Chapter 12: Doctor Blabbermouth

SERAPHINA

Garrick held a cascade of flowers in his hands. He was dressed in a black button-up shirt and dress pants, his crisp, ironed attire clearly an attempt to impress. He stood tall, seemingly uninjured.

He looked even sharper than he had at Jack’s funeral.

Two guards trailed behind him, armed—a detail Garrick didn’t miss as he glanced back. He took a seat next to me, a puzzled look on his face as a plate was set down in front of both of us.

“Am I being interrogated, or poisoned?”

“Do you need to be?” I teased, finishing up a text and smiling at him as I set down my phone. He handed me the flowers, which I accepted with surprise—they were potted.

I passed them to Damien, taking a moment to inhale their scent. I admired the delicate bouquet, especially the vibrant orange marigolds.

“They’re not cut. My brother said witches hate that. I’m kind of out of my depth…”

Garrick ran his hands over his thighs, as if trying to find the right words. “I just wanted to come and make sure you were alright after the other night, and to ask if your team had any leads,” he said.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I blurted before collecting myself. I realized I needed to maintain a position of power as Jack Blair’s widow and the holder of the Blair empire. “I remained entirely unscathed. As for leads. No. Unfortunately.”

I folded my hands, aiming to keep the conversation as professional as possible.

Garrick fell silent for a moment. “That’s unfortunate, and very stressful for me considering how much we rely on you and your generosity. It’s in my colleague’s best interests, as well as my own, that you stay safe and protected. Whoever was after your husband clearly made you a target. It can’t be a coincidence someone walked away untraceable in a town this size, twice.

“It also doesn’t help you’ve pointed a target on your back, which means you’re probably going to need my help. My people know what you did to Vasiliev, and it affected Chen’s deals too. They’re pretty sure it was you, since you seemed to have voluntarily disbanded days before the raids,” Garrick said in an undertone, leaning forward.

A wave of guilt washed over me, which I tried to ignore as I poured myself water, glancing around to wonder where the meal was at. I tried to appear as relaxed as possible, biding my time when I was really fidgeting, unsure of what to say.

~Suspicion fell faster on me than I thought.~

“I had nothing to do with that,” I lied, hoping he wouldn’t call my bluff as I heard footsteps just around the corner of the dining room. I was thankful for the break in our conversation as Glory and her daughter Tina came in to serve us lunch.

They wore their matching lemon aprons—gifts from me last Christmas, which they usually wore when they worked together every Wednesday. Glory carefully laid out the silverware, while Tina set out biscuits and fruits, refilling my water.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling warmly at them. I quietly hoped that the bonus I gave Tina this year would help with her son’s braces and fund a trip for them both. I was grateful for Tina’s steady hands and Glory’s years of experience. The duo made amazing meals, and the lobster and pasta in front of us already had my mouth watering.

I was grateful that, with Jack’s money, I could make a difference in the lives of those close to me, despite the tainted source of the wealth.

They left our table with a small curtsy, and matching smiles. That seemed to all be for Garrick as he flashed one back in return.

I tried to ignore Garrick’s overly ~flirtatious~ smile with my staff, feeling myself easily slip back into my cooler demeanor. Part of me was a little put off—from flirting with me at a funeral, to now chasing my staff. Perhaps this man simply had no bounds for where he put his dick.

“From what I understand, when Jack died, his control over certain assets died with him,” I fibbed, continuing with my bluff. “What I disbanded was based on my personal beliefs and choices, what happened after I had zero involvement with.

“I don’t support enslaving people or engaging in sex slavery, which is what’s really happening to those women, and even some men under Jack’s care. Letting them live free lives out of indentured servitude was never a political move. I haven’t even decided if I plan to stay in these other deals Jack had behind closed doors.”

For now, though, I didn’t plan on making any more moves. This was exactly why. One little mistake and I nearly get shot over it, which is likely what happened yesterday. Personally, I don’t believe the killer and the shooter last night are connected.”

Another lie. If Aleksandr was the one to kill my husband and frame one of the local covens, he was also the one to try and shoot me last night. He wouldn’t have hesitated at all for another male that was in the way. An eye for an eye after shooting him myself.

~I was stupid to confront him.~

“If Aleksandr Vasilev has a problem with it or wants to blame me, I’ve already dealt with him more than once. Especially considering this is all news to me.”

“You called in another coven,” Garrick accused, leaning forward to try and meet my gaze. He was calling my bluff easily.

I held his stare, steady as I lifted the pasta on my fork, a small smile playing on my lips. “Like I said, this is news to me.

“I can’t control if someone decides to spill secrets to another coven about what’s happening in their own backyard up North. It could have been any one of my coven members as soon as I backed out. Maybe one of the countless werewolves decided to drop by for a visit to your people, and sniffed out something they shouldn’t have. How sloppy are your people around werewolves?”

