by Ashlyn Chase
Lupo snorted. “Talk about trust—or lack of it.”
Hunter held up a hand. “I don’t blame you for being suspicious. But you have my word.”
Sly pulled a contract from his inner coat pocket. “Just sign this and I’ll be good to go.”
The three werewolves all stared at each other.
Nick cleared his throat. “He doesn’t know we’re always good to our word. Just sign—”
“Give me the damn thing,” Captain Hunter said as he ripped it from Sly’s grasp.
As soon as Hunter had signed the promise, Sly tucked it in his coat pocket and said, “Thanks.” Then he took off his coat and handed it to Nick.
“One of you will need to open the door, and I’ll try to get around you without touching you. If you were ordinary-sized people, I’d probably fly over your heads, but I don’t want to take the chance of accidentally giving you whiplash.”
“I’ll do it,” Nick said.
“You realize there’s more than one door to go through, right? The first one just leads to the ATM. I’ll need two of you opening both doors at the same time.”
“I’ll take the other one,” Lupo added. “But what are the chances of a vamp waiting for two customers opening the doors at the same time?”
“Pretty good, actually,” Nick said. “People tend to hold a door open rather than let it slam in the face of someone who’s entering right behind them.”
“True.” The captain nodded. “Okay, let’s do this as if Lupo’s going in first and holding the door for Wolfensen.”
The weres all approached the unlocked doors and opened them. Nick kept an eye on Sly. Suddenly he disappeared and Nick felt a slight wind rush past him. Then another. He could have blamed the first on a breeze, but the second was more like a gust of wind. That’s odd. He couldn’t have moved so fast that he’d be in and out already, could he?
Sly suddenly reappeared in the parking lot, but he wasn’t alone. He was lying atop a flapping body, which held a linen sack.
“Get off of me, you jerk.”
Nick couldn’t believe his eyes. A rail-thin body covered in gray fur lay pinned to the pavement. Its voice sounded like a woman who’d been smoking for forty years.
“What is it?” Lupo asked.
“I have no idea,” Hunter answered. “In my twenty years on the force, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s strong,” Sly said, as the stick figure struggled.
“For fuck’s sake, I’m not an ‘it.’”
“What are you?” Nick asked.
The figure let out a defeated sigh and after a long pause answered, “I’m a whirling dervish.”
“A whirling what?” all three werewolves asked at once.
“Whirling. Dervish,” the figure enunciated.
“I thought that was some kind of Turkish dance,” Sly said.
“The dance was named after us. We’re not well-known in this part of the world.”
“No shit,” Lupo said.
Sly glanced up at the captain. “So what should I do with him? Or are you a her?” he asked the dervish.
“I’m a female, and you should let me go.”
“Why were you robbing the bank?” Nick asked.
“What else am I going to do to get money?” she asked. “There aren’t many jobs for blenders with fur.”
“Why do you need money?” Sly asked.
“I just want to go home. I was captured back in Turkey. We live in some pretty inhospitable mountains, but a group of determined hunters managed to sneak up on us. They caught me and shipped me in a crate to this—this place. I was in some kind of a lab, but I escaped. Now I need the money to ship a crate home—with me in it.”
“How did you know the bank would be open? It’s a Sunday,” Captain Hunter said.
“I didn’t. I was hiding up there.” She pointed to a stand of leafy trees that would have provided cover. “And I was waiting for the bank to open. It had to sometime, right? And what’s a Sunday?”
Nick couldn’t help feeling sorry for the poor dervish. How frightening it must have been to wind up in a crate and be shipped across an ocean. He shuddered to think about what the lab was going to do to her.
“How did you learn to speak English?” Captain Hunter asked.
“The night lab technician taught me. He seemed different from the rest of them. Kinder. It was as if he knew I was someone, not something. The others were classifying me as some new kind of animal.”
Each wolf glanced at the others, probably all thinking along similar lines. They had been treating a fellow paranormal creature as a human would have treated them, if the unthinkable happened and they’d been captured in their alternate form.
After a long silence, Sly cleared his throat. “I hate to repeat my question, but what are we going to do with her? I can’t spend days or weeks lying on top of her while someone decides.”
“I guess we’ll have to help her get home,” Captain Hunter said.
Nick thought he heard Sly let out a sigh of relief.
“But how will we do that?” Lupo asked. “And what if she escapes again the minute the vamp stands up?”
“The ‘vamp,’” Sly said tensely, “will tackle her again. But I doubt she’ll take off if she knows she’s going home and not just back to the lab.”
“We can’t afford to have a paranormal being in a human lab,” Hunter said. “If they discover what she really is, we’re all at risk.”
“Hello? I’m right here,” the dervish interrupted. “Do I get to voice an opinion?”
“Of course,” Nick said quickly. He was well aware of the way cops thought. They might not even listen to her if they believed they knew what to do. The plain truth was that no one knew exactly what to do. Five minutes ago they didn’t even know what she was, but together they might come up with a viable plan.
“The guy on top of me is right. If one of you big lugs will help me get home, I’ll be more than happy to cooperate.”
