by Tamsin Baker
My corporate career was very action packed and stressful.
Work may be a good distraction at the moment, however I wanted to focus on my father’s business and make sure everything was sorted properly before I tried to go back to my old life.
If I ever did.
I’d seen clients of mine deal with the death of parents, and especially when they had wealthy parents, the wills could be complex and painful, not to mention time consuming.
My father was unmarried and only had me as a child, as far as I knew, so hopefully with the help of his lawyers, we could sort this out quickly.
Then I’d deal with the funeral.
I put my phone into my bag and glanced out the window.
The funeral... heaven help me. I had no idea what my dad even wanted for a burial.
All shifters were cremated, but my mother’s body had been buried in a cemetery. Like all humans and witches.
So, what would my father want me to do? I had to assume he’d want to be buried with his wife. But would he want to be in a casket too? Or cremated and in an urn?
I needed to find out. Hopefully, he’d detailed it all in his will.
The car stopped and Fridge turned off the engine. “Let’s go.”
We stepped out of the car and walked into the workshop. Everything hit me all at once: the sounds of men training, the scent of sweat and leather.
I swayed on my feet, a wave of grief flowing over me. If I walked up those stairs, I should be able to see my father.
This was his place, his men...
A hand squeezed my arm. “You okay?”
It was Rogan’s voice.
“Yeah. It’s okay.” I shook him off. “I think I’ll go to the office and make some calls. Can you let me know when the PI gets here?”
Before he responded, I charged up the stairs, with my head held high. I could feel the other men around me stop their work to watch me. I tried to shake it off. After all, I’d have to get used to that if I continued to work here.
I reached the top of the stairs and turned around to Rogan, who was still at the bottom, looking at me. “Oh, and did you locate Dad’s lawyer details yesterday?”
He nodded. “Yeah, they’re on the desk still, I think.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a brief smile and headed straight to Dad’s office.
There was so much to do. And so little time. Or it felt that way, anyway.
I sat in Dad’s chair, ignoring the nostalgic wave of sadness that washed over me. If I was going to take over his business, these moments were going to be part of everyday life.
I shook myself and picked up the phone, dialing the number in front of me.
“Hello? This is Sarah Williams. I’m calling to speak to Raymond Kennedy. He’s in charge of my father’s estate I believe.”
I was transferred to a man who sounded ancient, but clever. Like so many of the good lawyers in town.
Luckily for me, everything seemed to be pretty straightforward in Dad’s will. The apartment and the business were paid off. There was no debt, and I inherited everything.
There was a lot of relief that came with knowing that, but I also wanted to know one more thing.
“Mr Kennedy...”
“Raymond, please, Sarah.”
“Raymond... I appreciate everything you’ve told me so far. Thank you. I’m very relieved to find out that Dad kept it so easy for me.”
Raymond chuckled. “Your father loved you very much, and although he didn’t expect to leave this earth quite so soon, he didn’t want you saddled with debt of any kind. He always hoped that you would want to join him in the business... though I told him that a woman of your intelligence would surely not want to do so.”
I cleared my throat. It was easy to assume that a woman wouldn’t want to take on a group of fifty bounty hunters, especially if you hadn’t met me.
Even those who had met me, underestimated me. Often.
“Thank you, but there is one other thing I need to ask about. My father’s funeral. Did he leave any details about what he wanted done with his body, or the size or location of his where he wanted the service conducted...”
I trailed off as emotions closed my throat.
Raymond began to hum and haw. “Well... ah.... No. He didn’t say specifically but I assumed... being a shifter...”
I interrupted him. “I understand. He didn’t tell you specifically what he wanted.”
“No. I didn’t think it needed to be marked down. I apologize if that was an oversight on my behalf.”
It wasn’t. The rules were generally written in stone. Shifters were cremated. Unless Dad had gone out of his way to write down something else, then that was what he wanted. But I would be burying his ashes with my mother.
They’d want to be together.
I leaned back in the director’s chair. “It’s fine. Thank you for everything. I’ll be in touch next week so we can meet and work out everything.”
“Yes. There will be a lot of paperwork, but as a lawyer yourself, I’m sure you understand.”
I closed my eyes. Oh, I knew exactly how much paperwork would need to be read and signed. I’d need a drink that day. “I do. Thank you, Raymond.”
I hung up and sat for a moment.
I counted my heart beats and took long breaths.
So, I’d get my dad cremated and buried with my mother.
I had a plan.
In that way, anyway. Now I just had to find his killer and with an entire business dedicated to hunting and capturing bad guys, surely we’d be able to find the person responsible.
There was a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door opened and Rogan stepped in, clearing his throat. “The Private Investigator is here. Would you like me to show him in?”
I stared at him, and almost laughed. Was Rogan showing me all this respect and deference for a reason? Who was this guy?
“Sure,” I said, waving my hand in front of me. “Send him in.”
He’d come fast. That was impressive, and perhaps an indication of how much he respected my father. Or that was what I hoped.
