"Nothing at the moment; I’m between jobs. I was a bartender in central London, but I got sacked a few weeks ago."
"Umm, sorry to hear that."
"Don’t be, I’m not," she said. We both laughed. A few minutes later I vanished into the bathroom; I looked in the mirror and couldn’t quite believe that I was drinking and chatting with a shifter I just saved. I brushed my teeth and when I came out Kel was already snoring loudly on my sofa. From our short conversation I found out she was alone in London; she’d arrived from Scotland a few months ago. Her parents were dead, and she didn’t have any siblings. It was after one in the morning when I finally got to bed. I had a stranger in my living room and I’d nearly killed a wizard.
The next day I awoke with a headache; I always felt hungover after wine. It took me a moment to remember that I had a stranger in my living room. Unfortunately, Kel had vanished while I was still sleeping; the sofa was empty. I wondered why she left so early; it was only ten ‘til ten. She hadn’t left a note with her number or even her address; I was disappointed because I thought that we’d bonded. After a long shower, I made some breakfast and got ready for work.
The day in the office rolled as usual. Kate kept asking me about Rufus, so in the end, I couldn’t keep the secret and told her what had happened. I made her promise to keep it to herself as no one else was supposed to know. I called my dad, hoping to hear good news.
“I've spoken to the unit in Manchester. They have evidence that Rufus went there, but only for a few days; he was back in London this week. His wife doesn’t believe me; she stated that she spoke to him on Monday," he said, sounding tired. "Last night I got a call from another department; we found Rufus’s car in a ditch along a country road. He must’ve fought because there were blood stains on the front seat."
I could feel the colour drain from my face. "Oh, my god," I whispered, thinking the worst. "Do you think he’s—"
Dad cut me off. "No, I don’t think he’s dead. Someone went to a lot of trouble to cover the evidence in his car."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't think like that," I replied. "If you know more, call me, will you?"
"Yes, I’ll keep you in the loop."
I updated Kate; she couldn’t believe that Rufus had possibly been kidnapped. I made a cup of strong coffee for both of us. Questions were mounting in my head; why would anyone target Rufus? He was just the regional manager—I was the one who was close to Nathaniel. The rest of the day passed in a blur.
At home, I started thinking about the money the agency was making through the contract I’d won. Nathaniel was a wealthy man; he knew how to handle business. If we hadn’t met, this never would’ve happened to Rufus.
I went to work the next day, and my mind just wasn't there. In the end, I had to tell the main director about Rufus’s disappearance. He promised to send someone to help us deal with the crisis. As the weekend approached, I also attempted to call his wife, Elena. We’d met during parties and birthdays. A few times, I nearly got connected but changed my mind and cancelled the call. I wasn't even sure what I would say to her. A few months ago, I was the one who was nearly taken away by a group of giants and now, her husband was gone.
After a week of no news, I called my dad again, but he confirmed Rufus had been dragged away from his car and the police suspected he was kidnapped. It was hard to not get frustrated and disappointed, especially when we didn’t know if Rufus was alive.
I had something else on my mind that had been niggling me throughout the week. Even the trip to the gym didn’t help, so, in the end, I decided to talk to Kate about what was bothering me. I hadn't heard from Kel since she’d vanished from my apartment; she obviously didn’t want to stay in touch.
I asked Roberto to drop me off at work on my day off; Kate had to hear me out. I needed to know if my head was still in the right place because this thought was slowly driving me insane. Sara was singing in the kitchen when I walked into the office. Kate was alone, and I was surprised she didn’t have any clients.
"Julia," she said, arching her eyebrows, "What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you. You’re finishing in ten minutes, right?"
"Yes, is everything all right?"
"I want to go undercover," I blurted out. "I found out from Dad that Rufus’s car had been targeted. He suspects that someone dragged Rufus away from his car; we can assume that he was kidnapped. I have a terrible feeling that this might have something to do with the other agency. You know, the one with this strange name?"
