I wasn’t exactly happy about any of it, nor had I enjoyed it, but it was a relief it was over, and I felt no guilt at all for what I’d had to do. I didn’t blame Maria for sparing him the first time, but it was better without Carlos alive, he was no longer a threat. I knew that was dangerous thinking, but Carlos had proved himself a threat, and that made the difference.

  Another case closed, even if the police still had the case open, they never did, and never would, catch the kidnapper. Still, a happy ending for Aiden and Stephanie at the very least, and thanks to Ben, Aiden wouldn’t take long to recover from it. Kids bounced back fast, and Ben had helped a bit with that.

  It all could’ve been much worse, if it wasn’t for all my allies. Maybe the witch hadn’t been that stupid, her actions would’ve tied up most water sorcerers for hours. I also decided once my anger had cooled that it was better that the pack got to take out the witch. I really didn’t want to start enjoying killing, not even once.

  It was later that evening, and Katie and I were in the hotel bar, finishing up our dinner. It was a pleasant atmosphere, not all that many people but not empty either, and the low music gave us a chance to talk. We were both dressed rather casually, I had on a pair of black yoga pants, a thin and tightly knit red sweater, and black ankle high boots. We didn’t go out to clubs every night, and I still hadn’t filled her in completely on me and Mark taking a big step last night.

  It was a little bittersweet as I filled her in. I could see the joy in her eyes for me, and that she was happy for me, but at the same time I saw the same disappointment I felt at the idea we wouldn’t be moving into the house we’d just built together on land we co-owned. It would be strange, not living together. We’d lived together for almost five years by then, ever since we’d become dorm roommates in our freshman year of college.

  Sure, I knew the moment would happen sooner or later, but I hadn’t expected it to happen quite so soon. Mark had entered my life like a whirlwind. I also wondered if I wasn’t a little more co-dependent than I’d believed.

  Katie smiled, “You’ll always have a room there, ready and waiting. It’s a little sudden, but better than us growing into old cat ladies together. I think I’m going to tell Jeremy tomorrow night, he’s taking me out for dinner and dancing at a salsa club.”

  I nodded, “Good luck.”

  Katie smiled, “I have Dana on my speed dial, just in case. It’ll be better to know. I don’t want to invest more time and emotion into him, if he can’t handle it. I’ve already waited too long. Hmm, so will you be a guest or host this Saturday?”

  Yeah, two days until the housewarming party. All our stuff was in the new house, and it was ready to move into. We’d planned to move in tomorrow, and check out of the hotel, but she’d be doing that alone. Technically, it was actually ready today, but the cable and internet wouldn’t be hooked up until tomorrow morning. I pushed down the guilt that thought engendered, life went on, brought change, and it was natural. Nothing lasted forever, but she would be my family and closest friend whether I lived in the same house or not.

  I laughed, “Both? I may be there more than you think.”

  Mark was busy, I’d spend my nights there, and consider it home, but I wasn’t going to sit in the mansion every night and wait for him to get home. Following him around like a lost puppy while he led the coven didn’t appeal to me either, though I was sure I’d be accompanying him out often enough.

  Point being, it felt like everything was changing, but it really wasn’t. It was a shift in things for sure, a major one, but in the end and realistically I’d be spending almost as much time with my best friend as I had before. If not as far as sleeping under the same roof and sharing breakfast went.

  Katie sighed, “I hate making my own breakfast.”

  I snorted, “How sweet.”

  She grinned, “Truth is truth.”

  We talked for quite a bit longer, then I got in my car and headed for my new home. It was a little weird, as well as kind of wonderful. I’d never spent a night at the mansion without first spending the preceding hours with my vampire, either on a date or just spending time together. The coven was welcoming of me though, I had spent a whole lot of nights there already.

  Even stranger, he was still working, probably at one of the clubs, when I laid down in his bed… our bed, and I sought out sleep. Tomorrow was Friday, and the last day of work before the weekend started.

