Hotter After Midnight (Midnight 1)

“Well, maybe he don’t wanna answer yer questions.” Tattooed crossed his beefy arms over his chest and glowered at them.

The radio crackled to life. The smaller guy pushed a button. “Yeah?”

“Let ’em through.”

Tattooed swore.

The smaller guy glared at them as he jerked his thumb toward the door. “Go on.”

“Thanks,” Colin muttered, and lifted his hand to his holster as he went inside. No telling what kind of reception Niol could have waiting for them…

The interior of Paradise Found was lit only by a few weak lights. Niol sat at a table near the bar, a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes. He didn’t rise when they approached, just inclined his head and said, “Detective, back so soon, eh?” A taunting smile curved his lips. “That’s the way it is for most folks. They find my place a bit…addictive.”

Yeah, he just bet they did.

“Drink?”

Colin shook his head.

“And what about you, Detective Brooks, can I get you a…whiskey, isn’t it? That is your drink of choice, right?”

“I’m not thirsty.” Brooks didn’t appear the least bit surprised that Niol knew who he was or even his favorite drink. The guy had always been able to bluff his way through anything.

The chair squeaked as Niol leaned back. “I take it this isn’t a social call?”

Colin reached into his jacket pocket. Pulled out the photos Smith had given him and tossed them onto the table. “Recognize these men?” They were head shots, but it was clear the guys were dead.

Niol touched one of the photos. “What happened to them?” Something that could have been anger hardened his words.

“Don’t you know?” Colin stared back at him and kept his body loose, ready.

Very slowly, Niol took off his glasses. Colin heard a faint gasp of surprise come from Brooks.

“You think I did this?” Eyes as black as night stared back at him. A table to the left began to tremble.

Colin wasn’t impressed. “Did you?”

“Not my style.” Niol shoved the pictures away. “If I’d attacked them, there wouldn’t have been enough left for a picture.”

His words had the ring of truth.

“You know them, don’t you?” Brooks asked as he stepped to the edge of the table.

Niol nodded. “I’ve seen them around Paradise.” A vague admission, nothing more, but Colin had seen the tightening of the man’s lips. The flaring of his nostrils. Hell, yeah, he knew the guys.

“You sent them to jump me and Dr. Drake the other night, didn’t you?” Colin leaned over the table, getting right in Niol’s face. He wasn’t scared of the demon, didn’t give a shit what level he was. If the guy had tried to have Emily killed, he was going to f**king rip him apart.

The demon didn’t so much as blink. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit!” Now Brooks was the one crowding him. He’d stalked around the table. Come right to Niol’s side. “You know who these guys are and you hired them to rough up my partner and the doctor!”

Niol sighed softly and pushed away from the table. “I can see this isn’t going to be a productive little talk.” He began to stand, but Brooks caught him by the shoulder, holding him in place.

“We’re not finished.”

Colin felt the push of power then, felt the stir in the air—

Brooks was shoved across the room. Shoved a good ten feet. But Niol never touched him. His partner crashed into a table, fell to the floor.

Brooks jumped to his feet. “You sonofabitch!” He ran forward, arms outstretched.

Colin stepped in front of him. “Easy.” The air seemed to be pushing against him, vibrating with malevolent force.

The doc would definitely have come in handy then.

“Keep your partner under control, Gyth.” Niol lifted his chin, stared at him with those creepy-as-hell eyes. “Or I will.”

“He assaulted me!” Brooks snapped, jerking his jacket back into place. “We can arrest the bastard.”

Niol shrugged. “I never touched you. Ask your partner, he’ll tell you.”

Colin’s jaw clenched. Brooks was no match for this guy. But Colin sure as hell would like to get two minutes alone with him.

“Don’t f**k with my partner again, Niol. You won’t like the consequences.”

A flash of amusement lightened his face. “You think you could actually take me on?”

A powerful shifter is the only Other that can match a demon’s strength. Emily had told him that. And the doc knew her supernaturals. “No, I know I could.”

The amusement vanished.

“Now cut the crap, Niol, and tell us what you know.”

The demon’s eyes narrowed. “The kids have been in the bar a few times. That’s all I know.”

“Were they working for you?” Brooks had regained some of his control, but anger still tinged his words.

“No.” Niol picked up his glass, took a long swallow. “I told you, not my method.”

“Look me in the eye,” Colin demanded, “and tell me that you didn’t send them to attack me and the doc.”

Niol met his stare. “I wouldn’t send someone to hurt Dr. Drake.”

“But you’d send someone after my partner?” Brooks pounced on the words Niol hadn’t spoken.

“No.” Niol never looked away from him. “I’d do that myself.”

He believed him. Shit. Colin finally lifted his right hand off his holster. “If you didn’t send them, who did?”

“I don’t know.” Niol picked up his sunglasses, slid them back into place. “But I intend to find out.” His face hardened. “No one uses my boys like this. No one.”

They were wasting their time. Niol wasn’t going to tell them anything else, and Colin actually believed the demon might not know much else.

“We’ll be in touch again, Niol,” Colin told him.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that.”

“Come on,” he muttered to Brooks. Time to get out of the devil’s den. Bringing Brooks had been a mistake, but there hadn’t seemed an easy way of ditching his partner. Not without raising too many questions.

Brooks shot a long, hard look at Niol. “I’m gonna be watching you from now on.”

Niol didn’t look particularly impressed.

“You f**k up, you do anything that suggests you were lying to us, I’ll be back.”