Playing with Fury
Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery, Book 9
Annabel Chase
Red Palm Press LLC
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter One
Chief Sawyer Fox stood outside the bus station with his hair neatly combed and a clean-shaven face. He wore chinos and a collared shirt in place of his usual police uniform.
“Will you be wearing that to my housewarming party on Sunday?” I asked.
The chief glanced down at his clothes. “I wasn’t planning on it. Why?”
“It’s cute. You look ready to have your portrait done at Sears.”
He cast me a sidelong glance. “Is that a compliment?”
“You should just interpret everything I say as a compliment,” I said.
“You’re telling me this isn’t a sexy look. Message received.”
To be fair, he’d look sexy in a track suit made out of bacon, but I wasn’t accustomed to seeing him dress like this. He usually wore tight jeans and a T-shirt out of uniform, a style I fully appreciated.
“Aunt Wili bought me this shirt for my birthday a few years ago,” he continued. “I thought it would be nice to wear it today.”
“No wonder you’re her favorite nephew. What a suck-up.”
“My aunt deserves all the sucking up,” the chief said. “She’s the best. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
I bounced on the balls of my feet, growing impatient. Relatives weren’t exactly my forte and I was anxious to get the meet-and-greet over with.
“Why would she take a bus all the way from Iowa? Seems like a punishment.”
“She doesn’t like to fly. She calls airplanes ‘doom tubes,’” he said.
“Weird. That’s what Grandma calls the internet.”
The chief took out his phone and showed me the screen. “She texted me pictures she took along the way. She seems to be enjoying the views.”
“Only because they didn’t have to drive through New Jersey to get here.” I whistled. “Thirty-six hours on a smelly bus. Now that’s unconditional love.”
The chief grinned at me. “Would you ride on a bus for thirty-six hours to see me?”
I’d ride a bus without a working bathroom for thirty-six hours through the bowels of hell to see Sawyer Fox, but I kept that level of enthusiasm to myself.
“I have wings, remember? No need for long distance public transportation.”
Not that I ever wanted to use my wings for thirty-six hours straight—or any of my fury traits for that matter. The more I used them, the more likely the gods were to bestow more powers upon me. I had enough ‘blessings,’ thank you very much, and I didn’t even want the ones I had.
A bus pulled into the station and the chief craned his neck to read the number.
“It’s her bus,” he said.
My heart swelled as I watched his handsome face light up. If only I could generate the same kind of excitement for members of my own family. Luckily the chief didn’t have to worry about Aunt Wili using black magic—or magic of any kind. Sawyer Fox and his family were one hundred percent human, which was the main reason we had to keep our blossoming relationship a secret. My supernatural family had no tolerance for serious romantic unions with humans. They considered it a waste of time and would go out of their way to make sure the relationship ended before it really began.
“There she is,” he said, waving.
Wilfrieda Ashby alighted from the bus, waving heartily. She wore a dark blue coat and a matching hat with a daisy tucked in the brim. She had the kind of open and friendly face that people warmed to immediately. She might very well have floated down from the top step with an open umbrella like Mary Poppins.
“If she offers me a spoonful of sugar…” I began. Well, I’d eat it without complaint. I loved sugar.
“Sawyer!” Wilfrieda swept across the parking lot to engulf her nephew in a hug.
He planted a kiss on her cheek. “Good to see you, Aunt Wili. How was the trip?”
“Wonderful. I made so many new friends.” She pulled back to examine him from head to toe. “My goodness. You are the spitting image of your father. It’s like I’ve stepped out of a time machine.”
Judging from the dilapidated bus behind her, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. I was surprised it arrived with all its wheels.
“Welcome to Chipping Cheddar,” the chief said. “I’m so happy you’re here.” He placed a hand on the small of my back. “Aunt Wili, I’d like you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Eden Fury.”
Wilfrieda pivoted toward me with a wide smile. “How delightful! I’m thrilled to meet you. Sawyer’s been very coy about his romantic life lately. I was wondering if there might be an announcement on the horizon. When’s the wedding?” She brushed my hair off my shoulder and regarded me. “Oh, you’d make the loveliest June bride. Can you wait that long or are you already—?” She lowered her gaze to my stomach and left the question dangling.
“No,” I practically shouted. “The only thing I’m expecting is an extra-large coffee.”
The chief placed a hand on Wilfrieda’s shoulder. “Eden is a friend. Let’s leave it at that.”
She patted his cheek. “You can’t fool me. I’m like a bloodhound of love. A lovehound.” She laughed gaily. “I can sniff out a romance a mile away.”
“Your bags, Wili.” The baggage handler stood behind us with a matching set of oversized suitcases.
Wilfrieda whirled around to face him. “Oh, thank you, Paulo. I’d nearly forgotten them. Can you imagine?” She clucked her tongue. “That’s what happens when you reach a certain age.” She opened her purse and pulled out a few bills. “You tell that daughter of yours to dump her boyfriend if he doesn’t have gainful employment in the next week. She’s been more than patient.”
