Page 30 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
Chapter Fifteen
Malik woke the next morning to his phone buzzing on the nightstand. He reached for it carefully, trying not to disturb Tynan.
Unknown number. He frowned and answered quietly. “Hello?”
“Is this Malik from Malik’s Motors?” A woman’s voice, vaguely familiar.
“Speaking.” He eased himself up, gently moving out from under Tynan’s arm.
“It’s Joanne from the bakery down the street from your shop.” Now he placed the voice - she ran the small bakery that sometimes provided pastries when he had early morning customers waiting.
“What’s up, Joanne?”
“I’m sorry to bother you on your days off, but I thought you should know someone tagged your roller door last night. It’s a pretty big mess, you can’t miss it. It looks like they tried to break in, too. The side door handle is all messed up.”
Malik sat fully upright now. “You sure about that?”
“I walked past it myself this morning on my way to open up. I recognized the tag style. It’s the same one those punks from a few blocks over use. The ones who hang around that tall guy in the fancy suits.”
Grok’s crew? It certainly sounded like it. Malik’s jaw tightened. They had a deal.
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll head back to town and check it out.”
“No problem. I hate to see it happen to your place. You’re one of the good ones around here.”
After hanging up, Malik stared at the phone for a moment. The workshop was his livelihood, his territory. His rhino side bristled at the violation.
Tynan stirred beside him. “Everything okay?” His voice was thick with sleep, as he blinked awake.
“Sorry, hon,” Malik glanced over at his mate. “We need to head back to town. Someone tagged the workshop door and tried to break in.”
Tynan sat up immediately, fully alert. “Do you know who?”
“I’d guess it’s Grok’s crew, based on the tag.” Malik stood and started gathering his clothes. “I just don’t understand why it’s happening now, though. He and I came to an agreement. There hasn’t been trouble at the workshop in years since I bought it.”
“Remember those guys who jumped me that night?” Tynan’s chest vanished as his torso was suddenly covered in a shirt. “Do you think it’s possible they’ve seen me at the workshop with you?”
Malik hadn’t considered that. “Maybe. But Grok paid his dues for that incident. This feels different.”
It didn’t take long for either one of them to finish dressing. Sparky, roused by their movement, fluttered over to Tynan’s shoulder.
“What’s with the rush? I was planning a morning of meadow exploration and possibly terrorizing some field mice.”
“Someone vandalized Malik’s workshop,” Tynan explained. “We need to go back.”
“Featherless,” Sparky muttered. “Always ruining perfectly good plans with their criminal tendencies.”
As they loaded up the Jaguar, Malik noticed Tynan’s worried expression. His mate kept glancing at him and then away.
“What’s on your mind?” Malik asked, closing the trunk.
“I’m just concerned this might be my fault. If those men recognized me spending time at your shop…” Tynan trailed off, guilt evident in his eyes.
Malik pulled him close. “This isn’t on you. If Grok’s crew is causing trouble after our agreement, that’s between me and Grok.”
The drive back to town was tense. Malik kept one hand on the wheel, the other holding Tynan’s. His mind raced through possible scenarios and responses. Breaking their deal was a serious offense in the unwritten rules of their neighborhood.
When they pulled up to the workshop, Malik saw it immediately. Across his roller door, someone had sprayed a crude rhino outline with a line through it. Below it, the words “FREAKS OUT” were in dripping red paint.
