Free Something Wicked by Michelle Rowen Page A

to last night at Luxuria. The gay one.
    It was important for Darrak to keep Eden’s male acquaintances and their sexual orientations clear in his head. Not that he was being possessive—no pun intended. He was just cautious of her safety.
    Eden nodded. “That’s Graham Davis. I knew him back in high school. Haven’t seen him in twelve years until last night. Is he in some sort of trouble?”
    “Trouble?” Ben repeated. “I’d say so. He’s dead.”

SIX
    Eden’s breath left her in a rush as if someone had just punched her in the stomach.
    “Graham’s dead?” she managed.
    Ben watched her carefully. “Yeah, he is.”
    “But—but I just saw him last night.”
    “It happened last night.”
    Her throat felt tight. It was impossible, the last thing she would have expected. Was Ben serious? Or was he just testing her, checking her reactions and applying it to whatever he thought she had to do with Selina’s disappearance?
    Eden caught a quick glimpse of other photos Ben held that he hadn’t yet waved in her face. Pictures of Graham lying in an alley, his eyes open and glassy. It was just a brief look, but it told her everything she needed to know.
    Ben wasn’t lying. Graham really was dead.
    “He was found out back of the Luxuria nightclub at four a.m., strangled,” Ben told her. “Someone called in an anonymous tip. You were seen with him earlier in the evening.”
    Eden felt something wet on her cheek, and she pushed away a tear. “H-he was a good friend. I hadn’t seen him in forever, but we were going to have coffee soon and catch up.”
    “A male friend of yours ends up dead. Interesting.” Ben glanced at Darrak.
    “Don’t look at me,” Darrak bit back. “I didn’t strangle him.”
    “I never said you did. But the fact you’d jump to that conclusion is also interesting, isn’t it?”
    Eden gritted her teeth. Ben would look for any reason to accuse Darrak. All he saw was a demon—something to fear. He didn’t know who Darrak really was. “Of course Darrak didn’t do anything. He was with me last night.”
    “Yes, I’m sure he was.” The intensity of Ben’s searching gaze was uncomfortable. “You’ve very close, aren’t you? Unnaturally close. Half the time, anyhow.”
    She’d been waiting for this confrontation since Ben stormed out of her apartment last week, after seeing the truth with his own eyes. He’d wanted to save her. Instead, he shot her. An accident, of course, but the pain was something she wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon. Pain was one thing she now associated with Ben.
    The crush she’d once harbored for the handsome cop had all but disappeared. A bullet to the chest did wonders in dousing any romantic aspirations.
    Eden touched her throat, her heart aching at imagining Graham’s sudden end. What had he found? Who had he pissed off enough last night to get himself killed?
    Andy sat perched on the edge of his desk watching them. “Darrak’s staying with his sister while he’s in Toronto. Of course they’re close.”
    “Right. His sister .” Ben glared at her. “Forgot you two are supposed to be related. After all, there’s not much of a family resemblance, is there?”
    “They’re half siblings,” Andy replied defensively.
    “Sure. That makes much more sense, doesn’t it?”
    Sarcasm, table for one. It was obvious that Ben could barely keep his disgust for the demon under control.
    The whole thing was making her feel ill. A twinge of pain flittered through her stomach.
    “What did you talk to Graham about?” Ben asked.
    She glanced at Darrak. He was so tense that veins stood out on his neck and along his arms as he crossed them tightly over his chest. He looked ready to forcibly drag Ben out of there.
    She licked her dry lips. “He was doing an investigation of the club, that’s why he was there. He’s a—he was a journalist. Several women have gone missing in the area, and he thought something strange was going on.” She exhaled and it