Midnight Starling: An Urban Fantasy Romance Series

by Rhiannon Lee

  "No, not since it first opened. I'm usually too busy to go out," he explained.

  Victor piped up. "I've seen him there."

  I almost forgot he was in the room. "Who? Where?" I asked.

  "Vincent. He used to eat at Morgan's quite a bit. Before…" he said.

  I homed in on Thain's face. "I went there first thing and the cook I ran into was evasive as heck. I knew he was hiding something; I just didn't know what."

  "Who was it?"

  "I have no idea what his name was," I said, pressing the heel of my hand into my forehead. How could I have been so stupid not to follow up on that?

  Thain was on his feet before I could stop mentally cursing myself. "Let's go," he said.

  "Go where?"

  "To Morgan's. If this man knows something about Anna's disappearance, we need to learn what it is. It may be our only hope of connecting everything and finding Poppy."

  "Agreed. Let's go," I said, immediately heading out the door. I wasn't risking an argument. It was bad enough that he pulled me off Anna's case and then didn't do any leg work himself. I no longer had much faith in Thain's detective skills. Not that I had many to begin with.

  Once I got outside, I figured I should wait for them so we could show up together. The cook may have been disparaging with me, but he sure as hell wouldn't act that way around Thain. Or at least I hoped. Thankfully, Victor and Thain weren't wasting time either. They appeared behind me as soon as I turned around to find them.

  "We can take my car, come on," I said.

  To my surprise, neither man protested. Thain motioned for me to lead the way and we all hustled to get in. I revved the engine and took off down the street, flipping through gears like they were almost non existent.

  "Let me do the talking," Thain said from the passenger side.

  "Sure, as long as you get the info we need, I don't care who does what," I said and stomped on the gas after a light turned green.

  We made it to Morgan's as quickly as I could manage, meaning I ignored several traffic laws. I yanked the emergency brake and Thain was out before I could turn the motor off. Victor scrambled out of the back seat as fast as he could, and then all three of us were off.

  As soon as I entered, I searched for cook I had questioned but didn't see him anywhere.

  "He might be in the back," I suggested.

  Thain nodded and made his way past the front counter and through a set of swinging kitchen doors. He was taller than I was, and his body blocked my view after he stopped just inside, so I pushed my way past him.

  "Is he here?" Thain asked.

  I scanned every workers' faces, but he was nowhere to be seen. "No. Is there anywhere else he could be?"

  "I don't think so. Hold on." He approached the nearest person. They were chopping vegetables on a wooden cutting board. "I'm looking for the cook," he said, and the man motioned toward a man standing in front of a pair of stoves just out of my view. The cook, who now had the attention of all three of us, stopped what he was doing and stared at us.

  "You," Thain commanded, pointing at him.

  "Who are you and why are you in my kitchen?" The man demanded, coming over.

  "Thain Morgan, and I need to know the names of the other cooks who work here."

  The man's grumpy expression turned into widened eyes and an open mouth. "Oh shit," the man said. "Sorry, boss, I didn't realize who you were."

  "How do you not know who your sheriff is?" Victor mumbled from beside us.

  I half-heartedly smacked his arm to silence him.

  "No other cooks here, boss. Just me."

  I stepped forward and pointed a finger in his face. "Liar!"

  The cook took a step back out of my reach. "I'm not lying. I'm the only one. We've been shorthanded ever since Sasha quit last week. Been just me ever since. I swear," he said.

  Sonia and Sasha? There was no way the similarities of those names were a coincidence either.

  Thain turned to me, eyes searching for help.

  "I wonder if your informants heard the name wrong. Sonia and Sasha are awfully similar," I said lowly.

  The cook heard me and perked up. "You mean Sonia, Sasha's sister? She still works here. Maybe she can help," he said and jerked his thumb to the other side of the kitchen. "She's right…" he stopped short. "Well, she was right over there," he added, looking confused. "Maybe she went on break."

