Chapter 4

"Is Shepard being a stalker again?"Vena asked.

"He's not stalking; he's worried. There's a difference," I said.

She made a doubtful sound. "You should have never given him access to track you. It's never too late to revoke it."

I shook my head at her and got out of the car.

"Behave. Miles has company inside."

Vena gave me a look but didn't say anything else as we walked up the sidewalk. Near Miles' door, I braced myself, ready for when the freaky fairy jumped out of the bushes at me. However, it didn't.

Had it moved on?

Vena knocked before letting herself in.

Miles glanced up from the kitchen table where the blue fairy sat in a pile of silverware, looking like it was in heaven.

"Um, are you okay?" Vena asked him. "Why is there a fairy on your spoons?"

"I'm making friends," he said. "They're a source of information I'd never get from books. It's a whole new way to research that I'd overlooked."

"You're not supposed to research, remember?" Vena gently scolded.

He waved away Vena's concern. "The only thing I'm researching is how to communicate with my fine fairy friend here."

The fairy beamed at him, and I fought not to make a face.

"Everly mentioned that the fairy was the reason you found me," he said.

Vena, Miles, and the fairy looked at me expectantly.

"It was. Which is why I gave it a dime as a token of my appreciation. Thank you," I said with a nod toward the little blue beast.

It didn't beam at me like it did Miles, though.

"But how did you communicate with it?" he asked.

"A lot of pantomiming and frustration on its part when I didn't understand right away."

Vena made a sympathetic sound. "She sucks at Pictionary, too."

The fairy pantomimed belly laughing. I wasn't amused and looked around Miles' apartment, not noting any hulking werewolf bodyguard. However, the bathroom and bedroom doors were closed.

"Why are you trying to communicate?" I asked, looking at Miles again.

"Like I said, it's another potential way to research. In the future, of course."

The toilet flushed in the bathroom.

"Company?" she asked Miles.

"Yeah, of the furry variety, which I don't mind at all. Not a fan of the fanged variety." He gave me a look that I couldn't quite decipher. Surely, he wasn't against my connection with Cross, too. Without Cross, Miles would still be tied to a chair in Sierra's house.

The door opened, robbing me of any ability to use my questionable pantomiming skills to ask what his deal was.

"Hey, Buzz," I said. "Are you on day duty?"

"For now. We're rotating so we don't get too lax in security," he said, sitting on Miles' sofa. "What brings the two of you here?"

"Checking to see how crazy Miles is after his time as a feeder," Vena said bluntly. "And as unlikely as this sounds, trying to talk to a fairy to gain information isn't crazy. He would have done this before the kidnapping if he'd known."

I nodded. "The fairy was helpful."

"How did you know it could be?" Buzz asked.

I flashed him a smile. "I pay attention. You know that."

He nodded. "I do. But I know for a fact that you don't like fairies."

The tiny blue monstrosity left its shiny silverware kingdom and darted at me.

Vena saved me with a palm to my face.

"Hey, no going for the eyes," she said. "That's why she doesn't like fairies. How would you like it if every human you saw came after you with a flyswatter? Would you like humans?"

A beat of silence followed.

"Well, that's just rude," she said.

Since I couldn't see, I could only imagine what the fairy had done to warrant that remark.

"Come now, my friend," Miles said. "In my line of work, I need to welcome all my guests equally. Let's consider this neutral territory in the future. Why don't you lounge in my silverware a little longer while I walk them out?"

Vena slowly uncovered my face.

"Your hand smells like chocolate," I said when I looked at her smirking face.

"For you, baby, I can smell like anything."

Buzz chuckled.

"I can see why Anchor's been having a hard time with you."

Vena's focus lasered in on Buzz. "When you say hard, do you mean difficult or hard?"

Buzz laughed again, goading Vena.

"Did Anchor tell you about the gift I left him?"

It was my turn to cover her face. Her overactive mouth, specifically.

"And I think we're done here," I said. "Thanks for keeping an eye on Miles, Buzz."

