by Ashlyn Chase
Anthony leaned back in his chair and interlocked his fingers behind his head. “I know it was built in the early nineteenth century.”
“Did anyone die in here?”
“Are you concerned about a spirit?”
“I wouldn’t say concerned—yet.”
“Sadie said something about feeling a presence. That was a few months ago. She didn’t mention anything malevolent, so I didn’t think much about it.”
“So, it’s possible.”
“In these two-hundred-year-old buildings, I’d say it’s almost probable. But why do you care?”
“Brandee said she hears strange noises sometimes. Some kind of howling or moaning that sounds more supernatural than human or animal.”
Anthony’s brow wrinkled. “I haven’t heard anything like that.”
“Did you ever live here?”
“When I first bought the place. I was probably the only being who could sleep through the renovations during the day—but that’s death-sleep for you.”
Nick chuckled. “I can see that. What about the Balogs? Didn’t they live here before you moved in and renovated?”
“Yeah, I inherited them with the building, and I didn’t have the heart to turn them out.”
“But you do charge them rent, don’t you?”
“Of course. In a way, they’re the perfect tenants. They pay their rent right on time, don’t want anything in their place updated, and show no signs of wanting to move.”
“How do they make their money?”
Anthony shrugged. “Don’t know. As long as they give me good checks and aren’t running a meth lab, I don’t especially care.”
Nick paused, unsure of his next question. “I can trust you to keep anything I say confidential, right?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“The Supernatural Council. Ever heard of it?”
“I’ve heard rumors about its existence, but that’s all. Some say it’s made up of gods and goddesses who punish paranormals who make them angry. I’ve never encountered anyone who has any firsthand knowledge.”
“Well, now you have.”
Anthony’s brows shot up. “You met them?”
“Yeah, but if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it. I’m not supposed to tell a soul.”
“Technically, I don’t have a soul.”
“Hey, that’s right. So I’m in the clear,” Nick said.
Anthony leaned forward. “Who are they? What are they like?”
Nick worried his upper lip. “You’ll think I’m ready for the funny farm.”
Anthony waved away his concern. “I know you, Nick. You’re one of the most rational werewolves around. Just tell me.”
Nick had to tell someone or he’d burst. Ordinarily he’d tell his twin, but in this case it might be better not to.
Anthony sighed. “If you’d rather not, I’ll understand, but I swear on my own grave I’ll never tell a soul—or the soulless, even.”
Okay, here goes. “The Council is run by Mother Nature, and she calls it GAIA. It stands for Gods And Immortals Association. They’re housed in a high rise on State Street. Now, this is where things are going to sound weird.”
Anthony raised his eyebrows. “Which building?”
“It doesn’t matter. You can’t access the Council headquarters from the building’s elevator. I’m not even sure how I got there or exactly where it’s located. The outside architecture doesn’t match what I saw on the inside. They just spat me out there on State Street.” Nick raked his fingers through his hair.
“What did they say?” Anthony asked.
“I was in deep shit for revealing my true nature to a human, especially getting caught on camera. Mother Nature confiscated the camera, so she bailed me out there, but she made it clear that if I ever screw up like that again, she’ll have my hide.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly. I told her that you wiped Brandee’s memory, but there were a few things I had to explain. I figured we should get our stories straight.”
Anthony’s jaw dropped. “You told them about me?”
“You were already on their radar. But they seemed glad that I went to you. They believed me when I said I trusted you.”
“Whew!” Anthony wiped his brow. “That’s a group I really don’t want to piss off. I imagine gods must be pretty invincible.
“No shit.”
“So what do I need to know?”
“Just that Brandee’s mind was wiped of my shifting. She knows nothing about my being a werewolf. However, I had to fill her in on the kidnapping. Apparently the victim told her parents that Brandee helped her get through it, and they called to thank her.”
“Christ. How did you explain to her that she forgot something like that?”
“I said the trauma must have made her blank it out. But I wonder if she’d believe that more if you lifted a few of her memory blocks about what happened. Then it would seem as if some of her memories are returning. That’s usually how amnesia works isn’t it?”
Anthony fiddled with a paperweight. “My power doesn’t work like that. I can add new memories of things that really happened if you tell me exactly what you want her to know. But I don’t want to spend any more time with Brandee than I have to—for her own sake.”
Nick leaped to his feet. “You can’t mean Ruxandra is still gunning for her.”
“Not exactly.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll just let Ruxandra hang around for a while and make her see I have no interest in any of my employees. Well, except for Claudia, but that’s just between you and me. I’d never put Claudia in danger by pursuing her until Ruxandra is out of the way—permanently.”
Nick whistled. “That’s quite a gamble. I hope it works.”
“It will…for now.”
***
“I’m surprised everything got cleaned up so quickly,” Kurt said. He and Tory grabbed a table in Brandee’s station. “I thought for sure the window would be boarded up for a few days.” Kurt leaned back in his chair and asked, “How are you holding up, kiddo?”
“I’m okay.”