  I looked back at Thain and swore under my breath. Victor took off at a run toward the back of the kitchen and practically flew through a door I hadn't noticed until now.

  Thain and I gave chase. The door opened up into a smallish break room, and Victor had cleared it and was headed to the exit just as we sprinted in.

  He vanished from sight and we rushed to keep up. Thain took the rear because I was faster.

  Victor was again out of my view before I could catch up. My body hit the slowly closing door with a thud, but soon I thrust myself out into the daylight. Up ahead, I saw someone running away. Behind them, Victor growled once, then leapt. When he hit the ground, he had four legs and a tail. He sprinted forward with unnatural speed. Even for a wolf. His magic must have been fueling him forward.

  The woman never had a chance. Keeping my eyes on them, I watched as Victor pounced. He was on her in a flash, and the force knocked her to the ground. He stood over her prone form, growling as if daring her to move so he could finish her off.

  Her cries of fear grew louder as we caught up. She waved her hands at his snarling mouth. "Please!" she begged repeatedly.

  Thain and I came to a stop beside her flailing body.

  "Sonia, I presume," Thain said.

  When the woman didn't respond, he waved a hand at Victor. "She's too terrified to speak. Let her up, but don't let her go," he instructed.

  Victor shifted backward and grabbed her pant leg with his teeth. The woman stayed on the ground but had finally stopped pleading for her life. Her eyes were firmly locked on Victor.

  Frustrated that we were wasting time while Poppy was out there somewhere in danger, I cleared my throat and stepped forward so she could see me more clearly from her position.

  "Listen lady, we need answers, so you better talk before I decide to let my wolf eat you."

  She looked up at me and just started bawling again. Crap.

  "Victor, she can't get up with you attached to her leg like that. Let her go."

  Victor glanced up at Thain, and Thain nodded. Victor still hesitated for a moment, but finally opened his jaws to release her, then stepped to the side, still in biting distance.

  "Get up," I commanded.

  The woman looked at all three of us and then back to Victor again before slowing peeling herself off the ground and into a hunched standing position.

  My patience was wearing through even though I was desperately trying to contain it in order to get answers from this obviously terrified woman.

  "Where's Poppy?" I asked, this time more evenly.

  She lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers. "I don't know anyone named Poppy," she said lowly.

  Thain stepped forward, staring down his nose at her. "We know you are involved in the underground market. Tell us what you know about the Ouphe named Frank," He demanded.

  Her chin shot up and she locked eyes with Thain. She was still worrying with her hands, but it seemed like she was trying to calm herself.

  "Speak or I'll have Victor attack you again," Thain threatened.

  I rolled my eyes in frustration and huffed. I was trying to calm her down so she would speak, not make her comatose again. I went to scold Thain, but I caught a smile out of the corner of my eye and turned my attention back to the woman. Her fingers were moving faster, and it finally dawned on me that she had been moving them in a pattern this whole time.

  I opened my mouth to warn them that something was off about her hands, but she smiled wider and said, "The end to your control is coming, and there is nothing you can do about it."

  Victor growled low in his thr
oat and jumped, jaws open, but it was too late. Sonia dissolved right before my eyes. Her body turned from solid to transparent before her form completely disappeared. In her place, hovering about six feet from the ground, was a blue jay. Victor shifted and jumped, trying to scoop her out of the sky, but she flapped her wings until she was out of his reach. I also jumped, grabbing at air, but it was no use. She was gone with a caw and we were left standing alone behind the restaurant.

  Thoroughly deflated and with no answers, we ended up back at Thain's office to regroup.

  Just when I thought I couldn't stand another moment of sitting, doing nothing, Thain's phone rang. I leaned forward, intent on hearing every word from the tiny speaker as he answered and uttered a hello.

  "Mmhmm, yes," he said as he scribbled an address on a random notepad laying on his desk. As soon as he was finished, I snatched it out of his hand and flipped it around. I knew this place. It was a bad part of town.

