by Deanna Chase
“Smooth,” Bo said, rolling his eyes. “If I hadn’t seen you hold your own in some seriously messed-up magical battles, I’d assume you were completely unfit for this caper.”
“Caper?” I choked out with a laugh. “Who do you think you are? Shaggy from Scooby-Doo?”
“More like Velma. I’m the brains of this operation.” He grinned at me and waved a hand for me to go ahead of him down the stairs. “Cruella is gone.”
“Good. I know we only got a glimpse of her, but she makes my skin crawl. I can’t imagine what Stanley is going through.” My footsteps were light on the stairs. I paused outside the woman’s door and waved Bo on. “Make sure she’s gone.”
He saluted me and gave me a lopsided grin. “Try not to get caught.”
I rolled my eyes but secretly said a prayer that she didn’t have an alarm. If one went off, I was screwed. My phone buzzed with an incoming message from Bo.
All clear. Do your thing.
I replied with a thumbs-up emoji and knocked on the door just in case there was someone else in the apartment.
A faint whimper was the only response.
“Don’t worry, Stanley. I’m coming,” I whispered. After testing the door handle and finding it locked, as I expected, I pulled out my dagger and pressed it to the doorjamb. Magic skittered over the blade and then straight between the frame and the door. And just like that, the lock clicked. The door opened all on its own, and I peeked in.
“Stanley?” I called.
The whining intensified. Without another thought, I darted into the apartment, scanning for the dog. My eyes burned as I was met with the most obnoxious orange-and-red floral-patterned furniture set. It was so bright I actually squinted in reaction. “Goddess above. How does she ever nap?”
The whimpering turned to a sharp, incessant barking that was coming from the adjoining room. I darted from the living room, through an opening, and into a bright yellow kitchen. More orange flowers were stenciled on the walls, and the place was spotless. Nothing had been left on the counters. Not even a small appliance.
My attention snapped to the barking dog. He’d been stuffed into a too-small kennel that didn’t even have enough room for a water dish. “Oh, you poor baby,” I crooned as I hurried over to him. “Let me get you out of there.”
I reached down to unlatch the kennel, only to be stopped by a combination lock.
A lock? Was the woman insane? Did she honestly think the dog was talented enough to unhook the regular lock? Then again, maybe he was. With his mouth right there at the door, maybe he’d managed to pry it open before. It was no less than she deserved. The poor dog had no room.
“Don’t worry, Stanley. I’ve got this.” I whipped my dagger out again, but before I could use it on the lock, my phone buzzed again.
Abort! Abort! Crazy lady headed your way.
Shit! I glanced down at Stanley and made a split-second decision. The dagger had already made it obvious that I’d broken into the front door. Even if I left now, there was no hiding that. And once Maya knew someone had broken in, what would she do next to secure her place? I had to get Stanley while I had the chance.
I pressed the dagger tip to the lock, causing the metal to disintegrate instantly, leaving a pile of shavings right in front of the door. There was no telling what she’d make of that, but I didn’t have time to worry about it. After yanking the door open, I reached in to grab him, but Stanley took off, heading straight for the open front door.
“Son of a… crap on toast,” I muttered as I ran after him. As soon as I was out of the door, I tried to pull it shut, but the lock was too damaged, and it popped right back open. I had half a mind to try to use the magical dagger to repair it, but a shriek below startled me, and I darted up the second flight of stairs, trying to stay out of Maya’s sight line.
“You little turd. How’d you get out?” she cried.
The dog growled and then yelped. I leaned over the stair railing to try to see what was happening, only to spot Maya taking off down the stairs and running flat out with her arms in front of her. “Get back here. You’re my meal ticket, you little bastard.”
What did that mean? Did he come with a trust fund or something? If so, it wouldn’t be anything Maya would have access to. Ginny hadn’t left Maya in charge of her dog. If she had, I wouldn’t be here.
It was time to do something. But what? If Bo could hold her up for a moment, maybe I could get the dog in the car before Maya noticed. I sent a text to Bo. Find a way to distract Maya while I get the dog.
