Brian nodded. "I did, and I'm aware of what he told you, but he also made it clear that you're damn good at what you do and you will make sure not to put our previous investigation in harm’s way."
It was a weird way of phrasing it.
"I'm not even sure why this is really coming up." Melody mentioned. "You found a corpse in a lake. Chalk it up to grave robbers and close the case."
I wondered why she was so defensive, but then I realized she was in a similar situation as me. She was stuck with a partner that she didn’t seem to want. I’d seen it in the way she looked at him when his back was turned. I smiled. "I just want to know how it got there and why. Had it just been that corpse, I could, but it was found with three fresh bodies. Not identified in the supernatural database."
Both of them perked up at that new piece of information, in the email I hadn't mentioned that the other bodies hadn't been identified. "If there's not a connection and nothing criminal that I can find, then I'll let it go. If there is a connection, then I need to know. I agreed to this meeting in good faith that you two might be able to help me."
Though I wasn't sure why we had to meet in person. Brian spoke, "We'll help with what we can. Two months ago, he was buried and his family grieved. That was the last he was seen, perhaps you should start there."
"The vampire who was attacking people in that case was caught and put to death. He was just one of five." Melody stated. "I wouldn't worry about a connection unless the other ones start to show up."
I wouldn't want a full set of corpses showing up. "Were all the victims from here?"
"No, their homes were scattered over the country." Brian answered.
I reached around to my desk and grabbed a piece of paper. "Do me a favor and write down where he was buried. I hope you didn't come all the way out here to tell me that."
"No, we came out here to tell you that this very much goes back to vampire business. Like you, we have connections to the territory and we came to personally ask you not to cause problems."
I hated vampire business and politics. "I'm working on this case as an agent, not a member of Levi's people. I'll do what I can to keep your case closed and to stay out of your territory." I said honestly, and realized I kept telling people that 'I'd do what I can.'
They stood up and we shook hands again. They left without another word and I wondered how bad the situation had been in their case. I shook my head at the amount of strange this case seemed to be gathering. I looked at the clock and debated crawling under my desk for a nap but that wasn't an option. I needed to figure out if our other three victims had been identified yet.
Nick walked in and I looked up at him. "I got information from the agents. Not much, just where the man was buried. It's apparently attached to a case they'd like to keep under wraps."
"It's because it's out of our district. A lot of agents don't like to work with others." Nick shrugged and sat in his chair. "How was your date?"
I snorted. "Didn't really happen. Then we had the attack at the store. Let's just say, my night didn't go as planned."
He grinned at me. "It's been awhile since we've had that kind of excitement together. We actually do make a pretty good team."
"I'd like to not always have to put that to the test." I shook my head. "Vampires man, blood starved."
"The detective on duty told the press it was an isolated incident."
"You're going to tell me something different?" I asked. "I'm not in the mood for your vampire bashing. Let's just focus on the case at hand."
"I'm telling you that because Boss Man called for a press conference for us tomorrow night." Nick stated. "He wants us to assure the people that it was an isolated event."
I cringed. "I hate press conferences."
Nick picked up a pencil and rolled it in his hands. I noticed he liked to keep his hands busy at all times. "I do too, but it's part of the job. If you want you can just look pretty and I'll do the talking."
I locked my jaw at the underhanded insult. With the headline on Stephanie's website it might have been better if I didn't show up at all. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to give Nick another reason to think Levi was actually behind it all. "I don't think that's going to be an option." I turned back to my computer screen. "M.E. come back with any IDs on our bodies?"
"Nope." Nick tapped his pencil on the desk. "He said that wolves were ruled out because of the teeth marks."
I nodded. "Human teeth marks. Most werewolves, in human form, don't eat people." I tried not to cringe at the idea of a werewolf eating a person.
"Zombies." Nick said.
I looked at him over my computer screen. "Zombies?"
"Why not? It could happen."