After a brief hesitation, Captain Hunter said, “You can get up, Sly. We’ll help the lady get home to the Turkish mountains safely.”
“Glad to hear it.” Sly rose gingerly and then extended a hand to the hairy, thin female. She rose to her full height of about five feet and brushed herself off.
“Lupo and I will take her to my place,” Hunter said. “From there we can find her a crate and some food. What do you eat?”
“Goats,” she said. “Goat’s milk and goat cheese will do, I guess. Anything will be better than the nuts and berries they tried to feed me at the lab.”
“Sly, would you mind coming along just in case?” Hunter looked at the whirling dervish apologetically. “We don’t really know you yet. I’d feel better if we have someone who can keep up with you if you run.”
She shrugged. “You’ll learn.”
“Sure,” Sly said. “But I can’t stay. As soon as she’s safe, I have to fly. Literally.” He chuckled.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Hunter said. “I have another problem I was hoping you could help me with. We have a woman in custody for shoplifting. She put up quite a fight last night. I’m pretty sure she’s a vamp.”
“Really? Was she conscious during the day today?”
“No. That’s another reason we suspected it. I have to hold her until we can get the store to drop charges. Right now she’s in solitary with only paranormal cops watching her.”
“She’ll be up soon. I guess I can talk to her. What’s her name?” Sly asked.
“Ruxandra.”
Ruxandra? Shit. Anthony’s ex-girlfriend? “Don’t worry about your wife, Sly,” Nick said. “I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“Thanks. In that case, captain, I’ll help you out for a short time. I still need to get back quickly, though.”
“Much app
reciated.”
Sly waved, and just as they were about to walk away, the captain called out, “Hey, Nick.”
He halted. “Yeah?”
“I spoke to a friend of mine at NYPD. He’ll try to help you ID the perps you were looking for. Maybe they can lead you to the guy who hired them.”
“Great! Thanks. Can you call me with the details?”
“I’ll email them. There’s no confidential information. Just his name and the department’s phone number.”
“Does he know about our unique qualities?” He didn’t have to talk in code since everyone within earshot was either a werewolf or a vampire. But it was a good habit to keep just the same.
“Nope. He’s completely, um, normal, so don’t mention anything about a paranormal aspect.”
“Thanks. Good to know.”
Chapter 17
Seeing that she was alone, Brandee stopped by Morgaine’s table. “How are you doing?”
The woman looked a little pale.
“I-I’m okay.”
Not exactly convinced of that and having no customers needing anything at the moment, Brandee sat across from her. “Would you like to talk?”
The woman gave her a weak smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to be a bother.”
“You’re no bother. Heck, you won’t even let me get you a glass of water.” She smiled hoping to lighten the woman’s mood, but it didn’t seem to help.
Morgaine leaned toward her and whispered, “You must be a remarkable woman.”
“Me? Remarkable? Why?”
“Well, you’re human.”
Stumped, Brandee didn’t respond.
Morgaine leaned in closer and lowered her voice even more. “Before I was turned, I was a witch, but I’d still have been nervous mingling with other paranormals—even in a place like this. To think there’s a wizard over there. Witches and wizards don’t get along, but here I am only ten feet from one. If that’s not amazing enough, I can’t imagine being in here with no superhuman powers at all.”
Powers? A place like this? Witches and wizards? Brandee cocked her head.
Morgaine continued in her low whisper. “Because you’re human, you must feel somewhat vulnerable, right?”
“Uh, I guess all humans feel that way from time to time.” Maybe this Morgaine person was a little insane. Thanks for dumping a crazy woman on me, Nick.
Morgaine smiled. “Exactly. That’s why I can’t help admiring your courage.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks.”
“And, as I understand it, you’re not the only one. A bar full of paranormals, owned by a vampire, with a largely human staff.”
Brandee blinked and rose slowly. Careful, don’t upset the lunatic lady.
Morgaine quickly covered her mouth with both hands. “Oh! I’m sorry. Is that a nonpolitically correct term? Do you call us something other than paranormals here? I’m new to this whole world. I don’t mean to be rude.”
Great. She thinks she’s an alien. Better play along. “Oh? What planet are you from, exactly?”
Morgaine’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. “Ha. Good one.”
Brandee shook her head. “Let me get you something from the bar. Seriously. It’s on me.”
“Well, that’s kind of you, but I try not to drink alone.”
“Hey, I’d join you, but I’m working.” Unfortunately. I sure could use a glass of wine right about now.
“I know. Well, thank you for checking on me. I really am all right. I just can’t get over this being a safe place for paranormals to mix and mingle.”
“What exactly do you mean by paranormals?”
“Oh, there I go again. I just don’t know what other word to use. Supernaturals? What do you call vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters collectively?”
Brandee almost said “myths,” but this woman was deadly serious.
“Customers, I guess.”
Morgaine slapped the side of her head. “Of course. You make no distinction. That’s very PC of you.”