He sent back a thumbs-up emoji.
I hurried down the stairs and rounded the building just in time to catch Bo running up to Maya. He had his phone in one hand and the handkerchief Julius made him carry in the other. I snorted out a laugh as my brother brought the cloth to his eyes and let out a loud sniffle.
The pink-haired woman stopped abruptly and placed a hand on his tattooed arm. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
Bo shook his head and let out a strangled sob as he tried to say something, but the words got caught in his throat and he shook his head.
Holy shit. The kid was Academy Award material. Whatever sob story he was getting ready to lay on her, it was going to be epic. There was no question about it.
“Oh, come here,” she said and reached up to pull his head down to her ample bust.
Oh gods. Judging by the disturbed look on Bo’s face, I was going to pay for that later. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should save him from the woman who was now doing an upper-body shimmy, obviously trying to rub her boobs all over Bo’s face.
My stomach turned, and I paused as I contemplated saving my brother from the woman intent on molesting his face. But as soon as I took a step toward them, Bo scowled at me and flicked his wrist in the direction of the dog.
I didn’t need to be told twice. He wasn’t going to forgive me if he had to endure this nightmare for nothing. Keeping my head down, I walked briskly past them and straight for the tree where Stanley was sniffing at a weed.
“You’re too kind,” Bo said to Maya, his voice breaking. “I’m… sorry,” he stammered. “It’s been a hard morning.”
“You go ahead and tell Maya all about it,” the woman cooed. “Did you get your heart broken? Do you need someone to kiss it and make it better?”
Gross. She had to be at least forty years older than him. Every nerve in my body screamed for me to turn right around and yank my brother out of the woman’s grip, but we had a dog to save. The sooner I got him in the car, the sooner Bo could brush her off.
“Would you?” Bo asked.
I glanced back at him, right in time to see him lift his shirt. The woman’s lips curved up into a wide smile as she grabbed his hips, already pulling him closer to her. Bo’s eyes met mine and the hard, calculated look in them had my blood running cold. It was a look I’d seen on him when he’d been stuck back in the bayou and forced to work for the drug dealer who’d been his guardian.
Grinding my teeth together, I reached Stanley and, intent on not scaring him off, I knelt next to him and put my hand out. “Hey, boy. You’re a sweetie, aren’t you? Ready to go? I have treats.” And because I was well versed on how Stella responded to her treats, I pulled a bacon-flavored soft chew out of my pocket and held it up to Stanley.
He gobbled it up and immediately started sniffing my pocket for more.
“There’s plenty where that came from, cutie pie.” I gave him another nibble, and when he pressed his head under my hand for some affection, I scooped him up and rushed to the car, which was parked halfway down the block.
Stanley didn’t have any sort of collar or harness, and I silently cursed myself for not thinking ahead. There was no way to strap him to the seat belt in the back. We could remedy that later.
With the dog on my lap, I put the car in gear and sped down the street to where Bo was struggling to get out of Maya’s grip. She still had her hands clasped to his hips, but instead of kissing his chest, she was rubbing he
r breasts against him. His back was arched, and he was doing his best to back away, but she wasn’t taking the hint.
I pulled to a stop right beside them and honked.
The loud blare of the horn startled Maya, and she pulled back just enough to glare at me. “Do you mind? I’m busy here.”
I glared right back. “Hands off. He’s mine.”
“Oh, so you’re the one who broke his heart, huh? Well, too bad. He’s found himself a real woman.” She tried to reach up and place her hand on his cheek, but Bo was quick to stop her.
His hand caught her wrist, and he managed to put a full arm’s length of distance between them. “Sorry, but she’s my ride. Gotta go.”
Maya grabbed him and opened her mouth to protest, but right at that moment, Stanley popped his head up and growled. She dropped her hold on Bo and spun around. “Hey! That’s my dog.”
“Shit!” Bo said and ran for the passenger door.