"Fang-goo!" Vena said from behind my hand. Her eyes went wide, and she started to snort.

"If you snot on me, you're cleaning the bathroom for a month," I warned. "Bye, Miles. We'll come back soon with some books Vena got for you."

He waved to us as he spoke softly to the fairy perched in his silverware drawer.

Once outside, I released Vena's yap-trap.

"Do you really want to announce to the world that you crossed a line with Anchor?" I whispered.

"Pfft. Line-schmine. He liked it."

"He bolted at first light."

"Because he knew he was close to cracking." She made a humming sound. "That man has no idea how good I am at hunting. I'll have his pleasure treasure in my hands before he knows it."

I shook my head. "Get in. We need to get ready for work. And no teasing him tonight, or we'll end up with someone else on our couch."

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

Venaand I saw Ink standing near the employee entrance when we parked in Blur's back lot. I knew it was him from the tattoos covering his arm and neck and disappearing under his white t-shirt.

His gaze tracked us as we got out of the car and walked toward him.

"On security duty?" Vena asked Ink.

He gave a nod. "Looks like you're down a couple guys, so I'm helping out back here."

"Down a couple guys?" I questioned. "Are they sick? Or did Shepard send them somewhere else?"

"I'm not sure," he said. "Shepard and MC are talking about it in the office."

Vena leaned in with a smile. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Not from out here."

Vena tugged me past Ink and inside. "Hurry up so we can ask Anchor."

"We're here to work, Vena. Let Shepard and MC sort everything out. If they need us, they'll let us know."

"But you always drag us here early. We have plenty of time."

I glanced at the dish station and didn't see Gunther as we headed to the lockers.

The night before, he had been slammed with work and didn't leave with the rest of us. I really hoped he wasn't coming in late again. In the past, he had gotten into trouble for drinking. Shepard would be livid if Gunther did that after what happened with Sierra.

Pulling Vena with me to the main floor, I reminded her, "Ten minutes is not that early to get ready for a shift before opening."

"As long as we're clocked in by the time Shepard gives us our stations, what does it matter?"

"Think of work as treasure hunting," I said. "You can't just run off into the woods. You have to prepare first."

Vena's nose wrinkled. "You sound like Miles. Fine. Let's get ready for work. But I'm asking Anchor later."

We stored our things in the lockers and put on our aprons. As we left the kitchen and made our way to the VIP stairs, Vena's gaze swept through the bar area.

"Where is Anchor?" she asked. "I see almost everyone else."

"He might have been pulled for a different assignment," I said.

Shepard entered the meeting room after the rest arrived.

"Good evening, everyone," he said and glanced at his list. "Everly VIP section, Vena upper stage left, Adrian lower stage left, Thomas upper stage right, Pam lower stage right."

I debated whether I should ask to trade with Adrian. If I was in the VIP section, it'd be harder to keep an eye on Vena. Not that she needed help with her section. She was a pro at it. But she needed to be corralled occasionally, especially when it came to Anchor. Yet I supposed if Anchor was somewhere else, she couldn't get into much mischief.

"If anyone needs help tonight, find Buzz," Shepard said. "If there is an emergency, call me."

"Are you going to be offsite?" Pam asked.

"I'll be in and out," he said. "Just do your best. I'm using some of the new guys as security and bouncers. Doc will oversee them. I'll help wherever needed."

As everyone left, I stayed behind. Not only was my VIP section close, but I wanted to talk to Shepard.

He glanced at me. "Is anything wrong, Everly?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Nothing to worry about."

"So, Gunther is okay? He's not in trouble, is he?"

Shepard stepped closer. "What makes you ask that?"

"I just wanted to make sure he's okay. He's not at his station."

Shepard inhaled a breath and stared at me funny. Did he smell Cross? I took a shower before my shift to make sure there were no lingering scents.

Shepard's face cleared, but his eyes strayed to my forehead. Before I registered him moving closer, his lips pressed against my forehead.

"Uh, Shepard?"

He exhaled against my skin then backed away.

