Dying Dreams (Book 1 of Dying Dreams Trilogy) (27 page)

Liza felt her blood go cold, but she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t walk away from this.”

“Those women you killed were my friends,” Sloane said.

“Their deaths were unfortunate, but they couldn’t be helped. Those mermaids were endangering a very important project.”

“Drilling for oil?” Liza asked.

Arty did smile then. “Do you ever wonder why there aren’t more solar panels or wind turbines built by your government? Or why the power of the sea hasn’t been harnessed to produce the electricity it could?” He ran a finger around the rim of his glass. “I suspect it is because the climate change narrowed the gap between the rich and the poor, and the rich needed to feel they have something the poor don’t. If the rich can have their own personal solar panels they can have power for all night, possibly into the day.”

“So they limit the construction of solar panels and wind turbines to keep the poor in their place? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Another theory,” Arty continued as though he hadn’t heard her. “Is that they intend to resume their dirty, polluting methods of energy production as soon as people have forgotten about the climate catastrophe. By limiting the people’s energy usage, they make them yearn for the good old days when they could watch TV all night with every light in the house blazing.”

“I don’t think—”

“And then they’ll destroy this planet. Just as they destroyed Fairy.”

“So you’re helping them?”

He leaned forward, elbows on the desk. “No. I’m looking for an alternative. In fairy, there was a rock, composed of quartzite and feldspar and called righ carraig, which allowed us to light our homes and operate what little technology we used. It is clean, and I’ve reason to believe it can be found here.”

“So that’s what you’re drilling for? Why not go back to fairy and get it?”

“I won’t rape fairy for humans. But if we can find it here… It could prevent the destruction of your planet.”

“How noble. So why the secrecy? Why kill mermaids?”

Arty sniffed. “I’m tired of talking. Why don’t we play a game instead?” Liza didn’t like the twinkle in his eye or the way he said game.

“He can answer those questions at headquarters,” Sloane said. “He’s admitted to killing mermaids, we have to take him in.”

Arty shrugged and stood. “I’ll be happy to go anywhere with you two. You won’t be able to hold me, though. There’s nothing connecting me to the pirates who killed your friends and I have powerful friends of my own. I won’t spend even one minute in a cell.”

Together, Sloane and Liza walked Arty out and took him back to headquarters in a company car. He refused to say any more about the case, but he had a blast needling them about the bond. Arty was right, too, he was released by order of the president after only fifteen minutes. Liza left to get coffee and, when she got back, he was gone.

In his place, stood Reynolds, her eyes blazing. “I don’t appreciate getting called in here about a case that’s supposed to be closed.”

Sloane stood his ground against her. “We had a tip we couldn’t ignore.”

Reynolds turned her glare on Liza, like the whole mess was her fault. “Try to keep him in line,” she said between clenched teeth. “He’s one of my best agents. The only reason you aren’t both suspended right now, is because I called in a favor. I don’t like to call in favors, and I won’t do it again.”

With that, Reynolds stormed out of the interrogation room, slamming the door hard behind her.

“She went to bat for you?” Liza asked. “I didn’t even think she liked you.”

Rice ran a hand through his hair. “She’s a complex and confusing woman,” Rice said. “Who cares a great deal about the solve rate of this division, for reasons no one is quite sure about.” He took a step closer to Liza and wrapped his arms around her. “We need to be careful, though. We don’t want to draw too much negative attention to you when you’ve yet to fully prove your value as an agent.”

She pulled away from him. “So we just let the mermaid deaths go?”

“I didn’t say that. I just said we have to be careful.”

“And Arty? How’d he get out of here so fast anyway?”

“I’m not buying this story about the rock,” Sloane said, after he’d explained Arty’s absence.

“Why not?”

“If it’s some miracle, why keep it secret?”

Liza shrugged, tired and frustrated. They’d found the man responsible for the mermaids’ deaths and they couldn’t punish him. “Maybe because they haven’t found it, yet? Maybe they don’t want to get people’s hopes up?”

“My grandmother will know.” Sloane looked at his watch. “It’s too late to go see her tonight, but we can stop by in the morning.”

