AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When the song ended, I realized that the truck had stopped moving. Jackson had parked on a street I didn’t recognize.The closest building had boards on the windows, and the sun reflecting off the sidewalk hurt my eyes.
I turned to look at him and found that he still had one hand wrapped around the steering wheel and the other holding the shifter. His gloves pulled tight around his knuckles. His eyes were pointed at the radio between us, but I could tell his mind was somewhere else.
“Hey, where’d you go?” I asked.
He took an exaggerated breath. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard you sing. Brings back a lot of memories.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Sorry.”
He cleared his throat and turned off the truck. “Don’t be. You’ve always had a beautiful voice. Don’t ever apologize for that.”
“Jack, I—”
He opened his door and got out of the truck before I could finish my sentence. He rounded the front, and in the blink of an eye, he was holding my door open, offering me his hand. “Allow me. Nadia’s building is the one at the end of the block.”
I slid off the seat without touching him. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“Yes, I did.” He angled himself between the door and the truck.
“What are you doing?” An icy bolt of fear shot up my spine. I couldn’t walk forward without bumping into him. His right hand lifted to touch my cheek, and I flinched. “Don’t. I can’t—”
“I’m wearing gloves. I thought that kept the visions at bay,” he said.
“It does, but that’s not the point. I don’t want you getting the wrong idea.”
He ran a hand over his face, his eyes burning with frustration. “And what idea is that?”
“Jack, please. We have things to do,” I said, leaning away from him.
“Is what you said to me that day really true? Do you really not—”
Behind him, the door to the last building on the block opened and a small man poked his head out, looking around. Jackson turned and I darted through the small opening he left between his arm and the truck. He tried to grab me but wasn’t fast enough.
I passed an old bookstore, and the man opened his door wider. Nadia’s building was the largest on the street. Its face looked like a warehouse, but I could see glass balconies jutting from the side of the building, overlooking the water.
The man stepped onto the front stairs and waved. A near carbon copy of Danny DeVito, he had rounded shoulders, a round face, and he was about half my height. But unlike DeVito, this man had freckles and a bright red man-bun attached to the top of his head.
“’Ello there,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “You must be the detective and his partner.”
“That’s us,” Jackson said. “I’m Detective Sinclair, and this is my consultant, Miss Devereaux.”
The man smiled at me, a silver tooth gleaming in the sun. “Nice to meet you, Miss Devereaux. I’m Montcliff Jones, but you can call me Monty.”
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice,” Jackson said, pulling a small notepad from his pocket. “Do you mind answering a few questions before you let us into the apartment?”
“Of course, not-a-problem. Ask away,” Monty said, rocking back and forth on his heels. “It’s nice to see a witch and werewolf getting along. I never thought I’d see a set like you working together in my entire life.”
“I’m sorry?” I blinked at him.
Monty dissolved into a fit of giggles. “No one ever realizes what I am, but it’s so obvious.”
“What do you mean?” Jackson asked. I could hear his hackles starting to rise.
“I’m a leprechaun. A fae. So don’t you worry about being all secretive.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Like, a literal luck-granting leprechaun?”
“Aye, Darlin.” He chuckled. “Now, what are your questions?”
