Page 84 of Fresh Old Bounties

“You could’ve kept the dogs at the house and driven me back,” I said. Unless he didn’t plan on leaving them with me again…or himself. It made sense, since the robber had hit his house rather than my shop.

The food in my mouth suddenly tasted like mud.

“You’re staying here tonight.”

And just like that, flavor exploded on my tongue again. “I am?”

“I’m not sleeping on the floor two nights in a row. I retired as a full-time bounty hunter for a reason.”

“I’m getting a couch, I swear.”

“No need.”

Now, what did that mean? I studied him from under my lashes as I ate my pasta, but as usual, his face was unreadable. He simply ate his food like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Next time I sleep over,” he added between mouthfuls, noticing my keen interest, “I’ll take the bed.”

“So you’ll leave me on the floor?” I shook my head in mock disappointment. “How ungentlemanly of you.”

He gave me a surprisingly arrogant look. “That’ll be up to you.”

I choked on my pasta and drained my soda, trying to recover. That had been direct enough.

Being completely unprepared to tackle that discussion, I asked, “How did the robber get away? You were two seconds behind.”

“He used a freezing potion when I got over the fence. I lost him at Guiles and Romary.”

Thursday nights weren’t the busiest time around the clubs, but there was usually a good contingent of locals and tourists hanging around. It was possible to get lost in the crowd.

“Rufus?”

“Nothing to get his smell from.”

“I’m surprised you couldn’t catch up, even with the freezing potion.” I had seen Ian move—he was fast. He should’ve been able to gain on the man even after being frozen for a few seconds.

“He’s probably a shifter or a demon.”

Witches and mages relied on their elemental powers rather than their physicality, and berserkers were all about bursts of strength, not endurance.

“Did he get to any of the files?”

“No, I locked them back up.”

I ate the last of my pasta and licked the spoon. “We should take a look at them again.”

Ian tensed. “Why?”

“The man came here instead of the shop.”

“He might’ve gone to the shop first, but found the dogs.”

“He still came here, though.” I scowled. “He knew we’d be at the PBOA. Maybe he also knew you had brought Fluffy and Rufus to the shop.”

Fluffy yipped.

“He knows more about us than we know about him,” Ian agreed.

“Which is why we need to take a look at the files again.” I pointed at him with my spoon. “Maybe you’re right, and it’s a coincidence that someone posing as your ex-partner’s son came asking for the files at the same time someone asked for the spellbook. After all, the person interested in the spellbook knows where it should be. We took the robber’s phone, so all he knows is that his hire failed at getting the spellbook. He doesn’t know I don’t actually have it.”

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