by Karen Lynch
“Speaking of Prince Vaerik.” Mom fixed me with a look that made me swallow nervously. “You said he offered to help you find us because he was looking for his friend, but you didn’t tell us how you met him in the first place.”
I darted a glance at Maurice, but his smile told me I was on my own for this one. I cleared my throat. “I…um…met him when I went to Teg’s following a lead for the job you were working on.”
“How did you know we were supposed to go to Teg’s?” Her nostrils flared. “Tennin!”
I rushed to Tennin’s defense. “Don’t be mad at him. He told me not to go to Teg’s, and I didn’t listen.”
She crossed her arms. “Go on.”
“I saw Lukas at Teg’s and again when I went to the Ralston after I found your bracelet. We kept running into each other, and he got suspicious.” I thought back to the night Faolin had dragged me to Lukas’s for an interrogation. There was no way I was telling my parents about that. “He said he’d heard of you, and he thought your disappearance might be connected to something he was looking for. The Agency was dragging their feet, so I accepted his offer to help.”
“If he was helping you, where was he when you were kidnapped and taken to Rogin’s?” Dad demanded.
“He had to go to Faerie the day before.” I fidgeted with the hem of my sweater.
Mom’s gaze sharpened. “Are you still in touch with him?”
“I see him around.” I squirmed in my seat. Faolin could learn a few things about interrogation from my mother. “Faris is sick from the iron, and I visit him once a week.”
“Why do you call the prince Lukas instead of by his title?” she asked, not done with her inquisition.
Finally, a question I could answer. “He goes by Lukas Rand here, and I didn’t know he was Prince Vaerik at first. I got used to calling him Lukas, and now it’s weird to think of him by the other name.”
She looked satisfied with my response, and I hoped she was done with the questions. Once she relaxed again, I could see pockets of exhaustion forming under her eyes. It was easy to forget my parents were unwell, but even sitting and talking could wear them out.
Finch saw it, too. He whistled and signed to her. Are you sleepy, Mom?
“A little,” she admitted, telling me she was more tired than she was letting on.
You should take a nap, he told her. Napping always makes me feel better.
She reached up to stroke his blue hair. “That’s a good idea, sweetie.”
I stood. “We should get going anyway. Aisla doesn’t like to be left alone for too long.”
I hugged my parents as we all said our goodbyes. After promising them again that I would be careful out there, I tucked Finch inside my jacket and left.
Maurice stayed behind at Dad’s request, and I could guess what he wanted to talk about. Mom and Dad were going to ask Maurice to watch over me while he was in town. I loved having him home again, but I hoped he wasn’t going to hover over me.
I was driving when Violet texted, RU home?
10 min, I texted back.
CU there.
Violet was standing outside my door when I got there, and I was surprised to see she wasn’t alone. Mandy Wheeler, a girl from high school, was beside her.
I hadn’t seen Mandy since graduation, and I’d never seen her looking like this. She was one of those girls who always looked like they’d just come from the salon. Today, her blonde hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, she wore no makeup, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.
“Mandy, hi.” I stopped in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
Her lip trembled, and her eyes brimmed with tears. “I-I need your help. I don’t have anyone else to go to.”
Violet rubbed Mandy’s back. “Jesse will help you.” She met my gaze. “Your services are needed. We’ll explain inside.”
Confused, I nodded and unlocked the door. Once Finch was back in his tree house with Aisla, I joined my guests on the couch. “Okay, tell me.”
Mandy pressed a damp tissue to her eyes. “My ex-boyfriend stole Romeo, and he’s threatening to sell him.” Her face crumpled, and she began sobbing into her hands.
“What?” Romeo was her little Yorkie she’d had since junior high. Mandy loved that dog more than anything, and she was always dressing him in cute outfits and posting pictures on Instagram.
Violet answered for the crying girl. “Mandy was dating a guy for six months, and she broke up with him last week. When she wouldn’t go back to him, he stole Romeo and said he will sell him if she doesn’t give him another chance.”
Anger flared in me. “Did you call the police?”
Mandy sniffled. “Yes. But they’re too busy to care about a dog.”
I wasn’t surprised by that. The police were overworked, despite bounty hunters handling most of the Fae cases. Even if they wanted to help her, they didn’t have the manpower to spare.
She turned pleading eyes on me. “I heard you’re a bounty hunter now. I know this isn’t what you normally do, but I can pay you.”
I held up a hand. “I don’t want your money. Who is this ex of yours, and what do I need to know about him?”
“His name is Drew Gordon. He’s twenty-three, and he lives in Williamsburg.” Mandy rattled off information. By the time she was done, I had her ex’s home and work address and his daily schedule. She pulled up photos on her phone of a blond, well-groomed man who clearly worked out and cared about his appearance. In every picture, he wore an arrogant smile, and he had the look of a man who was used to getting his way.
I checked the time and saw it was almost five. If Mandy had gotten Drew’s schedule right, he would be getting home from work in an hour. Standing, I headed for my bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Violet called after me.
“To change. I can’t wear these clothes on a job.”
Two sets of footsteps came behind me. “We’re going now?” Mandy asked hopefully.