Paulo tipped an imaginary hat. “Will do, ma’am. Enjoy your stay.”
Wilfrieda looked back at us. “His daughter Lara is such a sweetheart. She can do much better than Barney.”
“You know Paulo?” I asked.
“Well, we met on the bus, but we had thirty-six hours to kill. Lara and I even had a FaceTime chat.”
I stared at her. “You FaceTimed the baggage handler’s daughter?”
“Oh no, Paulo was the driver. Anyway, it was easy enough. I can show you how to do it if you like. I FaceTime Sawyer every week.”
Chief Fox frowned at the suitcases. “That’s a lot of luggage for a short visit.”
“I brought a few reminders of home.” Wilfrieda turned slowly for a better view of the town. “I think I’m going to like it here.”
The chief grabbed a handle of the suitcase and tugged. “Are any of those reminders a rock collection?”
“Oh, that’s probably the bag with my cans of SpaghettiOs,” she said, unconcerned.
“Why did you pack your own cans?” he asked. “We have plenty of stores here, you know.”
“Yes, but what if they were out of the kind with the little meatballs? That’s my favorite.”
The chief eyed her closely. “I thought the doctor said no more SpaghettiOs.”
She flicked a dismissive finger. “Oh, please. A few cans here and there won’t kill me. It’s not like I’m lacing them with cocaine.” A slow smile spread across her f
ace. “Now there’s an idea.”
The chief fixed her with a hard look. “Auntie, you’ve never tried cocaine.”
She shrugged. “I’m still young enough. Plenty of time to experiment.”
The chief struggled to lift the heavy suitcase and I wondered whether I should intervene. I decided it was best not to flaunt my supernatural strength.
“It has wheels, silly,” Wilfrieda said.
“I don’t think the wheels do very much good with a bag this heavy,” he replied.
I took the other suitcase and rolled it toward the car. “Sawyer’s been so excited for your visit.”
She smiled adoringly at him. “Same here. I can hardly wait to see the bay. It’s been far too long. Lakes are wonderful, but sometimes your lungs crave salt in the air.” A seagull swooped down and rested on her hat. “Stay another minute and I’ll charge you rent.”
The seagull promptly flew away.
“Are you thirsty?” the chief asked, as we crossed the parking lot. “We can load your bags into the car and walk to one of the coffee shops.”
“The Daily Grind,” I said quickly.
Corinne LeRoux owned Magic Beans, the other decent coffee shop, so it was probably best to stick to the human-run places in town during his aunt’s visit.
“I wouldn’t mind a nice cup of tea,” she said.
We placed the bags in the safety of the trunk and continued downtown on foot.
“It feels good to stretch my legs,” Wilfrieda said. She stopped every few steps to admire the shop windows. “I could spend a week just browsing here.”
“You might have to,” the chief said. “There won’t be room in your luggage.”
A woman passed by walking a terrier and Wilfrieda clapped her hands. “Oh, I can’t wait to meet Achilles in person. He reminds me of that dog you had when you were younger. Hayden.”
I laughed. “You named a dog Hayden?”
“He was named after Hayden Fry,” the chief said.
“Who’s Hayden Fry?” I asked.
Wilfrieda and the chief sucked in simultaneous breaths. I was being chastised for my ignorance in stereo.
“He’s a football player turned coach,” the chief said.
“Hayden Fry is beloved in Iowa,” Wilfrieda added. “May he rest in peace.”
“Anyway, Hayden was a Rottweiler, not a pug,” the chief said.
“Oh, I know, but same sweet face,” Wilfrieda said. “You could melt butter on it.”
“I didn’t know you had a Rottweiler,” I said. It was a reminder that the chief and I were still in the getting-to-know-you phase, even though it seemed like I’d known him forever.
The Daily Grind was fairly busy, so the chief joined the line and Wilfrieda and I snagged a table not far from the window.
Her gaze traveled around the room, taking it all in. “This place seems popular,” she said.
“It has good coffee. I became a bit of a coffee snob in San Francisco and this was the closest thing to it in Chipping Cheddar.”
She placed her hands gently on the table. “Tell me about San Francisco, dear. I’ve never been, although I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“I liked it there. I would’ve stayed if my job hadn’t transferred me.” No need for her to know that I was transferred from the FBI after I inadvertently siphoned a vampire’s traits and nearly killed my partner in the process. Poor Fergus had to endure a hospital stay and a memory wipe and I had to endure being sent packing to my hometown.
Wilfrieda lowered her voice. “Sawyer says you work for the FBI.”
I smiled. “You don’t have to whisper. It’s not a secret.” What was a secret, of course, was that I actually worked as an agent for the Federal Bureau of Magic. Humans like Wilfrieda Ashby were oblivious to the supernatural world and we aimed to keep it that way. Chief Fox had been unaware of us, too, until he witnessed my resurrection.
Wilfrieda removed her hat and smoothed her hair. “How fortunate for you that you were transferred to your hometown. What could be better?”
I strangled a laugh. “It wasn’t what I envisioned for myself.”
“I suppose Chipping Cheddar doesn’t have the same level of crime as a big city like San Francisco.”
