Succubus Lost (Files from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #2) by Tiffany Allee Page A

smiled, and the expression was somehow predatory.
    “I don’t think so, Agent.” Luc’s smile was just as wolfish.
    “What about the manager who rented the unit in St.
    Louis? You said he was fired, but maybe you know how to find him,” Costa shot back.
    “He seems to have disappeared.”
    Yeah, of course he had. I didn’t particularly care about the Magister’s staff or how he handled his business. Right now, all I cared about was finding Elaine.
    “Look.” I swallowed hard as both men broke eye contact to look at me. “I understand why you wouldn’t want us in your records, Magister. And really, I don’t see this twisted son of a bitch going through the regular channels like that anyway. What would be more helpful is a list of the properties that you show as currently vacant that meet our guidelines.”
    “I’m not just going to hand over—”
    “This asshole has my sister, Magister.” I stared down at my hands and suppressed the urge to rub my temples.
    I had to convince him. For Elaine. My pride didn’t mean jack right now. “I know that this isn’t something you’d normally allow, but I have to find her. Please. She’s been through enough.”
    He rocked back onto his heels and crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face. I met his gaze, knowing how desperate I must look, but not caring. Elaine was more important than my pride.
    “Okay,” he said finally. “But only the buildings that fit your criteria.”
    Hope filled my chest, and I opened my mouth to thank him, but the Magister held up his hand.
    “Don’t thank me, Detective. My people learned from the last incident. I don’t think you will find her in one of my buildings.” He gave me a small smile, and for a second the average man appeared almost human. “But I do hope you find your sister.”

    It took less than an hour for Luc Chevalier’s office to send us a list of the warehouses that met our criteria.
    Then another half hour back at the office for Costa and me to plot the thirty locations on Google Maps. Forty-five minutes to settle on which ones fit what we were looking for the best—far enough away from populated buildings, in areas that were run-down and not highly populated.
    Fifteen minutes to convince Vasquez to send a set of uniforms to check out a few of the warehouses for us.
    The clock on the dashboard in Costa’s rental read two by the time we headed out of the office. My stomach rumbled, but I ignored the sound. We’d already wasted too much time getting on the road. Costa didn’t mention lunch, either, and though annoyed, I was grateful for it.
    “So we should be able to get through two or three pretty quickly,” I said. “These three are all within a mile or so of each other. I hope Chevalier’s man isn’t late.” Chevalier had promised that one of his employees would meet us at the first location, and then travel to the other two to unlock them for us as well.
    Costa grunted. I hadn’t expected much more of a response. We’d been through this already, at the station.
    For some reason, saying it aloud made me feel better, calmer. I could deal with this so long as I had a plan.
    “So your sister,” Costa began.
    I winced. “I’m not sure this is the best time to talk about her. I need to keep my focus.”
    “I get that. I know she went through some stuff—
    you don’t have to rehash that if you don’t want to. It’s just… Where are your parents?” He glanced at me before returning his gaze to the road.
    “We don’t know who our dads are.”
    His eyes widened.
    “Yes. We have different dads.” I turned my head to face my window, and watched the gray buildings slip past us. “My mom enjoyed being a succubus. She wasn’t exactly the marrying kind.” My voice faded at the end, and I clenched my teeth together. It shouldn’t bother me. “She passed away when Elaine was still a teenager, a couple years before...” I cleared my throat and willed the image of Elaine, so broken and