Sadly, in my job it was a possibility. I tried not to imagine a zombie crawling from a grave. "How do you figure it was zombies?"
"Well, there was a corpse there already, don't you think that could have been a zombie?"
No, it hadn't really crossed my mind at that point. "It's very rare to find a necromancer who has control over their abilities. I feel like those three were targeted for something. Besides that, we both know that the only way to stop a zombie is to make sure that the corpse is completely destroyed."
It had been covered in classes before we entered the agency. I'd never met one before, but it didn't mean they weren't out there.
"Okay, true." Nick sighed.
I stood and stretched. "I'm going to go to the graveyard, you want to come?"
"Naw, that's fine. I'll check in with Jason and see if he has IDs yet." Nick pulled his phone out. "I'll call you?"
I nodded. "Sounds like a good deal." I grabbed my bag. If I had time and didn't hear from Nick then I could run by my house and do my tracking spell. Then I could tell Greg I at least gave it a try. I walked out of the office and took the elevator down. I wondered what on earth Nick was thinking when he brought up zombies. Though at this point it was the only theory we had.
The elevator dinged and I headed towards the exit, waving at our receptionist. I headed out towards my car and paused as I saw Brian leaning against it. I raised a brow.
"Thought you left." Him still being there made the hair on my neck stand up. "Where's your partner?"
"Sent her off to breakfast, she's new and I didn't want her to tag along." He pushed away from my car. "I wanted to talk to you without her here. I assume you're heading to the graveyard?"
I debated on lying for a moment but decided against it. "I am. But that doesn't really explain what you're doing here."
"I told you I wanted to talk more." He walked around the car so he stood by the passenger side door.
I used the key fob to unlock the doors and he opened the door. Levi hadn't warned me to stay away from Brian but it didn't mean that I was comfortable. I tilted my head to the side as something hit my magic and it told me that someone had messed with my car. "Move!"
Brian looked at me and we both darted away from the car. The explosion rattled the ground. I heard glass and metal twisting and shattering. I put up a circle around me, wondering where Brian had gone. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the flames and tried to keep them contained to a safe distance. I prayed and hoped Brian wouldn't notice. Shrapnel flew around me, bouncing off the purple light that was my protective circle.
Once I felt it was safe I let my circle down, I could hear sirens coming and people screaming. I looked at the mess that was my car. The flames were already dying down and I couldn't help but wonder, why my car?
Brian walked up beside me; his face had dirt on it and a few minor cuts. I didn't see any burns on him. That alone was worth using my ability. I turned from him without saying a word.
"Why would someone rig your car to blow up?" He asked.
I still didn't turn to him. I opened my mouth to speak and Nick came running towards me. "Really Abby? Another one?"
"Not my fault!" I glared at him. "This one wasn't activated by a rune." Which meant most likely the person targeting me wasn
't a witch or warlock. "I'm glad I put the spell on the car, however, now I have to call my insurance, again. I don't know if bombs are covered under car insurance."
"Normally acts of terrorism aren't covered." Brian said. "How many cars have you blown up?"
I let out an irritated sigh. "This is only the second one. Last time it was a rogue member of the Cult of Ra."
"You really do have bad luck." Brian shook his head.
"I'll go to the graveyard." Nick said. "You get this cleaned up." He started walking towards his car. I watched as he inspected it and I assumed he was checking for bombs.
Brian put a hand on my shoulder. "Levi told me you tended to attract trouble."
I shrugged his hand off. "Sounds about right. I have an appointment tonight, and then tomorrow night I have a press conference." I shoved my hands in my pockets and watched as the fire truck pulled up. The firefighters moved in, pulling out hoses and doing their job. A well-oiled machine here to put out my mess. Had I tried I could have extinguished the fire with my abilities, but I didn't want to raise any more suspicion. "We're going to have to talk another time."
Brian nodded. "I'll see you around. Just remember what we talked about earlier."
