Repossessed (7 page)

“What are you doing here?”

Rob grumbled and walked in without an invitation. He glanced around the living room in her miniscule SoHo apartment, taking in her furnishings. When she turned to take off her high heels, she blushed as his eyes burned into her back again.

Why did he keep doing that? Maybe he preferred to observe instead of act. To watch instead of touch…

She quickly shook her head. Didn’t she tell her clients to avoid bad boyfriend material like him?

Keep moving and ignore him.
By the time Tessa placed her keys on the desk in the living room, Rob made himself comfortable on the couch. A pile of unpaid bills on her desk drew her eye, so she added a thick phonebook on top. No need to advertise her problems.

“So, let me try again. Why are you here?”

“Playing security guard. Now go get dressed before I change my mind.”

She chuckled.

He glanced around. “You got a nice, decent apartment.”

“It’s not much, but it’s my place.” She was about to ask him if he wanted a drink, but after he placed his shoes on the coffee table and flipped on the TV, she decided he was good to go until she changed her clothes.

He interrupted her escape. “Do you have a roommate?”

“I used to have one when I first moved here. Now, it’s me and my familiar, Kiki. She might make her appearance in a bit for attention.” The cat stirred from her hiding spot in Tessa’s bedroom at the sound of her name.

“You have
one
pet?” Kiki had jumped into his lap, hungry for affection. Her tail flicked like fly fishing pole.

She nodded. Unless she had another and was too busy to miss the elusive feline.

His eyes darted to various places in her living room. “There are nine cats in here.”

Her forehead scrunched from confusion, then to frustration. “Oh, those were my familiars before Kiki. They all died.”

“Died? Cats live around fifteen to twenty years. There is a roomful of ghost cats in here.”

“Over the years, I’ve had a few problems…”

“That’s not what the short-haired tabby just told me.”

The madness never ended when it came to Rob. “You aren’t an animal empath, are you?” Not only was he wonderful to look at, but he could communicate with Bambi as well.

“Did you really think it was a good idea to put the litter box next to your Uncle Charlie’s magic hat?”

“I can’t believe Little Toes told you that. It was an
accident
. Uncle Charlie left a dragon in the hat. After the cat used the litter box, he jumped into the wrong place… Why am I explaining this to you?”

She marched to her bedroom to change her clothes and slammed the door for good measure.

“You need to feed Kiki more!” he said.

As Rob sat on the couch for more than twenty minutes, he pondered as why it took most women forever to put on a pair of jeans and shirt. Waiting wasn’t so bad though. She had a nice enough place. He’d briefly seen her bedroom as she’d stormed in on barefoot. All the while, he wondered how she undressed. Did she do it slowly, taking off her shirt then unzipping the back of her skirt? His groin stirred to life, thinking of her angry, pouty face as she unsnapped her bra.

Maybe he should check to see if she needed any help? He scooted forward on the couch.

“Is that a handmade Prada bag I see?” Harabeuji whispered.

Rob stifled his chuckle and plucked the observant satchel from the coffee table and placed it on the floor.

“Just one peek,
Doryeonim
!” the bag spirit implored.

If his father were still alive, he’d ask him how the Shin family had inherited a spirit with an expensive handbag fetish. Someone probably lost a card game of some kind…

His gaze flicked to the closed bedroom door. With a sigh, he rested against the couch. He should keep his distance. She had plenty of problems and he had a few of his own. A rib-based injury from the field plagued him tonight so he tilted to the right for comfort. Might as well get settled if she planned to take all night. Most importantly, no matter how beautiful she was, he couldn’t give in. Soon enough he’d be done with her and he’d escape the witch matchmaker clinging to his side.

Eventually, she emerged and they headed downstairs.

The good news was at least he managed to escape before he fell victim to whatever killed her cats. “Where are we going?” she asked when they reached the street.

“A big job. I need to fetch a piano in Philly. Bigger ticket items offer longer gateway times.”

“That’s good! Will we be gone overnight?”

“Maybe, depends on how lucky we get in the retrieval. Where are you going?” He frowned when she turned back toward her building.

“I’ll be right back. I want to get my backpack with some stuff.”

Rob rolled his eyes.
Good grief, it never ends.

