was in the kitchen, dictating to the in-house chef what he wanted to eat.
Leanne and I reclined on one of the couches in Bishopcourt’s sitting room.
“Should I be worried about the future?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It’s all finally over, Gabrielle.”
I released my breath. “Logically, I know it is, but sometimes I can’t help but worry it’s not.” Over the last two weeks I’d suffered from nightmares. In them, I was still in hell, still bound to the devil, and Andre was down there with me. He’d rouse me from them and kiss my terror away, but the memory of them still lingered.