“So it looks like you’re staying here?”
Brandee took her order pad from her apron pocket. “Anthony assured me Ruxandra won’t be a problem. Besides, I really can’t afford to quit.”
Tory shook his head. “It’s a damn shame he ever got involved with that psycho bitch in the first place. Do you really believe she won’t bother you again?”
“She has no need to. She was jealous because, for some damn reason, she thought I was involved with Anthony. Nick told her we were dating, and she’s noticed how protective he is. He’s been hanging around a lot, keeping an eye on me. I’m not supposed to know that, though.” She winked. “He’s keeping a low profile.”
Kurt glanced around the room. “He must be invisible. I don’t see him anywhere.”
“He’s in Anthony’s office. Probably threatening to have Ruxandra arrested if she tries anything again.”
Tory snorted. “Good luck with that.”
Just then, the door to Anthony’s office opened and Nick walked out. Simply laying eyes on him made her heart skip a beat.
“So, you and Nick, huh?” Tory sounded skeptical.
No more skeptical than Brandee would have been a couple weeks ago if she’d heard the infamous playboy had suddenly become monogamous. She still had moments when she wondered if it was real. “I know, I know. You’re probably going to tell me to be careful.”
“Nope,” Kurt said. “Because here he comes.”
Nick placed a possessive arm around Brandee’s waist. “Are these goons bothering you?”
She assumed he was just kidding. He was smirking at the guys when he said it, and then he sat down with them.
&
nbsp; “Not at all. I was just about to take their orders.”
“A Corona for me,” Tory said. He glanced at the other two. “My doctor said I’m not getting enough vitamin C, and it comes with a lime.”
They laughed.
“Hey, it’s always a good idea to prevent colds.” Kurt ordered one too.
“Would you get one for me too, sweetheart?” Nick asked.
“Vitamin C all around then.” Brandee smirked as she made her way to Angie at the bar. When she caught her friend’s attention, she ordered, “Three Coronas with limes.”
Angie nodded.
As she waited, Phil, another semi-regular, asked, “Is Nick going to be your bodyguard from now on? Doesn’t he have a job or something?”
Brandee spoke a little louder than usual because Phil was hard of hearing. “I imagine his workload is just light right now.” She leaned closer to speak directly into his ear. “He’s not my bodyguard.”
“Could have fooled me.”
Brandee thought about it and realized Nick hadn’t mentioned taking any more cases. She hoped he wasn’t turning them down just to keep an eye on her. I’ll ask him later. He’ll probably be here after my shift. That thought was both comforting and annoying.
***
A couple of hours later, Kurt and Tory had left, and Nick wanted to check out one thing. It would satisfy his curiosity and get him out of Brandee’s hair. She was beginning to look at him as if she didn’t appreciate his hanging around.
He slid into the booth opposite Sadie. She was shuffling her cards as usual.
“Can I ask you something? I don’t need a reading—well, not exactly.”
“Did you meet the one-drink minimum?”
“I nursed a beer for an hour or so. Does that count?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Barely. But since you’re a friend of Anthony’s, I’ll allow it. What’s on your mind?”
“Is this building haunted?”
“Yes,” she said matter-of-factly and stopped shuffling. “Does that bother you?”
“Not unless the spirit is unfriendly. Do you know any details about the haunting?”
“Like?”
“Like who? How many? Why they’re here?”
“I don’t know any of that. He, she, or they have never given me any sign of wanting to make contact.”
“What if he, she, or it doesn’t know you’re a psychic?”
“More likely he or she is shy and stays out of the bar when there are people here. Why are you interested in this, Nick? Are you concerned about Brandee?”
“Bingo.”
“I don’t think she’s in any danger. I would have mentioned something to Anthony if I was worried.”
Nick remembered Anthony telling him that Sadie had mentioned it to him. Maybe her nonchalant act was just that—an act.
“Sadie, if I can get you into Brandee’s apartment when she and Angie are out, would you try to make contact and see what the story is? I’d feel better knowing everything is okay.”
“What makes you think it isn’t?”
Nick glanced over at Brandee. She seemed sufficiently busy and wasn’t paying any attention to them. “Brandee said she hears moans, growls, banging…”
“Oh, dear. Is she sure it’s not the Balogs?”
“What she described didn’t sound human.”
Sadie stared off in the distance for a few seconds.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t say for sure unless I make contact, but it doesn’t sound like the spirit is hanging around because it’s comfortable here.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Sadie began to wave Brandee over.
Nick pulled down her hand. “What are you doing?”
“I was going to schedule a time to go upstairs and check it out.”
“No. I don’t want to alarm her.”
“Too late. She saw me wave to her.”
“Then just order a drink. I’ll pay for it if you don’t say anything to her about ghost busting.”
Brandee wove her way through the crowd to their table. “Hi there, Sadie. What can I do for you?”
“Nick generously offered to buy me a drink. I’ll have the usual, please.”
“You got it. Anything for you, Nick?”
