by AE Jones
“What are you two dressed up for? Halloween is a long way off.”
“We’re taking a movie makeup class. What do you think?”
She chuckled. “Not too bad. Did you come in just to scare me or to eat?”
“Eat,” they said simultaneously.
Once I created the scene, I pushed it into Peg’s mind, feeling the telltale warmth behind my eyes which meant she had absorbed the memory.
I looked through the round door window to the front of the diner and could see Stephen and the boys leaving. I held up a hand warningly to stop Misha and Jean Luc from coming through to the back.
I smiled. “Peg, you have some customers out front.”
She rubbed her face as if to clear the cobwebs. “What are you doing back here?”
“I’m looking for the restroom.”
She pointed toward the back of the restaurant, and I thanked her. She hustled to the front. “What can I get you boys?”
I pushed open the door to the back. Jason was leaning up against a shelving unit with napkins and bottles of condiments. I walked over to the table where Carl sat. “Can I join you for a couple of minutes?”
Carl pushed an empty chair out for me with his foot. “Take a load off.”
I sat down. He blinked slowly and smiled. He was the poster child for some type of sedative—or maybe he had smoked a joint before coming to work. Either way, I wasn’t getting any overt vibes from him.
I fashioned a similar scene in my head, with Carl walking to the front of the diner when he heard Peg gasp. Two boys were dressed quite convincingly as werewolves. When they sat down and ordered food, he rolled his eyes and went back to the grill. As I pushed the scene into his head, I was surprised to find he resisted me.
I watched him for a second, and for the first time, could see his fear. I reached for his hand, and he cringed. Jason started toward us, but I shook my head and held tight to Carl’s hand. Contact sometimes helped when someone tried to fight me. After a minute, I knew he had finally accepted the scenario. As the three of us walked into the kitchen, Peg opened the door and yelled an order for a hamburger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake.
Then Misha’s bass voice hollered, “And an order of onion rings, too.”
Jason and I chuckled as we walked to the front. Misha and Jean Luc were bellied-up to the counter.
Peg hovered in front of them. “Are you sure I can’t get you something, honey?”
Jean Luc gave her a small smile. “I find I am not very hungry this evening.”
She shrugged and tapped the counter in front of Misha. “Well, your food should be up in a minute or two.” She turned to me and Jason. “What can I get you two?”
I spoke up first. “Coffee.”
“Same for me.”
We sat down with Misha and Jean Luc and waited while Peg bustled around us, humming as she went. She set two cups in front of us along with a pitcher of cream and a pour-container of sugar. “Can I interest you in a piece of pie? We have some fresh apple pie.”
I reached for the cream. “No thanks. It’s pretty quiet in here tonight.”
Peg nodded. “Right now. But this job is never boring. Just tonight I had two boys bust in here dressed like werewolves. They scared the daylights out of me at first, but then they sat down and devoured two patty melts apiece.”
Misha perked up. “What’s in these patty melts? Maybe I should try one.”
Jason laughed, and Jean Luc turned to me and smiled. “This feels just like old times.”
Chapter 15
After the All Night Diner escapade, I went home and crashed for a couple of hours. I didn’t want lack of sleep to screw up my undercover gig. Stopping at the office first, I reviewed the information Misha had gathered about the body shop employees. Then I studied the drawing of the man Jean Luc had seen during the attack while transporting Trina, memorizing his face.
After lunch, my dutiful boyfriend Jason drove me to the shop to drop me off.
“Is your earpiece in?”
I smiled. “Yes, nervous Nellie.”
“I’ll be around the corner if you need me. Jean Luc and Misha are two streets down. And what is your safe phrase if you need help?”
“Overprotective troglodytes?”
“Kyle!” Jason growled.
“I’m fine. We went through this already. If you don’t let me go to the shop, I’ll be late on my first day. How’s that going to look?”
“Okay. Fair warning, I’m going to lean over and kiss you, so no gut punches, please.” He brushed his lips against mine lightly and then sat back. “Have a good day at work, sweetie pie.”
I opened the door and snow blew into the cab of the truck. “See you later, pumpkin.”
Hurrying toward the door, I turned back and waved to Jason as he pulled out of the parking lot. When I opened the door and stepped in, a buzzer sounded, and warmth greeted me. I stomped my snow-covered boots on the rubber mat just inside the entrance, then stuffed my gloves into my coat pockets before hanging it up. For once, the coffee did not smell like charcoal.
Jim came around the partition. “You made it.”
I smiled. “Yep.” I pointed back to the door. “Is the buzzer new?”
“Yeah. I had it installed so if everyone’s in the back we can hear when people come in.” He shrugged. “I guess it was a waste of money. I didn’t realize until today Bruce had hired you. He’s out of the office looking at a job.”
“I’m only working part-time until Monica gets back. It’s not a bad idea to have it anyway. You don’t want people wandering around up here.”
“Let’s get you settled.”
We walked over to the reception desk, and he pulled out the chair for me. I sat, and he did a quick tour of the desk and cabinet next to the desk before turning on the computer. He spent the next thirty minutes walking through the basic job tasks, and I decided it wouldn’t be too difficult to pick things up.
