Chapter Eleven

“She checks out,” Lahar told the handful of gods and Huxley who convened in Marduk’s office the next morning, facing off against a stoic and silent Candy. For the time being, Hux wasn’t on the hot-seat, and he enjoyed his brief respite. It wouldn’t be long before it was his turn to be grilled.

“Bullshit,” Enlil spouted. “I don’t trust a thing about her.”

“I retrieved her car and put it in the garage last night,” Huxley interjected. “And Ishkur found her ID a few minutes ago, right where she said it would be. Her name really is Candy Lane.”

Lahar continued. “I put in a call to Shamash. He hacked into a few networks and found out she’s employed by the DEA all right.” His eyes pinned to Candy’s blank face. “But there are no pictures of her anywhere, and no mention of what kind of work she does for the agency.”

Enlil regarded Candy again, skepticism written all over his face. “That might make sense, if she’s a deep-op agent. So my question is, who the hell introduces herself while on a job using her own name?”

Candy sent the wind god a look that contained all sass, and Huxley put a hand up to hide his grin. “One who’s pretty sure she’ll never get checked out because who the fuck thinks the name ‘Candy Lane’ is for real?”

She’d had her ankles crossed, leaning back against Marduk’s desk, but had drawn herself up at Enlil’s jab. “If I came on to you as a hooker or a drug dealer and told you my name was Candy Lane, would you be all, ‘Oh. I think I’ll Google that?’ Or would you just assume the name was fake as shit and move on with business?”

Marduk caught Huxley’s eye and gave a nod. Hux believed her, and clearly the boss did too.

“Listen my friend,” Marduk assuaged. “I think she’s who she says she is, and if she wants to help find Ereshkigal, I say we sign her up.”

Candy smiled broadly in response. “I feel good about this. And I’m not losing any money. At least until later today, I’m still on the bitch—Worthington’s—payroll.”

Marduk had called time out on a disgruntled Enlil but then turned to Huxley, making him ‘fess up to the amount of debt he was in. A few calls were placed. The total due sped on its way to the cunt by courier, but Huxley still internally squirmed. He had yet to tell any of them why Miranda really wanted to find him. He only hoped she’d take the money, and spare him having to come clean.

Huxley had told everyone the truth, in part, but left out a lot of the more fucked-up puzzle pieces. Eventually Candy would confront him. She’d met Worthington, and if she was as good of an agent as Huxley assumed, she would come to her conclusions about why the Maine bitch held out so persistently.

In the meantime, it looked like she could afford to chill, because the gods weren’t looking to throw her back in her cell. But man, she needed to lay off the coffee. Who drank that much and still looked relaxed? Candy had to be on her fourth cup, but her body stayed loose while her brain remained fully engaged, listening as Marduk finished telling her everything about Ereshkigal’s disappearance.

“I won’t lie. This missing person…uh, goddess gig sounds damned intriguing. And if what I’m hearing is correct, none of you guys, or your hottie king, can go after her because of some fucked-up energy shit that you give off, which leaves you with Huxley, Dani, and me.” She sat back smugly. “I want in on the action.”

Enlil cranked up his complaints again. He didn’t trust her. It was no place for a human female among the dangerous immortals, blah, blah, blah. Huxley simply waited for Candy to blow. One, two…

“What are you?” She finally yelled, jumping to her feet. She strode forward and poked a finger into Enlil’s big chest. “God of the pussy’s? Why don’t you want me involved? Are you afraid I’ll do all your work for you and your job will be outsourced?”

“Watch your mouth, female.” Enlil growled, and Huxley marveled as the god’s horns briefly poked through his skull. Shit. The small agent really got to him.

“Say what?” Candy blinked at the semi-show, shocked for a moment, before being overcome with glee. “Are you shitting me? Horns? Is that meant to impress or intimidate?” she asked cheekily. She threw her gaze toward Enlil’s crotch. “Or do you do it because you can’t come up with anything more interesting?”

Enlil roared his displeasure, but being turned half bull, he was without a witty comeback as all of his energy went into holding back a total transformation.

Such a shame. Huxley hadn’t been this entertained in a long time.

“Keep her away from me,” the wind god finally barked out as he got back his control. He stormed from the room. Candy chuckled, and an answering snort emerged from across the desk.

“You probably don’t want to poke that hornet’s nest any harder,” Marduk said, his dark eyes lighting with the pleasure of seeing Enlil off balance. “It’s been centuries since anyone has challenged the wind god any way but physically,” he informed her. “And, oh, it’s a total bonus that his antagonist, verbal sparring partner is a five foot four, fresh-mouthed female.”

Candy grinned. She hadn’t taken that the wrong way. Instead, she lifted her middle finger in the direction of the door, showing her level—not—of intimidation. This got her another chuckle.