Kate knotted her hands together, staring at me with reservation. I wasn't sure if I was ready to continue, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep unless I told her what I’d been thinking about.
"What makes you think that it’s the other agency? Rufus was just a regional manager. He couldn’t possibly—"
I cut her off. "Kate, the contract with Nathaniel’s company is worth millions. Our margins have never been better. La Caz Pharmaceutical made us a tonne of money and people talk. Think about this; his company will grow."
"Hold on, are you saying what I think you’re saying?" she asked, leaning toward me. For the first time, I had a chance to look directly into her green eyes, noticing they were slightly brown. I licked my lips.
"I want to go to the other agency and find out if they know anything," I pressed on. "And I want you to come with me."
Kate’s eyes went wide. "What do you mean? Even if we get there, what are we going to say to them?" she hissed, glancing toward the kitchen.
"Well, we go there and pretend we’re looking for work. McGregor had some connections with trolls and giants," I explained, thinking ahead of myself. "Think about it. This all makes sense; once whoever kidnapped Rufus gets rid of Paranormal Personnel, La Caz Pharmaceutical won’t be able to manufacture any more products. His company would be in trouble. Lucinda is good, but she wouldn’t be able to deal with recruitment on that scale. Nathaniel would need to find another way to recruit. He might turn to them because he wouldn't have a choice. Someone burned the agency, remember? Obviously, they didn’t get very far in ruining us, but we struggled for the first few weeks."
I slammed my hand on the table, getting pumped out about my theory, but Kate looked unmoved.
"You don’t have any proof that this troll was behind the fire. I thought Jennifer made a deal with McGregor."
"She might have, but I’m sure that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Now, Rufus is missing, and I won’t be able to sleep tonight until I know he’s safe. We need to go to that agency and find out if they know anything about his disappearance," I said, folding my arms together. It was after four and Alexandra wasn't here yet. I needed Kate to back me up with this plan. We both heard the door.
"How can I help you?" Kate asked, looking annoyed that we were interrupted. A potential candidate stood in the door.
"I'm looking for this lady," a familiar voice said.
Chapter 6
A plan.
I wasn't mistaken: it was Kelsie and I could hardly recognise her. She had glorious black hair that was completely straight and smooth. Her sparkling brown eyes were glancing around with eagerness. She looked like she walked straight from the cover of one of those glossy celebrity magazines: flawless skin, long skinny legs, and stylish clothing. Kate was staring ahead blankly. I rubbed a hand along my jaw, feeling a little insecure wearing my skinny jeans.
"Kel, what are you doing here?" I asked a little breathless.
"I owe you one. I hope you don’t mind that I came over," she said, approaching Kate’s desk. Even her movements were refined. A couple nights ago I thought she looked like an ordinary woman, but now I was completely gobsmacked.
"I didn’t expect to see you, that’s all. You left quite fast the other day. How did you know I would be here?"
"I didn't. I just took a chance. It stuck when you mentioned that you worked for Paranormal Personnel."
"Right, sorry. Kate, this is Kel," I introduced them. "We met a few days ago."
"Hey, Kel," Kate greeted her, then tucked her magic wand behind her ear like it was a completely normal thing to do. Sara emerged from the kitchen a few seconds later, humming an unknown melody. I glanced at my watch and saw Alexandra entering the office.
"Sorry, Kate, I meant to be here half an hour ago, but I missed my bus," Alexandra complained. It was time to move to another room. My other co-workers weren't supposed to be involved with what I wanted to do.
"Julia, it’s Monday today. Did you mix your shifts?" Sara asked, realising I was in the office.
"Kate, shall we leave? I really need to finish this conversation," I said, rubbing my hand. Kate rose and started packing her stuff. I turned to Kelsie. "Kel, I’m sorry, but I’m in the middle of something really important. If you give me your number, we can meet later on."
"She can help us," Kate whispered in my ear, and I looked at her, bewildered.