Maya darted toward my window, reaching with both hands for Stanley. He jumped back, cowering and whimpering, obviously afraid of the woman. “You little piece of work. Give me that dog.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “He doesn’t seem to like you.” And then with an evil grin pulling at my lips, I raised the window just in time to cut off her access to Stanley.
As soon as the window was up, Stanley went crazy, barking and growling while flinging himself at the window.
“Whoa, boy,” I said soothingly, placing a hand on his back as I stepped on the gas. “You’re safe now. We’ve got you.”
The dog scrambled into the back seat, jumping up on his back paws, and he continued his verbal assault until we turned the corner and Maya was out of view. Then he flopped down on the back seat and covered his eyes with his paws.
“Well, I guess there’s no question he doesn’t like her,” Bo said.
I glanced at my brother. “How’s your heart? All better? Did she leave red lipstick all over you?”
His entire body shuddered as he rubbed a palm over his chest. “Don’t ever mention this again. And if you do, I’m going to tell Julius all about your male sex-doll collection.”
I snorted out a laugh. “I don’t have a sex-doll collection.”
“You will,” he threatened. “You wouldn’t want your fiancé to find a trio of anatomically correct dolls under your bed, would you?”
My laughter intensified. “Can you imagine the look on his face?” Julius was no prude, but he did come from another era. And sex dolls were definitely something he hadn’t quite wrapped his head around.
“It would almost be worth it just to hear what he’d say.” Bo grinned.
“Let’s maybe not until after the wedding,” I said with a wink. “Until then, I’ll stay mum on your make-out session with Maya.”
“Ugh. Don’t bring it up ever again.” He pressed his hands to his face and rubbed his cheeks as if he were trying to wipe away all traces of her touch.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I said, shaking my head. “Not only is she decades older than you, she was just… icky.”
“It worked, didn’t it?” He glanced back at the brindle dog. “It was worth it to save him. Obviously he’s suffered some trauma at her hands.”
“You have no idea,” I said and reached over to squeeze Bo’s hand. “Thank you.”
Chapter Six
You owe me big, Ida May said the moment she popped into the Grind.
I glanced over at her but said nothing as I finished ringing up a customer. “Small double latte, skim milk,” I told Holly, my assistant manager.
We were short-staffed, and it was just Holly and me until Bo and Reagan were done with school. That meant my investigation of Sam’s death was on hold while I was stuck behind the counter until the afternoon.
That new dog is a major pain in the ass. He doesn’t do anything I tell him to, and he’s having a bad influence on Stella, Ida May said, floating right next to the customer still waiting for his latte. She had her hands on her hips and her eyes were narrowed in annoyance.
I’d left Stanley upstairs in my apartment with Stella and had asked Ida May to keep an eye on them just to make sure they got along. Since Stella could hear and see Ida May and Ida May had a weird ability to handle the dog, she’d been taking care of Stella while I was working for the past several months. The two loved each other, so there was never any hassle, but it sounded as if adding another dog was creating a problem.
You need to do something. I won’t work under these conditions! Ida May insisted.
I sighed and flicked my gaze to the customer, indicating to Ida May that I couldn’t talk to her yet.
Oh please. This is New Orleans. Everyone is crazy.
I stifled a chuckle. She had a point, but I had a business to run, and acting insane wasn’t exactly in the marketing plan. Once the customer had his latte and stepped outside, I turned to her. “What is Stanley doing?”
Ida May straightened her shoulders and wore an indignant look when she said, He’s getting too personal with Stella.
“What does that mean? Is he humping her or something?”
Holly let out a bark of laughter but said nothing as she continued to restock the pastry bar.
No. He’s following her around, breathing heavy, and acting like a total creeper.
I blinked at her. “Um, okay. You do realize Stanley is a dog, right?”
Of course I realize that! But he needs to give my girl some space before she kicks his ass for not respecting that no means no.
I sighed. “Sounds like he’s excited or stressed. Give him a break, will you? He’s been through a tough time since his owner died.”
