Captain Skonel looked up from his desk as I came in. “Enforcer Melcott.” He set aside the report he was reading and took off the reading glasses perched on his strong nose. “Shut the door behind you and have a seat.”
“Yes, sir.” I closed the door, a ripple of unease spreading through me. The last few times I’d run into Skonel, he’d been friendly, but the expression he wore as I sat down in front of him could only be described as grim. “Is this about the Third Squad? I’ve been doing my best to settle things with Terpan, but—”
He held up a hand. “This isn’t about Terpan. This is about the emerald that Enforcer Dalmouth found in your apartment last night.”
My stomach plummeted straight into my boots. “Sir, as I told him—”
“The stone isn’t yours,” Skonel finished for me. “Enforcer Kiel says you’re telling the truth about that, which is a mark in your favor since he’s a shifter. Still, we checked the stone out anyway, and it matches the description of a famous jewel called the Tiger’s Eye. It’s one of the Pernian crown jewels, and incredibly valuable.”
My mouth dropped open. “I... Was the jewel reported stolen?” I was going to kill Broghan the next time I got my hands on him!
“No, oddly enough.” Skonel’s brow furrowed. “We checked with the Pernian government, and they have the stone in their possession. Since it is impossible for two such stones to exist, they are having an expert come in to check theirs, and we will have a local expert check the one found in your apartment.” He leaned in, his expression tightening. “Melcott, if you know who hid that stone in your couch cushions, you’d better come clean now. Whoever it is might very well be a jewel thief, or worse.”
“I really couldn’t say, sir.” I resisted the urge to clench my hands into fists. This whole thing had Broghan written all over it. What in Recca had he been thinking, leaving something like that in my apartment? I couldn’t exactly tell Skonel that a Tua had the stone in my place—that would raise all kinds of questions, if he even believed me.
“Very well.” He leaned back in his chair, looking disappointed. “If you do think of anything, let me know. In the meantime, between this incident and that torque of yours, which is still being looked into, I will have to suspend you.”
My brain, which had been conjuring up some very inventive ways to punish Broghan, came to a screeching halt. “You what?”
“You heard me, Melcott,” he said in a steely voice. He tapped a clear space on his desk. “Hand over your enforcer bracelet and go home. You are not to pursue any active investigations, or leave town, until this matter has been cleared up. Is that understood?”
Tears scalded the corners of my eyes, but I forced myself to meet the captain’s hard stare as I slipped off my bracelet and placed it on the desk. “Yes, sir.” My entire body burned with the need to storm out in a fury and give a big “fuck you” to the whole establishment, but there was still an important matter I needed to address. “Before I leave, though, I need to make a report.”
I told him about the rumored gang activity on Dove Street, including the name of the boy who had flagged me down and which shop he was working at. “None of the shop owners are willing to talk, but it’s obvious by the number of injuries and damage that something is going on. This needs to be investigated.”
“Agreed,” Skonel said, scribbling something on his clipboard. He tore off a sheet of paper, then handed it to me. “Here’s the case order. I’m assigning it to Third Squad to look into, so go talk to Terpan and give him the info. He’ll take care of it.”
I bit my tongue before I could launch a furious retort. Was the captain purposefully trying to push my buttons by assigning this case to Terpan when he knew we were at each other’s throats?
The captain caught the irate look in my eye. “I’m forcing the two of you to cooperate in the hopes you’ll realize you’re on the same team,” he said. “Now get out of my office.”
“Yes, sir.” I squared my shoulders and left the room with my head held high. Captain Skonel might have taken away my enforcer bracelet, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him take what was left of my dignity, too.
9
“Melcott,” Terpan sneered as I walked into his squad room. His ice-blue eyes dropped to my bare wrist, and the sneer changed to a smirk. “Is there something I can help you with? Maybe a crime that needs solving? Or are you just here to throw a tantrum?”
“As a matter of fact, there is a crime that needs solving,” I said, handing him the case order.
