Double Trouble (Taz Bell Book 5)

by Sharon Green

  "You've seen that dog before?" Eric asked through the continuing noise around us. "When did that happen?"

  "In that warehouse, where I was taken," I answered, speaking to Eric while I continued to stroke the dog. "When I got out of that carrier they'd locked me in, I saw another carrier and this guy was in it. I let him loose, not about to give those lice a chance to hurt him, and I thought he left. How could he have found me here?"

  "I don't know, but I have a different question," Eric said, also staring at the dog. "Why doesn't he smell the way most dogs do, and why isn't he panicking over being close to you and me?"

  I had no idea how to answer those questions, but that doesn't mean they weren't answered. All of the team sat without speaking, all of them, that is, except Amiol.

  "I don't think I believe this, but I'm being forced to believe," Amiol said, his voice odd in some way. "Eric, that dog doesn't smell the way most dogs do because that isn't a dog. It may look like a dog, but take my word for the fact that it isn't."

  "Come on, Amiol, you have to be kidding," Eric said while the rest of us stared at our dark elf teammate. "If that isn't a dog, what is it then?"

  "You'd better brace yourself," Amiol answered, and then he looked around at the rest of us. "All of you better brace yourselves. Our guest may be very young, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a dragon."

  Chapter Sixteen

  The silence that descended when we heard what Amiol had to say was almost deafening. My hand was still stroking the dog's head without my conscious effort, or possibly I should say I petted what looked like a dog.

  "Come on, my friend, you have to be kidding," Bari finally said into the continuing silence. "Of course that's a dog. Dragons don't look anything like dogs."

  "Dragons get to look like anything they want to," Amiol countered, his tone still on the shaky side. "I've seen adult dragons from a distance, only close enough to be able to recognize one, and I'm not in the least unsure. If you helped this guy, Taz, that could be why he traced you and is now here. He's decided to adopt you."

  "You mean Taz is going to be the pet, not the other way around?" Freemont asked, a kind of fey amusement in his voice. "Is that the way things work with dragons?"

  "I'm not really sure how things work with dragons, all I can do is recognize one," Amiol answered. "But that guy is definitely a dragon, so why don't you ask him."

  I raised my brows at the suggestion, but before I could try talking to the disguised dog, George interrupted.

  "I wonder if our friend there was the one who shredded the shapeshifter in the warehouse," my partner said, a musing tone to his words. "If dragons can take any shape they please, he might have turned to mist after taking care of the man. That would account for my not having been able to see him. I did see him, only didn't recognize what I saw."

  "Let's ask and find out," I said, meeting the dark gaze looking at me so lovingly. "Can you tell me, my friend, if you were the one who killed that shifter in the warehouse where we met? The man was trying to kill me, and that could have gotten you angry."

  Yes, I seemed to hear, more a thought than a word. It was a bad being.

  "Yes, the shifter was a bad being, and I appreciate your efforts," I said to my newest friend with a smile. "If that ever happens again, though, a better response would be to take the bad being captive. The being would really hate that, and then we could ask the being questions about why he was being bad."

  All right, I heard/felt, and the dog's grin grew wider. I can do that.

  "Good," I approved, adding to the stroking and patting I was doing. "Now I'd like to know if you're going to move in with us. If you are, I'll need some help in finding out what you need to stay happy and healthy."

  I need to go and hunt now, I was told as the … dog put his head against my knee. Now that I found a way through the spell I can come back later.

  And then the dog suddenly became a block of mist, mist that hung near me only a moment before it faded out and disappeared. Everyone at the table was staring in shock and disturbance, which made me glad that Shell and his friend had simply trundled into the kitchen a large carrier that had been loaded down with boxes and packages. They'd missed the show, which was very much a relief.

  "It looked like you were able to talk to the being," George said, the only one not frozen in place. "Did it really answer you?"

