"No comment," Nick growled out and side stepped to move past her. I ignored her as I walked by and got into the passenger side of the car.
Nick got in on the driver's side and slammed his door a little too hard. Stephanie had hit a nerve. Nick took a deep breath and started his car. "Where to for lunch?"
He'd composed himself in an instant, it was impressive. "Pizza place on Barnes."
"You've got it, partner."
"You've been quiet." Nick said over his pizza.
Truth was I had been zoning and my mind was on that last body pulled out of the lake. "Sorry, my mind is on work."
"Because that's all Abby Collins thinks about." Nick snorted. "You really want to discuss bodies over lunch? Or do you want to wait until we get back to the office at least?"
I didn't want to go back to the office. I wanted to go see the bodies at the morgue. Of course, they just hired a new M.E. and I wasn't sure if this one was nice or not. Over the course of six months various medical examiners filled in, ever since Dr. Lambsburg had been arrested for drugging me and aiding in my kidnapping.
Needless to say, I didn't really feel like making a trip to see the new M.E. alone.
"I want to know why that fourth body was in so much worse shape than the other three." I grumbled.
"The M.E. will let us know when he finishes the autopsies." Nick leaned forward and took a bite of his pizza. "I think it's a pretty open and shut case."
"It's not lycanthropes, the injuries don't match up." I rolled my eyes. "Did you get anything from the runners?" I took a bite of my own pizza.
Nick finished his mouthful and shook his head. "No, just the same thing that Mason told us, they thought the bodies were drowning victims. They saw them when they were running around the lake."
Nothing new to go on. I didn't like it. "When we find out who they were, run them through the system and let me know if anything pops."
"I'm not your lackey, Abby." Nick raised a brow. "You can do your own research."
This was one area of our partnership that needed work. Nick and I were supposed to be equal, that much was true, but I was supposed to show Nick the ropes and this was what happened when I asked him to do something.
"No, you’re not my lackey, but this is our case. The least you can do is help out with research. The first thing Boss Man wants us to do is find out if the victims are in the system for anything. The system will tell us if they are associated with any paranormal groups. I'm supposed to show you how things go. Do the first damn step."
Nick folded his arms and leaned forward and I saw a bit of Devon, his brother, in him. It made me nervous. "So you can go warn Simon or Levi and tell them that we have a paranormal murder?"
"So I can go see the M.E. and talk to him about the bodies, then get home in time to shower for my date tonight. And because all you've done since you've gotten here is ride my ass about my methods and bitch about having to have a partner."
Nick snorted. "I saved your ass last case."
He'd shot the suspect before I could turn around. It wouldn't have been a fatal shot for me, but Nick hung it over my head. "I thanked you for that. You don't want to do the legwork, fine. You go see the M.E." I held my hands up in surrender. If he wasn't going to do the research, I would, but I couldn't do it until we got identification back on the victims.
I considered canceling my date with Simon for a moment, but shook my head.
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing I really want to share with you." I finished my pizza. "I want to know why you're so against doing the research."
He raised a brow. "I'm against being told what to do. We both have our own way of doing things."
Which meant he was tired of having me as a partner. I understood that, but... "We're stuck with each other right now. If you’d rather have the M.E., go ahead."
"Weren't you abducted by the last M.E.?" Nick asked.
I wondered if everyone knew about that, but I let it go. "Yes, he drugged me and kidnapped me. It was a great break from work, really."
"And yet you're willing to go meet the new one?"
It was like he picked the worry right out of my head. "You can't avoid everything you fear."
"I didn't know the great Abby feared anything." Nick grinned. "But here you are, afraid of M.E.s."
I glared at him. "I fear a lot more than I let on. Now, which is it, the M.E. office or research?"
My phone rang right before he answered. I looked at the screen, and an unknown number crossed it. I frowned and slid the unlock icon to answer. "Abigail Collins speaking."
"Hello, Abigail."
I knew the voice, the pack leader. I kept my face blank so Nick wouldn't catch on to my displeasure. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to meet with you." He didn't sound pleased about it and I wasn't either. I'd almost been killed last time I met with him. Of course, we'd been surrounded by werewolves at the time.
I was silent for a moment, trying to think of the best way to respond that wouldn't get me killed or put on some to-kill list. "At my office. I just had a meeting open up. My partner will be at the morgue, but I'll be more than happy to meet with you."
"Your office is a public place. You're worried I'm going to kill you, that's fine. I wouldn't expect anything less of you. What time?"
I glanced at my watch and looked at Nick. "In an hour." I hung up and looked at Nick. "Looks like you're going to meet the new medical examiner."
Nick raised a brow. "Looks that way."
Nick dropped me back off at the office and rushed to the medical examiner's office. I hoped he'd be gone long enough for me to get my business settled with Greg. The last time I'd seen Greg he'd literally thrown me to the wolves. I'd escaped, but only because I used my magic and there was someone else to distract the wolves. We never did find the body.
I shook my head and tried to focus. I couldn't understand why Greg wanted to meet with me, not after he had made it very clear he felt he was my superior. The door to my office opened and I met Greg's brown gaze.