“All I want is to see your beautiful smile.”
Brandee rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the blush invading her cheeks—or the smile.
Nick snapped his fingers. “Hey, I just thought of something.”
Brandee tipped her head. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“You mentioned you were having car trouble. I’m bored out of my mind just sitting around and waiting for my phone to ring. Why don’t you let me take a look at it?”
“My car?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty good with older models. I thought about becoming a mechanic before I became a cop. I might be able to figure out what’s wrong with it if I can hear the motor turn over. Why don’t you bring me your keys along with Sadie’s drink?”
“I, uh…I guess I could do that. It’s not like I have to worry about you voiding the warranty.”
He laughed and mentally congratulated himself when she went off to get her keys. She called out the order to Angie as she strode by and then entered the back room.
Sadie cast him a sidelong glance. “What are you thinking?”
“Her car keys are on the same ring as her apartment keys. If she doesn’t take the time to separate them, I’ll be able to let us in upstairs. We shouldn’t go outside together, though. I’ll take a look at her car while you finish your drink. Then you can meet me at her outer door. Do you know where it is?”
“Yes. It’s the next door on the right.”
“Correct. So, it’s a plan?”
Sadie shrugged and resumed shuffling. “If you wish.”
Nick was slightly puzzled by Sadie’s reaction, but not enough to get into it. Brandee was returning with her keys even before getting Sadie’s drink.
He rose when she approached. She dangled the keys over his open palm. “Here you go. Don’t try to fix anything yet. Just let me know if there’s something obviously wrong.”
“Why not let me fix it if it’s something simple? It seems a little silly not to.”
She eyed him warily. “You’re not going to spend any money on it, are you? Because I don’t want you to. It’s probably not worth fixing if it needs an expensive part.”
He crossed his heart. “I promise not to buy any expensive parts for your hunk of junk vehicle. Which one is it and where are you parked?”
“It’s the ancient red Corolla on Revere Street.”
“Gotcha. I’ll take a look and hopefully have an answer for you in a while.” He strode out to the street, hoping he could diagnose the car’s problem or sound semi-intelligent about it despite having little experience with cars. Even his cruiser had been taken care of by professionals. Maybe he could move it slightly to make it look like he’d driven it and she wouldn’t be suspicious. Then he’d get back to her apartment door and wait for Sadie.
Who knows, maybe I’ll even be able to fix the problem. Not just the car’s, but the apartment’s as well.
Chapter 11
After three attempts, Nick was able to start Brandee’s vehicle. He’d poked around under the hood and finally decided the car was old and tired. Maybe it needed a new battery, but more than likely it needed to be junked. A dealer might give her a hundred bucks for it as a trade-in, but that was being optimistic. After waiting years for his true mate, he didn’t want to lose her just because her car broke down in a dicey part of the city.
Nick waited outside Brandee’s apartment with his grimy hands in his pockets. The mid-September evening was the first to feel like autumn. At last Sadie exited the bar, wearing her woolen So
uth American poncho.
“Do you still want to invade the girls’ privacy?” she asked.
He hesitated, but only for a second. “I need to know Brandee’s not living with a poltergeist. You won’t rat on me, will you?”
“I told you all my work is confidential. However, breaking and entering costs extra.” She winked.
“Fine. Money doesn’t matter if it reassures me that Brandee is safe.” He opened the outside door. The two of them tromped up the narrow stairway to the second-floor apartment.
At the door, he chose the key he thought was the right one and tried it. The door opened easily. Too easily, in his opinion. He made a mental note to install a dead bolt for Brandee.
Sadie flipped on the light and glanced around the small but neat apartment. “Not bad for the area. I live in a one-bedroom closet. This living room must be about four hundred square feet. Are the bedrooms roomy?”
“I’ve only seen one, but it’s tiny.”
Sadie’s lips curled up on one side.
“Oh, very clever,” Nick said. “Yes, I’ve been in her bedroom.”
She grinned. “Good.”
Nick took a seat on the lounger part of the sectional and stretched out with his hands clasped behind his head. He couldn’t help smiling when he thought about making out with Brandee on that couch. “Okay, Sadie. Do your thing.”
Sadie closed her eyes. “Spirit, if you can hear me, give me a sign.”
All remained quiet. Sadie wandered around the living room. “I can sense a presence.” Addressing the spirit, she said, “I’d like to know if I can help you.” Suddenly, she stopped and cupped her ear. “What was that?”
Nick swung his feet to the floor. “What? I didn’t hear anything.”
“Shhh! I wasn’t talking to you, Nick.”
He gripped the edge of the sofa and waited. Then he heard a noise too. It sounded like footsteps.
Suddenly the door swung open and Brandee appeared. Before he could say something, she looked up and shrieked.
Nick rose quickly. “Relax. It’s just me and Sadie. We heard—”
Before he could finish his sentence, she threw a set of keys on the floor with a loud crash. “Angie” was spelled out in chunky silver metal. A large brown stain covered Brandee’s blouse.