Hux, Marduk, and Candy finished their coffee in a companionable silence, the other gods having filed out after the fireworks subsided. She still looked completely relaxed.

“It’s a shame you’re so well ensconced here,” she mused at Marduk. “You’d make a kick ass addition to my team back in LA. I wonder what my boss and the guys would think of having gods on their side?” She snickered. “Ah well. It’s too bad there’s one serious prick in your group, or I might just ask.”

Huxley snorted then stood and took his leave. He headed for his room to contemplate the upcoming trip to Boston to find Ereshkigal.

****

Dani-Lee came out of her room and stomped down the hall to stand in front of Huxley’s. She raised her hand to knock, but hesitated. What the hell was she doing? She mentally worked on her speech again, and when she felt sure she had it, Dani worked up the courage—again—to announce herself. Before she knocked, the door swung open and there he stood, with his hair damp from a shower, smelling rapturously like butter-soft leather.

“Dani.” His voice turned gruff with surprise. “I didn’t expect you,” he said, inanely.

“I live here, Huxley, remember?” Dani-Lee teased with a little half smile that quirked up to one side.

“That’s not…I mean, I know.”

Dani put him out of his misery, while putting herself into some. She stared intently at her feet. “I know what you meant, Hux. You didn’t think I’d have the guts to come back here this morning. Well, I just wanted to tell you that you…performed unbelievably last night.” She felt a blush rise up her neck, but being a redhead, she was used it. Her honest sharing could not be stopped. “Nobody’s ever made me respond like that before.”

Getting no reaction, she finally raised her head and blinked her big, brown eyes right at him.

“Ever,” she added succinctly.

“That’s umm…good. I mean shit.” Huxley grabbed her hand and yanked her inside his room. He slammed the door behind them and whirled around, backing away from her immediately.

“What the fuck, Dani?” He ran a hand back through his wet hair. “Don’t get the wrong idea, here. Last night was meant to be fun. Nothing heavy or serious.” His face screwed up into worried lines.

Okay. Maybe she had hoped for a little more, that by seeing him this morning, there’d be some clarification of intent as to why he couldn’t stop touching her. And “having fun” just didn’t seem to cut it. But he clearly wouldn’t admit anything. Even to himself. Not yet. She was disappointed, but also determined not to cry, deciding instead to hang on to Candy’s advice. She’d keep to Huxley’s rules, stay honest, and hope things worked out.

“I know,” she shrugged, barely able to keep her tone light. “I just…I wanted to let you to know it was good.” She swallowed a huge lump in her throat. “And to thank you.” She turned around, groping blindly for the doorknob. His hand grabbed hers.

“Tell me you didn’t just thank me.” Huxley hissed.

Dani floundered, out of her depth now that she hadn’t been able to make a fast getaway. Dammit. In the emergency room, in surgery, she was all about being in charge and in control. But she sucked with personal interaction. Even so, Huxley was making her believe she did something wrong. She needed to leave.

“Yup. I did. That’s all. Bye ‘til later. I haven’t had breakfast.” She quivered under his touch.

“Shit,” he moaned. “Sure. Okay.” He swept his free hand back through his hair, making it stand on end, and shook his head as if to clear his brain. “Uh, sorry if I…listen. I think I’ve handled things badly with you. Life is a little weird right now with the king and queen stuff, and the bit they sprung on me about my bloodlines. I haven’t been thinking straight or acting like myself.”

Dani looked over her shoulder and recognized the angst in his attempted half smile. Maybe the sun would start shining again. Her heart went out to him. He was going through a confusing time. She wouldn’t add to it, so she did what people usually did when confronted with a conflicted friend. “I think you might need a hug, Huxley,” she whispered. “Can I give you one?”

If any six-foot-three male could look terrified, Huxley exhibited just that. He backed up a few steps and stood very still. Dani-Lee turned to face him and continued to speak softly.

“Hux. It’s okay. It’s just a hug. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

She watched him forcibly shake off his…fear? Ridiculous. He’d practically kidnapped Dani from her room last night, licked her pussy until she screamed, and he couldn’t stomach the idea of a hug?

“No. It’s fine.” Huxley inched stiffly toward her. If only he realized how much he looked like some of her patients when faced with the prospect of a needle. She used the same voice on him she used to soothe them.

“It’s going to be fine, Huxley. Everything will work out. You’ll be a wonderful prince, and you won’t let anybody down.” She curled tentative fingers around his ribcage, moving his great, big body close. “We’re all here for you, every one of us. We’ve all got your back.”

She stroked the hard muscles of his shoulders in a half patting kind of a way, and felt him loosen just a bit as she gently pulled him in.

“Understand this, Huxley. We’re with you. We’re family. You’re not alone.”

He sighed at the top of her head, and he went limp in her arms.

Yes, she’d settle for this with Huxley. She’d settle for this while she waited patiently for more.