  "Unless I've gone completely insane and imagined all this, yes, he did speak to me," I responded, noticing that I was partly in shock, too. "He agreed not to kill the next time, only capture, and said he'd be back later after he hunted. I'm glad I didn't get the chance to ask what he would be hunting."

  "I'm just as glad you didn't ask," Oldon said, now seeming to come out of the shock. "I'd love to tell some of my associates about this, but I'd hate it when they locked me up somewhere. Would anyone believe this if they hadn't been here to see it?"

  "I was here and I still don't believe it," Eric stated, his tone saying he wasn't really joking. "And the dragon said he'll come back?"

  "He will come back, only not right away," Freemont put in, showing the usual distraction. "And I'm not sure if he'll do it the way he did it this time or some other way."

  "He said he can come back because he found the way through Amiol's spell," I offered, trying to pull out of the feeling that I was really dreaming. "That could be why he came in as a dog. Amiol's spell was keeping him out in some way."

  "Part of the spell must have affected his being as a dragon," Amiol offered, looking just as confused as the rest of us. "He certainly didn't mean any of us harm, but the fact that he was ready to kill to help Taz must have complicated things for him."

  My teammates and I all nodded as if we really understood what was going on, but Bari gave a short laugh instead.

  "I can't believe how lucky I was to run into you folks," she said as she looked around. "Not only did you save me from that third kidnapping attempt, you gave me a chance to see a real dragon. And to join you in sitting with my jaw down to the ground. If you'd accepted something like this without batting an eye, I think I would have run out of here no matter who was after me."

  "We may have had experience with weird things, Bari, but none of it was as weird as this," George assured her with his own amusement. "Are you going to add the dragon to the team, Taz?"

  "If I do, I sure as hell won't tell anyone about it," I countered, knowing when I was being teased. "I'm with Oldon on that being locked up thing. And if our dragon friend is able to change to mist when he wants to, why did he need me to get him out of that carrier?"

  "Maybe he didn't need your help and was only trying to find out if you would help if he really needed it," Oldon mused after taking a good swallow of the blood in his cup. "I'd guess that the only way you'll know for sure is if you ask him when he gets back."

  I nodded to show I understood the point, then finished the coffee in my cup before refilling the cup from the carafe on the table. Once I had sugar and cream in the coffee, I took one sip and then reached for my phone. The rest of the team was mostly out of the shock we'd all shared, which meant it was time to get on with things.

  "Hi, Taz, how are you doing?" Allison asked as soon as she answered her phone. "I was going to call you in a few more minutes, so your timing is excellent."

  "I'm good, Allison," I answered. "Is there a reason you were going to call me?"

  "One of the things I wanted to pass on was how good your friend Ritchie is doing," Allison told me, the smile clear in her voice. "We now have a line on many of the members of that outrageous group, and once we have them all we'll move on them. We won't be able to charge some of them, but letting them know they're on our list ought to convince them to change their ways."

  "Well, we can hope," I said, not mentioning that a lot of fanatics aren't that easily discouraged. "I'm calling because of that slime who had me kidnapped yesterday. I was talking with the team, and it came to us that I might not be the only one he had kidnapped with the in
tent of killing the captive. Getting people to stop shopping at Rolfe's store would be easier if some of his customers ended up dead."

  "You know, that thought hadn't crossed my mind but you might be right," Allison said, now sounding disturbed. "I'll have to check with the police to find out if bodies have been discovered, bodies of people who patronized the store. But you'd better brace yourself. There's bad news about that man who was arrested."

  "Tell me," I said, somehow not surprised that getting the crazy fool out of circulation hadn't been easy and simple.

  "The man immediately called a lawyer once he was at the precinct, and once the lawyer got there they had an announcement to make," Allison told me, her voice now sounding tired. "Roland Helms claims that he was kidnapped just the way you were, and that he has nothing at all to do with anything that went on at the warehouse. They tried to get at least one of the men involved with the dogs to say that Helms was their boss, but none of them would turn on him."