“I’ll have the guys come up and introduce themselves in a little bit. They can give you their paperwork so you can enter the billing…if you think you’re ready for it.”
“No problem.”
The phone rang, and I reached for it. “Smith Body Shop, how can I help you?”
The voice on the phone faltered for a minute. “Ah… I need to speak to Jim.”
“May I tell him who’s calling?”
Again with the verbal stumble. “No…is he there?”
“Hold, please.” I turned to Jim. “Some guy wants to talk to you. He wouldn’t give me his name.”
Jim frowned. “I’ll take it in the back room.”
After he walked away, I waited for a few seconds and then stood with every intention of sneaking toward the back to hopefully overhear the conversation. But before I could move, footsteps came my way, followed by the appearance of one of the mechanics. He was young, maybe mid-twenties, and lean, with blond hair cut close to his head. Even though it was freezing outside, he wore just a T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, a pair of jeans, and work boots.
“Kate?” He gave me a crooked smile. “I’m C.J.”
From Misha’s research on the body shop, I recognized him as Christopher Jackson. He had been working for Bruce for two years now and, other than a couple of minor juvie scrapes with the law, had not been in trouble since.
I stuck my hand out, and he set a stack of papers on the counter then wiped his right hand on the side of his pants, before shaking mine.
“Nice to meet you, C.J. Is this work for me?”
“Yeah. Jim told us to bring up our paperwork.” He smiled guiltily. “Sorry if you can’t read it. My handwriting is chicken scratch.”
I flipped through the sheets quickly. “I’ve seen worse. I’ll let you know if I have any questions.”
He ducked his head. “Good to meet you. I’ll send Ken and Bill up here too.”
He retreated and I sat down with the stack of papers, figuring I had already missed my opportunity to eavesdrop. I went to work,
entering services into the system and setting up invoices for the customers. I almost jumped out of my skin when someone cleared his throat.
“Jeez!”
The man who had sneaked up next to me held up his hands. “Wow. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m fine.” I swiveled my chair to face him. “I’m Kate.”
“Bill.”
Bill, or William, Simmons was thirty-five and had worked for Bruce since the shop opened six years ago. He was a redhead, with thinning hair and a ruddy complexion which was either a result of rosacea, or too much booze. Misha hadn’t found a rap sheet for Bill. He appeared to be either clean or good at not getting caught.
“Nice to meet you. Did you bring me some work?”
“I’m writing up my orders now. I’ll bring them to you in a little while. I was going to grab a cup of coffee. Do you want any?”
“Sure.” I walked over with him to the pot, and he poured me a cup and handed it to me. “Thanks.”
“What is this, a frickin tea party?”
I turned toward the voice to see the third mechanic had decided to join us. “Hi, I’m Kate.”
When he simply gazed at me with gray, unfriendly eyes, Bill took it upon himself to make the introductions. “This is Ken.”
I gave Ken Hubert the once-over. Dark hair and a two-day beard did not help his grumpy expression. According to his police record he had a couple of drunk and disorderlies, but nothing overtly dangerous. He handed me a pile of forms and left without a word.
Bill grimaced. “Sorry about that. He isn’t a bad guy, just doesn’t say much.”
I shrugged. It had been so long since I had worked in a normal situation, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The rest of the day passed without any major issues or any break in the case. Jason came to pick me up at five. There wasn’t much to tell him, especially since he had been listening to the conversations through my earpiece.
“So what does your gut tell you?” Jason asked.
“I don’t know yet. None of them strike me as bloodthirsty poachers.”
“What about Ken?”
“Being a jerk doesn’t mean you’re bad, it just means you’re a jerk.”
A voice vibrated from my earpiece. “I don’t like him, little one.”
“I’ll be careful, Misha.”
This time, Jean Luc’s voice chimed in. “We will regroup at the office.”
Twenty minutes later, Jason and I were back downtown. I needed a few minutes to relax before Misha and Jean Luc showed up and started in on me.
I trudged back to my office and sat in my chair, and propped my feet up on the desk. I closed my eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. Sixty seconds tops passed before footsteps came down the hall and stopped in my doorway.
“I can’t believe it took you so long to show up.”
But instead of Jean Luc and Misha, Griffin stood in the doorway with a grin on his face.
“I didn’t realize you were waiting for me.”
I plopped my feet back to the floor and sat up, motioning to the guest chair. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
He sat down. “I decided to visit you this time, since I didn’t want you to feel like I was issuing a royal summons.”
Damn that Dolly, she had such a big mouth. “How considerate of you.”
“I also wanted to thank you for last night. Stephen told me what happened at the diner. I appreciate your help.”
I shrugged. “It’s my job.”
He shook his head slightly. “The proper response would be ‘You’re welcome.’”
I ignored his comment and plowed on. “You didn’t come all this way just to thank me, did you?”
“I’m curious about what you and Jason have learned at the body shop.”
I gave him a truncated description of the guys and told him we hadn’t yet discovered any connections to the poachers.
He sat quietly, taking it in. Finally, when I had finished my dissertation, he said, “I’m impressed with what you’ve discovered just posing as customers. How much more time can you spend there without creating suspicion?”