His eyes widened in surprise and he looked down at the paper. He sure as hell hadn’t been expecting that. A small flash of triumph filled me as I realized he’d been looking forward to me making a scene in front of his squad mates. Not that I would have done that—if I hadn’t felt obligated to make sure someone handled this case, I would have taken the elevator straight down and stormed out of the lobby—but the fact that I was actually being the bigger person for once made me feel a tiny bit better about the situation.
Terpan scanned the case order briefly, then looked at me again. “You think someone is running a racket on Dove Street?”
I nodded. “They’re all too scared to talk about it, but a boy named Yolian was brave enough to approach me.” I gave him a rundown of the situation. “You better do a thorough job of this, Terpan. That boy was scared out of his mind, and I promised I’d help him.”
“Don’t worry.” Terpan smirked as he set the case order on his desk. “My squad is on it. Just stay out of our way, Melcott. This is real enforcer work.”
Rage bubbled up inside me, and I almost gave in to the urge to punch Terpan straight in his smarmy face. But that wasn’t a fight I could easily win, and I couldn’t afford any marks on my record when I was already under investigation, so I walked away, ignoring the whispers and snickers from the rest of the squad. They could all go fuck themselves, as far as I was concerned, and I would have told them that to their faces if not for the fact that I still wanted to work here when all this bullshit was finally cleared up.
With nothing left to do, I went back to my apartment to clean up the mess Dalmouth had made. But even that didn’t help clear my head, because halfway through, my landlord stopped by to complain.
“This is a respectable establishment,” he lectured, his features pinched so tight it looked like someone had shoved a lemon straight up his ass. “How do you expect me to keep my units filled if word spreads that my tenants are attracting the wrong kind of attention from law enforcement?”
“Mr. Reems, I am law enforcement,” I said as I finished putting the couch cushions back together. “It’s only natural that other law enforcement professionals will come to visit me from time to time.”
“Well then, what is this about a search warrant? Mrs. Leary said—”
“Mrs. Leary is a busybody who’s so hard of hearing that she still calls you Mr. Reeks, even though you’ve introduced yourself about twenty times,” I snapped. “Do you really think you can trust her account?”
His cheeks turned bright pink. “Yes, well, you are right about that,” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. “All right, I will take your word for it. But do be mindful of your neighbors! I don’t want any complaints about noisy parties after hours.”
I shut the door behind him, exasperated with the whole situation. Between Dalmouth’s invasion of my privacy and my nosy neighbors, I was beginning to think I’d made a mistake by moving in here. Maybe I should go live at my mother’s for a few days. After all, her house was empty right now since she was on the cruise. I could lie low there for a bit until this investigation was finished.
Garalina popped back into the apartment just as I walked into the bedroom. “You know,” she said, waving a glowing hand through the air. I bit back a frustrated sigh as all the bedding and clothing rose into the air and began to fly back into place. “Perhaps you should consider this suspension a blessing in disguise.”
“And how exactly is it a blessing?” I s
napped, snatching a picture frame out of the air as it whizzed by my face. A pang of nostalgia hit my heart—it was a photo of me and Noria, her as a cherub-faced toddler, me a gangly ten-year-old, squeezing the life out of each other as we stuck out our tongues for the camera. Our mother had made us don frilly dresses and carted us off to a photographer for some family photos, but all our pictures together were adorable and goofy, despite the photographer’s best efforts to get us to pose like proper girls. My mother did have one decent photo of us smiling, which she kept on the mantel at her house, but this was the one I’d chosen to hold on to. It was a truer representation of our childhood together: messy, goofy, a little annoying at times, but always full of love.
“Because you are better than this!” Garalina cried, shattering the moment. Her magic yanked the photo out of my hand, and it flew back to its spot on my bedside table. “You have been working hard, following the rules, serving your people, and Captain Skonel thanks you with a suspension. Why do you continue to debase yourself like this? This bounty-hunting lifestyle of yours is beneath us. We should find a great treasure that will set you up for life and give us the freedom to travel. We can go on adventures, enjoy the world, and search for Ortanos at the same time!”