Sure, give him the benefit of the doubt just like every other male on this planet. Meanwhile, Stella is having to endure his bullshit at every turn. Are you sure you’re a feminist?
I rolled my eyes at my ghost and then turned to smile at the two men in business suits who’d just walked in. “Welcome to the Grind. What can we get for you today?”
“How about a date?” the tall one with black hair and black eyes said with a smile that looked more like a leer. “You look like someone who’d be a hellcat in bed.”
See? Men are pigs, Ida May said. If Stanley could talk, I bet he’d have opened with that too. And when Stella told him to piss off, I bet he would’ve gotten mouthy, causing me to whup his ass. Want me to take care of this clown?
A chuckle rose to the back of my throat, but I swallowed it and said, “No thanks.” Then I turned to Holly, making it seem like I was talking to her when I added, “Ida May, I’ve got it from here.”
“Ida May?” the second jackass said to Holly. “Pretty old-fashioned, huh? How about you? Ready to let your hair down? I bet a trip to that strip club next door would do it. How about it, gorgeous? Ready to loosen up and play with the big boys?”
Oh, that’s it. Ida May spun around and shot toward the two men, both her hands outstretched. Just as she reached them, they both let out a yelp of pain and covered their junk with both hands.
“What the hell?” the tall dark-haired one said and glared at me and Holly.
The door swung open and a beautiful blonde strode in. Her faced was pinched and she stalked up to the counter like a woman on a mission.
“Oh, I bet it’s crabs,” Holly said. “I hear those really hurt when you—”
“I don’t have crabs!” the man cried, his face going a deep shade of purple.
The woman, who’d pulled money out of her wallet, glanced back at the two men and made a face. “You should probably get that checked out. You know, just to be sure.” Her gaze dropped to his crotch, and then she shrugged as if there wasn’t anything all that interesting to look at.
I stifled a laugh as I took the woman’s order and asked her name.
“Ivy,” she said, glancing back at the two men who were still arguing about the possibility of having crabs. Our eyes met and amusement passed between us. But the moment she stepped aside to wait for her order, her fac
e hardened again.
“It’s entirely possible that woman from last night gave us—” the quieter of the two men started.
“Shut up,” the tall one ordered.
Ida May had blinked out of existence after she’d clocked them both in the junk, but she reappeared right behind them and stuck her leg out, kicking the tall one in the rear with enough force to send him stumbling forward.
He righted himself almost immediately and turned on his friend. “What the hell, Barry? Are you looking for a fist to the nose?”
Barry raised his hands and stepped back, putting distance between them. “I didn’t do anything. I swear, Kip. Come on, why would I kick you?”
“Because you’re a jackass?” Kip turned and stalked up the counter. “Just give me a coffee.”
“Sure thing.” I poured him a cup of java and put it on the counter. After I told him the total, he pulled out a handful of quarters and dropped them on the counter. “That should cover it. Use the change to buy yourself something pretty.”
Ida May eyed the quarters and let out a disgusted huff. She reached down and scooped up the change. A second later, they all dropped back onto the counter, clattering loud enough to make Barry jump.
“What the hell?” Kip gasped, his eyes wide. “Is this place haunted?”
I nodded. “Yep. You can read all about our resident ghost in that article over there.” I pointed to the framed story a few feet away. “But if I were you, I don’t think I’d linger for long. Ida May doesn’t seem to care for you too much.”
His face had gone white while he cupped his junk with his free hand. “Did… ah, your ghost do that?”
“Probably,” I said with a wan smile. “She’s kind of a handful.”
The chair nearest Kip started to slide out seemingly on its own, and that was all it took. Kip rushed out with Barry right behind him.
Ida May let out a cackle and followed them.
“She’s in a mood today,” Holly said with a chuckle. “I wonder how far she’ll follow them?”
It was a good question, but one I didn’t have time to ponder because my phone started to ring. The name Sasha Briggs flashed on the screen. A weird mix of relief and dread washed over me. I needed to talk to the lawyer, but I also feared what she had to say about Charlie’s case.