“No matter the century, women are all the same,” Harabeuji grumbled.

Five minutes later, she returned with whatever stuff she
thought
she needed. “I’m sure this job will be easy. Most pianos I’ve seen can’t be hidden away in nooks and crannies.”

“Not exactly.” He hailed a cab. “Bigger ticket items imply more defensive measures are in place to protect the property.”

As they entered the cab she had yet another question. “I thought I heard talking while I was getting dressed. Did I miss a phone call or something?”

“No phone calls.” Only a handful of people knew of Harabeuji’
s
existence and he preferred to keep it that way. Trapping a warlock’s soul into cloth—a feat even Rob didn’t know how to do—was hard enough, but somehow Harabeuji’s powerful spirit had survived after the original leather had been altered countless times from a large pouch to a sack and now a satchel. He refused to expose his old friend unless he trusted the other person.

“I’m curious,” Tessa said, interrupting his thoughts. “How come these people never pay or just don’t return the magical items they have on lease?”

Within the cramped space of the smaller cab, he could smell her sweet perfume. The feminine scent made him want to lean in a bit closer than he would’ve preferred a few days ago.

“Supernaturals are like regular people. They forget, they can’t pay, or even worse, they borrow shit and expect not to pay for them.”

She frowned as if she thought of something unpleasant. “A car, I can understand, but what kind of idiot thinks a magically imbued item wouldn’t be missed?”

Rob snorted. “From the long list of collection jobs I’ve done this past month, apparently common sense is in low supply.”

“I’ve noticed a shortage lately also.”

As they rode south to their first jump point, Rob explained their “travel itinerary.” He tried to leave out details which he thought were on a need to know basis. Especially after she began to complain yet again.

“Wouldn’t a train ticket or short airplane ride work just as well?”

“Jump points are free.”

“I have enough frequent flyer miles for a short trip. I’m more than willing to purchase a ticket for you in return for my time in Limbo.”

“You may have money to throw around on last-minute plane tickets, but I don’t. Jump points suit me just fine.”

Tessa sighed. “Fine! But no bathroom stalls please.”

He chuckled, the memory of holding her hips fresh in his mind. “I promise—only clean ones allowed.”

The first jump point, one he rarely used, was behind the desk of a closed business south of Brooklyn in Bay Ridge. Dust and cobwebs covered the room, except for a clear path others had followed to reach the jump point. His new assistant avoided touching anything and crept behind him.

“What died in here?” she whispered as she scrunched her nose.

“Quiet!”

The tingle of magic in the jump point tickled the inside of his nose like tiny feathers. He moved the chair to the side, and they gathered behind the old metal desk. Someone had scribbled “
Clean me
” in the dust covering the paint-chipped surface.

He rather liked opportunities like this one. She tried not to touch anything—including him—but she leaned in just enough for him to make out a faint sprinkle of freckles along her nose. She’d used make up to cover up the spots earlier.

The strong urge to reach out and touch her face bothered him. She was just a tag-a-long. A nuisance. But he couldn’t help staring at her as they passed through the jump point.

After a few seconds, the air temperature dropped as the magic pushed them from a dusty office to frigid darkness. Tessa could hear Rob breathing as he leaned closer to her body heat. Chill crept into her bones, eliciting a shiver. The smell of frozen meat drifted to her nose. Her jeans and T-shirt wouldn’t cut it for this place. Rob shifted. She gasped as he missed her shoulder and brushed against her breasts. How the hell did he keep doing that?

“Sorry,” he mumbled. The freezer’s loud hum made it difficult to hear him. His warm hand directed her forward.

Rob lead the way as she walked behind him with her arms raised. An ugly bruise from a hit in the face with a shoulder of beef or a leg of lamb would leave her scrambling for excuses. Rob stopped, and she heard a loud click as he used magic to remove the lock on the door.

The heat from the meat-packing plant work floor hit her relieved face. A lingering stench of raw meat hid under the overpowering smell of antiseptic cleaning materials. Her nose scrunched as Rob pulled her along.

“Where are we?” she whispered.

“About a half-hour south of Boston.”

She followed Rob as he weaved through the dimly lit plant until they reached the business floor. A faint hum from the air conditioning through the vents was the only sound.

