“Demonic spirit, not a ghost. That must’ve caused chaos downtown.”
“The public was told it was a few drunk furries after a convention.”
“I’m not sure the people would be happy about that either.”
“Beats the alternative.”
“How many sightings were there total?” I asked.
“Three separate instances.”
“In one day?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I wonder if they’re ramping up.” They were harbingers. The more intense and frequent the sightings, the closer the main event.
“Possibly, although it’s hard to prepare for a threat when I don’t know what it is.”
“Agreed.” I’d usually known every detail of my “threats” before I had to address them. Without that advantage, I doubt I would’ve been as successful as I’d been.
“While I have you, you should know I have a lead on the ring of thieves that targeted Ms. Von Hagen. I was planning to call you after tonight to let you know.”
“Why? What’s happening tonight?”
“My team is handling a sting operation. We advertised a fake item we thought would be of interest to them and got an immediate response.”
“What’s the item?”
“A stone similar to the one Stella sold. We know it’s something they wanted, so we figured another one would get hisattention. The buyer wanted to make the exchange within the hour, but we held him off.”
The significance of the stone in fae history made me wary. This suddenly had the potential to be far more dangerous than a string of fraudulent transactions. “Where’s the sting happening?”
“Downtown. Why?”
I couldn’t believe the words about to come out of my mouth. “Because I’d like to be there.”
“I thought you had an aversion to the mainland.”
“Consider it my payment for your help with Leanne.” I didn’t want to tell him the truth—that I worried the Thornborn might be involved. They were members of a rebel group whose main focus was to extinguish the human race and reclaim the mortal lands. If they were back, then Savannah wasn’t the only place under threat. A danger to the city was a danger to Evermore, and I had more experience with Thornborn than Vale and his team combined. As much as I hated to go, I had a duty to the Neighbors.
I worried Vale would insist that they handle it without me. Instead, he said, “I’ll send my boat for you. Be at the dock at eight sharp.”
My heart hammered in my chest. “I’ll be sure to wear my prettiest dagger.”
Nina wasthe captain of the yacht this evening. I’d only met her once before. A petite brunette with a snub nose and the kind of unblemished skin that seemed unnatural, she was a yet-to-be-identified shifter.
“Welcome aboard, Miss August,” she said.
“Thank you. I appreciate the ride.”
“Vale will be waiting for you in the basement of The Olde Pink House,” Nina said.
I balked. “I’m not meeting anybody in the basement of an old house. I’ve watched enough murder mysteries to know that’s a bad idea.”
Nina laughed. “It’s a restaurant in the lower level of a historic building. The only thing that gets murdered there is copious amounts of alcohol at the bar.”
“Oh.” My brain nearly exploded. “Oh! For otter.”