"I just needed to have a chat with Kate," I told Sara. Alexandra wasn't paying much attention to us. She sat down at her desk and started scrolling through her emails. “Let's use the interview room; we need to talk."
I had no clue why Kate thought that my new friend would help us. Yes, she was attractive, but it wasn't fair to drag her into what I was planning, although she had an idea about our problems.
Kel didn’t ask any questions, she just followed us. I locked the door from the inside, making sure we weren't going to be interrupted.
"Can I smoke here?" Kel asked, putting her legs on the table.
"Not really, but carry on," I muttered, still not quite believing she was so stunning. She lit the cigarette, watching me from the corner of her eye.
"So, what’s up, ladies? I’m intrigued," she said, blowing out a circle of smoke. First, I needed to explain to Kate how I met Kelsie, and then we could discuss my plan, so I started talking. Within ten minutes I went through the events of the night we met, feeling quite nervous about the magic that I was able to produce. Kate was aware I couldn’t control my magic, although we never had a chance to really talk about it. After I finished my story, Kate looked amazed.
"You knocked out a wizard?" she repeated after a moment.
"Kind of. I couldn’t quite control what I was doing," I explained, deflated.
"Wow, that’s incredible, even for someone who doesn’t know what to do." She smiled.
"Maybe, but we aren’t here to talk about me," I said, taking a deep breath. "My plan is simple: I want to sniff around at the rival agency; find out what they’re working on. Kate suggested that you could help us, Kel."
"Me?" Kel looked surprised.
"You could be an easy distraction," Kate said, smiling lightly. "I hear that this troll, the head of the other agency, has the reputation of being a womaniser."
Kel laughed, putting away her lighter. I had to agree with Kate—Kelsie was pretty and could work as a distraction. If she would come with us, our plan would be so much easier.
"I guess I can help, I’ve got nothing else to do today anyway," she said. “What's the deal with the other agency anyway?"
"I have a feeling that they might be behind Rufus’s disappearance. We made a tonne of money in the past few months and they know that. News spreads fast in this business. Rufus has worked with Paranormal Personnel for over ten years; he has a lot of contacts."
Both Kate and Kel looked at each other, acknowledging what I just said. Maybe it wasn't fair to get Kelsie involved just yet, but we needed to have a good backup story.
"Elf, witch, and shapeshifter sounds more realistic. We can pretend that we all worked in an office in West London, but we’ve been made redundant a few weeks ago," I said.
"This would get us through the door, but what’s the point talking to the consultant? We need to talk to the guy in charge," Kate observed.
She was right—we had to talk to the branch manager. He was the one who held all the necessary information. I didn’t know his name, but I’d met him briefly a couple of years ago, so I vaguely remembered his face. My plan was shaky, but I was determined to find Rufus.
In the end, we decided to play a new investment company. We were looking to recruit an admin staff and we wanted to start working with an established recruitment agency; we knew someone who worked with them before. Coming from a recommendation would be more credible. We all needed each other: in the worst situation I could be useless; Kate was a skilled witch.
Kel was going to use her charm in an attempt to seduce the branch manager. We needed to find out if he was a suspect; he was known for his taste in beautiful supernatural creatures.
After discussing our options, we went to my apartment and changed. We needed to look convincing; our plan had cracks. There was stiff competition between the agencies and it wasn't easy to win a business these days, so they could look at us with suspicion. I felt a little guilty getting Kel involved with all this, so I told her that she could just walk away.
"Chill out, Julia. I'm bored out of my mind. Besides, I like to live on the edge." She giggled.
Just after six, we left my flat suited and booted. My legs were shaking when I got into Kel’s Fiat. My stomach went through serious contractions when I thought about the worst-case scenario. Kel had nothing to do with this, and I wanted it to keep it like that.
"If anything goes wrong, I’ll shift,” Kelsie said. “Trolls are really dumb, but their magic is oddly good."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Sort of, but if worse comes to worse we would have to kick his butt." She grinned.