“Almost there.”

She could detect the next jump point around the corner. In its place was a vending machine. They approached the snack dispenser, only to halt when a troll squeezed out from the back. The little man’s head reached their waists, and his knobby nose poked out from his chunky face. Even though he had magic to hide his appearance, Tessa could easily see through it to determine he was a hideous-looking fellow. Green bulbous warts covered his left cheek. When his mouth parted, short, yellowed teeth jutted out.

“That’ll be four pieces of gold to use the jump point, please.” He extended its palm for the cash. She’d yet to ever carry gold in any form other than jewelry.

Maybe he’d take a check? She reached for her backpack.

“I don’t pay to use jump points,” Rob said.

The troll smiled despite Rob’s sound refusal. “Well, perhaps the good lady will pay your way.”

Rob snorted. “She isn’t paying you anything either.”

The little man’s smile faded as Rob crossed his arms. “If you want to use the jump point, you have to pay me!” he screeched.

“Why should I pay you when all I want is some candy?”

“Bullshit!” The troll harrumphed. “Look, Warlock, I’ve got a good deal going here. Four gold coins and you can reach seven jump points from this place. Either pay up or piss off!”

The last thing she expected to do tonight was watch Rob argue with a troll over a jump point toll fee. She’d heard from her dad and uncles all the time about trolls and goblins that squeezed a dollar out of any sucker they came across.
“Tessa, keep your pockets empty, girl. Until they process credit cards, you steer clear of them.”

That was easier said than done, though. The magical bridges of the past had been paved over with new office buildings and suburban homes. Trolls, like the entrepreneurial fellow in front of her, hustled to protect what they could. In this case, it was a jump point behind a vending machine in a meat-packing plant.

“I don’t carry gold coins and my lady friend is under my protection.” Before the troll could protest, Rob added, “But I’m willing to barter.”

“And what have you got?” The troll tilted its head and took a step forward, eying Rob’s brown satchel.

He opened the front pocket and pulled out three things: a red yo-yo, a gaudy light-purple ring, and a gum wrapper. Tessa bit her lower lip to keep her smart mouth in check. The yo-yo was the cheap plastic kind and the ring would’ve been more valuable if they were bartering with a four year-old.
Way to negotiate, Rob!

“Is that all you got? If I wanted a wrapper I could’ve eaten some of the junk in this machine.” The troll’s nose twitched. “I sense some pretty trinkets on the lady. You’re also hiding something powerful in that bag of yours. Why not show me those?”

“They’re not mine to trade, Troll.”

The short creature peered around Rob and glanced at Tessa’s wrist. His gaze fell on her bracelet.

“What about the jewelry?” the troll asked. “That would make a fine start.”

Rob glanced at Tessa. She nodded. “You’ll take that and nothing more.”

The troll wrinkled his nose and shifted his stance. His purple irises boiled for a second. “So be it, Warlock.”

With her bracelet in hand, the short-statured road block owner moved to the side to allow them to pass.

She expected Rob to move the large machine out of the way, but instead he scanned the rows of junk food.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I can trigger a particular destination through the machine.”

She laughed so hard it hurt. “So you can select your destination through a purchase? That’s original.” She peered at the row of candy bars. “Let me guess, a Butterfinger would take us to LA? A bag of Doritos to Miami?”

“No.” After digging into his pocket for loose change, Rob paid for a pack of Twizzlers and Slim Jim meat snacks. His purchase triggered the jump point.

The magic didn’t take long this time. They were tossed from the front of the vending machine to the space behind an old rusty car in a junkyard. Tessa gazed at the broken down vehicles and piles of worn tires. “Is this where you meant to send us?”

“Yeah. We’re a short walk from the house.”

Rob’s idea of a
short walk
was four miles. She kept her complaints to herself. Grumbling wouldn’t make the trip any shorter.

Nor would it make the junkyard guard dogs go away either. Rob had been prepared for them, though. As the mutts approached, growling with bared teeth, he tossed the Slim Jims their way. “I know you’re cold and hungry,” he’d said to them. “But that doesn’t give you an excuse to attack people. Here’s what you should do to your master the next time he remembers to feed you…”