Page 12 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
“I’ll take my chances with the justice system.”
“Are you sure?”He tilted his head, taking a single step forward.“Judges have bad days.Who knows what might happen in court…”
“Are you threatening me now?”
“Just stating facts.Helping with this investigation would send the right message.”
“Wow.Your people skills are truly remarkable, detective.”
Malatesta sighed, running a hand through his dark hair in a gesture that shouldn’t have been as compelling as it was.“Look, you’re the best person for the job, and a dangerous killer is out there with tech that crosses every ethical line.”
Despite the genuine concern in his voice, Andromeda’s sympathy reserves were running low after last night.“I believe ‘no’ is a complete sentence, Detective Malatesta.Goodbye.”
She started to close the door, but he held up a hand.“Wait.”He reached into his pocket and extracted a business card.“If you change your mind.”He offered it to her.
“I won’t.”
He shrugged, annoyingly confident.“Never say never, Miss Swan.”
He flipped the card between his fingers.
Andromeda took it just to get rid of him, careful not to let their hands touch.The text was simple:Detective Donatello Malatesta, Salem Magical Police Department, followed by a phone number.
He took a step back, giving her a slight bow of his head that was somewhere between courteous and mockingly formal.“Have a good day, Miss Swan.”
“You too, detective,” she replied automatically, hoping she pulled off the same polite disdain.
Malatesta turned to leave, the fit of his jeans making it difficult to look anywhere else but at his backside as he descended the steps of her porch.It was, objectively speaking, a very nice behind—firm and rounded in the right places, the denim molding to it like it had been custom-tailored.
Horrified to realize she was checking out the man who’d unjustly arrested her, she slammed the door, cutting off her view of his posterior.Leaning against the cracked wood, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to slow her racing heart.
“Well, that wasn’t dramatic,” Quill observed from his perch on the side table.
“Shut up, Quill,” she groaned, sliding down the door until she was sitting on the floor, the business card still clutched in her hand.
Chapter Six
Detective Dickhead
ANDROMEDA
She was about to toss the card in the trash when a rapid knocking interrupted her brooding.What else did he want?She stood up from the floor, ready to curse the detective black and blue if he didn’t leave her door alone.
But as the noise continued, she realized it wasn’t a knock.It sounded more like thumping.
She yanked the door open and… no one was there.Someone cleared their throat, the sound coming from the ground.Andromeda lowered her gaze.
A jackalope courier stood on her welcome mat, his fluffy, rabbit-like body groomed to perfection, antlers polished to a shine.He wore a miniature postal uniform, complete with a tiny cap perched between his antlers.Tucked beneath one fuzzy arm was a parchment envelope embossed with a seal that shimmered ominously.
Andromeda squealed.A jackalope!A real-life, giant-eared, cotton-tailed, floppy-footed jackalope.He wiggled his nose at her from the front step.“Jackalope Express for Miss Andromeda Swan,” he announced in a squeaky, professional voice.“Special delivery from the Department of Magical Justice.”He extended the envelope with an air of self-importance.
“Gargoyles, you’re adorable!”Andromeda squealed, dropping to her knees.All thoughts of Malatesta and his infuriating dimples vanished.“Are you the cutest little delivery boy or what?”
The jackalope’s nose twitched with undisguised glee at her reaction.“Thank you, miss.We pride ourselves on professional presentation at Jackalope Express.”
Behind her, Quill made a disgusted noise.“Oh, for the love of worms.It’s a glorified postal rabbit.Can we get on with it?”
“Hush, Quill,” Andromeda scolded.“He’s not a rabbit.He’s a jackalope.With a uniform.”She reached for the envelope but paused.“Would you like something to drink or eat?Do we have any carrots, Quill?”