Garrick was quiet, seemingly trying to figure out how to deal with me.

“I think you need my help, and I know my organization needs yours,” he said. His tone was low. Protective. Soft.

I didn’t like how soft, like I was weak.

He was lucky my mouth was full of food. Otherwise, I probably would have said something.

“You probably know that we’re connected to many local youth groups and child welfare programs, but we’re struggling to support the local emergency services for the upcoming winter. My team is competent, but we still need funds for things like fuel and the labor required to dig people out, not to mention other medical supplies.

“I can’t guarantee continued security at Jack’s ports in Anchorage or Haines with what we have now.”

I drummed my fingers against the table, pondering his words. “I’m aware of the welfare programs. Marcus volunteers regularly, doesn’t he? Now that he’s gotten to know some of the kids? Aren’t some of them supernatural?”

“He has a soft spot, and we only take in the kids we can handle,” Garrick confessed, folding his hands in front of him. “I’m not asking for much, a hundred and fifty thousand should cover more than half of our expenses and—”

“So where would the rest go?” I asked.

Garrick seemed taken aback. “Well, the funds are there as a buffer in case we exceed our budget, which is a certainty every winter. More people moving north each year means more people to look after, and many tend to be overly confident the further south of the border they come from.”

“As great as that would be for tax deductions, I’m still not hearing where the rest of my money would go.”

Garrick let out a small sound of frustration, seemingly surprised that I was questioning him at all. I wasn’t surprised, though. Jack’s partnership with Garrick had made him nearly invincible, as long as both parties were satisfied.

“Jack never—”

“I’m not Jack,” I cut him off. “So when I give out money, I expect to know exactly where it’s going. I’m not a frightened little girl in the dark, Mr. Eyak, and I want to know where every penny is going before I blindly hand over extra funds like my husband might have. Regardless of whatever…protective services you offer, which I’m sure are supernatural in nature. Especially after you just got done accusing me of squealing to an over sated leech of a woman who calls herself queen of my people.”

The tension in the room thickened as silence fell. It grew even more palpable as I blinked away what I knew was a figment of my imagination. The eerily accurate image of a green, sharp-toothed child swimming across my vision.

I rubbed my eyes and let out a deep sigh. It was more from exhaustion than the conversation itself.

“It’s difficult to explain what I need the funds for, because they’re for personal use,” he began. “You should know, at least, that a lot of my organization is family. That includes the restaurant we visited. I’m not a wealthy man, Ms. Blair, but I am a hardworking one. I wouldn’t come asking for help if I didn’t have a good reason, and I encourage you to use our services as often as possible in return. If you ever need a bodyguard other than Damien, for example, we both know I would gladly take a bullet for you.”

“I can understand wanting to protect and provide for your family,” I replied. “I had a family member who was trying to buy a restaurant on a main strip when I was a little girl, but then—” I stopped, struggling to recall the memory clearly.

The harder I tried, the more the memory seemed to fade. Instead, a new feeling arose. Warmth spread from my fingertips up my arms and into my cheeks. The image in my mind became severely hazy.

~Magic.~

Struggling to keep my breathing steady and hide my excitement, I shook my head. “Sorry. I lost my train of thought.”

Garrick chuckled, giving me a small, amused smile. “It’s quite alright,” he said.

“I’ll consider the funding, but I need a breakdown. That’s all,” I said, swallowing a few times as a tingling sensation spread through my ears and cheeks. My vision started to shimmer just at the edges, as if a migraine were coming.

Garrick nodded. “I can do that. It sounds perfectly reasonable, and I’ll make sure everything accurately reflects our needs.”

“Good.” I tried to keep my voice pleasant and brief, hoping I could ignore or suppress the sensation that was still washing over me, as faint as it was.

“I can probably have them ready in a few days. Maybe we could have dinner again another evening? Have a more in-depth discussion?”

~If you trigger my magic again, yes. Every time, yes.~

Logically, the idea wasn’t appealing, but the more I studied him, the more I made up my mind. Not only was Garrick attractive, but he was the new key to touching my magic. I would spend any and all time I had with him just to keep feeling this sensation.

~Would it be thrilling to sleep with Garrick? The thought of being passionately taken, maybe even in the wilderness. The sensation of rough denim against my bare skin as he entered me from behind.~

~Delicious.~

My fantasy abruptly crumbled as I looked down. I noticed he wasn’t wearing his usual jeans. Instead, he had on crisp dress pants, the kind that brought back memories of my late husband, killing my libido immediately.

Damien signaled subtly, indicating that our visit should soon come to an end. I responded with a slight nod, keeping my focus on Garrick.

“That could potentially work. Just inform Damien of the specifics when you’re ready, and we can arrange another meeting.”

Garrick’s grin was so wide, it could have illuminated the entire room. “Then it’s a date,” he said.