Page 132 of Blood and Bonbons

“And it wouldn’t hurt to befriend that fairy,” I said when the tiny blue monstrosity flew out from the bush at me. “It’s the reason we figured out how to find you.”

The fairy stopped in its tracks and glared at me with its arms crossed.

I reached into my pocket and removed the dime I’d tucked in there.

The fairy darted forward and stole the coin from between my fingers.

“I thought you hated fairies,” Miles said.

“Not a fan of how they fly at my face, but maybe they aren’t completely horrible.” A small twig hit the side of my head as I unlocked the door, and I hurried inside.

The place was a chaotic mess, just as we’d left it. Miles sighed and started straightening the papers on the table.

Knowing that he was safe and under Shepard’s protective watch, I left him to his mess, knowing it would keep him occupied for a while, and headed back to the car. As I walked, I sent Shepard another message.

Me: Miles is safely home. Thanks for watching over him. How’s Sierra?

Shepard: Angry. She’s talking a little more. It seems that her friend is the reason there were so many deaths around Blur.

Me: At least we know now.

I got into the car and debated my next move, not entirely sure I wouldn’t be followed once I left Miles. While I appreciated Cross could be at my side in an instant if I bled, I’d rathercallhim when I was in trouble. However, I wasn’t sure I’d get away with a new phone purchase if I had a tail following me.

Debating for only a minute, I dialed Shepard.

He answered with an edgy, “Are you in trouble?”

I smiled slightly. “No. Do you have a minute?”

“I do.”

“I know you’re busy with everything that’s going on. Gunther. Sierra. The vampires. Blur,” I said, listing what I knew.

“You’re making me nervous, Everly.”

“Sorry. That’s the opposite of what I intended. My point is that I know you feel responsible for Miles, Vena, and me on top of everything already on your plate, and I don’t want you to spread yourself or your men thin, trying to take care of everyone.

“So, I’d like to propose a compromise that will allow you to put your focus where it matters most. I’ll add you to my tracking app so you can see where I am at any given time. I use it to keep track of Vena when she goes treasure hunting, and it makes me feel better. Maybe it would give you some peace of mind without sacrificing one of the guys to follow me around?”

Shepard was so quiet on the other side that I looked at my phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. It hadn’t.

“It was just a thought,” I said quickly. “I didn’t mean to insinuate that I expected you to keep track of me or anything. I only meant it–”

“Everly,” Shepard said, cutting me off. “Iamputting my focus where it matters most. You matter. I do like the idea of being able to see where you are at any given time without having to rely on someone else. I’ll send my info so you can add me.”

I could feel the heat flooding my face. Was I reading into what he’d said, or did I actually matter to him?

“Okay. I better let you go. Bye.”

I hung up and wondered if I’d made things awkward in my attempt to make my life easier. Then I wanted to shake my head at myself. How many times had he said we were like family? Of course family mattered. I really needed to stop letting Vena get into my head.

My phone pinged with an incoming text from Shepard, and I added him as a valid contact in my tracking app.

Having my boss be able to track me was a little odd, but I knew I could turn off the tracking feature if I needed to.

Feeling a little better, I texted him.

Me: You’re all set up. I’m heading downtown to the phone store and plan to stop at Blur after to help clean up.

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