  Another first, was when he woke me up two hours later with a kiss and a snuggle. It didn’t take him long to set my body on fire, figuratively speaking, and I thought maybe this new life wouldn’t be so bad after all…

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning I had on a light yellow blouse, under a creamy white blazer, with a matching pencil skirt and high heels when I went into the office. Dana as usual had beaten me there, but there were also two people in my office, or so my power told me.

  I went straight for the coffee, and I refilled my almost empty travel mug with the good stuff, before I turned to Dana and raised an eyebrow.

  Dana said, “Agents Bill Stanton and Angela Reese. They told me they were from the FBI. I told them they could wait in your office. So far, they’ve behaved, and they haven’t rifled through your drawers,” she winked and tapped on her ear.

  Right, they’d told her they were in the FBI, which meant they’d lied. Otherwise she’d have just said they were from the FBI. Which meant they were probably with some other three letter agency, or maybe the state department? I kind of expected this at some point, and it’d been twenty-four hours since Joe Sevier had thrown me under the bus on international news, so they were right on time as far as I could figure.

  The news had also taken a turn for the worse last night, apparently putting down rapist officials in northern Africa made things tenser around the middle east. No one had proof of anything, some blamed terrorists, others blamed the U.S., but so far no world war three. I was pretty sure Ben had been joking about that, mostly.

  Regardless, I was hoping I was just a desperate lead. Anyone with common sense, and ignorant of magic and the supernatural world, couldn’t possibly think I was really involved.

  Clearly, I was innocent, and as pure as my light blonde hair. At least, that was my story, and I’d lie until my teeth fell out if necessary. I didn’t like to lie, but when it came to the secret, I did what was necessary, no more, and no less.

  “How long have they been here?”

  She shrugged, “Ten minutes, at most?”

  I nodded, and then walked into my office.

  Agent Bill Stanton was in his mid-twenties, and no doubt the junior agent on the team. He looked like he’d had his sense of humor removed surgically, and I imagined he’d make a mint if he ever decided to play poker. He was in a dark suit, and had a chiseled jaw and cheekbones, brown hair, and blue eyes.

  Agent Angela Reese was older, low to mid-thirties, with raven hair, green eyes, and sun-kissed skin. She was in a dark gray woman’s suit, with a creamy blouse, and black flats. She had a pleasant look on her face, and one that looked bored, but I didn’t believe her lazy cat routine any more than I believed Bill had an operation to remove his sense of humor.

  I cheated, to smooth my emotions out, not fully embracing my power to do so of course, but I suspected these two could pick out a liar without even trying. My power would compensate for that, because in that moment I truly believed I had nothing to do with the rescue.

  That was a little fuzzy I know, and it didn’t make logical sense. I knew I’d done it of course, but I believed I didn’t thanks to my power, if that made sense.

  I smiled professionally, “Good morning, agents. What can I do for the FBI today?”

  Angela said, “We just want to go over some facts with you. It’s probably nothing, but we have to investigate all leads, even unlikely ones.”

  “I see, what does this pertain to?”

  Angela replied, “Four days ago you were hired by Joe Sevier to find his daughter. By miraculous coincidence, the people that were holding her were all violently killed the very next evening. Even more interesting is no one seems to know who did it. Our people have no suspects, and though the middle east nations are barking at us, they don’t really know either.”

  “Yes, it was quite a coincidence. I knew she was being held of course, and used as a sex slave, but I’d still been trying to locate her exact position when the story broke.”

  Angela’s eyes narrowed, “You knew?”

  I nodded, “It’s well established that I get vibes off things people own, my psychic ability. Her father sent me a pair of diamond earrings, and I could sense her distress and had a vague idea she was far away and being ill-used. But that’s only one tool in my toolbox as a private investigator. My ability doesn’t give me much information, nor does it plot a map for me to follow. I’m sure you’ve checked. I’ve never been out of the country, or all that far from Myrtle Beach. I even went to a local college. I certainly don’t have military connections either, private or otherwise.”