He hadn't changed much in the last six months. His black hair was a little longer, but it was still cut close to his head. He wore a pair of jeans and a polo shirt, a big difference from the old clothes he'd worn the first night I met him.
I stood and offered a hand. "Welcome to the local PIB office." I gave him a forced smile and resisted any sarcastic remark about how he needed my help.
To my surprise he took my offered hand and shook it. I motioned to the seat in front of my desk and moved my chair so I could see his face instead of the computer monitor. "What can I do for you?"
"One of our own has gone missing." He swallowed. "Simon doesn't know, so I request you don't tell him."
A red flag went off in my mind. Simon was only a step below Greg in the pack. "This is a missing person's case. I'm not missing persons."
"No, but Levi owes me and sent me to you."
Levi and I were going to have to have a chat about who he sent to me as clients. Of course I wasn't sure if I had filled Levi in on everything that had happened with Greg. "Lovely. What does he think I can do?"
"Find her." Greg said easily.
I blinked. "It's really not as simple as that, but I'll see what I can do. Who was the last person to see her? Where was she seen at?"
"She was last seen at the pack meeting." He put his head in his hands. "We were attacked and she disappeared. No one has seen her since."
"Attacked by who?" I didn't like the sound of this.
Greg squirmed in his chair. What was he hiding? "There was a squabble in the pack two months back."
I kept my face blank. Simon hadn't mentioned any pack problems. "Some of the members split off and we were attacked by them."
"You're alpha, you are supposed to be able to control this shit. Don't they take an oath to you or something?" I leaned back in my chair. "Do you have something that belonged to her? I might be able to do a tracking spell. If you happen to have any blood,
that would be good too, but I don't expect you to actually have that on hand."
He nodded. "I can get you the things tonight. You have to find her."
I felt like there was more going on, but I'd question him more when I didn't have to worry about Nick walking in. "I'll be out tonight, but you can swing by in the morning and we can talk more then."
"It needs to be done as soon as you can." He snapped. "Social life be damned."
I locked my jaw. I was not about to tell him I was going on a date with Simon. If Simon hadn't mentioned it, then there was a reason. "How do you know it's a social call? I just had four dead bodies dropped on my plate. Even if it is a social call, I’m not one of your pack members you can order around."
He looked apologetic for a moment. "Fine. First thing tomorrow. I'll meet you at your house."
I scribbled down the address. "Fine."
I wasn't worried about what he would do to me. The house was my territory and he needed my help.
"Thank you, Abigail." He said as he stood up.
I nodded. "Don't think this makes us friends."
"Of course not. It would take a lot for that to happen." He walked out without another word. I put my head on my desk. When it rained, it poured. It would be hard to do the extra work with Nick always with me. I turned my head to the side as my phone vibrated on the desk. The screen told me I had a text message from my uncle. I could only imagine what he wanted.
I swiped the phone off the desk and looked at the text.
"Reminder: We have an appointment tomorrow night."
I wrinkled my nose. I forgot that he still wanted to see me once a month to work on controlling my abilities that manifested when I met Devon. Elemental abilities. They were rare and hard to control. The government didn't appreciate people who had them, so I had to learn to control mine as soon as I could and not be anywhere near fire when I lost my temper. It was something that had a long learning curve.
I texted him back. "Got it."
I spun in my chair, waiting for any word on our victims. I needed something to put in the system to find out about them and why someone would want them killed.
Finally, my phone rang and Nick's face showed up on the screen. I unlocked it. "What do you have?"
"Nothing came back from the fingerprints on the first three."
Well, shit.
"They are human as far as we can tell. No reaction to silver, obviously no burn marks from the sun."
I let out a huff of air. "Any runes?"
"Nope."
So that ruled out the Cult of Ra, that was a relief. They were a nasty group to deal with and I didn't want any surprise visits from them again. "Anything at all to go on?"
"The bite marks are human."
I sat up in my seat. "What? Like vampires?" I would have seen fang marks. "I didn't see any punctures and there was plenty of blood left."
"No, I didn't say vampires, I said human." He said again. "As in, no fangs."
I couldn't fathom a human doing that kind of damage. "And the fourth corpse?"
"Belongs to an already deceased Martin Nipper."
"What do you mean already deceased?" I growled. I should have just gone to the M.E..
Nick snorted. "The guy already has a death certificate, dated two months ago."
Two months ago, the same time that the wolves were attacked. I didn't think they were related, but I wondered what the hell I had been doing two months ago. "How did he die?"
"Torn apart by something. Jason is trying to figure it out. He's also eager to get out of here though."
"Hot date?"
"Sounds like it. Bank teller, redhead. Sounds pretty hot to me." Nick laughed. "I'll be back to the office in a bit. You still going to be there?"
I glanced at the clock. "I'm going to run the name through the system and see if I get anything that comes back."
"That doesn't answer my question." Nick said, his voice light.
I knew he was teasing. "The answer is it depends on the system." I shook my head. "You'll just have to get back here to find out."
He disconnected the call and I turned back to my computer. I booted up our system. The system was composed of a database created by those who gathered information on supernatural creatures. I never questioned how they got their information and I probably didn't want to know.