"Everything is fine, Everly," he said. "Gunther and Anchor didn't come into work today, but they've been working hard. They're probably asleep somewhere and forgot to set the alarm."

His words said one thing, but the tension in his expression said something else. Even without the worry reflecting in his gaze, I would have been concerned. Anchor was never late. He never missed a shift. Neither had Gunther, not even after Sierra had drugged him. Sure, he'd reeked like alcohol a few times, but he never ghosted his shifts.

I opened my mouth to ask but closed it again realizing Shepard would have said more if he'd wanted to. So, I nodded and left the office.

As soon as I had my station ready for the shift to start, I went to the top of the stairs to check on Vena below.

With my bird's-eye view, I saw the way she paused to look at MC as he took his place at the bottom of the stairs. He caught her looking at him and nodded at her, sending a flirty smile her way.

Instead of smiling back, she lifted her gaze to me. I could see the whirlwind of questions in her gaze, I shook my head slightly, warning her not to do or say whatever she was thinking about doing or saying.

I loved Vena like crazy. She was my ride-or-die girl till the end. And she was wicked smart. But I also knew she had a tendency to jump first and think later. Considering recent events, I needed her to be more of a thinker and less of a jumper.

She sighed visibly and turned back to straightening her tables.

MC looked up with a slight frown until he saw me. I received the same nod and flirty smile that Vena had. I returned both, but without the flirt. After, I checked with Detroit, who was manning the VIP bar. He was dark and handsome as always, but even he had a crease on his brow. That didn't stop him from giving me a friendly wink when he realized I was studying him.

Once the doors opened, I barely had time to glance over the railing at Vena. The three times I did manage to check, she was laughing with customers and taking orders. Seeing her handling her own section without any problems and seeming to enjoy it, relieved me. After all, that was the whole point of talking her into working at Blur. To give her another option to earn money other than treasure hunting.

By the time the last call was announced, my feet were tired, and I was ready for the shift to end. Detroit helped me clear my tables as soon as they emptied and carried the full bin of dishes downstairs.

I peeked over the railing again and saw MC offering to take Vena's tray. She shook her head, giving him a polite smile as she walked around him. MC watched after her, and I could almost hear his thoughts.

But she'd called me Man Candy. What gives with the cold shoulder now?

I almost felt sorry for him. He wasn't the first guy to fall for Vena's fun-loving and flirty ways, and I doubted he'd be the last.

Hurrying back to my tables, I finished straightening my chairs and went downstairs. MC had moved off to help Pam clear her tables, and Thomas was clearing his and Adrian's while Adrian washed and straightened the cleared ones. Vena was finishing wiping down her last table.

"Not a bad night," Shepard said as I sat at the bar to wait for her.

"Sales-wise or…?"

He smiled slightly. "All around. Vena kept up with her tables. The floor was packed. The sales barely reflected what happened a few days ago. And we didn't need Doc to remove any patrons."

"So, not a bad night," I repeated with a smile.

He grinned and nodded as he wiped down the soda gun nozzles.

I unloaded my tip money and started counting it. Vena sat beside me.

"Damn, girl, look at you being rich. Oh, wait…" She placed a neat stack of bills on the bar. "One. Ah-ah-ah! Two. Ah-ah-ah!"

I rolled my eyes at Shepard. "I'm dead on my feet, and she has enough energy to be The Count. The universe does not divvy up energy as fairly as we do tip money."

Vena snorted. "I give them ten percent just like you."

The rest of the servers joined us as we cashed out our tips. Vena reached over the bar and stole some olives, and Buzz playfully swatted her hand. The others didn't comment when Vena and I lingered after they called out their goodbyes. Buzz followed them into the kitchen with the last tray of dirty glasses.

"So…" Vena said when it was just Shepard behind the bar. "Is Anchor meeting us at the house, or is someone else volunteering as tribute?"

Shepard stopped wiping down the bar and kept his gaze down for a moment. When he looked up, I saw his concern.