  "Not surprising," I said, having already changed the phone to speaker mode. Which meant that my teammates were very much in growling mode. "His lackeys must know how easily he has people killed, and they'd rather go to jail than die. What a shame for him that he can't intimidate me like that."

  "He might not have to intimidate you," Allison returned, her tone more than just a little unhappy. "It can't be argued that you were hit on the head before being kidnapped, and it's also true that you were badly hurt. Helms is claiming that you imagined what you say you heard, a 'mistake' that was caused by your head wound. With no one else around to challenge that claim, they had to let him go."

  The language I produced at that point is best left unsaid. I wasn't the only one to curse a blue streak, and Allison sighed to show she agreed.

  "Which means you're going to have to watch your back," Allison added. "If Helms was smart he would just leave everything as it is, but I get the feeling he isn't smart in that particular way."

  "Crazy people are never smart in that way," Eric put in from where he was sitting, his voice still full of a growl. "If Helms tries to send someone else after Taz, the someone else isn't going to live very long."

  "Yes they will," I disagreed at once, looking directly at Eric. "If someone else comes after me, we'll want him or her to be in good enough shape to name Helms as the one who did the sending. Then it won't be a matter of my word against his."

  "Yes, okay, you're right," Eric conceded, but not very happily. "We can keep them alive long enough to testify, but after that all bets are off. Especially if he or she manages to get off on a charge of attempted murder."

  "Don't worry, we'll make it work right," I said to Eric, trying to calm him down. "But Helms isn't the only one we have to pay attention to. Allison, as soon as Ritchie gives you a complete list of those other crazies, we'll appreciate it if we can help take them down."

  "I'll try to make it happen," Allison promised, a bit of relief behind the words. "The hardest part about pinning them down will be to latch onto the fool in charge. It seems the man changes his location on a regular basis, so it might not be a snap to catch up with him."

  "Try making a list of all his locations," Freemont said, his gaze distracted again. "If there are a finite number of places he goes, we might be able to find him in one of them when the time comes."

  "That's a good idea, so I'll get it done," Allison said as I heard the sound of writing. "As soon as I have the list I'll get back to you. Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

  I exchanged glances with everyone else at the table, tempted to mention our misty friend, then shook my head.

  "No, I think that covers it," I said. "If you need us, you'll know where we are. But don't try calling at mealtimes. We'll be too busy eating our heads off to pay attention."

  "You're enjoying yourselves then," Allison said, and there was finally satisfaction in her voice. "I'm glad to hear that, and if I want to talk to any of you during a meal I'll just have to come over and join you at the table."

  "You'll be welcome, but you'll have to be really fast in reaching for the food," George put in with a grin. "If I were still alive, I don't know if I'd be fast enough."

  "Okay, I just put 'practice grabbing plates' on my to-do list," Allison said with a laugh. "Enjoy, people, and we'll talk again later."

  We all returned her wish for enjoyment, and then I turned off the phone. That effort seemed to bring back the growl to those sitting near me, which made me shake my head.

  "No, I'm not going to let a crazy ruin my laying-around time," I stated, looking at my teammates. "I think we all know that this quiet time won't be lasting very long, so let's enjoy it while we have it. After that we can enjoy taking down a group of crazies, before or after which we'll see what can be done with a lone crazy. Anyone disagree with that?"

  Eric and Oldon looked like they wanted to disagree, but they wisely kept their preferences to themselves. We all went back to drinking, either coffee or blood, and in another few minutes Shell came out of the kitchen with the man who had brought his supplies. Shell saw the man to the door, helped to get the carrier outside, and once the door was closed again he came into the dining room.

  "I hate to say this, people, but we might have a problem," Shell told us, looking around as he spoke. "I don't know if that dog belongs to one of you, but if it does and you want to keep it here… We're really not … equipped to take care of pets."

  "That won't be a problem," Freemont assured Shell calmly as the rest of us fought to keep our faces straight. "That dog doesn't really belong to any of us, and he just came by to visit. As you can see he's gone now, and if he comes back again it will only be for a short time. It shouldn't cause problems for anyone."

