Page 14 of Death Bringer

“Oh, man. That’s so cool.” She shivered as the mechanism within the seat rolled up and down her spine. “It certainly beats my car.”

“Everything beats your car.” He emerged into the sunlight and tapped on the screen on the navigation system. “I’ve already programmed in directions to the Blue Flamingo, so we should be fine.”

“What about Penny Jordan?”

“She’ll be at the hospital in a couple of hours. I’ve arranged for us to meet her privately before her shift.”

Ella hunched a shoulder and stared out at the crowded streets, where the tourists and office workers jostled for supremacy. “You’re so organized. I’m not sure why you need me at all.”

“Don’t be childish. Pouting doesn’t suit you.” He looked to his right, then cut across the junction out onto Embarcadero. “It must’ve been difficult for you to walk away from Brad without easing his memories.”

“It was, but I know we need more information before I can do that.” Ella shook her head. “I just hope he can keep it together. He felt incredibly fragile.”

“I agree.”

She studied his flawless profile and wondered why she worried about anyone thinking they were mated. No one in his or her right mind would think she was in Vadim’s league.

“You’d be surprised.” He turned briefly to smile at her. “Anyone with an ounce of magic in them can sense the connection between us right away.”

“Don’t read my mind!”

“If you mention me in such flattering terms, how can I help it?” He returned his gaze to the road and took a steep uphill street that reminded her of the climb up to the top of a roller coaster. “Haven’t you noticed the looks we’ve been getting all day? Everyone magical at work can sense something is going on.”

“Damn.” She returned her attention to the street and the unlucky pedestrians who were struggling up the incline. Some of the San Francisco streets needed either a base camp halfway up or trained paramedics equipped with heart resuscitators. “I was hoping our shields were good enough to keep everyone out.”

“I don’t think we can do that. It’s just something we give out as a mated couple. I’m not sure what it is, but I know it when I sense it.”

“Well, it doesn’t mean we have to admit anything, does it?”

A muscle flicked in his cheek, and she got the uncomfortable impression that her fake flippancy was starting to annoy him.

“No, but as I said earlier, your birthday is coming up next week, and then it will become obvious to even Feehan that something’s changed.”

Lampposts emblazoned with the Italian flag announced they were in the heart of Little Italy, with its closely packed bars, shops and eateries that spilled out onto the sidewalks even on cooler days like this.

“Oh, look, we’re here.” Ella pointed at an unlit neon sign at basement level. She wasn’t discussing anything to do with mating. She had a job to do. “Can you find somewhere to park?”

“Naturally.”

A parking space appeared to the right, directly in front of the Blue Flamingo.

“Now, that is one skill I’d really like to have. Can you tell me how you do it?”

Vadim reverse-parked the Mercedes in the tight space in one fluid motion. “It’s quite simple. You just envision a space opening up, and it will happen.”

“Right.You know, if magic was that easy, we’d all be doing it.” She checked that she had her phone and got out of the car. The smell of garlic and baking bread tantalized her nose. “God, we have to eat while we’re here.”

He stepped onto the sidewalk beside her and inhaled. “Yes, we definitely should. Let’s do the interview first, though.”

She followed him down the steps to the front door of the Blue Flamingo, which was propped open with a beer crate. The usual stale smell of flat beer, disinfectant and urine wafted out. Inside, there were no customers, just one young guy behind the bar restocking the shelves and watching basketball on the flat-screen TV above his head.

He looked up as they approached. “Hey we’re closed. Come back in an hour or two.”

Vadim extracted his government ID card from his wallet and flashed it at the bartender. “We’re from the SBLE. We just need to ask you a few questions.”

Ella was always amazed at how quickly people accepted she was a bona fide government employee without checking her identity with a secondary source. It seemed this guy was no exception. He might be a bit nervous, but it wasn’t because he feared them, which was definitely a mistake.

“You probably need to talk to the boss. He’s not here.”

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