  "What the hell is she doing on the lower end?" I spat the question at him.

  "I wish I knew," he said.

  He stood up, but I was already at the doorway. I glanced back at him once then bolted toward the exit.

  "Bea, wait!" he screamed, but I could already see the cold pavement through the glass doors at the front of the building.

  I made it two steps outside before Victor grabbed my elbow and spun me around.

  "You cannot go on your own," he hissed.

  I yanked my arm away, trying to free it from his grasp. "The hell I can't! Look what happened last time we all tried to go find answers!"

  "Just stop!" he yelled as I fought him.

  I paused my struggling and pressed my face close to his. "Let. Me. Go," I seethed through clenched teeth.

  "All you're going to do is get both yourselves killed if you charge in there alone. Let us help. We know these people and what they're capable of."

  A tear was threatening to break through my fury. "Clearly not, or she wouldn't be in this situation to begin with."

  Victor sighed. "It was a bad call, I know. But Thain really cares about Poppy, and he's our best shot to get her out of there is one piece. Please, Bea, listen to reason."

  He was right, but I still wasn't happy with Thain. Sure, he may care about Poppy, but that wouldn't do much good if she was killed. This should never have happened.

  The sound of tires screeching to a halt beside us drew both our attention. The side of a black van burst open, the sound of the metal door grating in my ears as Thain's head came into view.

  "How the hell did you get out here so fast?" I demanded.

  "Come on, let's go!" he shouted, ignoring my question.

  I shoved Victor. It knocked his hand loose, and I launched myself into the van past Thain and into an empty seat. There were two other men I didn't know sitting in the back.

  Victor's brain finally caught up to what was happening and threw himself into the van too.

  The tires were rolling before Thain could close the door all the way. He finally got it clicked into place, all while swaying, and landed roughly back in a seat.

  The driver was wasting no time, thank the gods. We all sat silently as the turns we took pushed us to the sides of the van and into one another. I searched around in my pockets for anything to use when we stopped, but found nothing. My wish for some kind of weapon was answered as Victor reached over the seat and handed me a knife, complete with leather sheath and strap. Without pulling it from its case, I strapped it to my thigh and let out a long breath. My gun would have been better, but there was no time to argue.

  A few moments later, the van screeched again, this time coming to a complete stop. Thain turned to me with a grave expression. "Follow our lead. These people are dangerous," he said, then pushed the van door open.

  The scent of neglect filled my nose as I jumped out onto the dirty pavement and hurried behind Thain and Victor. The two other unnamed men made up the rear. The driver stayed behind. Good. He would be ready for when we found Poppy so we could the hell out of dodge.

  I cursed under my breath as we stepped between two buildings and into an alleyway. There was only one escape route, which meant we were pretty much trapped if anything went wrong. It was a straight shot to the bustling noise that seemed to come from behind the stark red and tan brick buildings we walked between. From my position, I could see people were out in troves, selling wares from tents and awnings that looked too fancy when contrasted to the amount of dirt on the ground.

  When we reached the end and the rest of the crowd came into view, I scanned it, hoping to catch sight of Poppy or anything that looked more out of place than a strange marketplace in the middle of the city that seemed like it shouldn't have been here.

  Victor leaned into me. "It's warded from non-magical people. They don't know it's here," he whispered, answering my unspoken question.

  I brushed him off and kept searching with my eyes. Most of the occupants were side eying us while trying not to appear distracted. An eerie feeling crept up my spine, warning me that something wasn't right. Along with it came a rush of nausea. I placed a hand on my stomach.

  "It's the ward, it will pass," Victor explained.

  Thain waved his hand at each one of us. And just like it never happened, my stomach was back to the normal. Well, as much as it could have been. Between the rushes of adrenaline combined with a constant anxiety over Poppy, I hadn't felt normal all day.

  "Over here, boss!" called one of Thain's men.

