Page 38 of Cold Sacrifice

“Not funny,” he said, trying to absorb everything I was telling him.

“That reminds me,” I murmured. “Our office ghost is there. He can help—somehow. I’m not sure how yet, but I’m sure he can.”

“About Joe,” Max said, because he loved Joe, and that was going to be the first thing he focused on, “I know where he can go.”

“You do? Where?”

“At my place.”

“No, Max. He can’t be with you. If the necromancer—”

“He can stay in my basement. It’s a fortress. If I lock him in down there, he’s not getting out, no matter what the necromancer wants. And there’s a safe little room down there for him to sleep in when daylight comes. Also, he can pass the time gaming and watching TV, and we can videochat.” He hesitated, then continued, his voice firm. “He’ll agree, because Joe would rather die than hurt any of us. And I would rather die than see you forced to hurt him.”

So I agreed. Still, there were worries. “Max…”

“Yes?”

“As much as you can, take away anything he could possibly use to kill himself.”

And really, that was all we could do. If Joe wanted to kill himself, he’d do it no matter what Max took out of the basement.

I felt sorry for the necromancer, and I raged for her, with her, for what she and the others had gone through.

But I would hunt her, and I would kill her.

She was a danger to my people.

“Call some of the appointments, Max, and ask them if they’d like to come to the office today. I’m on my way in.”

I had to do something to kill time until dark.

“I will,” he said. “And I just updated the website. I’ll call Gracie Dawn.”

So I got ready, loaded myself up with weapons, my vest, and a few vials of holy water, then went to collect my hunters.

Maybe the necromancer was a vampire who could stay awake during the day but couldn’t walk outside until the sun went down. But maybe she was a warped, magical being who could do whatever the hell she wanted.

I was betting on option number two.

Chapter Thirteen

When I walked into the front office, it was almost like walking into a different world. It was cheerful, busy, and full of humans who needed help. Other than me, there were no vampires or other supernaturals in the room.

Or so I thought until I looked up and saw the office ghost peering out through my office doorway. He gave me a wave when he saw me looking at him.

“Max,” I said, walking to his desk, “two questions. One, how’d you get this many people in here this fast? And two, what the hell is the Silvershade sign on the door?”

He shrugged without looking away from his computer monitor. “It makes sense. The place needed a name.”

“It was fine the way it was,” I said. “It had a name.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Investigator of Preternatural Crimes isn’t a name.”

“At least not a good one,” Gracie said. “Silvershade is sexy.”

“Yes,” Max said. “This one is better. Silver, you. Shade, ghosts. I ordered the sign three weeks ago. You’re welcome.”

I shook my head and went into my office, where Sam and Remy waited. I’d called Zach’s phone on the way to the city, leaving him a message when he didn’t answer. I let him know where we’d be and asked him to join us when he’d finished his job.