Page 81 of Kick the Candle (Knight Games 2)
The bar stools on either side of her were taken, but that didn't stop Michelle. She jostled the arm of a vertically challenged redhead on her left who was quietly staring into his beer. He seemed shy and somewhat nerdy in green pants and a gold vest.
"Hey, the lady needs your seat," Michelle demanded.
I pulled her arm back gently. "No, Michelle, I'll stand, really."
"Oh, okay, sorry," the man said nervously. When he jumped down, I noticed he was barely taller than the stool. Nice. We'd just ousted a little person, minding his own business, from his seat at the bar and relegated him to the crowd where he'd likely never be able to get the bartender's attention. When he flipped a tip up to the bartender, my heart sank.
"Wait, sir, you don't have to go." I grabbed his shoulder. A shock wave traveled up my arm, and I released him like a hot rock.
He widened his eyes at me, then disappeared into the crowd. Shit. What was that?
"That was weird," Michelle said. "Maybe the dress scared him away. Well, never mind it all, Dustin here will take care of you."
I pursed my lips and plopped down on the empty stool. The bartender came over to request my drink order, and I realized it was Dustin Lynch, Logan's assistant manager. I guess now that Logan was managing Valentine's he was bartending. "Oh, hey Dustin. Red wine, STAT."
He gave me a nod and a tight smile and reached for the bottle.
"So, why were you all flipped out this morning?" Michelle asked, face weaving toward me.
I suspected she was too far gone to understand, but I told her everything, from Rick's involvement in Gary's turning to Nekomata's purchase of my house. With the music as loud as it was, I doubted anyone could hear as I stage-whispered into her ear, but still, to be safe, I used code words for the supernatural parts, such as saying Gary's change rather than the word vampire. Michelle seemed to get the gist anyway.
"And now Rick's missing?"
"Yeah."
"Crap."
"I know, right?"
"What are you going to do about your house?"
I shrugged. "It's already sold, Michelle. What can I do?"
She lowered her chin and raised an eyebrow. "You can do a lot of things. You wrote the book on magical ways of getting things done."
"Yep. And I'll be consulting that book first thing Monday morning, but first I need to get my head around why all this is happening. This buyer won't be the last if I don't figure out why my house has been targeted."
"You don't think it's the prime location?" Michelle asked, obviously referring to the property's placement next to a hellmouth.
"That would be too easy. I think it's more than that, unfortunately."
A hand clamped down on my shoulder, and I turned my head to see Logan standing close behind me, a wide, tipsy grin coloring his face. "What's unfortunate?"
His green eyes pierced into me, set off by the sharp charcoal shirt he wore. "Someone bought my house," I said.
Logan's face fell, sobering. "What about the attic?"
I searched the crowd of strangers pressing in around us. "What about it?" I laughed.
He slid his hand down my arm and found my fingers. "Can I talk to you in my office for a moment?"
He didn't wait for me to say yes. With a yank, he pulled me from my barstool. I swung an arm out with Ninja-like precision and hooked my wine glass with my palm before following him through the crowd. Halfway to his office, a familiar face jutted between us. I put on the brakes, forcing Logan to stop.
"Grateful! Great to see you out and about." Detective Silas Flynn slapped me on the shoulder. "I take it this is a social visit?"
"Uh, yeah. Totally social tonight, Silas."
"Good, because I have the night off." He reached into the crowd and a golden brown hand emerged, followed by the unforgettable presence of a fairy we both knew.