I turned to face her. “No time like the present.”
She ran over and flung her arms around me. “Thank you!”
“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s get Romeo back first.” Stripping off my pants and top, I donned dark jeans and a black thermal shirt. I pulled on my combat boots and twisted my hair into a thick braid.
Violet eyed me appraisingly as I completed the outfit with a lined leather jacket. “You look ready to kick some ass.”
I stuck my ID in my back pocket. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Don’t bounty hunters have weapons?” Mandy asked as she and Violet followed me back to the living room.
“My gear bag is in the Jeep, but I doubt I’ll need weapons for this.” I patted my coat pocket and felt a familiar lump. “I have a stun gun and shackles in my pockets if it comes to that.”
Mandy’s eyes widened. “You carry shackles on you?”
“Never know when I might need them.”
We walked to the door, and I stopped to look at them. “I can only take one person in the Jeep.”
Mandy pulled out a set of keys. “I have my sister’s car. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay. If you get there first, wait for us,” I said as I opened the door.
Drew Gordon lived in a nice twenty-story apartment building less than two blocks from Lukas’s place. Mandy was waiting for us outside the front entrance when we got there, and she looked scared. At my place, I’d asked her if her ex had been abusive. She’d said he’d never hit her, but there was more than one kind of abuse. I didn’t have experience in this area, but the fear in her eyes told me what she couldn’t say.
“You don’t have to come up with us,” I told her.
She straightened her spine. “I want to. Romeo needs me.”
I gave her a reassuring smile. “Let’s do this then.”
Chapter 12
We entered the building and took the elevator to the seventh floor. At Drew’s door, Violet and I moved to the side where we were not visible th
rough the peephole, and Mandy knocked.
Thirty seconds later, someone approached the door. After a brief pause, the dead bolt scraped, and the door opened.
“Jesus, Mandy, you’re a mess,” said a male voice. “I don’t know if I want you back looking like this.”
I stepped quickly into view, putting myself between them. “Then it’s a good thing she’s not here for a reconciliation.”
His head jerked back. “Who the hell are you?”
“Reinforcements,” Violet announced as she showed herself.
The man in the doorway laughed, and it was an ugly sound. “Reinforcements? Really?” He sneered at Mandy. “What did you hope to accomplish with this little stunt?”
“I came to get Romeo,” she said tremulously.
“Romeo who?” he asked in mock innocence. “Don’t know anyone by that name.”
For the first time in my life, I wanted to punch another human. “We know you have her dog. Give him back, and we’ll be on our way without any trouble.”
“Is that so?” He took a threatening step toward me.
Mandy put a shaking hand on my arm and whispered, “I think we should leave.”
“But it’s just getting fun, baby.” Drew came closer until his chest touched mine.
My heart rate kicked up a notch. “You need to take a step back.”
“And you need to learn to mind your own business,” he bit out. “This is between me and my girlfriend.”
“She’s not your girlfriend,” Violet said.
Drew pointed at her. “Shut your mouth, you little –”
My hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Twisting hard, I spun him around with his arm behind his back and pushed him face-first against the wall. He bucked and lashed at me with his other fist, and I pressed on his trapped arm until he howled in pain and went still.
“Whoa,” Violet breathed.
“Let’s start over,” I said to the man who was trembling with suppressed rage. “You have Mandy’s dog, and she wants him back. We’re all going inside so she can get him. Then we’ll leave, and you’ll never bother her again.”
“Everything okay here?” called a new male voice. I looked down the hall to see a young man wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.
“Yes,” I said at the same time Drew grunted, “No.”
The newcomer looked at us uncertainly. If I didn’t do something, he’d be calling the police next, and I didn’t need that complication right now.
Reaching behind me, I pulled out my bounty hunter ID and held it up for him to see. He was close enough to make out the official Agency seal on the card.
“We have everything under control,” I said in my most businesslike tone. The use of the ID outside of Agency business was a gray area, but I was willing to stretch the rules in this case.
“Good to know.” The man hurried past us and entered an apartment several doors down.
Drew laughed. “Assault and impersonating an agent. I hope you like Rikers.”
“Actually, she’s a bounty hunter,” Violet informed him cheerfully. “And you touched her first, so in fact, you assaulted her, and she acted in self-defense.”
I stared at her in surprise, and she shrugged. “Mom likes to work on her court arguments at home.”
Grinning, I returned the ID to my pocket and produced my shackles, which I snapped around Drew’s wrists. I shoved him toward the door, and the four of us entered his apartment. Mandy immediately ran from room to room, calling for Romeo.
She returned to us, looking devastated. “He’s not here.”
Drew snickered. “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?”
I turned on him. But before I could open my mouth, Violet delivered an impressive undercut right between his legs. Drew let out a high-pitched sound and doubled over, but his arms were shackled behind his back, preventing him from cupping his injured parts.
“Listen here, asshole,” she growled. “We’re done playing nice. Tell us where Romeo is, or this is going to go very badly for you. We know people who could make you disappear like that.” She snapped her fingers for emphasis, and it was all I could do not to snort.
