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I rise next to her and look at Lynch. “You have a dirty police captain. We’ve kept quiet about his actions, but if he’s harassing us, who else is he using his position to terrorize? It’s going to get out. Better cut your losses soon.”
Bailey bursts to his feet. “I’m not done questioning you.”
“Unless you want to arrest us, we’re leaving.” I head for the door and open it for Pen. “Good luck, and fuck off.”
After collecting my license and the registration for Darius’s car, we call a cab to take us back to where we parked.
Heat blasts us as we climb inside the coupe, and I turn on the ignition. Hot air floods from the vents, and I roll down the windows.
At least the detour put us back on the road after rush hour, so when I pull onto the street, I get the engine going fast enough that the air conditioner works.
What’s the use of such an expensive vehicle if it can’t even keep us cool in traffic?
Pen rests her arm against the open window, the breeze whipping her hair around her face. “Black dogs and two victims with no obvious connections.”
I strangle the steering wheel. “It’s not a lot to go on.”
“We’ve solved cases with less.” Pen leans her head back and closes her eyes. “We just need to make sure Bailey doesn’t swoop in and take the credit when we solve this case.”
I shift down a gear as we near the garage where Darius stores his precious baby. “We need more help. When does Meredith come back?”
We had called her the day after Vicki’s murder, and she had already been on her way to the dock. Always a step ahead of us, that one.
“Her plane should be in the air.” Pen’s golden eyes slit open. “Is our new office complete?”
I pull into Darius’s reserved spot and turn off the engine. “Close enough to take on our first case.”
She sighs. “I wanted it to be fully functioning before bringing Sharpe in for a tour. What if he doesn’t like it? He already has too much on his mind. I don’t want this to add to his stress.”
“Come on, he’ll appreciate the side hustle.” I grin at her. “He has his training with Syl’vyn, Flint has his Conservatory, Darius has his tailor shop, and I have construction jobs. You need more, too. Shiftwork isn’t stimulating you on its own.”
No matter what she said, the signs are written on the wall. Our grumpy bird requires room to spread her wings, and new shinies—or multiple jobs—to stay challenged.
“The shiftwork isn’t going away.” As we climb out, she casts a look over her shoulder at me, an excited light in her eyes. “I still intend to be a Bone Guard.”
“And I’m still heading the Yard planning crew.” I lock the car and tuck the key into my pocket. “But Clearhelm needs a bridge between the Others and the humans, and no one else is stepping in to provide it.”
“Trent’s shitty at paperwork, too. He was grumbling about needing to hire someone to track all his jobs.” Pen tucks her hands into her pockets as we walk out of the garage. “He underestimated what it would take to handle so many mercenaries.”
“All of them are licensed to work outside the Yard.” I wrap an arm around her shoulders. “Convenient how that worked out.”
A smile curls her lips. “Yes, completely unplanned in any way.”
I tug her to my side. “So, do we want to grab Sharpe now? Or wait until the end of his shift?”
She leans her weight against me. “How about you show me the new space before we pull him in?”
“As you wish.” Excitement fills me, because I know Pen’s going to approve.
With my license reinstated and the rest of our team coming back home, life is getting back on track.
“Think Darius saved us any breakfast?” I ask as we near the entrance to the Bone Yard. “I’m starving.”
“Our standard order is a lot of food. I’ll be shocked if the others ate it all.” Pen steps away from me, her hand dropping to her baton when we pass through the arch.
She may be part of the Bone Guard, a position the beings who reside within these walls are learning to fear, but that doesn’t mean we can be less cautious when surrounded by so many deadly creatures.
We needn’t have worried, though, and the empty street sets off alarm bells. I exchange a worried glance with Pen as we lengthen our strides.
