Page 36 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
“Stop.” Mrs. Cooper slammed the papers down, making the pens rattle. “I don’t want to hear any more of this.”
Malik shifted slightly, drawing her attention. “Don’t you want to find your daughter?”
She turned on him, eyes blazing. “Of course I do! But not through these…these lies and invasions of privacy.”
“The posts are public. Anyone can read them. If you didn’t want me to pursue every avenue to find her, then what exactly did you hire me for?” Tynan asked quietly.
Mrs. Cooper stood abruptly, pulling out her checkbook. “I’m wondering the same thing. It’s not as if my instructions were difficult to follow, but this was clearly a mistake. I thought you’d be discreet and professional. Not digging through my daughter’s personal life like some tabloid reporter.”
She scrawled out a check and thrust it at him. “Here. Payment in full, plus extra for your discretion, if you can call it that. Stop looking for Hayley immediately.”
Tynan stared at the check. It was three times what she’d originally promised. “Mrs. Cooper, if Hayley’s in trouble…”
“She’s not in trouble.” Her voice cracked slightly. “She’s just… She’ll come home when she’s ready. They always do.”
“They?” Malik asked. “Do you mean your husband and brother?”
Mrs. Cooper’s whole body went rigid. “How dare you!”
“Their disappearances came up in a routine search,” Tynan said gently. “It’s possible there is some form of pattern…” He trailed off, hoping Mrs. Cooper might shed some light on the situation.
For a moment, her composed mask slipped, revealing something raw and desperate underneath. Then she pulled herself together, spine straightening.
“You know nothing.” She clutched her purse like a weapon. “And if you value your little business, you’ll keep it that way. Stop looking for Hayley. Destroy any notes you’ve made. Forget you ever heard our names.”
“Is that a threat?” Malik stepped forward.
She looked him up and down with disdain. “It’s advice. Some stones are better left unturned.” Her gaze shifted to Tynan. “Especially for someone who’s trying so hard to fit in where they don’t belong.”
The words hung in the air like a slap, and Tynan fought to hide his wince. She knew something or suspected it. About him, about them.
“Good day, gentlemen.” She swept out, leaving the check on the desk and the scent of expensive perfume in her wake.
They waited until her footsteps faded completely before speaking.
“Well,” Sparky said, breaking the silence. “She seems lovely.”
Tynan picked up the check with numb fingers. “She’s paying me to stop looking for her daughter.”
“Because she doesn’t want her found,” Malik said grimly. “The question is why.”
“And what did she mean about fitting in where I don’t belong?” Tynan’s glamor flickered slightly with his agitation. “Does she know what I am?”
Malik pulled him into his arms. “You have the looks of a superstar model, and you work out of a low-budget office. It could quite easily be something like that – she’s just casting shade. Even if she suspects something else, it’s not like she can prove it. But this whole thing stinks.”
“We can’t just stop looking for Hayley.” Tynan pulled back to meet Malik’s eyes. “What if she needs help?”
“Then we keep looking,” Malik said simply. “Quietly, carefully, but we keep looking.”
Tynan nodded, crumpling the check. His magic sparked, turning it to purple ash that drifted to the floor. “I won’t take her money. Not for this. I’m sorry if you thought I should keep it. Everything we have is joint now, but I just can’t – not like this.”
“That’s my mate.” Malik kissed his forehead. “You did exactly what I would’ve done under the same circumstances, although I would’ve taken a match to it. Now, come on. Let’s go home and figure out our next move.”
Locking up the office, the only thing Tynan could wonder was what Mrs. Cooper was so desperate to hide, and what did that have to do with Hayley’s disappearance?
Chapter Eighteen
Later that night, Tynan leaned back against the pillows, watching as Malik checked the window catches and the cameras one final time. His mate’s protective instincts, already high, had been in overdrive since their confrontation with Mrs. Cooper, leading to triple-checking of locks and several perimeter walks around the building.
