A Little Street Magic (5 page)

Brock was my height, a slender man under the heavy black, mid-thigh-length coat he wore. “I’m offering you an opportunity here.”

Not one I wanted to touch with a ten-foot pole. “Four.”

“I’m going.” He began to back away, raising his hands. I felt a faint itching sensation in my head, as though something were scratching at the walls of my mental maze. “Not talking to me won’t make a difference. You’ve caught my eye.”

“Five.” I wanted to throw my phone at him as the itching intensified, and scratch my scalp raw for relief.

“I’ll see you around.” Brock turned to walk to the driveway. “Maybe you’ll feel like talking later.”

The intense itching lessened as he moved farther away, and I felt my jaw drop. Nate Brock was a psychic. It was his telepathic attempt to dip into my mind that I’d felt.

No wonder he was so damned good at his job.

“
W
hy does Leglin get to stay home?
” Bone paused to sniff the bushes.

“Because he’s not on the list of dogs people like to demonize.” We were on our way over to clan territory. I wasn’t risking my Pit Crew or Rufus in light of Brock’s unwelcome entry into my life.

“
We were good boys. We didn’t bite
.” Diablo nudged my hand. “
We didn’t touch him
.”

I stroked his head. “You’re the best boys, but some people don’t care how good you are.”

Not with those scars and missing pieces clearly stating they’d been fighting dogs. Though unscarred, Rufus had the misfortune to be another breed people often considered vicious. “We’re not going to take any risks. I love you guys too much.”

“
What is ‘demonize’?
” Rufus asked as we walked through the arched, stone entrance.

“It’s uh, well, it’s when someone does something bad, and other people think everyone who looks like that person will also do bad things.”

“
Biting?
”

“Biting is one of those things.”

The Rottweiler’s ears lowered. “
I was trained to bite and hold intruders or attackers, to protect my Master.
”

Which was exactly what he’d done the night before, when the cops had entered Pettigrew’s house. I patted his head. “Well, sometimes, biting is okay. But even the times when it’s okay, there are people who want to punish dogs that bite. Especially dogs that look like you, or Bone and Diablo.”

“
I’m confused
.” Rufus looked it too, the skin on his head wrinkling.

“I’ll make it simple. From now on, no biting unless someone’s trying to hurt you.” I didn’t add “or me,” because I didn’t want a repeat of Red’s death. “And I’ll do my best to make sure no one ever tries to hurt you. Okay?”

“
Yes, Mistress
.” Rufus trotted ahead to rejoin my Pit Crew, who were sniffing at vehicles as they began negotiating the parking lot.

I’d promised to take care of him the night before, and had just renewed that promise, so it looked like I’d gained another four-legged dependent. But maybe that wasn’t a bad thing, even though it’d been a hasty decision. Rufus was a nice dog, and could teach the pits a thing or two about being obedient.

It was a little warmer in the clan’s pocket realm. Was learning exactly how pocket realms worked something I needed to do, like yesterday? I decided probably not, but they were something I did need to learn more about before too much longer.

Lost in thought as I attempted to make a list of things I thought I should know now, I was surprised when the dogs veered off the main street to Dane’s front yard. My other partner was standing on his front porch, watching Squishy and Speck select potty spots. My Tinies were bundled in their winter coats and intently inspecting potential places.

“Morning,” he called.

I turned to walk over. “Morning. Why are you dog sitting?”

“Logan asked me to. He and Terra are, um, discussing her decision to move out. She’s moving into the suite in the main building.” Dane paused. “With Devon.”

“Oh, crap.” Logan wasn’t fond of Terra’s crush.

“Exactly.” He gestured at the big dogs. “What’s up?”

Squishy noticed Rufus then, and launched herself at him with shrill barks. I couldn’t make out half of what she screamed at the Rottweiler while rushing to his defense. Unfortunately, I managed to find Speck’s fresh “special spot” right before bending to scoop her up. “Damn it.”

Dane laughed. “I’ll get some paper towels.”

He disappeared inside. I limped toward the porch with Squishy under one arm. “Shush. He lost his master, and you’re being really ugly to him.”

She grumbled, twisting to give Rufus the Evil Doggy Eye. I sat down on the porch steps, nose wrinkled at the smell of poop, and deposited her into my lap. Dane returned with a wad of paper towels. “Here you go.”

“Thanks. Mind holding the Tiny Terror while I clean off my boot?”

“No problem.” He took her, and promptly flipped her onto her back in his lap. “I see a little pink tummy.”

“
Pet, pet, pet!
” She wiggled and whined, her tail wagging.

He caved to her obvious demands while I began wiping dog crap out of the tread of my boot. “I had a visitor this morning. Nate Brock. He’s a reporter.”

Dane grimaced. “Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. The boys flushed him out of the shrubbery.”

“I’m guessing he had something to say about that, which is why you brought them here.”

“Bingo. Eww, how does one little dog create so much stink?” I carefully folded the first used paper towel. “Is it okay if they stay here during working hours?”

“Sure thing. I’ll ask Alanna to let them out, and feed them if we’re working late.” He tickled Squishy’s soft belly, making her squirm in delight.