"Anchor and Gunther are missing. Gunner checked both their places. Neither was there today. The last time we saw Gunther was when he left here last night, and Anchor sent me a message when he left your place just before dawn this morning. He disappeared after that."

Vena flushed and looked down at her hands. Shepard inhaled, and I wondered what guilt smelled like to him.

"I'm sure Anchor's fine," I said. "He probably just needs some time to relax."

"I'm hoping that's the case with both of them," Shepard said.

But we all knew even if that was the case, they would have checked in with Shepard.

"If you're looking for a volunteer to watch over the girls tonight, I'm up for it," MC said, joining us.

"I think they'd prefer a familiar face," Shepard said with a glance at me.

I nodded, and Shepard grabbed his phone.

"If you don't mind waiting a few more minutes, everyone will be coming here to talk about tonight"s patrols. I'll have Doc go with you then."

Buzz yelled for Shepard from the kitchen, loud enough that Vena and I heard.

"Stay with them," Shepard said to MC before taking off.

"What's going on?" Vena asked, looking at MC.

He shook his head. "I can't see through walls, babe."

"No, but you can hear through them," she said.

MC smirked. "Sounds like Gunther showed up looking like someone handed him his tail."

Vena and I were off our stools at the same time.

MC caught Vena's arm.

"Shepard wants you to stay here."

"I don't ‘sit' or ‘stay' very well," she said, tugging her arm free. "It's not in my genes."

MC didn't try to stop us again as we rushed through the kitchen door, almost knocking into Ink.

"You two shouldn't be in here," Ink said. He didn't try to make us leave, though, as we stepped around him to look at Gunther.

He was sitting on a chair from the locker room and looked pale as hell beneath all the blood smearing his face. Bite marks covered his neck. Shepard, who'd been speaking to him, looked up at us.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Vampire," Gunther breathed. "He used me until sunup then left."

The way he said "used" and the hitch in his voice left nothing to my imagination.

Shepard set a hand on Gunther's shoulder. The man shuddered at the touch, and tears trailed down his cheeks.

"It took all day to heal enough to walk here. He gave me a message for you, Shepard. He said, ‘We were here well before any mutt called D.C. home. Stay out of our business, and we'll stay out of yours.'"

Fury radiated from Shepard and every other wolf present. Whoever abused Gunther would not be let off easy. Which made me wonder why the vampire had taken Gunther. The message could have been delivered without hurting Gunther. It was like the vampire had wanted to provoke the pack. But why? Did they think the pack was responsible for the vampire deaths at Juicy?

"Was Anchor with you?" Vena asked shakily.

Gunther looked at Shepard. "Anchor's missing?"

Shepard nodded.

Gunther shook his head as a fresh wash of tears trailed down his cheeks. "He wasn't there."

Vena made a small pained sound, and I wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Where did the vampire take you?" Shepard asked.

"It was the hotel down the road. I was caught off guard last night. There was no one in the lot when I left. Someone came up behind me before I got to my car. They stuck me with something." He lifted his hand as if he wanted to rub his neck then let it fall back to his lap without touching the mangled mess.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Shepard asked. "Did the vamp talk on the phone? Did anyone…join him?"

The employee door opened. The twins, Tank and Boulder, walked in.

"Army and Griz are backtracking the blood trail," Tank said.

"Good. Take a team, and find the leech that did this," Shepard said. "When you find him, don't make a move until I send backup. This time, we'll wipe out what's left of Juicy's nest."

"I'll have my guys do a little scouting as well," MC said.

"Thank you," Shepard said, running a hand through his hair as he visibly attempted to contain his rage.

Doc walked in behind Tank and Boulder.

"Doc, you'll take over for Anchor tonight," Shepard said. "Make sure Everly and Vena get home safely."

Doc nodded.

"Where is Anchor?" Vena asked again, her voice shaking.

Shepard shook his head. "I wish we knew."

I looked uneasily between Vena and Shepard. "They wouldn't have taken two of your men to deliver one message, right?"

Before Shepard could respond, Jaws came into the room.

"There are two police officers at the front door. They want to talk to you, Shepard."