Drew panted, and it took a minute for him to answer. “He’s gone. He took off when I was walking him.”
Violet poked him in the chest. “Try again, pal.”
“She has ways of making you tell the truth,” I said, barely keeping a straight face. “That cute look is all an act.”
He straightened enough to look at us. His face was beet red, and there were tears in his eyes. “I owed a guy money,” he wheezed. “He sent someone to collect, and they took the dog.”
Mandy gasped. “Who took him?”
Drew pressed his lips together. I thought he wasn’t going to answer when he finally said, “Two ogres.”
She let out a strangled cry. I led her to a chair and left her sobbing uncontrollably while I stormed back to her ex.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelled in his face. “You sold Romeo to those brutes?”
In addition to being mean-tempered, ogres were known to eat cats and dogs. If they had Romeo, chances were that he was already dead, or he would be soon.
He cringed. “They took him. I didn’t have any choice.”
My lips pulled back in a snarl. “You always have a choice. When were they here, and where did they take him?”
“Last night. I don’t know where they live,” he said, all the arrogant bluster gone out of him.
I poked him in the chest. “You better figure it out fast.”
Violet held out her hand to me. “Give me your stun gun. Fifty thousand volts will jog his memory.”
I blinked at her. Who was this person? I couldn’t tell if she was serious or doing a damn fine acting job.
Drew blanched and began sobbing and babbling, until he finally said something helpful. “The Fenton. They live at the Fenton.”
I took out my phone and did a search. The Fenton was an old theater in Queens that had been closed for two years, making it an ideal location for squatters like ogres.
“How many ogres live there?” I asked.
He swallowed convulsively. “Just the two of them.”
“You better pray that dog is okay,” I said through gritted teeth as I removed his shackles.
Violet cracked her knuckles like a mob goon. “You really don’t want us to have to come back.”
I went to Mandy, who was crying silently now, and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go.”
None of us spoke again until we reached the street. Mandy was a mess, so Violet offered to drive her car. My best friend and I exchanged a grim look before we headed to our vehicles. The odds of Mandy seeing her pet again were slim, and my heart ached for her. But if there was the slightest chance Romeo was alive, I’d do what I could to get him back.
I arrived at the theater first, parking half a block away. After I texted Violet to let her know where to find me, I went through my gear to get what I might need. Ogres were strong, but they weren’t good fighters or the smartest of faeries. Still, I’d learned the hard way to never underestimate an opponent, after a troll had cut me with his sword and poisoned me.
Violet and Mandy arrived as I was stuffing gear into a small backpack. Mandy had stopped crying, but her face was drawn and pale. One look at her and I knew she couldn’t come in with us. There was no telling what we’d find in there, and she would only be a hindrance.
I closed the Jeep’s cargo door. “You two stay in the car.”
“I’m not letting you go in there alone.” Violet set her jaw stubbornly. “And don’t give me that ‘I’m a bounty hunter and you’re not’ spiel because it won’t work.”
“You can’t fight,” I reminded her.
She rolled her eyes. “I can outrun an ogre. And I know you have an extra stun gun in that bag.”
“Fine, but you have to do whatever I tell you to do.” I opened the backpack and handed her the weapon.
“What about
me?” Mandy asked.
I slung the backpack over my shoulder. “Someone needs to stay here in case we run into trouble. We’ll text you if anything happens.”
She reluctantly agreed and walked to her car as Violet and I set off for the theater. The old brick building was three stories with an arched entrance, and a marquee with the theater name in large red letters. We passed by the main entrance and went around to the back alley where there were two small doors. The second one we tried was unlocked, and we quietly slipped inside.
I motioned for Violet to be quiet, and we listened for sounds as our eyes adjusted to the dark. Hearing nothing, we crept past several dressing rooms. All the props, stage lighting, and cables had been removed, and the theater smelled musty from disuse. It was a little eerie being in a place that once had been bustling with activity.
We reached the stage, and I stopped walking abruptly when I picked up faint sounds coming from the auditorium. Turning to Violet, I pointed toward the curtains that still hung there, partially closed. She nodded and stood still while I climbed the stairs to the wing and tiptoed to the curtain.
Dust billowed from the curtain when I touched it. I had to smother a cough before I could inch the heavy material aside and peek around it.
The auditorium was a rectangle with two sets of floor seats divided by an aisle, and stairs on either side that led to the mezzanine and balcony levels. The walls were dark panels, and the ceiling was covered in faded murals. In the middle of the ceiling, where a large chandelier had probably hung, was a gaping hole through which a small column of smoke was escaping.
I followed the path of the smoke to its source – a fire burning in a metal drum. Seats had been ripped out of the floor and tossed aside to make a campsite for the two bald, yellow-skinned creatures sprawled beside the fire. The ogres were grunting and chewing noisily on some kind of meat, and my stomach roiled when one of them tossed a bone on a pile near his feet.
I put a hand over my mouth. Please don’t let that be Romeo.
Craning my neck, I tried to get a better look around. My breath caught when I spotted dog crates sitting on some of the seats that were still bolted to the floor. I thought I saw a shape in one of the crates, but they were too far away for me to be certain.