“Thank you. I hate to impose like this.”

“You’re clan. It’s not imposing.” Dane pretended to knock on the side of my head. “When are you going to learn that?”

“I don’t know.” Because I didn’t know exactly what it meant. That was definitely one of the things I should already know. I finished cleaning my boot, and looked across the street and down a bit, at Logan’s place. “Should I go stick my nose in?”

He shook his head. “Terra is in full-blown Queen mode right now, and Logan’s gone all Protector. None of us butts in when they’re like that. Did you call into the office yet?”

Oops. I pulled my cell phone out. “Not yet.”

“D
oes he know that you’re also a psychic?” Mr. Whitehaven asked after I’d finished filling him in.

“No clue. I’ve never crossed paths with another human psychic before, at least not that I know of. Just vampires.” I watched Rufus lay the piece of bacon Dane had given him in front of Squishy. She pounced on it, furiously wagging her tail.

Dane had cooked breakfast, including two entire packages of bacon. I needed to buy some dogfood for his and Logan’s places, or all the dogs were going to become furry chunks. “I can tell you I didn’t realize he was psychic until after my brain started itching like crazy. No one’s ever reacted when I’ve telepathically scanned them.”

“You said he was among the onlookers at the crime scene last night, and that you used your telepathy then.”

“Yes, but that was different.  I wasn’t trying to get into anyone’s heads, just listening in to their louder thoughts flying out. That’s a...passive use, not an active one.”

Mr. Whitehaven took a few seconds to respond. Enough time for Dane to slip Rufus another piece of bacon without Squishy noticing. “Then all we know for certain is that Mr. Brock’s interested in you because of the New Year’s Eve ball and spotting you at a crime scene.”

“Yep. Thanks, Thorandryll.” I made a face, earning a chuckle from Dane. “The thing is, I don’t know if there’s a difference in how my mental shield feels compared to say, Jo’s.”

The auburn-haired witch had a natural, thick mental shield, no assembly required. “But I didn’t react. Kept my mouth shut.”

The boss’s smile was present in his voice. “Well done.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what steps we should take on this matter. It’s not news that a portion of humans experienced comas of varying lengths during the Melding, or that they woke with magical abilities.” Mr. Whitehaven paused. “And we’ve no idea if last night was the beginning of Mr. Brock’s interest in you or not.”

Already creeped out by the “telepathic reporter” part, I groaned. “That’s not a helpful thought, because it would mean he could’ve been stalking me for nearly a week and I didn’t notice.”

“My apologies. I think for now, it’s best if you work outside the office until we know more.”

“And miss Percy’s reaction to a reporter dropping in? Darn.” Knowing the parrot, he’d probably poop on Brock’s head. “Just kidding. I’m guessing we shouldn’t confirm we work for Arcane Solutions if asked.”

“Not for now. If you do need to come in for anything, please teleport directly to your office. I’ll make certain the door is kept shut.”

“Okay. What about last night’s case?”

“Continue aiding the police, but be circumspect.”

Don’t get showy. Check. “Yes, sir.”

“It’s fortunate your last name is a common one, but it may not be amiss to inform your family about Mr. Brock,” the boss said.

Of course. The reporter wouldn’t ignore any potential source of information. I cringed, imagining Betty’s reaction. “I will.”

“The important thing is to remain calm. I must say, you seem to be doing a fine job of that.”

“Thanks, but I did consider moving to Tahiti and becoming a beach bum.” No point losing my sense of humor over Brock.

Mr. Whitehaven chuckled. “Let’s hope such drastic measures won’t be necessary. Keep me apprised, Discordia.”

“Will do.” I ended the call and sighed. “Do I need to repeat anything?”

Dane shook his head. “Stay away from the office unless necessary, answer all questions with ‘no comment’ or not at all, and act human.”

I laughed. “You’re a Master of Summing Up.”

“Thanks. I’ll go see if things are cooled down over at Logan’s while you call your parents.”

“Okay.” My parents weren’t the only ones I needed to call.

L
ogan was quiet as he drove us to the station. Dane wasn’t, humming and singing along to the radio while I called Lord Derrick’s residence. The vampire was unconscious, it being too early for his six hours of deady-bye to be over. His son, Stone, answered. “Good morning.”

“To you, too.” The dhampyr sounded cheerful, and I felt bad about the news I had to deliver.

“Oh, excellent. I was about to call you. The guards refused entrance to a reporter a few minutes ago. One that had questions about you.”

“Nate Brock?”

“Yes. I’ve sent guards to the gargoyles’ estate, just in case,” Stone said, putting a smile on my face.

“Thank you. He’s who I was calling to warn you about. Any chance your guards noticed that he’s psychic?” I glanced in the review mirror, meeting Dane’s eyes. He’d gone silent to listen.

“As a matter of fact, they did mention noticing that. I’m afraid his telepathic attempts to glean information weren’t successful.” The dhampyr sounded smug.

“Great. Maybe you can answer a question for me. Do you know if constructed mental shields feel different from natural ones?” After all, who else was I going to ask?