Rogan walked into the room and a man stepped in after him, although stepped, was too strong a word.
His slid in.
His presence made every hair on my body stand on end.
Fridge came in after him and shut the door.
My men stood shoulder to shoulder by the door and this.... man walked up to the desk.
I jumped to my feet and swallowed hard, trying not to flinch at the ugliness before me.
He had a hunchback, and when he moved, he had a subtle limp. Somewhat like I always imagined the hunchback of Notre Dame would move.
But he smelled... like a strange, underground shifter.
The guys were right. A wolf, a badger, a... I couldn’t tell.
I forced a smile. “Thank you so much for coming so quickly. I’m Sarah Williams. Sadie.”
I didn’t extend my hand, not wanting to touch his skin. It had a scaly appearance to it that shimmered in the overhead light.
He nodded. “Nice to meet Jimmy’s daughter.”
I was pleasantly surprised by his voice. It was educated, with an English lilt to his accent.
My gaze rose to Fridge, who didn’t meet my eyes. He was standing rigid, as though ready to pounce if necessary.
I gestured toward one of the empty chairs. “Please have a seat, ah... sorry, did I miss your name?”
He shook his head. “Most people call me Shadow.”
We sat in our respective chairs and I slid right up to the desk so I could face him properly.
My father had taught me never to judge a book by its cover—I was a great example of that—but this guy was something else.
He pinned me with eyes that were somewhere between blue and violet.
I decided to ask. “Can you tell me what sort of shifter you are, Shadow? I’ve never seen eyes like yours.”
He actually
smiled, though it was the wobbliest version of a smile I’d ever seen. “I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that question, so quickly.”
“Well, I...”
“Except your father.”
That made me chuckle. “Well, they do say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
He pinned me with a stare. “I understand your mother was... unusual also. Do you have any of her... traits?”
The air around us shifted in a strange way and I was suddenly more than uncomfortable. “He told you about my mother?”
Shadow inclined his head. “Not, exactly. We are... distant cousins, you and I.”
I sat up straighter. “Really? How so? On Mom’s side?”
I didn’t know a lot of the distant family. My grandparents had kept in touch over the years, but they lived a long way away and my aunt had four kids they concentrated on mostly.
He nodded. “Yes, I believe we share a great grandmother.”
And then the chill in the air was gone. He was part witch also.
Though unlike him, I was almost half witch.
I smiled at him, relaxing. No wonder he was so uncomfortable in society, so strange to the others. The mix of shifter and magical blood didn’t always blend well.
“Well, cousin, it is wonderful to make your acquaintance,” I said, and I meant it.
Shadow bobbed his head. “Jimmy was kind to me. Gave me a job that suited me, as soon as I moved to town. Made me somewhat of a...”
“Legend?” I finished for him.
He shrugged, now glancing away as though bashful. “Perhaps.”
I pushed aside my questions about the other sides of his lineage. He was obviously a mix of many creatures, some of which had damaged his body. Not his brain, though. That appeared to be was as quick as a whip.
“So, you’ll help me, Shadow?”
He looked me straight in the eye. “To find the people responsible for your father’s death?”
I nodded. “Yes. I want to kill the ones responsible, and if they’re part of a corporation, take them down too. Are you interested?”
He grinned, with pointed teeth and purple eyes. I’d never felt so repulsed by a person while at the same time, so in tune with them.
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Chapter 16.
I lifted my gaze to Rogan and Fridge, who were standing by the door. Rogan’s jaw dropped open like he was a cartoon character. Maybe I should walk over and roll it back up again?
Fridge looked equally shocked, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised high.
“You guys all right?” I asked with a smirk.
Rogan snapped his mouth shut and Fridge nodded.
I looked back at the man who claimed to be my distant cousin. “Do you know what their issue is?”
He leaned forward in his chair and rolled his right shoulder, I assumed because he was more comfortable in a flexed position. “I don’t usually talk this much.”
“And?”
Why was that enough to make my mates look so dumbfounded?
He chuckled, a strange scratchy noise that made my skin prickle. Normally I’d get an indication on what sort of shifter a person was by the sound of their laugh, but his was quite unusual.
I detected a hint of wolf growly, but there was something else. A fox noise, perhaps?
“You really don’t know anything about me, do you?” Shadow said, the question sounding redundant.
But I’d answer it anyway. I shook my head and leaned back in my chair. “No. Rogan and Fridge told me that you could help us track down the guys responsible for killing my dad. That’s all I care about.”
One side of Shadow’s lips lifted into a half smile. “You’ve got more of your dad in you than you realize, Sadie. He was the best of the best.”
I nodded, my throat clogging with tears. I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take me to get used to people saying that, but I was nowhere near comfortable yet.
I swallowed hard so that I didn’t make a fool of myself when I tried to speak. “That... is an amazing compliment. Thank you.” I cleared my throat again, the thickness making it hard to talk. “Now, what’s the plan for getting justice for my dad?”