  Angela said, “Quite a coincidence?”

  I nodded, “Of course. The timeline’s also too small, as I’m sure you know, to stage such an effective rescue. Even if I did have those resources, which I don’t. Do you think I’m in danger?”

  Bill asked, “Danger?” in a surprised voice, and drew a subtle glare to shut his hole from Angela.

  I shrugged, “You’re here, despite how ridiculous the idea of me being involved in the rescue is. I just wondered if… other people might come looking. I can’t imagine the people behind it are very happy about what just happened.”

  That was actually a real concern of mine. All those high-level people with connections around the world that had been availing themselves of a variety of women held against their will. What if they decided I was a part of things? Damn Joe anyway, for giving that damned interview.

  Angela said, “Unlikely. As I said in the beginning, we have to pursue every avenue in our investigation, but the men in charge of something like that are a half a world away. They wouldn’t likely waste the resources on the wrong target.”

  I hoped she was right, but I was very visible and from their point of view probably an easy target, reality or not. Men like that didn’t like being made fools of, and I was very young looking, and modest or not I was quite attractive. Which meant the press kept running the damned story.

  I feared they might just take a shot at me to make a point.

  It was also a fishing comment, she very much paid attention to my reaction when she’d declared me the wrong target. A normal human wouldn’t have picked it up, but her emotions were screaming at me making her tack obvious. Pretend it’s no big deal and try to catch me in a lie or trip me up some other way.

  At the same time, I thought she didn’t believe for a second that I was involved, she was just very professional and thorough.

  “That’s a relief. Can I help you with anything else?”

  She asked, “Just out of curiosity. Where were you, that Tuesday night?”

  I frowned in thought, “I worked until five, then went out for a few drinks before heading home. Well, the hotel we’re staying in.”

  “We?”

  I replied, “My cousin. Our house is being rebuilt.”

  She nodded, then smiled, “I think that’s enough. As you said, the timeline doesn’t really work out. Thanks for your time and cooperation.”

  I saw them both out of the office, then went back to my desk deep in thought. I hoped that would be the last complication when it came to what we’d done, but something told me I wouldn’t be that lucky. I also wondered if I hadn’t just made a mistake, would Agent Reese check my card purchases and look for those drinks?

  I shrugged it off, it wouldn’t mean anything one way or the other, who’s to say I bought the drinks? It was all still worth it, to stop an international sex trafficking group, or at least slow them down. Human traffickers and sex slavers were the worst sorts of human scum, and it’d be a very long time before I’d feel a moment of regret in cutting down those lives as I had.

  Oh, that regret would hit about the same time hell froze over. Supernatural threat or not, it’d been something in my face, and something that needed to be fixed.

  I started my usual morning practice a little late, while I started to research another case.

  The agents weren’t the last complication, and it wasn’t long before I ran into the next one. The expression, no good deed goes unpunished, came to mind. I’d never regret taking those actions though, they’d been well earned. Wise or not, it’d been the right thing to do. That I’d pissed off some evil people was just proof of that.

  The sun was high in the sky as Dana and I left the office for lunch. We were going to grab some seafood at the Crab Shack, I had a craving for fish and chips. We barely made it out of the building, when my shield was pinged hard over my chest. The loud crack of a sniper rifle filled the street a split second later, and then the sound of breaking glass reached my ears as the ricochet cracked a windshield.

  The whole street froze for a second, then people started to run for cover as I myself dove behind an SUV, and I hoped there wasn’t a second sniper in a different position. My shield could block bullets all day long, but that’d be a major exposure risk. My mind was already wondering how the hell we’d cover it up.

  Dana asked, “Got him?”

  I shook my head, “Whoever he is, he’s more than a hundred yards away.”

  Dana frowned, “A hundred yards? Not eighty-three? You been keeping secrets, boss?”