"Of course." Right now my thoughts were on who blew up my car. Brian slipped away and I crossed my arms as I watched the firemen put out the rest of the flames.
Boss Man came out; I could feel him like an itch in my skin. I turned to face him. His greasy black hair had been combed over, his rat-like face made chills go down my back.
"Are you hurt?"
I shook my head. "No. I had wards on my car to let me know if someone messed with it. I was able to get away and put up a circle fast enough."
"And Nick?"
"Off to check the graveyard where the body was buried." The smoke and steam were starting to clear and I could see what was left of my car. "I just bought that one."
"Take the rest of the day off." Boss Man said, then he walked away.
He didn't normally encourage taking time off during a case. In fact, he usually wanted us working around the clock, but maybe it was because Nick was also here. Either way, I wasn't going to complain. But I also had no way to get home.
I pulled my phone out and debated on who to call. Clarissa would be opening up shop for the day. She had a business to run, but Simon...Simon would just be waking up for the day.
I called him and waited.
"Abby, it's early." He muttered when he answered.
I laughed. "My car blew up, why don't you pick me up and we can go to brunch?"
"I'm sorry, what?" He snapped.
He was wide-awake now.
"My car blew up and my boss is making me take the day off. I have other things that need to be done, but I thought I'd call you and see if you wanted to tag along, or at least give me a ride to Levi's so I can borrow the Hummer." I tried to keep irritation out of my voice. "I was going to call Clarissa, but she probably just opened the store."
"I'll be there in a few minutes." He hung up.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket. I gave my statement to the officer and then headed back to the office. I wondered where Brian had run off to, but it didn't matter now. The paranoid part of me wondered if Brian had set the whole thing up. I shook my head and spun in my chair as I waited for Simon to get there. I tried not to focus on how I would have been dead if I hadn't put a spell on my car. Levi was going to be pissed.
By the time Simon walked into the office I had reorganized my desk, cleaned out my e-mail, and texted Levi to not watch any news tonight. And I was still thinking that I should have been dead. Seeing how many close calls I had in the last year, I was starting to wonder if a career change was needed.
"You look like hell." Simon said when he walked in. "Where's Nick?" His gaze moved to the empty desk.
I stood and grabbed my bag. "He's checking out a graveyard, which is where I was going."
"Before your car blew up." Simon pressed his lips together and I saw him trying to hide the smile forming.
"It wasn't my fault. And it's only the second car." I slung my bag over my shoulder. "I hope I'm not interrupting your plans for the day."
He shook his head. "No, I was just sleeping. Greg had most of the pack out into the wee hours of the morning."
"That explains why he wasn't in a great mood this morning." I walked out and made sure the office door locked behind me. Simon and I walked to the elevator. "I need to grab a car from Levi's, but I don't want to go up there right away."
"How come?" Simon asked. "Other than you're hungry. Haven't gone grocery shopping yet, have you?"
"Did you see the news last night?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. The elevator dinged and he waved his arm for me to go in first.
He followed me and turned to look at me. "No, I went home right before sun up and slept until you called me."
I wrinkled my nose. "I went out to get cat litter and a box for a stray cat. We were attacked by blood-starved vampires."
"What the hell, Abby? Who did you piss off?" Simon shook his head. "Does Levi know?"
I nodded. "Yeah, he knows about that. But it's taken care of, now all I have to do is figure out what's going on with our victims and find your missing pack member."
"Vampires." Simon ran a hand over his face. "We're lucky you weren't hurt."
"Simon, this is my job. Supernatural creatures are part of the description."
The doors opened and we headed towards the exit. "And what about car bombs?"
I thought about that for a moment. "I think they might need to add that to the job description."
He grinned and opened the door for me. "So to brunch we go?"
"Yeah, that sounds lovely. Then back to my house for some spell work." I shrugged. "I might as well take advantage of my day off."
