by Lori Drake
I leaned over and folded the lid closed. “Don’t even think about it, you little glutton.”
Dan unlocked the door and opened it, then slammed it shut immediately and threw his back against it like he expected it to explode inward. I sat up, frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
Dan didn’t get a chance to reply, because the door did fly open with a burst of magic that sent him staggering away. A tall Native American man with sharp cheekbones and long dark hair stepped into the doorway, surrounded by a glowing magical nimbus. The air around him all but crackled with energy, and his dark eyes glinted with anger.
I was on my feet in a flash, my food abandoned beside Dan’s. “Hey! You can’t just bust in here. That’s called breaking and entering.”
He ignored me and strode forward, grabbed Dan by the throat, and slammed him against the wall beside the door. “Where’s my money?”
Magic flickered around Dan as he tried to summon the power to defend himself, but something about how the guy was cutting off his air must’ve made it difficult. He clawed at his assailant’s hand, trying to pry his fingers loose the old-fashioned way. I made a mental note as I strode across the room. Maybe in the future, I shouldn’t spend so much time fighting the urge to throttle Dan.
While my brother struggled for breath, rendered unable to answer the question by the very man who’d asked it, I headed for the envelope of cash on the dining table. It never had been entered into evidence, since we weren’t sure if it was connected to the attacks. I swiped the envelope and walked it over to the men—and I use the term loosely.
“Hey.” I smacked his shoulder and held up the envelope. “Joseph, right? You looking for this?”
He nodded and made a grab for the envelope, but I danced out of his reach. “Let my brother go, and you can have it.”
Joseph’s eyes narrowed, but he released Dan, who wheezed in a gasping breath and bent over, hands on knees.
“You alright?” I asked, my eyes on Dan as I handed Joseph the envelope.
Dan waved a hand and kept sucking in air like it was candy on Christmas.
“Where’s the rest?” Joseph asked, glancing at Dan. At least he’d released the magic he was holding, so I didn’t feel like I needed sunglasses to look at him.
I thumped Joseph on the shoulder, I guess because poking bears was my specialty. “He didn’t have it, you belligerent asshole.” I waited for him to turn his attention to me before I went on. “I got it from a burned-out kid on the Pueblo.”
I expected him to ask me which one, but he surprised me. “Luke?”
“Yeah, you know him?”
He nodded, deep lines edged in his forehead as he tucked the money away. “His sister babysits for us. He’s the one that found Christina, after…” He shook his head. “I heard about his accident. But how did he get this?”
Naturally, Dan took that moment to find his gravelly voice. “Ask your wife.”
Joseph’s jaw tightened. He turned back toward Dan with menace in his eyes, but I grabbed his arm before he could close the distance. If he’d really wanted to hit my brother, I doubt I could’ve stopped him. The guy was seriously built.
“Okay, that’s enough! Both of you.” I stepped between them, facing Joseph. “Did you cash your check at Del Norte Credit Union?”
He nodded.
“There was a witch there, giving out spelled coins. He used them as focuses to steal magic from a distance. That’s what happened to Christina and Luke. Luke must’ve taken the money when he found Christina. It ended up with one of his relatives, and—long story short—he gave it to me. Dan had nothing to do with it.”
Joseph looked past me at Dan, hands curling into fists at his sides. Not exactly the reaction I’d been going for, to be honest. He batted me aside and reached for my brother, but it was an open hand he offered instead of a fist. “I’m sorry, Dan. I misjudged you.”
Dan eyed the outstretched hand as if it held some hidden agenda, but reached out and shook it after a moment. “It happens.”
Joseph didn’t linger long after that. Once the door was shut behind him and propped shut with a chair from the dining table—I was going to have to put in a maintenance request to get the doorjamb fixed—I hastened to rescue my dinner from the cat. But fortunately, the commotion seemed to have sent him into hiding.
“How’s it feel to have your reputation restored?” I asked, kicking my feet up on the coffee table as Dan joined me on the couch once more.
He shrugged. “It wasn’t that great to start with.”
“We can work on that…”
Dan poked at his food, his features taking on a pensive cast. “I’d like that.”
Just when I think I’ve got him figured out, he goes and surprises me again.
Chapter 35
I kept an eye on Charles while he was at St. Vincent’s. His condition didn’t improve—not that I expected it to—but he remained stable. Alice went into foster care, but it only took a few days for social services to locate her maternal grandparents. I crossed paths with them at the hospital once when they brought Alice to visit Charles. The next day, Charles was moved to hospice and off my radar.
Things pretty much went back to normal after that. You’d think it would’ve been a relief, that after the most eventful week of my life to date, settling back into my normal routine would’ve been just what I needed. Instead, it was quite the opposite. I was restless. Unsettled. I even went out on a third date with Barry, despite Dan’s relentless teasing about watching for hairballs and inappropriate public grooming rituals.