“Sounds good.” Liza rubbed her eyes, feeling tired and defeated. “Is this job always so rewarding?”

Sloane pulled Liza onto his lap and squeezed her tight. She’d always hated being babied, but she couldn’t deny the comfort she got from his arms around here. “This isn’t over, yet. We still have a chance to get him.”

“Don’t lie to me to make me feel better.”

Sloane sighed. “We probably won’t ever see him in prison or even fined. It’s shitty, but that’s the way it is. We can probably put away the pirates who actually killed the mermaids, though, if we can find them.”

“But Arty is fae. Why has the government allowed him to have so much money and power?”

“The fae registration and the restrictions didn’t start until right after the climate crash. Arty built his little empire decades before that, and he probably built his political connections, too. If I’m any judge of character, I’d say Arty probably has a lot of dirt on a lot of powerful people.”

“Oh.” Liza wanted to stay in his arms, but she was finding it hard to breathe. The bond and her attraction to him suddenly made her feel a bit suffocated. She wrenched herself free and stood. “I should probably get home.”

“I thought you were coming over to my place for dinner?”

“I’m not hungry. I just want to go home and go to bed.”

“Don’t you mean go to couch? If you came back to my place you could sleep in a bed.” He ran a hand up and down her arm in a delicate touch that somehow felt heavy on her skin. Even the lightest touch from him pulled her down into desire and passion.

“Thank you for the offer, but the couch is really comfy.” She forced a yawn and took another step away from Sloane. Her body and her mind protested and she felt the pull of the bond as an almost separate entity. Her chest ached in near panic. She needed to know she could be apart from him. She needed to know she could be her own person.

Sloane shrugged, but she saw the pain in his eyes. She almost wrapped her arms around him, but she kept control of herself. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

*SLOANE*

Sloane watched Liza walk away and had to grip the arms of his chair not to go with her. He knew it was the bond that made him want to follow her and that such behavior would make him seem like a stalker or worse, so he kept his seat. He tried to understand how Liza could walk away if she felt the same thing he did, and he realized it must not be as intense for her. He felt the bond, sure, he could almost separate it from the rest of his emotions now, but he also just really liked her and liked being around her. He already knew everything he needed to know about her. She was brave and compassionate and she wanted to save everyone and get justice for the women who’d been killed. All day, he’d been looking forward to taking her home and touching her as much as he wanted and listening to her tell him all about herself.

For the first time in his life, he’d been more excited about going home with a women than working out or being alone, and she’d walked away from him. She needed space so he’d let her have it. He’d let her have all the time she needed to adjust to the bond and get to know him and, eventually, she’d be as crazy about him as he was about her. He had to believe that, or the bond would just be the worst kind of torture and everyone had told him it was a gift. That decided, Sloane tried to push thoughts of Liza aside and work on tracking down as much information about the pirates as he could. They might not be able to get Arty, but Liza had seen the men who’d killed the mermaids in her dreams and, if they could identify them, those men would pay. The ordinary human police force might need things like evidence and clues, but SPA worked a little differently. Liza’s dreams should be enough to warrant an arrest and search of their property at the very least. It would take more work to get Reynolds on board, but he figured she just needed a day or two to cool down and he’d be able to convince her.

*LIZA*

Liza walked in and plopped down on the couch, prepared to vent about her day until she noticed that Marcy’s eyes were red and she was watching an infomercial about cooking knives.

“Everything okay?” Liza asked.

“Peachy.”

“Uh-huh. Decided to take up cooking?”

“Yes, if you must know. I need a hobby and these knives are the best.”

“What did Ellison do? I hope your new hobby is cooking and not skewering my best friend.”

Marcy didn’t even crack a smile. “He just doesn’t get why I won’t move in with him.” She sniffed. “And the thing is, I’m not even sure that’s what he’s really upset about. It feels like he’s trying to push me away.”

Liza sighed, laid her head back against the couch, and wished it was Sloane she was cuddling up against. What the hell was wrong with her that she couldn’t even go thirty seconds without thinking about him? She needed a twelve-step program. “If that’s what it feels like that’s probably what it is, Sweetie. Ellison’s not a complicated guy, he’s like a puppy who needs a litter.”