  We all launched into action to see what he was talking about. I was there before everyone except Thain, who was looking at a fading pool of blood smeared on the concrete in front of one shop. That was too much blood there not to be a problem for someone. Whoever it came from was hurt badly.

  Thain took a step back and pulled his gun out of its holster. "If someone doesn't start talking, I'm going to start shooting!" he screamed, pointing the gun at the lady in the booth closest to us.

  My eyes widened. I'd never seen this side of Thain before.

  On the plus side, no one was trying to ignore us now. People scrambled back out of his way and the woman, who had nowhere to go, hunkered down as far as she could get. An expression of terror overtook her previously cool demeanor, and she held her hands up in front of her face.

  Turning his aim toward the sky, Thain pulled fired a shot in the air before lowering his weapon back at the poor woman's face.

  "The next one goes in her skull!" he bellowed.

  I mentally debated back and forth about whether he was bluffing, or if I should intercede. One thing I knew to be true was that Poppy would never forgive any of us if an innocent person died in the process of saving her. Ever.

  He pulled the hammer back. I flew into action, preparing to jump into the line of fire when the woman finally spoke.

  "Please stop," she pleaded, "I'll show you where they went." Tears coursed down her cheeks as she stood up and took a single, brave step forward.

  Thain lowered his weapon and lunged toward her, eating up the space between them. "Now!" he screamed.

  When the woman hesitated, Thain lifted his gun and pointed it back at her face. Her hands instinctually came up between them.

  "Damn it, Thain, lower your gun so she can speak. You're terrifying her," I said.

  He glared in my direction.

  "Please?" I begged.

  He relented by putting his arm down to his side. "Start talking."

  She pointed to an adjoining alley. "Please," she cried, "They went that way."

  "Do you know where they were going?" Thain pressed.

  "Why don't you ask your man where they were going instead of frightening innocent women!" a man shouted.

  Thain whipped around. "What did you say?" he responded; the weapon now aimed into the crowd of onlookers.

  "The one in charge was not one of ours!" the man thundered.

  Thain took a dangerous step toward the man. "Give me names! Now!"

  "You people are always bringing your tro
uble down on us when all we want is to be left in peace. I heard the others call him Franklin. That's the one you want. Now leave us alone!" the man yelled, refusing to cower.

  Thain's expression grew angrier, the lines in his forehead more defined. "Lies!"

  "Thain," I said, trying to attract his attention. He was on the verge of turning into a madman. I could see it in his eyes. When he didn't acknowledge me, I called his name again, this time louder.

  Nothing.

  I took a step forward. This had to stop before someone was killed. Victor grabbed my arm to stop me.

  "Let me. He's unpredictable when he gets this way," he advised lowly.

  I nodded. "Just stop him before he kills someone."

  He nodded in reply and moved toward Thain.

  Once he was upon him, he began speaking, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. At first, I didn't think it was going to work, but then Thain's expression slowly eased. His drawn-up features relaxed as Victor continued to utter soothing words to him. Finally, Thain lowered the gun and put it back in its holster on his waist.

  "If what you say is true, tell us what you know so we can be on our way," Victor said to the crowd.

  The man who spoke took a couple of steps toward Thain. "A group of them showed up and attacked two of the people they were with before dragging them down the left alley. If I had to guess, they were meeting up with that troublemaker Sonia and her crew. Months ago, a few of our representatives were sent into the city to you for help to get her under control and spoke with some of your men. Then Godkin started showing up causing more trouble."

  "Do you know who these people were?" Victor asked.

  "We told you, they called him Franklin. Don't know about the others."

  Thain stepped forward aggressively. "This is preposterous!"

  Victor placed a hand on his arm. "If what he says is true, you have been betrayed, boss. And Poppy's life is on the line. Do you really want to risk it by dismissing what he is telling you?"

  Thain sighed. "Was there a woman with them?"

  Another man stepped forward and spoke up. "Yes, and they beat her pretty badly too. She was still alive when they dragged her away, but those boys weren't playing around, I tell you."