  I grinned, “I might’ve gotten a little more powerful recently.”

  Dana was gone in a blur a second later. There was no one near us to see, and she knew where all the cams in the city were.

  I was a lot more annoyed and angrier than I was scared, but this kind of thing could be major trouble. If some idiot overseas had gotten it in their head to kill me as an example, just because the press was pushing me out there and making them look bad, it was a huge exposure risk.

  “Shit.”

  There was no covering this thing up, not really. There were too many people on the streets in midday for that. Which meant the cops would be there soon, then the reporters would descend like vultures to ask me how it made me feel to almost be killed. It’d be a damned nightmare.

  My phone rang, and I picked it up.

  “What’s up?”

  Dana said, “I got the bastard, roof of a parking garage, about two hundred yards up the street. He’s a professional, and he has no idea who the hell hired him. It’s all done anonymously these days, over the dark web. Apparently, there’s a price on your head, it’s an open contract.”

  “How much?”

  Dana snorted, “Quarter mil. They must be pissed.”

  “Is it really untraceable?”

  Dana replied, “Well, probably not to our mutual friend up north.”

  Oh, right. Good point. That’s when I heard the sirens approaching.

  “I suppose it would be bad form to flee the scene.”

  Dana laughed, “You really want fish and chips, don’t you?”

  I sighed in faux longsuffering, “Yes.”

  Dana snickered, “Such a hard life.”

  “Shut up.”

  She replied, “Yes, boss.”

  I snickered.

  She asked, “The shooter?”

  “Do what’s appropriate, unless you can think of a way to have the police catch him, that also makes sense. A professional would’ve bugged out by now, right?”

  She said, “Alright, see you soon.”

  I stood up as the cops arrived. It was going to be a long afternoon, and I had no idea how I was going to explain that windshield being cracked from the opposite direction of the shooter.

  Chapter Ten

  It had been a long afternoon, but my worry was groundless. Humans were very good at filling in the blanks, even without proof. They assumed the shot meant for me did ricochet back into the car’s windshield, just not off my magic shield. They thought the shooter missed, and even though they couldn’t find any damage to my building, they’d decided it’d ricocheted off the building and then hit the windshield.

  Melody, Ben, Dana, Katie, and I were at Katie’s store in the back. I was happily eating from a fish and chips to go order. It really did hit the spot.

  I said, “I’m sorry, I should have had Joe compelled to keep his mouth shut. That, or killed every member of the fake news.”

  That latter part was facetious of course, and it would be a horrible thing. Still, it was clearly their fault evil men wanted me dead.

  Ben waved that away, “His assumptions aren’t your fault. It isn’t as if you told him the truth, or he knows about our kind. Anyway, the person that put a hit out on you is overseas.”

  Katie asked, “Can we get someone to compel him to remove it, and to look elsewhere.”

  Ben sighed regretfully, “Not easily. There’re others that would hold him accountable, and they’re not only in the know but pushed him in this direction. He’s high up, but he’s not in charge of their activities. If he withdrew the hit there’d be too many questions. Slavery is still a way of life over there, it’s not something even we can change. There’re too many people on the list with too much influence in that part of the world to make them all go away. If we did, we’d anger a lot of other people, that aren’t even involved. Tensions are already high enough.”

  Melody interjected, “You may have to disappear.”

  I sighed. I’d thought of that myself of course, but it wasn’t an appealing option. I’d planned to live out a full human lifetime as a private detective, then still looking in my mid-twenties when I took off the illusion, I could find a new path under a new name. But I might have to do so sooner. I really liked what I’d been doing for a living, I enjoyed finding people, and reuniting families.

  Melody added, “Or better yet, fake your death, then disappear. You don’t have to leave your cousin of course, or your vampire, but you’d have to wear an illusion and be a different person. Find a new public line of work, or work in our world exclusively. That’s the standard way to avoid exposure, despite the uniqueness of the situation it’s probably the best way to go about it.”