My gut twinged with guilt. I’d been so caught up in my own problems that I’d forgotten about Garalina’s revenge quest and the promise I’d made to her. “Treasure isn’t exactly the easiest thing to find,” I pointed out, “especially not around here.”
Garalina waved a dismissive hand. “Then we’ll just have to go somewhere else to find it. With my magic and your skills, it will be a cinch for us. We may not find something like that huge emerald, but there are valuable things all over the place, if you know where to look.”
“But being an enforcer is part of my identity, Garalina. I can’t just give that up without a fight. Do you really think I should just walk away and let Terpan win?”
“No, no, you are right,” she said with a pout. “We cannot let that stupid oaf think he’s gotten the better of you. We need to do something about him.”
“We are not using magic to get rid of him,” I said sternly, already sensing the direction her mind was going in. “It’s not necessary. The Guild will give my bracelet back once they confirm with Sunaya that my torque is okay and they verify that I didn’t steal the crown jewel.” Sure, the Pernian government was going to be confused as hell about how there could be an identical copy of the jewel, but that was their problem, not mine. “What I’d really like to do is talk to Broghan right now and find out why he left that thing in my apartment in the first place.”
Garalina shrugged. “He probably left it by accident. He does have the attention span of a child, you know. But we can wait here for him to come back, if you like.”
I shook my head. “No, he’ll find me easily enough.” Grabbing my keys, I headed for the door. I was fed up with this place, fed up with my life. I needed a break, and spending some time at my childhood home, without anyone breathing down my neck or telling me how to live my life, sounded like the perfect way to take one.
10
Sitting astride my steambike, I adjusted the straps of my pack and made sure I had everything I needed. I was just about to put my helmet on when a steambike raced through the garage entrance and squealed to a stop in front of me.
“Hey, Annia.” Rylan flipped up his visor. “You running out on me already? I was just coming by to say hi, see if you wanted to grab a bite.” His easy smile faded as he got a good look at me. “You doing okay? You look a bit stressed.”
I grimaced. “Am I that easy to read?”
He gave me an apologetic shrug. “I’m a shifter. We’re body language experts.” His yellow eyes narrowed as they dropped to my wrist. “Where’s your enforcer bracelet?”
Shame washed through me, followed by a healthy dose of anger at the fact that I was even feeling shame. “Captain Skonel suspended me,” I said bluntly.
“Oh boy.” His handsome features softened with sympathy. “This sounds like a donuts-and-coffee conversation. How about we go to Mimi’s?”
I thought about refusing, but then again, what the hell? I could use an ear right now, and even though I knew Rylan had probably just come here to try to get into my pants again, he was still a friend, and, more importantly, one of the least judgmental people I knew.
“All right,” I said, sliding my helmet on. “But you’re paying.”
We rode to Mimi’s Donuts, which was only a few blocks away, and in no time were sitting in a booth by the window. “You really went all out,” I said, plucking a chocolate donut from the enormous platter the waitress had set out in front of us. It was at least a foot high, and the pitcher of coffee she’d left was no joke either.
“Are you kidding?” Rylan scoffed. “I could eat this entire thing by myself.” As if to illustrate, he grabbed a jelly-filled donut and stuffed the entire thing in his mouth. “You better pick which ones you want and set them aside,” he said around a mouthful of pastry. “By the time you finish your first one, I’ll be done with this plate.”
“Shifters,” I muttered, but a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I selected three more donuts. Sunaya was exactly the same way—we’d spent many an evening at Mimi’s scarfing donuts and talking shop, back in the old days when we’d both been single and relatively carefree. I wondered if we’d ever be able to do this again, or if all our future girl time would be spent under lock and key at the palace.
“So,” Rylan said once he’d swallowed his donut. “Wanna tell me how Miss Straighter-Than-An-Arrow managed to get herself suspended? Did you set fire to anything? Incite a riot? Tell Captain Skonel he’s a numbskull? I need details.”