I swallowed. I had left out a couple of important parts of the story I had hoped to avoid. It didn’t look like I would be so lucky. “Well, I can spend quite a bit of time there, since the owner hired me to fill in for his receptionist while she’s on vacation.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just a few hours a day for a week or so. It’s a perfect cover.”
“You’re there alone?” His voice lowered an octave.
“I’m wearing an earpiece and the guys are just around the corner. I’m fine, really.”
I probably would have launched into a tirade about him being overprotective and the last thing I needed was another overprotective male in my life, but he was gritting his teeth. I could tell he was doing everything he could not to throw me over his shoulder and carry me safely to the back of the cave.
After another few seconds of deep breathing, he finally stood. “Just be careful, Kyle. I don’t want you hurt because I asked you to come back and help.”
I stood as well. “Thank you for resisting the urge to go Neanderthal on me a moment ago.”
He stared at me, eyes narrowing.
I gave him my sunniest, most innocent smile. “The proper response is ‘You’re welcome.’”
Chapter 16
New day, new java fix. I was filling up my coffee mug for the second time when the door opened and Nicholas walked into the office.
“Kyle.”
I gaped at him for a second and said nothing. He looked the same, impeccably dressed in gray pants and a blue shirt, with blond hair styled perfectly and eyes the color of amethyst. He studied me carefully. I had hoped to avoid my ex-boss while I was back. I wasn’t sure how realistic the wish had been, but since he barely showed his face at the office, it had been a distinct possibility. “Nicholas.”
“I’m surprised to see you here.”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure why. You knew I was back in town.” Nicholas was the supernatural version of the CIA. He didn’t miss much.
“I don’t mean Cleveland, I mean here in the office.”
My hand tightened around the mug’s handle. “I’m not coming back to work for you. I’m here to help protect Trina.”
“You are an asset to this organization, Kyle, and are welcome back any time.”
“It’s not the organization I have a problem with.”
He frowned at me for a second before answering. “Last summer was a difficult time for everyone involved, but in the end it worked out.”
“So the end justifies the means, right?”
“I had to look at the big picture. Joe wasn’t the only person I had to consider.”
I set the mug down a bit too forcefully, and coffee sloshed over the sides onto the counter. “Save your speech for the Supe Council. I don’t need reassurances.”
He cocked his head to the side, seemingly unfazed by my outburst. “I was worried about you. You should not have gone to Nevada alone.”
Deja vu. “Were you having me followed again?”
He didn’t answer, and I took a step toward him. “Did you hire someone to follow me in Nevada?”
“You are an important part of this team, Kyle.”
“Stay out of my life!” I stomped toward my office.
Nicholas called after me, his voice echoing down the hall. “You just need more time, Kyle. We’ll talk later.”
Like hell we will. I stomped into my office and reached to shut the door, catching sight of Jean Luc’s concerned gaze as he watched me from his office across the hall.
* * *
Jason pulled into the body shop parking lot to drop me off for my second day at work.
He turned to me. “You set?”
“Yep. Can you hear me, Jean Luc?”
His voice sounded in my ear. “Loud and clear, ma petite.”
“Let’s hope I find out something about the
se poachers today.”
I got out of the truck and slogged through the slush to the front door. Once inside, I peeled off my gloves and rubbed my hands together for warmth. Bruce walked into the reception area and smiled at me.
“Glad to see you decided to come back for a second day. Sorry I bailed on you yesterday. We have a big client who may be bringing in several cars, so I went to his house for a look-see.”
“No problem, Jim showed me the ropes.” I stripped my coat off and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. “I kept myself busy with the invoicing.” I turned to the inbox on the counter but it was empty.
“No invoices this morning? Where is everybody?”
He grinned. “They’ve been a little preoccupied. C.J. found a cat in the alley this morning and brought it inside. You would think the guys had never seen a cat before. At the rate we’re going, we may end up with a mascot.”
“Is the cat all right?”
“He looks to be. C.J. was afraid he would freeze to death, so he brought him in. You’re not allergic, are you?”
“Nope. I’ll go get the invoices from the guys.”
I walked back into the garage and stopped at Bill and Ken’s stations to collect their paperwork. When I came to C.J.’s area, he smiled and stopped what he was doing.
“Did you hear about our new addition? I put him over in the corner. Poor little guy was out in the alley crying pitifully this morning. I had to bring him in.”
I took his forms and tried to peek over his shoulder. “I don’t blame you. I’ll go check on him.”
I walked over to the corner where shelving had been set up to store excess parts. An empty cardboard muffler box held a flannel shirt. Sitting on top of the shirt was a gray-striped cat with large yellow eyes. Intelligent eyes that stared back at me. I glared back at him for a moment, his name hissing from my lips. “Booger!”
The hairy little bastard had the audacity to wink at me.
I took a step toward him. My hands tightened into fists to stop myself from strangling him. It didn’t help my blood pressure to hear Misha swearing in Russian through my earpiece. I flinched when C.J. spoke right next to me. I hadn’t heard him approach, what with Misha’s tirade and my boiling blood.
