After a nice, hot shower where I’m not worried about hidden cameras or perverted neighbors breaking in on me, I get dressed and make my way into the kitchen, wondering what a troll keeps in his pantry. I don’t make it to the cupboards, because there’s more than a key waiting for me on the kitchen table. Terrance has left me a laptop, and on the same ring as the house key, there’s a fob for a car sporting a Cadillac logo. He gave me a key to his car?
Along with the computer and keys, there’s a note. It simply says NO ARGUMENTS and lists five contact numbers. The handwriting is strong, slanted, and all caps. And it’s dark, as if he bolded the letters to emphasize his point. Point? I snort. It’s not a point. It’s a threat.
I don’t take charity. In my experience, when guys give you stuff, they expect too much in return for it. But somehow I feel safe accepting this loaner. I know Terrance is only trying to be nice. He’s trying to take care of me. And he’s doing it because he wants to. Not because the state is paying him to. I’ve never had someone look out for me like that. It’s overwhelming.
After scrounging up a bowl of cereal, I sit down at the table and open the laptop as I eat. Terrance has already set it up and connected it to his Wi-Fi. While I connect to the Internet, I look over the list of phone numbers and add them to my contacts. The five numbers he gave me are for himself, his bartender Wulf, Nick Gorgeous, Parker, and Oliver. The list makes me grin. It’s like he’s telling me these are people I can count on. People I can trust. The irony of it is that they’re all underworlders. Who’d have ever thought I’d find more friends among monsters than humans?
I’m surprised Parker’s number made the list. As angry as Terrance was at him and Henry last night, I’m shocked he’d trust Parker enough to give me his number. Still. It’s a good thing he did since he’s the person I need to talk to right now. My thumb hovers over his name, but I can’t make the call. I shake off my nerves and take a deep breath. “Get over it, Nora. Parker’s not Henry, and you need his help.”
The personal pep talk does the trick. I dial his number before I can think better of it.
“Hello?” His voice sounds sleepy. It’s cute. That thought shocks me almost as much as the small smile currently on my face. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Hello?” he asks again, because I haven’t said anything yet.
“Hey, Parker. It’s uh…Nora.”
“Nora?”
His surprise sucks away the little confidence I had. “Um, yeah, it’s me. Terrance gave me your number. I hope it’s okay that I called.”
“Of course. I’m glad you did.” He doesn’t sound groggy anymore. “Listen, Nora, I—”
“Don’t bother with the explanations or apologies. I don’t want them. It happened. It’s done. End of story. I’m just calling to see if you found out anything about that license plate number I gave you.”
There’s a long pause, and then Parker says, “Let me take you to dinner, and we can discuss it.”
My heart jumps up into my throat. I go with my initial knee-jerk reaction to being asked out, even though something akin to butterflies flutters in my stomach at the offer. “No. Hell no.”
“I don’t mean you harm, Nora. I’d just like to see you again. Under normal circumstances this time.”
I’m tempted to accept, and that scares me. “I don’t date,” I whisper. “Ever.”
“Not a date, then,” Parker persists. “Consider it a business meeting. We’re both working on the same case, and we can help each other.”
Tempting. Very tempting. I almost say yes. But I just can’t disregard years of bad experiences and gut instinct. “Or…you could just tell me what you know now, and I won’t have to wait for dark to get to work.”
Parker sighs. “The plates were fake,” he says.
“What?”
“The license number you gave me belongs to the minivan of a soccer mom in Plymouth.”
My heart sinks. That was our only lead. “You’re certain?”
“100 percent. It was most likely an illusion spell.”
“Magic?”
“Yes. The club’s cameras and the street cameras were all spelled out of commission that night, too.”
I leave the kitchen and start pacing in the living room. This doesn’t make any sense. But it does go along with the vision I had of the guy who took Shandra. He’d breathed something in her face that knocked her out. I’d assumed drugs of some kind, but maybe he was using magic. “So we’re looking for a sorcerer.”
“One who’s stealing underworlders,” Parker says. “Though I can’t imagine why.”
I thought about the two guys in my vision, and their conversation. “It was like they were collecting them—different kinds of underworlders, I mean. They were really excited to have a troll. I guess that’s pretty uncommon.”
“And dangerous. Trolls have unbelievable strength and stamina. And they’re fiercely loyal to each other. Mess with one troll, mess with their whole clan.”
“Then why risk it? Why do they want them? For what?”
“I don’t know.”
Parker yawns, and I realize the wariness in his voice is probably just fatigue. It’s the middle of the night for him, and the fact that he can be awake at all while the sun is up means he’s a very powerful vampire. I feel bad for disturbing his sleep. “Sorry. I know you’re tired.”
“I am. It’s very hard for vampires to be awake in the daytime. I won’t last much longer. But if you would just meet me tonight, we could go over all of this together.”
I still don’t want to, but he has a point. If I can’t find anything else out today, I might have to. “Call me when you wake up, and we’ll see.”
Parker chuckles. The sound gives me shivers. “Strictly professional. You have my word.”
“We’ll see,” I say again. “No promises. And no Henry. Don’t you dare give him this number. Don’t even tell him I called. Or any other vampire, either. At all. Just you. I mean it.”
“You have my word, Nora. I’ll call you around eight.”
I swallow back dread as I hang up the phone. What did I just do? Did I just make a date with the devil? It’s not a date. I didn’t even promise to meet him.
I continue to rage a war with my inner thoughts as I google Greek life and start sifting through different fraternity images. If the license plate number on the car was a fake, the only other lead I have is the sticker that was on the back windshield. I can’t exactly remember the symbols, but I’d know them if I saw them.
I look through photo after photo and don’t see what I’m looking for. I look on several sites that list all the Greek fraternities and sororities and still can’t find the image I remember. But I would swear that’s what that window decal was for.
Before giving up, I have one last idea. I turn on my chat and smile when I see that my only contact is online. Knowing the face behind the screen name is still surreal. It makes me feel shy as I send a message to my longtime guardian angel.
PsychoPsychic: Hey…Oliver.
I immediately get a reply.
SorcererX: Nora! I’m glad to hear from you. I was worried about you going home with your neighbor after you and all…is everything okay?
His concern warms me. I might have five contacts in my phone, but at the moment there are only two people in the world I trust—Oliver and Terrance.
PsychoPsychic: Actually, I’m pretty great. Terrance wouldn’t let me stay there anymore. He’s putting me up at his place until I decide where I’m headed.
SorcererX: TERRANCE??????? The TROLL took you in?
PsychoPsychic: It’s okay. I know he’s a troll, and I know they’re dangerous, but I swear he won’t hurt me. I don’t know how I know, I just do. I actually slept better last night than I ever have. I’m safe here, Oliver. I promise.
SorcererX: Of course you’re safe. Terrance took you in. That’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised. Nora, him bringing you home is a BIG deal. You’re under his protection now. You’re probably safer than most underworlders in this city. I can’t believe he took you in. That’s CRAZY. I’m glad, though. I’m glad you’re safe now.