“Very funny,” I said as he grinned at me, those yellow eyes sparkling. Privately, I appreciated the levity; it took some of the edge off a very shitty situation. “I know it will surprise you to hear this, but I’ve actually done nothing wrong.”
Rylan frowned. “Really? I thought you were going to say that you broke some law trying to help a victim get justice.”
“I wish.” I took a bite of my donut, then closed my eyes for a brief moment to enjoy the sensation of chocolate and pastry melting on my tongue. “Turns out there’s a rival enforcer who’s got a real hard-on for me. He’s turned internal investigations on me because he thinks I’m trying to steal the new foreman spot that opened up on his squad, and he wants to get rid of me.”
Rylan listened intently as I told him all about Terpan, Dalmouth, and the giant emerald found at my apartment. “I can’t believe they’re suspending you for this,” he said, shaking his head in disgust. “Have you talked to Sunaya about it? She’d happily storm down to the Guild and kick some asses for you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to bother her with this. She’s got enough to deal with right now. Though, now that you mention it, I do need to go see her. She asked me to keep an ear open for any rumormongering about her or Iannis, and I’ve heard some disturbing things recently.”
“Like what?”
“Apparently someone’s been tampering with the city’s protective wards. I also overheard some disgruntled mages complaining about Sunaya at a dinner party at the palace last night. They think she’s going to raise taxes on mages and humans and force their children to attend her new school, amongst other things. The ward thing could be nothing, but, coupled with all this discontent, I can’t help thinking it could have been a mage trying to stir things up. And right after I heard about the fire wards being tampered with, an arson case with no obvious cause or motive lands in my lap.”
“I mean, that all could be coincidence,” Rylan mused. “But actually, I’ve heard some pretty horrible rumors myself, which was part of the reason I sought you out today. One of my cousins told me that mages are stealing rescue materials and funds donated from other states to help with Solantha’s reconstruction.”
“What?” I scowled. “That doesn’t make any sense. The mages wouldn’t resort
to that; they want the city rebuilt. And if they were going to commit a crime, it’s way easier for them to create illegal gold using their magic than to steal city resources, anyway.”
“That’s what I said, but no one’s listening to me.” Rylan shook his head in disgust. “The rumor is spreading like wildfire throughout the shifter community, and it’s pissing me off, because Sunaya and Iannis have worked themselves to death getting the city back on track.” He grabbed my hand and pinned me with an intense stare. “I can’t allow them to be slandered like this. We need to track down the bastard spreading these rumors and teach them a lesson.”
I shook my head. “Even if I wanted to do something, I couldn’t,” I said. “Spreading rumors in and of itself isn’t a crime. Iannis and Sunaya could sue for slander, but that’s a civil case, not criminal. It’s not enforcer business.”
“Exactly,” Rylan said with a wink. “It’s not enforcer business, which means that if you help me investigate, you can’t get nailed if Captain Skonel finds out. Come on, Annia,” he pleaded, squeezing my hand when he saw my hesitation. “Sunaya wants you to find the source of these rumors, doesn’t she? What if the same people spreading rumors about the mages are also the ones spreading rumors about Sunaya and Iannis?”
“You mean someone playing both sides?” I chewed on another donut as I considered that thought. “Just how seriously is the shifter community taking these rumors?”
“They’re getting pretty worked up about it,” Rylan said grimly. “Supplies have been going missing, and the enforcer squad assigned to the case hasn’t made any progress in finding the perpetrators. People are starting to think the Enforcer’s Guild is discriminating against the shifter community.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said, thinking of Terpan. So many enforcers were shifters; their enhanced abilities made them well suited for the job. “But I guess you’re right. This isn’t an enforcer case, and if we find the perpetrators, all we have to do is report them to Sunaya. She and Iannis can handle the rest.”
Tempted by Magic: Mischief and Magic: Book One Page 11
