Page 19 of The Vampire in the Potting Shed

>>Zoe will be filling in for him the rest of the day.

>Thanks for the update.

“Mercer says Bowie had a family emergency. Zoe will be here soon to fill in for him.”

“Does it ever drive you crazy not knowing what’s going on?”

“I grew up shielded from pack business, and then outright excluded, so it’s never interested me. Dad put too much effort into keeping me apart from the drama for it to feel relevant to me.” I kicked an acorn skittering down the sidewalk. “If Myrtle hadn’t shown up at GSG, I would have ignored this dustup too.” I felt my shoulders inching up around my ears. “And that is how I earned a reputation as a self-centered pack princess.”

“Animals are the best judges of character.” Sloane bumped her shoulder into mine. “All the pets love you, so you can’t be that bad.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Do you think your vampire will come back?”

“He’s not mine.” I ignored the burn in my cheeks. “He was mighty pretty, though.”

Only after I had played our encounter over and over in my head, searching for clues about the Walsh situation everyone was buzzing about, had I let my focus shift enough to remember the sharp cut of his jaw, the gentle curve of his lips, and his intoxicating scent.

“You left out that part.” Sloane flushed too. “Spill, spill, spill.”

Shamelessly, I dished on the way to work, and we were still red-faced when Zoe emerged with a wave.

“Hey.” I resisted the urge to fan myself. “I heard Bowie had to leave early.”

Sloane, doing her best to cool her cheeks too, cleared her throat. “I hope everything’s okay.”

“They called me in to sub,” Zoe hedged, shoulders tight, “but I don’t have any details.”

“No worries.” I was quick to reassure her no digging was necessary. “I’ll check in with Dad about it later.”

With a firm nod, she set out to begin her patrol while Sloane and I returned to GSG with matching grins.

Glass shattering shot my heart into my throat, and I secured Francis the bulldog on the grooming table then sprinted into the lobby. Someone had broken the far left panel of the bay window with a hunk of granite stolen from the landscaping, and shards glinted across the floor right up to Myrtle’s bed.

“Stay,” I ordered Myrtle, who hadn’t done more than lift her head at the commotion. “I’ll come to you.”

“Ana?” Sloane skidded in behind me. “What in the…?”

The front door banged open to reveal Zoe, teeth bared, blood trickling down her throat. For a second, I thought the vampire had come back and taken a bite out of her, but no. There was a gash under her jaw.

“Are you okay?” I scooped up Myrtle, unfastened her leash, and carried her with me to Zoe. “What happened?”

“I’m fine.” She touched her wound, already healing with shifter swiftness. “I noticed the intruder before he finished throwing the rock at your window. I intercepted him, but he was faster than I anticipated. He slashed at my throat then ran while I radioed for help.”

“I’ll secure Francis,” Sloane volunteered, aiming a stern look at me. “Stick with Zoe until I get back.”

Faster than I could answer, she sprinted off to ensure the safety of our client.

“Zoe,” I began, leading her into the break room. “What’s going on here?”

“You’re being targeted, Ana, that’s all I know.” Her gaze dipped to Myrtle. “None of this makes sense.”

“You’re working with Bowie on the Walsh situation.” I was risking my neck by bringing this up to her, but neither she norBowie were regulars. I figured Dad was roping in heavy hitters after all the commotion, but it didn’t sit right with me how Bowie had sped off while Zoe got tapped to fill in for him. Just in time for her to witness yet another incident at GSG. “Does this have anything to do with that?”

“I need you to wait here until reinforcements arrive.” Her face shut down as she smacked into the brick wall of loyalty to Dad, who wanted me kept in the dark. “Sloane, don’t let her out of your sight.”

“I won’t.” Sloane, back from her errand, planted herself behind me. “Go.” She jerked her chin. “Secure the perimeter.”

Heartened by the order, Zoe prowled out the front door into the oncoming night.

The second I quit hearing her crunching footsteps, I darted back into the lobby, Myrtle grunting when I tucked her under my arm.

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