Simon led me to his car. We both instinctively started checking it out. "I don't see anything out of place, and I don't smell anyone."
"No runes, no magic." I confirmed and we both got in. I relaxed a bit and leaned back in the seat as I buckled up. "Thank you."
"For what?" He buckled up and started the car.
"Oh you know, coming to my aid and all." I glanced at him. "Again."
He shrugged. "No big deal. Look do you have plans tonight?"
I cringed. "I'm supposed to have a meeting with my uncle, but I think I'm going to cancel." Oliver would be pissed, but he probably expected it. I groaned. "The last thing I want to do is drive all the way to Levi's and then drive all the way to Oliver's."
"A meeting with your uncle, I'm surprised Levi allows that." Simon pulled the car out into traffic.
I rolled my eyes. "You and Levi have been friends for how long? Don't you realize he doesn't control me? I'm an adult." I laughed.
"And thank God for that." Simon turned down a side street. "If you cancel on Oliver, there's a pack thing tonight."
"What are my chances of being eaten?" I asked, half joking.
"Very little, it's a fancy dinner." He rolled his eyes. "The Alpha and his queen from the next pack over are coming to visit."
That raised hairs on my neck. "Why?"
"Because they are worried about the division in our pack. Don't worry, they aren't coming in to take over. But Greg wanted to have a big welcoming dinner for them. A civilized dinner to remind us all that we're still human." He laughed a little. "I guess we tend to forget that."
I shrugged. "I think we can always use that reminder. Sure, I'll come join you tonight. Does Greg know I'm coming?"
"Nope, I'm leaving that a surprise."
I grinned at that and tried to imagine the look on Greg's face when I walked in. I glanced at Simon. "How fancy are we talking?"
"You own a dress and heels? Like a really nice dress?" He asked. I could hear a bit of hesitation in his voice and I realized that not a lot of people saw me dressed up.
"Believe it or not, there's one in my closet. Is this a black tie event?"
"Yes, it's at The Ritz."
We pulled up to the restaurant and got out. I pulled my bag over my shoulder and walked towards the building with Simon by my side. "Okay, I might have to go find a pair of heels, but I have a couple dresses that will work."
"Dresses but no heels?" He asked. "Wait, do I even want to know?"
I chuckled. "This is my life, anything could happen to those heels." I glanced at him to see if I got a reaction out of him. He had one eyebrow raised and I shook my head. "I’m kidding. I normally borrow them from Clarissa."
"I was worried for a moment." He opened the door for me and we walked in. We waited to be seated by the hostess. The place was unusually empty for this time of the morning. I looked at Simon and he shrugged when our hostess came up.
She smiled at us and her eyes wandered to Simon and then went to me. I wasn't sure what I looked like, but it couldn't be that bad. Her eyes widened just a touch and then her gaze went to my badge. "Right this way, Officer."
"Agent." I corrected gently. She didn't correct herself or even look over her shoulder at me.
Simon followed and we sat down in a booth. We both went straight for the menu, my phone went off twice and I didn't bother reaching for it.
"Aren't you going to at least look at it?" Simon asked without looking over his menu.
I shook my head. "Nope, not until I decide what to eat. If I look at it now then I'll know that someone can't function without me at work."
"You think it's Nick?" Simon asked.
"Oh, I'm almost positive. He doesn't know that I took the day off. I told him I was sticking around to clean up the mess."
Simon put the menu down. "You sent him to the graveyard, there's not a whole lot of trouble he can get into there."
The phone went off again and both Simon and I sighed. "I feel like Nick is the male version of me, he might run into something." Like blood starved vampires, but it was daytime. As far as I knew, there were no vampires who managed to walk in the sun.
The waitress came up and I delayed looking at my phone again. I wasn’t Nick's beck and call girl. Besides, I was taking the day off. Simon and I gave our orders and the waitress walked off.
I pulled the phone out and looked at the text messages. I opened the thread of Nick text messages.
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