I typed the name in, not expecting much to come up. They had one file on our Martin. The man had died drained of blood. I wrinkled my nose. That screamed vampire victim. I wondered why we weren't given the case, and then I saw the city of death. Wasn't my city, perfect. Means that it wasn't Levi or any of his people.
I located the name of the agent that had taken the case and sent them a quick e-mail. I printed out the file and put it in a folder on Nick's desk. I wasn't going to hang around. I wanted a shower before I went out with Simon tonight.
CHAPTER TWO
I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. Gathering my hair, I wrapped another towel around that. The thick brown waves seemed worse when they were wet, making my hair even harder to tame. I looked in the mirror and noticed that the shower had helped the exhausted look. A little bit of makeup and the circles under my eyes would disappear. My phone rang and I cursed. I ran to the room and stumbled over my own feet to get it.
I snagged it off my dresser and answered without even looking at it. "Agent Collins."
"Abigail, I need you to come up here tonight." Levi's voice greeted me.
I glanced at the clock and noticed it just after sun down. He wouldn't have had a chance to feed before calling me, which meant something potentially serious. "I have a date, can this wait?" I knew I was using it for my own leverage knowing that he wanted me to date, but I really wanted to go out tonight.
"No. We have something to discuss in regards to your job." He didn't sound happy and that normally meant trouble.
I had a choice; I could piss Levi off and go on my date. Levi was an employer, yes, and some days I felt like I owed him for taking me in, but he didn't own me. Or I could suck it up and cancel my date. I pressed my lips together. "On a scale of 'Stephanie put me in the tabloids again' to 'someone is killing your people' how important is this and why can't we discuss this over the phone?"
"Because Oliver has your phone bugged."
I was going to have to talk to my uncle about his trickery. I had never left my phone in his possession and it wasn’t like I knew how to prevent him from bugging my phone. Hell, I didn’t even know how one went about bugging a phone. "And the scale?" I asked.
"Top priority."
"Fine. I'll cancel my date with Simon." Damn it. I guessed it was a good thing I hadn't put make-up on yet. "Let me get dressed and I'll be up there in a couple hours."
Levi was quiet for a moment. "Bring the wolf."
I counted to ten in my head. Levi was a grumpy vampire until he fed. "I'll see if he wants to tag along. Go eat." I hung up the phone and let out a sigh.
I called Simon as I went to my dresser to find some clothes. I dug through the drawer while the phone rang.
"What's up?" Simon answered.
"We have a change of plans." I grumbled, and pushed another black shirt to the side. I started to wonder if I had anything that had color. Probably not. "Levi needs to speak to me about something he claims is top priority."
"And he can't discuss it over the phone?" Simon groaned. "So we have to reschedule? Again?"
I felt a bit guilty, but he knew that my job took up most of my life. "Yes, but Levi said to bring you. Maybe we can do something after." I finally found a baby blue shirt hidden under the black ones. I pulled out a pair of jeans and under garments and dropped the towel.
"Okay, I can do that." Simon said. "I'll still pick you up?"
I smiled. At least he was willing to bend a bit for my life. "Yeah, that sounds good. Since we're going to Levi's, I'll be ready in about fifteen minutes."
"No dressing up for the vampire?" Simon teased.
I la
ughed. "No, especially if it's work related." I wiggled into my clothes, balancing the phone on my shoulder when needed. "I'll see you in a bit. I'm going to eat a quick snack before we go." Since dinner wasn't happening.
I hung up and pulled the towel off my hair. I went into the bathroom and ran a brush through the waves. I dumped some hair product on my hands and ran them through the locks. It was something that helped tame the waves, I wasn't sure what it was, but it worked. I went back to my room and pulled my shirt on before going to the kitchen. I opened my fridge and looked at my choices. There wasn't much in there, I made a note that grocery shopping had to happen at some point.
I opened the freezer and same thing, empty. I'd have to ask Simon to stop somewhere to eat. My phone buzzed and I looked at it.
Nick messaged me and I opened it, expecting something sarcastic.
"Three victims have been identified, going to talk with families tomorrow, want to tag along?"
"They're all yours." I'd leave the hardest part of the job to him. Three victims, three families, three separate grieving situations. I knew how the meetings would go; they would refuse to admit that their precious family member could be involved with anything supernatural or paranormal. They wouldn't want to work with us and we'd have no true answers for them. Yeah, Nick could handle that on his own.
I located my sneakers and my gun. I put the shoes on and holstered the gun on my side. The last thing I added was my badge. I clipped it on the back of my belt. It'd be covered up by my jacket, but I learned early to never leave my house without it. It'd saved my ass too many times.
There was a knock at the door and I peeked out the security hole and saw Simon standing there. I swung the door open and grinned at him. "You're early."
"I live ten minutes away." He shrugged.
I grabbed my jacket off the hook by the door. "Let's get this over with. We have to stop for food. I'm starving."
"I thought you were going to grab a snack."
I nudged him. "The grocery fairy hasn't stopped by, there's nothing here to eat except a can of tuna."
Deathly Magic Page 2