“I take it I’m the litter in this scenario?”

“Well, yeah. He didn’t have the greatest home life, you know, and he really wants a family. I think he sees potential for that in every woman he likes and he’s been rejected a lot for coming on too strong. If he’s pulling away, it’s because he really cares about you and he’s preparing himself for rejection.”

“But I’m not rejecting him. I’m just not ready to move in with him and, honestly, he
is
coming on too strong and he
is
scaring me.”

“And he probably senses that, too. Don’t back down, Marcy. Don’t move in with him until you’re ready, but don’t run away from him either. However bad you’re feeling, I can guarantee he’s feeling worse.”

She looked at Liza like she’d hit her, her eyes wide. “How do you know that?”

“Because I know him. He’s the king of optimism, but he’s also the king of jumping to conclusions. He’s already envisioned the two of you walking down the aisle together and welcoming your first child, but now that you’ve left, he’s probably imagining his life without you. I’d bet money that if you go back there now, he’ll promise never to mention you moving in with him again. He is very good at admitting his mistakes.”

“He called ten minutes ago and made that promise.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Because if I stay there again tonight, after I’ve been there every night for the past week, I’m basically living with him already.”

“So you’re making yourself miserable to prove a point?”

“Why aren’t you with Rice?”

Liza just stared at her for a moment. It was like the woman could see straight into her soul. “I need to prove to myself that we can be apart without falling apart.” Liza sighed and dropped her head in her hands. “You’re right Marcy, this is terrifying. It was never scary for me with Ellison because he was just comfortable. I loved him, but I didn’t have this desperate need for him. I didn’t feel like I was splitting myself in two every time I walked away from him.”

Marcy lifted a beer from the table. “Want one?”

“Yes, please.”

Two hours later, Liza tossed and turned in bed in that dehydrated, restless state only six beers can conjure. She thought about Sloane and she thought about Arty and she thought about the voice in her dream. At some point, she thought about Professor Gupp and how she hadn’t let him know in person that she was leaving the program. She decided to go talk to him at the university the next morning. Just as she was finally drifting off, she remembered where she’d heard the voice in the dream. Her heart pounded with dread and she knew she’d never get to sleep. The last thing she remembered was debating whether or not to get up and find a book to read until she got sleepy.

She woke the next morning with the thick tongue, dry mouth, and cavernous head that too much beer and not enough water always produced. Yeah, she was a light-weight. She drank about a gallon of water before she left the house, dressed in casual slacks and a pink polo shirt. Her hands were shaking by the time she’d left the apartment, because she was planning to confront the owner of the voice from her dream and she wasn’t sure if she was going to make it out alive.

Professor Gupp was in the lab when she got there and he looked up to greet her with a huge smile, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Liza, it’s so good to see you. I was disappointed to hear that you’d left the program.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I would have stayed if I could.”

He frowned, his eyes softening into concern. “What do you mean? You’re more than welcome to come back if you wish.”

“Thank you, but I can’t. I’m fae and it’s illegal for me to pursue a doctoral degree.” That was her test. She had planned to put her fae nature out there, see that he was unsurprised, then confront him about the murders, because it was his voice she’d heard in her dream. Only, he didn’t look unsurprised. He looked utterly confused.

“What’s fae? This doesn’t make any sense, Liza. If dropping out of the program wasn’t your idea, I can talk to someone. I can pull some strings and get you back in.”

Shit, shit, shit. She’d been wrong. Unless he was a fantastic actor, and she’d never known him to lie about anything, she’d made a huge mistake. Of course she’d been wrong. Cheerful, kind professor Gupp wouldn’t kill anyone, and now she’d revealed the fae to him. How could she cover? “No, it’s okay, really. I’ve found a new job working for the government, and I really love it.” A part of her wanted to beg him to pull those strings and get her back in the program, but she knew it wouldn’t work. She’d get sent to be a guinea pig, and he’d probably get in some sort of trouble or be brain washed. “I just wanted to let you know how much I loved working with you and that my leaving had nothing to do with you.”