The outside door opened and Brandee spotted Nick as he walked in. Oh, thank God. But the woman’s husband wasn’t with him. Tough noogies. She was going to confront her boyfriend, and if the woman freaked out, so be it.
***
Wow. Brandee looks furious. She marched over, grabbed Nick by his collar, and led him to the back door. If he hadn’t come willingly, he had the feeling she would have screamed at him in public.
“Nick, what the hell?”
“Shhh. What’s wrong?”
Brandee lowered her voice, but the tone was unmistakable. If yelling in a whisper was possible, she was doing it. And she’d said “hell,” not “heck.”
“The crazy lady you stuck me with said Boston Uncommon is full of paranormals. When I asked what she meant, she said vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters. Oh, she also mentioned a wizard and said she was a witch. I thought you and your twin were some kind of oddball mutation. Like X-Men. She seems to think the world is full of them, and this bar in particular. She even said the owner is a vampire. Is she talking about Anthony?”
“Calm down, sweetheart. Trust me. There’s nothing to be upset about. I’ll straighten this out.” He strode to Morgaine and sat opposite her.
“You have Brandee scared out of her wits. What did you tell her?”
Morgaine blinked. “Oh, my Goddess. She didn’t know about the bar? I got the distinct impression that she knew.”
“She knows what I am, but she thought Konrad and I were the only ones.”
Morgaine’s hand covered her heart. “Oh no. I thought she was offended because I was using some kind of politically incorrect term when I mentioned paranormals. My psychic senses rarely let me down like that. Maybe because I was so nervous and she was so calm, I didn’t pick up the right vibe.”
Fuck. “She said you told her about the owner being a vampire. Is that true?”
Morgaine laid her head in her hands, covering her eyes. “Dear Goddess. Yes. I’m such an idiot.” As she lifted her head, a red tear shimmered in the corner of her eye. “I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
Nick looked over at the bar and saw Brandee whispering frantically to Angie. Angie’s eyes were growing wider by the second.
“Damn. First of all, don’t cry. I don’t know how we’d explain bloody tears.”
Morgaine grabbed a napkin and dried her eyes. Then she swiveled enough to see what Nick was looking at and gasped. “She’s not telling the other human employees, is she?”
“I don’t know. Angie is her best friend and roommate. I need to make sure she’s not confiding in her. Sit tight. Sly will be back soon.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine. He’s helping the police with another situation.”
“Why him? Why not you?” Morgaine trembled and her breathing appeared to grow shallow and quick, as if she were hyperventilating.
“I’m not supposed to be involved in police business anymore. It’s complicated.” Not as complicated as what’s going on in Brandee’s head at the moment, I’m sure. “I’ll be right back.”
Morgaine rested her head on the table. “Oh Goddess.”
Nick didn’t think he should leave her like this, but he had to get to Brandee before any more damage was done. Sadie’s reading had just ended, and her customers were pulling cash out of their wallets.
“Sadie,” Nick called. “Can you come over here for a moment? It’s important.”
She rose and grasped the money held out to her, then hurried over to Morgaine and laid a hand on her shoulder. She was already speaking to her calmly and reassuringly, so Nick left them and stalked toward Brandee.
She skirted the bar before he got there and waited on a table.
Damn it. She’s avoiding me. He took a seat at the bar next to the man with the yello
w streak in his hair. “Angie,” he called to the bartender.
She didn’t make eye contact.
Finally, Nick cleared his throat. “Angie. Can you get me a beer, please?”
She nodded but still didn’t look at him.
Shit. What did Brandee tell her? He turned to the guy next to him and said, “Did you happen to hear what the redheaded waitress was whispering to the bartender a minute ago?”
“Not completely. She said something about needing to talk about her boyfriend and a woman. I heard the words ‘loony tunes,’ I think.” He chuckled. “If that’s you, my friend, I’m sorry. It sounded like she was upset. I hope it’s just a misunderstanding of sorts.”
If only.
***
Brandee had managed to avoid Nick for quite a while, but she had finally run out of customers to wait on. And here he comes. Crap. Just once I’d like to have a few minutes to mull over situations on my own without his running over to tell me how I should feel about everything.
She grabbed a rag and began to wipe down a table when he appeared next to her.
“We need to talk, Brandee. Meet me by the back door.”
“I’m working.”
He set his fists on his hips. “You were working when you dragged me over there because you wanted to talk.”
Crap, crap, double-crap. “It was important.”
“Are you saying you’re the only one with something important to say?”
Her face heated. “No.”
“Okay, stop scrubbing the table before you wear off the varnish, and come talk to me.”
He stalked off, acting as if his command was to be instantly obeyed. She was tempted to ignore him and go about her business, but she couldn’t do that forever. Sooner or later, she’d have to talk to him. Might as well get it over with.
She tossed the rag aside and followed him to the back door. Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked, “What’s so important?”
“What did you tell Angie? She won’t even look at me now.”
“That’s private.”
“Did you mention what Morgaine said to you?”
She shrugged. “What I talk about with Angie is between me and Angie.”
Nick raked his hands through his already tousled hair. “I need to know you didn’t break your promise.”
