Succubus Lost (Files from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #2) by Tiffany Allee
Authors: Tiffany Allee
Tags: Someone is kidnapping and incinerating otherworlders beyond recognition, and detective Marisol Whitman, a succubus, races to find the murderer before he claims another victim. But her pursuit is derailed when her responsible younger sister vanishes. Marisol suspects foul play and enlists support from an unlikely source: an agent from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, Valerio Costa.
When the trail pointing to everyone from vampires to witches dries up, Agent Costa admits to knowing more than he’s shared. Marisol’s sister’s kidnapper harnesses more magic than she can imagine—and they’re running out of time. To find her sister before her powers are drained and twisted beyond recognition, Marisol must connect the dots between cases and put her trust in Costa, a salamander who may burn her before she can solve either case.
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course.”
Professional suicide. Yeah, right. More like physical homicide when the councilman got ahold of the witch.
Like the vampires, the Covenant tended to take care of their own problems.
“And,” Natalie added, “a very powerful salamander could have done it.”
Her points were valid, but they didn’t really eliminate any of the species she’d named, just made some more likely than others. Hell, Mac had found that out only months before. Incubi, cousins to my species, were supposed to be extinct. Mac had discovered not one, but two of them on that case. One of which was a deranged killer, and the other she was currently living with. The fact that powerful ones were somewhat rare sure as heck didn’t take them off the potentials list if extinct didn’t.
My thoughts briefly flitted to Costa. He was a salamander, after all. I didn’t think it likely he’d come into town early to burn some poor person behind La Maison, but I’d have Vasquez check his whereabouts to be sure.
“Can you get us any information from the ashes?” I pulled a small, white plastic container from my purse that Astrid had given me in the parking lot. It was enclosed in a Ziploc bag and sealed. It only looked like it would hold half a cup or so of the ash, but probably a big enough sample for Natalie.
Natalie sighed. “I can try. Not sure what I can get will be worth the amount of money it’ll cost your department.” I grimaced but my voice was steady. “No amount of money is worth a life, Ms. Leigh. If what you find can help us, it’ll be worth the whole of the department’s budget.” Oh boy. Vasquez was going to love that.
My phone rang and I glanced at the unfamiliar number before touching the screen to answer it.
I turned away from Natalie. “Whitman.” I knew it almost definitely wasn’t Elaine, but my voice still caught with fear and hope.
“This is Costa. The security cameras are a no-go.”
“What about her car? I saw it in the parking lot.”
“We got it. But it doesn’t look like the girls made it that far. It was locked up tight. The CSIs are going to go over it anyway, but I don’t think it’s likely they’ll find anything.” I cursed under my breath. “This is what you called to tell me?” I winced. I was directing my worry for Elaine into anger at Costa. I knew that, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. He’d been kind of a jerk earlier, though, so that soothed my guilt a bit.
He hesitated. “There’s something else, but I think we’re better off talking in person.” I stifled a sigh. “Fine. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Hampton, off Illinois Street.”
“I know where that is.” I glanced at Natalie. “Not sure how long I’ll be, but I’ll be there.” I tossed my phone back into my bag.
“Was there anything else, Detective?” Natalie turned to head back into her office as she spoke.
“How much for a locator spell?”
The witch turned back to me and smiled, and I’d swear I saw dollar signs flash across her eyes.
Costa’s hotel was on the north side of Chicago. It was probably the closest to the police department within the OWEA’s budget.
A quick call with Vasquez from my car confirmed Costa’s whereabouts when our alley victim was incinerated.
He had an ironclad alibi—it was hard to beat the word of a dozen cops and a DA. I trudged to his room and knocked briskly on the door. It swung open and I took a quick breath. A light sheen of moisture reflected off Costa’s naked chest and he rubbed his wet hair with a towel. He stepped back, and I caught the door automatically before it could close behind him.
I followed him into the room and kept my eyes firmly affixed to his muscular back. It was tempting, but not as tempting as the tight butt I could see the outline of in his jeans.
“Just a minute,” he said. He reached the bed and tossed the towel onto a desk situated across from it. As he grabbed a T-shirt out of the suitcase sitting on top of the bed, I
Professional suicide. Yeah, right. More like physical homicide when the councilman got ahold of the witch.
Like the vampires, the Covenant tended to take care of their own problems.
“And,” Natalie added, “a very powerful salamander could have done it.”
Her points were valid, but they didn’t really eliminate any of the species she’d named, just made some more likely than others. Hell, Mac had found that out only months before. Incubi, cousins to my species, were supposed to be extinct. Mac had discovered not one, but two of them on that case. One of which was a deranged killer, and the other she was currently living with. The fact that powerful ones were somewhat rare sure as heck didn’t take them off the potentials list if extinct didn’t.
My thoughts briefly flitted to Costa. He was a salamander, after all. I didn’t think it likely he’d come into town early to burn some poor person behind La Maison, but I’d have Vasquez check his whereabouts to be sure.
“Can you get us any information from the ashes?” I pulled a small, white plastic container from my purse that Astrid had given me in the parking lot. It was enclosed in a Ziploc bag and sealed. It only looked like it would hold half a cup or so of the ash, but probably a big enough sample for Natalie.
Natalie sighed. “I can try. Not sure what I can get will be worth the amount of money it’ll cost your department.” I grimaced but my voice was steady. “No amount of money is worth a life, Ms. Leigh. If what you find can help us, it’ll be worth the whole of the department’s budget.” Oh boy. Vasquez was going to love that.
My phone rang and I glanced at the unfamiliar number before touching the screen to answer it.
I turned away from Natalie. “Whitman.” I knew it almost definitely wasn’t Elaine, but my voice still caught with fear and hope.
“This is Costa. The security cameras are a no-go.”
“What about her car? I saw it in the parking lot.”
“We got it. But it doesn’t look like the girls made it that far. It was locked up tight. The CSIs are going to go over it anyway, but I don’t think it’s likely they’ll find anything.” I cursed under my breath. “This is what you called to tell me?” I winced. I was directing my worry for Elaine into anger at Costa. I knew that, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. He’d been kind of a jerk earlier, though, so that soothed my guilt a bit.
He hesitated. “There’s something else, but I think we’re better off talking in person.” I stifled a sigh. “Fine. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Hampton, off Illinois Street.”
“I know where that is.” I glanced at Natalie. “Not sure how long I’ll be, but I’ll be there.” I tossed my phone back into my bag.
“Was there anything else, Detective?” Natalie turned to head back into her office as she spoke.
“How much for a locator spell?”
The witch turned back to me and smiled, and I’d swear I saw dollar signs flash across her eyes.
Costa’s hotel was on the north side of Chicago. It was probably the closest to the police department within the OWEA’s budget.
A quick call with Vasquez from my car confirmed Costa’s whereabouts when our alley victim was incinerated.
He had an ironclad alibi—it was hard to beat the word of a dozen cops and a DA. I trudged to his room and knocked briskly on the door. It swung open and I took a quick breath. A light sheen of moisture reflected off Costa’s naked chest and he rubbed his wet hair with a towel. He stepped back, and I caught the door automatically before it could close behind him.
I followed him into the room and kept my eyes firmly affixed to his muscular back. It was tempting, but not as tempting as the tight butt I could see the outline of in his jeans.
“Just a minute,” he said. He reached the bed and tossed the towel onto a desk situated across from it. As he grabbed a T-shirt out of the suitcase sitting on top of the bed, I
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