Page 74 of Fighting Furry

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The house was on a suburban street, next to a golf course, and it was enormous. I mean, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous enormous. Mansion would be too mundane a word for it, the place was a palace.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked.

Axel peered up at the sprawling, adobe-style house and grimaced. “Damn it, Max,” he muttered. He turned to me. “This is the address he gave me.”

He got out of the car and I followed him up the driveway to the massive front door. Lining the driveway and the walkway were palm trees, the yard more stone than vegetation. Axel hopped up the stairs and rang the doorbell.

The door swung open moments later and a small, elderly woman in a lush, satin bathrobe stood before us. Her white hair was in a neat pixie cut, her features sparkled with life, and her eyes danced with mischief. “You must be Axel,” she said with a warm smile. “And Julie Jacobs, I recognize you from television. My nephews love to watch that barbaric fighting.”

I stared at her for a long moment, unsure what to make of her and her backhanded compliment.

“Max said you could help us?”

“Of course, dear,” she said. “Come on in. I've sent all my staff home until we can come up with a believable cover story.” She stepped to the side and allowed us to walk in. She closed the door and faced us. “I'm Desiree Adams. You're welcome to tour the main house, but I thought you might prefer the privacy of the guest house.”

“We would,” Axel said.

Outside, an engine revved and died.

“I hope you've taken everything you need from the car. The crew is here to remove it now.”

I held up the duffel Rowan had left in the back for us. “I've got what I need.”

“Convenient timing,” Axel muttered.

Desiree's expression brightened. “I did build and run a Fortune five hundred company, my dear. I can certainly manage having a car towed. Come along, I'll show you the guest house.”

We followed her through the house. It was all hard edges, sleek lines, and vacant spaces. There was gorgeous art on the walls, but little else to recommend the place to my taste.

Axel grabbed my hand as we walked, then pulled me to his side and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him as Desiree opened a sliding glass door and led us out onto an enormous patio. She skirted the Olympic-size swimming pool and led us to a house big enough to squeeze ten of Axel's cabins into. She pressed some buttons on a keypad next to the front door and led us inside.

The interior was less spacious than that of the main house, not cozy by any means, but more tolerable. The furniture, too, was a bit worn, softer and more inviting. I imagined this was the furniture that had been in the main house several years ago and it had been moved to the guest house when it went out of style. She gave us a quick tour of the up-to-date kitchen, formal dining room, living room, office, exercise room, three bedrooms, and two and a half baths and then made herself comfortable on a couch in the living room. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you like,” she said. “It's never used anymore and I owe Max more than a few favors.”

I sat next to Desiree and gave the air a sniff. She wasn't a werewolf, but she didn't quite smell like a human, either. She glanced over at me, her lips twitching. “I'm a witch, dear. Took centuries of witch-lore, herbal healing, and a touch of magic and created the most popular line of lotions and potions ever made.”

I gasped. “You created Lotions and Potions?” I loved her stuff. She sold everything from cosmetics to body lotions to massage oils to sex lubes.

She smiled. “That's me.”

“I adore your stuff. Your eyelash plumper mascara is the only one I use.”

She looked me over. “I'd have pegged you for a natural, no-make-up type.”

“Every woman likes to get dolled up sometimes,” I said.

Her gaze went a bit distant. “It's a shame you're in hiding. I just had the most magnificent idea for an advertising campaign centered around you.”

“But we are in hiding,” Axel said. “You mentioned a cover story?”

“Right,” Desiree said. “My staff has been with me for over twenty years, now, and they are terrible gossips. They'll be insanely curious about you, seeing as how they've never seen you at the house before.”

“They can't see us now,” Axel said. “They'll recognize us.”

She tapped her chin. “Of course, of course, but that will just make them more curious. Would you consider plastic surgery?”

“No,” Axel and I said at the same time. I was tempted to shout jinx, because the entire situation seemed so bizarre, but I managed to hold my tongue.

---