Seriously, he didn’t shut up until I threatened to call Hector the next time he went out for drinks with the coven leader’s girlfriend. Dan may have gotten his groove back, magically speaking, but even though he insisted there was nothing going on between him and Tracy, he wasn’t eager for a confrontation with Hector.
It took me a while, and a few pointed remarks from Matt, to figure out what was bothering me. In the wake of all the excitement, the day-to-day drudgery of life was driving me nuts. As dangerous as my foray into crime-fighting had been, as freaked out as I had been—and still was—about my awakening powers, it had made me feel special in a way I never had before… like I had something to offer the world besides my bedside manner and an endless wellspring of useless trivia.
Maybe that’s why my heartbeat kicked up a notch when I walked out of the hospital at the end of a particularly tedious night shift a few weeks later to find one Detective Michael Escobar leaning against the fender of my car. His eyes were on his phone, so I took advantage of his distraction to get my reaction under control and give him a moment’s perusal. He looked the same as he always had. Maybe a little better rested. By the time he looked up and saw me, I had my expression mostly under control.
“Hey there, detective. I hope you’re not here to arrest me.”
He smirked and tucked his phone in his back pocket. “Not today.”
Gulp.
I laughed nervously and shook my head. “Well, that’s good. What can I do ya for?”
“Got a case I could use some help on. Rash of break-ins, magical stuff going missing. What’s your brother got going on these days?”
“Oh. Uh, being annoying and looking for work, mostly.” My disappointment was palpable, and I struggled to keep it from my face. “You want me to give him a—”
He held up a hand, laughing. “Just messing with you. You should see your face. Actually, I was hoping you might let me buy you a cup of coffee.”
I blinked slowly. “Like… a date?” That definitely wasn’t what I’d been expecting.
“Oh, god no!” He winced. “I mean, not that you’re not— I’m not— Shit, that came out wrong.”
I laughed. “No offense taken.”
He rubbed a hand down his face. “This is off to a great start. We’re still having trouble finding a full-time consultant for Magic Crimes. I was wondering if you might be interested in some more work, on an ongoing
basis.”
“Oh? Hmm.” I leaned against the car beside him, feigning reluctance. “I dunno, I’m pretty busy. And it didn’t pay much.”
“I know. And I can’t offer you more, not right off the bat. But once you show the chief how much of an asset you can be…”
I thought about the application he’d given me, the one that was still tucked behind my sun visor. “Do I have to register?”
He gave me the side-eye. “You trying to make me change my mind about arresting you?”
“I’m not a witch.”
God. I sounded petulant even to myself.
“Your parents are witches, right? Your brother?”
“You know they are.” I grimaced, regretting bringing it up. I should’ve known he wouldn’t let me consult unless my application was stamped, sealed, and notarized. But the idea of putting my name in that database left a sour feeling in my stomach. It was publicly searchable, for one, and there were plenty of people out there that reviewed it like it was a sexual predator registry, keeping an eye on what kind of element was moving into their neighborhood. But more than that, it was a public acknowledgment of something I still hadn’t fully come to terms with myself: I wasn’t a null.
I might not be able to use magic, but it sure as hell could use me. I sighed and tipped my head back, looking up at the gray sky. The air was bitter cold and smelled like fresh snow was coming. “What I don’t think you get is what you’re asking me to do.”
“Obey the law. That’s what I’m asking you to do. What did you expect? I’m a cop. The law is kind of my thing.”
“Could we circle back to that date thing? That’s sounding more appealing by the second.”
He snorted and pushed off the fender. “You had your chance, Davenport. Once you turn down all of this”—he gestured at himself—“you don’t get a second chance.”
“It’s Emily.”
“What?”
“My name. It’s Emily.”
He eyed me like I was an escaped mental patient. “Right…”
I summoned a wan smile. “I mean, you should probably call me by my first name if we’re going to be working together.”
“Only if you call me Mike.” Grinning, he stuck out his hand.
I shook it, sealing the deal. “When do I start?”
“No time like the present. I really do have a case I could use some help on.” He pulled a consultant badge from his pocket and dropped it into my hand. The plain white lanyard had been replaced with a dark green one with black cats and witches riding broomsticks on it. “Come on, you can ride to the station with me. I’ll drop you off back here later.”
I eyed him as I slipped the lanyard over my neck, then covered a jaw-cracking yawn with one hand. I’d been up all night, after all. “Can we stop for coffee and donuts on the way?”
He laughed. “This is the start of a beautiful partnership.”
Author’s Note
I started Emily’s story about a year before I wrote the first Grant Wolves book, and I’ve been wanting to get back to it ever since.
I’m glad I did, and I hope you are too!
I seem to have a penchant for stories about women who are estranged from their mothers. I’d just like to state, for the record, that my mother is a wonderful person and we’re very close (hi, Mom!).
Emily’s crime-solving adventures will continue in 2020. In the meantime, I invite you to sign up for my newsletter for release dates, sneak peeks, bonus content, free reads and more.