“Do you mind if I smoke? It helps my nerves,” he asked, dragging out a pack of hand rolled cigarettes in a silver case from the inside of his breast jacket pocket.
I opened my mouth to tell him that I did in fact care, and that he could wait until after the meeting to smoke. He’d make the whole office stink, and there were no windows to the outside from this office.
But Rogan stepped forward and flicked a switch to the side of the desk.
A loud exhaust fan went on above my head and I glanced up. Why hadn’t I noticed that before now?
Rogan cleared his throat.
“Jimmy allowed it, he said, and then stepped away.
Well, who was I to break with tradition?
I waved my hand. “Go ahead.”
Shadow lit up and began puffing away, the smell much less offensive than expected.
“That doesn’t smell too bad,” I said, finding it hard not to comment. I generally hated the scent of cigarettes.
He chuckled. “It’s a home brew. I wouldn’t have asked if I thought it would upset you.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay. There’s lots of new things for me to get used to.”
Shadow puffed on his cigarette like one would a cigar and blew out a ring of smoke up in the air towards the fan. Then he leaned back in his chair, his physical appearance visibly relaxing.
How much pain was he in to need constant nicotine? It appeared to be almost like a medication to him.
“How much do you know about this town, Sadie?”
I frowned at him. What did that have to do with anything? “I’ve lived here all my life.”
He sucked in another lung full of smoke and blew it up, towards the exhaust fan. “I know. But how much do you know about the inner workings of politics? The money that moves around the city. The... vampires?”
I bit my lip. This conversation had just taken a turn that I hadn’t expected.
“I know, a bit, I think.”
Why was I feeling stressed and out of my depth all of a sudden? I pushed through the tight feeling in my belly. The one that told me I was inadequate.
Just relax and learn what you can.
“I mean, I work for a large corporation,” I continued. “Owned by vampires. I know they run, and own, practically everything in this town.”
He nodded, a patient look passing over his face as though he were talking to a child. “They do. However, do you know anything about the blood system? The way they feed?”
I glanced up at Rogan and Fridge, who were looking nervously at each other. Did they know all of this? Was that why they looked nervous? Or were they worried about what I was learning?
I focused back on Shadow. “They feed on donors, and slaves, their lovers, and....”
Shadow’s gaze levelled me. Then he shook his head.
“They... don’t feed that way?” I said. Why did I feel so slow? So stupid. Why hadn’t I ever asked these sorts of questions?
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him. “Are you going to tell me the answer, or just leave me hanging?”
He sighed before taking another drag. “This city runs on vampire money and greed. They are immortal and powerful, but they have a significant weakness.”
“And what’s that?”
I hadn’t seen many weaknesses in the vampires I’d met.
“Their hunger. Their need for blood, our blood. It makes them weak.”
I shrugged. I disagreed. “I don’t see why you’d see it that way. It’s just their food. And when there’s so many people who want to be fed on, women they can buy... Why would it be a weakness? That would be like saying I have a weakness for burgers and pizza.”
He sighed and again I got that weird feeling in my chest, like I was being led down the garden path. “Have you ever
spoken to a vampire, Sadie?”
I nodded. “Of course. My bosses are vampires. I have clients who are vampires.”
“Have you ever talked to one of them about their palate? Their particular tastes for blood?”
Their... what? Wasn’t blood, just... blood?
I shook my head, trying hard not to shudder.
God, no. Imagine that conversation. I don’t want to even think about it.
Shadow continued. “Have they ever... stepped too close? Smelled you? Have you ever seen their eyes glisten red?”
Rogan shifted by the door, moving from one foot to another, uncrossing and re-crossing his arms. I knew he wanted to interrupt the conversation. But he didn’t.
I shook my head, this time unable to stop the shiver of disgust that ran through me.
Finally, Rogan stepped forward. “Shadow... I’m not sure that Sadie...”
The warning in his words were clear, but his tone was weak, respectful of the man in front of him.
I lifted my gaze and shook my head. “No. I want to hear it all. If I’ve been living under a rock, I wanna know about it.”
It would be just like my dad to keep me safe, sheltered, from the world around me.
I looked back at Shadow. “To answer your question, no. I’ve never seen a vampire’s red eyes in business. Occasionally at a club when I was younger, maybe, but I’ve never been approached, or harassed by any of them.”
He frowned. “That’s unusual and I must say, I’m a little surprised they’ve never even tried.”
“Why would you be surprised?” I asked. Surely it was normal for a woman of my age to have gone through her life without a vampire wanting to bite her.
They were civilized creatures after all.
Shadow stared pointedly at me. “Perhaps we should continue the rest of this conversation alone?”
“No,” Fridge said. Loudly.
Shadow looked at me and I understood exactly what he wanted to talk about—my magical blood.
I smiled up at my Fated Mates. “It’s okay. I’ll talk to Shadow alone.”
Fridge shook his head. “Sadie... that’s not a good idea.”
I rolled my eyes at them. “He’s not going to attack me. Just wait outside, okay? I’ll call for you if I need your help.”