I rolled my eyes, hoping that it didn’t have to come to that. StaffSpell Recruitment was located in a rougher part of London, although the main street was busy, filled with people from all over the world. I kept flexing my fingers, aware that magic was rolling through me. Kate looked focused, whereas Kelsie was pulling her top down, so it revealed more of her cleavage.
I wished I’d paid more attention when Rufus was talking about our rivals. Now I needed all the information I could get. I knew they had fewer clients and mainly specialised in construction. I kept biting my lip, ignoring the uncomfortable ache in my stomach. We needed to charm the troll in order to know if he was telling us the truth.
StaffSpell’s office was modern and well equipped. I spotted two elves staring at us from the corner. One of them, a blonde, got up swiftly from her chair and bounced toward us with a plastic smile on her face.
"Welcome to StaffSpell. How can I assist you today?" she squeaked, eyeing us intensely. I opened my mouth to begin, when Kel spoke instead.
"We need to speak to your boss, right now," she ordered, folding her arms together. The woman with the name tag, Marcia, stepped back, looking away.
"May I ask what this is regarding?" she asked after a long stiff moment.
"No, you can’t. We’re here for business and we haven’t got time for chitchat. We need to see the branch manager right away," Kelsie continued sharply.
The girl hesitated for a moment, knowing that her co-workers were staring. She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes. I kept seeing holes in this stupid plan; we couldn't possibly pull this off, not with the way Kel was speaking to her. Kate looked like she was going to faint whereas I was panicking already.
"Let me see what I can do," Marcia replied, pursing her lips in annoyance. She walked through the room, then vanished around the corner. I could have sworn that Kel could hear my pounding heart, but she was playing her role well, looking annoyed that we had to wait.
The elf came back within a minute, this time she wasn't trying to impress us.
"Follow me, please. Our regional manager will see you now."
As we were passing through, I saw Kelsie giving me thumbs up, but a nagging uneasiness settled in my stomach.
The elf opened a white door and with her perfect manicure she pointed toward the troll who was sitting behind t
he desk. "Mark, these ladies insisted on seeing you."
"Very well, Marcia, please close the door behind you," the troll barked, but flashed a smile seeing us standing in front of him. Once we were alone, I searched for an unpleasant smell, but there was none. The troll in front of us was short, stocky, but he was exceptionally handsome. I was stunned because his smoky black hair and blue eyes didn’t fit the rest of his awkward body.
“I'm sorry that we demanded to see you Mr...?"
"Fiorillo," the troll quickly replied, looking straight at Kelsie. His eyes darted downward, moving over her long bare legs. He licked his lips, raising his left eyebrow, obviously liking what he was seeing, but Kel pretended she didn’t notice.
"Yes, Mr. Fiorillo. Time is money, so we will get straight to the point," Kel said, fanning herself with a booklet that she picked up by the entrance. She looked sexy, aware of the attention that she was getting. "Can we sit down?"
"Of course, where’re my manners? Here." Shrugging, Fiorillo pointed at the chairs that suddenly appeared in front of us. I was impressed but tried hard not to show it. One of his parents must’ve been an elf or a fairy. Trolls just didn’t possess pretty genes.
Once we were sitting, and I could breathe again, I wanted to say something before Kelsie got too comfortable in her own role.
"So, what can I do for you ladies?"
Chapter 7
The spell.
“We're looking to hire a few people. My name is Lisa Watkins, and these are my business partners, Veronica Dawson and Teri Ann Morgan. We just opened an investment company for supernaturals that deals with import and export. A friend recommended your agency to us." My voice was steady and confident.
Fiorillo was still smiling, revealing his pearly Hollywood smile. He clasped his fingers together and cleared his throat like he knew that we were trying to sell him a huge pile of horse poo. Kate tensed next to me and I knew that she was thinking the same thing. We needed to be more convincing.
A Nightly Howl: The Witching Hour Series Book 2 Page 6