“No, definitely not.”
What the town did have was a powerful vortex—a spot where magical ley lines converge—and a dormant portal to Otherworld, the supernatural realm. Chipping Cheddar was a magnet for supernaturals because of the energy emanating from it, which is why the FBM insisted on having an outpost here.
Wilfrieda glanced at the counter. “Part of me wishes Sawyer would’ve stayed in Iowa, but I can already tell he’s settled here. He’s such a wonderful young man.”
“He certainly is,” I said.
Wilfrieda turned back to me. “Was it love at first sight? I bet it was.”
“I was drunk and thought he was a stripper.”
Peals of laughter followed my admission. “Remind me to tell you about the time…” She stopped talking when the chief appeared at the table with a tray of cups.
“Excuse me,” he said. “What kind of stories are you sharing, Aunt Wili?” He distributed the drinks and sat in the chair beside me, resting his hand on my knee under the table.
“Eden was telling me about the night you met.”
He chuckled. “That was an interesting first meeting.”
“Your best man can include it in his speech at your wedding,” Wilfrieda said.
He and I exchanged looks. Wilfrieda was like a dog with a relationship bone. I had a feeling if we didn’t come clean with her, we’d make the situation worse for ourselves.
“Go ahead and tell her,” I said.
The chief dropped his voice. “Auntie, listen. You’re right about us—the relationship, not the wedding—but you can’t tell anyone. Not the bus driver or the cashier at the supermarket or anyone else. It’s a secret.”
“Why on earth would you keep a thing like this a secret?” She jerked toward me.
“I could lose my job,” I said. It was the same lie I told Sawyer initially, before I admitted the truth about the supernatural world and my evil family.
Wilfrieda sipped her tea. “Nonsense. How could the FBI possibly object to Sawyer? He’s a gift to the world.”
“He’s also the chief of police,” I said. “There are rules and we need to abide by them.”
“Please don’t mention it to anyone,” the chief said. “Don’t even make jokes.”
She offered a solemn nod. “I swear on Herky the Hawk.”
I shot her a quizzical look. “You have a bird?”
“The mascot for the Hawkeyes,” she said. She gave the chief a look of dismay. “You haven’t shifted your loyalties, have you?”
The chief held up his hands. “Absolutely not. Achilles and I watch every game we can.”
Wilfrieda clapped her hands together. “Oh, I can’t wait to meet this adorable pug of yours. I feel like he’s my grand-nephew.”
“He’s a little sweetheart,” I said.
“Like father, like pug,” Wilfrieda said. “Do you have a dog, Eden?”
If by dog, you mean a hellhound with acidic saliva that could scorch the earth, then yes. “Princess Buttercup,” I said.
“A Great Dane,” the chief added. “Eden rescued her from a hellish environment.”
Wilfrieda’s expression softened. “Oh, dear. What must her early life have been like?”
“I don’t know. She was abandoned when I found her,” I said. That much was true.
“You have a kind heart,” Wilfrieda said. “Of course I’d expect nothing less of the woman Sawyer gave his heart to.”
“Auntie,” the chief said quickly. “Please.”
Wilfrieda covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, Sawyer. I’ll try to mind my tongue.”
A shadow fell over the table and I looked up to see my assistant, Neville. The wizard’s cheeks were red from exertion and his hair was damp with sweat.
“S
o sorry to interrupt,” he said. “Agent Fury, we were supposed to meet at Davenport Park half an hour ago.”
I clamped a hand over my mouth. “Crap on a cracker. I’m sorry, Neville.” I was so wrapped up in Wilfrieda’s visit, I’d completely forgotten. “Wilfrieda, I’d like you to meet my assistant, Neville. Neville, this is Chief Fox’s aunt. She’s visiting from Iowa.”
Neville bowed his head. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Neville is such an interesting name,” she said. “Are you familiar with Neville Chamberlain?”
“He was the former prime minister of the U.K.,” Neville said.
“You weren’t named for him, were you?” Wilfrieda asked. “He basically handed Sudetenland to the Germans on a silver platter.”
“Appeasement,” Neville said. “That was his foreign policy.”
“Terrible,” they said in unison and laughed.
“I wasn’t named after him,” Neville said.
“Well, thank goodness for that.”
I plucked my coffee cup from the table. “I hate to leave you so soon, but duty calls.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow night,” the chief said.
Wilfrieda perked up. “What’s tomorrow night?”
“A VIP party at the mayor’s house,” the chief said. “Thought you might like to be my date.”
Wilfrieda looked at me. “And will Neville be yours?”
“No, no,” Neville said quickly. “I’m not a VIP. Just a P.” He looked at me. “I’ll meet you out front, Agent Fury.”
“Be right there.”
“How exciting,” Wilfrieda said, straightening in her seat. “My first weekend here and I’m already going to the mayor’s house.”
“I promised you a good time,” the chief said.
“I’m already having a grand time,” she said. “And you don’t need to worry about Neville as competition. He’s clearly in the friend zone.”
Playing With Fury Page 1