  "Oh, good," Shell answered, his relief perfectly clear. "Jack and I both like dogs, but I'm not sure our insurance covers something a dog might do… Not to change the subject, but our vampire guest might want to visit the kitchen sometime soon. One of the things just delivered to us was that new stuff for vampires, stuff called – "

  "Boast?" Oldon exclaimed, serious hope in his expression. "Do you mean Boast?"

  "Yes, I certainly do," Shell answered, his smile a sharing of amusement. "Does your response mean you'd like some of it right now?"

  "No, I'm just being polite," Oldon returned with heavy sarcasm in his voice as he shot to his feet. "If you'll show me where that unimportant new stuff is, I won't have to tear apart the kitchen looking for it."

  "Right this way," Shell said quickly as he headed for the door into the kitchen. "I'd hate to lose Jack when he tried to keep you from destroying his kitchen…"

  Oldon chuckled as he followed Shell out of the room, a chuckle the rest of us shared. In only a couple of minutes our vampire teammate was back, carrying a plate and a spoon in one hand and a bowl in the other.

  "I think I'm about to find out if vampires can get fat," Oldon said as he returned to his place at the table. "Shell also ordered more Whippe, and this one is flavored with chocolate. I can't remember ever being this eager to have a meal."

  "Don't worry, if you start to put on lard kind of weight we'll let you know," Eric assured him, making the rest of us chuckle again. "We'd hate to have to carry you around when we go after rogues."

  "Eating this much may kill me, but as they say, what a way to go," Oldon told him with a wide grin. "If we ever have to get through a steel wall, just tell me there's Boast and chocolate Whippe on the other side. We'll be through the wall before you know it."

  That made all of us laugh, and then we watched as Oldon began to taste his two dishes. His eyes closed to slits of rapture as he savored each bite, full enjoyment clear all through him, and not even the sound of my phone ringing took his attention away from his food. I turned the phone on after checking the caller ID, wondering if Oldon would be yanked away from his feast after all.

  "What's up, Allison?" I asked once the phone was on. "Do you have all our questions answered this soon?"

  "I wish," Allison r
esponded, and I could almost see her headshake. "The reason I'm calling back has nothing to do with what we're involved in. It turns out that I need to … borrow George."

  Eric and George himself blinked in the same way I'd done, puzzlement covering us. Instead of saying anything I put the phone on speaker, so the others at the table could hear what was said on the other end of the conversation.

  "I'm sorry, Allison, but I must have misheard you," I finally said. "You couldn't really have said what I thought you did."

  "I know what I said seems … strange, but that's exactly what I meant," she all but muttered, now sounding very embarrassed. "We need George's help, but I'm not really trying to steal him from your team. That's why I said we need to borrow George."

  "I think George wants to know what he's being borrowed for," I said, seeing that my partner hadn't stopped being puzzled. "Do you suddenly have someone who needs to be haunted?"

  "That's closer to the truth than you know," Allison answered, her tone strange in a different way. "The mother of one of my people lost her aunt a few months ago, and yesterday one of her neighbors came to visit. The neighbor had lost her brother a short time before, but the woman didn't just come to commiserate."

  "She came bearing news," George guessed. "Since it's me you want, do we have to work at knowing what the woman really came for?"

  "You're right, George," Allison confirmed. "The woman told my team member's mother that she'd found someone who was able to reach her brother's spirit, so she suggested that it might be possible to also reach the mother's aunt. Long story short, the woman had had to pay a lot of money to 'speak' to her brother, but she considered the expense worth what she got out of it. Now she's all but dragging the mother to the same people, but the mother isn't quite as gullible as the woman. She spoke to her son, and her son spoke to me."

  "And you want me there to find out if those people are legitimate or phonies," George said, nodding slowly. "There are such things as ghosts, like me, for instance, but most of those who claim to be in touch with 'spirits' do no such thing. Yes, I'd love to be a part of that. When will you need me for?"