Page 40 of Fangs and Fudge

“Misogynistic?”

“You know that’s exactly what that was.”

“He wasn’t trying to be, though. And you’re not getting fired. You’re staying right by my side where I can keep an eye on you. Three kidnappings in a row already. I don’t want you to go missing next.”

“Pretty sure I won’t.”

“Just like you were sure nothing bad would happen on the last treasure hunt, right? And what happened?”

“We made a new friend,” she said with a smile. “And he’s proven very helpful.”

“I’m surprised you’re still speaking to Cross after seeing what happened to Gunther,” I admitted.

“Well, it helps that Cross is old and rich and managed to feed off of the supermarket guy without marking him like Gunther had been marked. And if we’re lucky, Cross will kick the bucket while the money is still in your account, and you’ll be set for life.”

I snorted. “Until I’m audited and have to explain where that money came from. We really need to get it out of there. No more talking about this,” I said as I approached the employee parking lot.

Jaws stood by the back door and watched us park.

“You’re here early,” he said.

“Yep. Shepard asked us to come,” I said.

“What for?”

I shrugged. “I’ll find out in a few minutes.”

Vena and I walked inside, stowed our things, then headed toward the main bar without clocking in. Shepard was there prepping the drink garnishes. When he saw us, he stopped slicing oranges and wiped his hands on a towel.

“I appreciate you coming in,” he said. “Vena, would you mind clocking in early and finishing this up while I talk to Everly? And make sure you say hello to everyone who comes in. By name. Loudly.”

Vena wasn’t dumb. She knew what all that meant. He wanted to tell me something privately that his own people shouldn’t hear. And knowing I would confide in her, she willingly jogged back to clock in and winked at me as I followed Shepard up the stairs.

He invited me to sit as soon as he closed the door behind me.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I wanted to talk about this morning. Doc mentioned that MC showed up, but he didn’t notice anyone else. Who did you notice and where?”

I rattled off names and where they’d been according to the pictures Cross sent.

“How could you see them from the house?” Shepard asked. “I’ve been there, and your neighbor’s house isn’t visible from your room.”

“Am I being interrogated? Did I do something wrong?” I asked, avoiding having to lie.

“No, no,” he said quickly. “Just trying to understand. Did you leave the house last night, Everly?”

“Nope. I was inside from the second we walked through the door with Doc to the second we left to check on Miles.”

He inhaled deeply. “I can smell your shampoo and body wash and the lingering scent of vampire, Everly.”

I tried to keep my face straight, but there was no controlling the way my pulse spiked, and I knew he heard it too when he tilted his head and studied me.

“I’m worried,” he said.

“You don’t need to be. I promise.”

He nodded slowly and sighed. “The vampires are a huge problem. There are more of them than we thought. They’re scattered, which makes it harder to hunt them down. But despite that, I didn’t send more men to watch over you. MC did that on his own, and I’ll talk to him about it. But I’d like you to consider staying with me for a while.”

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