1. Had someone finished what the dragons had started?

ONE

Had someone finished what the dragons had started?

Tuesday, May 1, 2057

Lower North Lakes, Precinct 153

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

Some days, I regretted my decision to go to work and be a cop.

Today was one of those days.

I’d gone in expecting trouble: shift assignments always drove everyone insane. Rather than find out when I would be working with Paul, Captain Farthan delivered a bitter blow instead.

He meant to move forward with the community service recruit, and we would be teamed up as a pair while my partner moved to different waters, forming a group including Grimstone, Jace, and Dowdren. From the way the captain talked, there’d be more than just the four of them working cases together.

On the surface, the assignment made sense, but I resented the captain’s decision to steal my partner from me. Worse, I expected the detectives would find some way to get into trouble and have fun without me.

I’d also miss the extra pay from keeping the elephant shifter from causing property damage.

Glaring at the captain didn’t help. The opal dragon smirked at my expression and said, “Once your new partner settles, you’ll be joining their partnership. We’re going to call it a cluster for now.”

I fought the urge to sit up straighter at the news, and I covered my interest by asking, “Short for cluster?—”

Captain Farthan cleared his throat and raised a brow.

I snapped my teeth together to avoid the opal dragon’s wrath.

“Which part of this has you irritated?”

I had a list. If I told him the entirety of the list, he’d toss me into holding while the black dragon and his unicorn accomplice supervised. As the last thing I needed or wanted was to become part of that circus, I replied, “I’m questioning my ability to handle a raw recruit who hasn’t gone through the academy yet, sir. A cadet is challenging enough after they have been through schooling, and that is with a partner helping. I’m going to be doing my job with a raw recruit and no backup, sir.”

Maybe if I turned the conversation back in the direction of the problem landing on my lap, he’d ignore my general displeasure over the situation.

The opal dragon chuckled, although I failed to understand what he found funny about the situation. “I’m confident in your abilities. The woman is smart, she’s motivated, and she’s wanting to prove she’s smart and motivated enough to qualify for the academy despite lacking a high school diploma.”

I froze at the news she lacked a diploma. Kids dropped out of high school all the time for a myriad of reasons, but escaping an abusive household neared the top of the list. Sex, drugs, and teenage pregnancies tended to beat out abuse for the top causes for teenagers quitting school, albeit barely. Before I jumped to any conclusions, I forced myself to analyze the situation without forming any opinions unless facts backed those opinions. “What prevented her from pursuing a diploma?”

“She had a falling out with her parents, and she decided to hit the road. Rather than have us dredge through her past, she verified her circumstances with the eagle-griffons, a factor in the judge’s decision to push her to us. She genuinely wants to reform, and she can help us solve those theft cases. She did attempt to reconcile with her parents, but by the time she’d worked up the courage to see them, they had moved away.” The captain growled, a rolling sound deep within his chest.

When the dragons started growling while human, it often led to someone getting hurt. However, I suspected the real reason for the captain’s anger.

He hated being unable to fix broken homes.

Everyone joined the force for a reason, and the entire Farthan clan lived and breathed for improving their community. Captain Farthan contributed through wrangling the circus at our station. The rest of his clan worked in other elements of law enforcement, ranging from cops working the beat to morticians helping on the forensics side of things .

Most in the Farthan clan liked taking the personal approach with their work.

I sighed, recognizing a lost cause when I saw one. Captain Farthan would find some way to make the new recruit work. While he couldn’t fix her broken home, he could give her a home in our station, even if it meant we hired her as a paper pusher instead of as a cop. Accepting the inevitable, I focused on the woman who would turn the station upside down on us. “How long was it between her departure and her return?”

The captain snorted, wrinkled his nose, and dug through one of his desk drawers until he pulled out a disconcertingly thin folder, which he tossed my way. “Ten years.”

A lot could happen in ten years, something I understood well enough. While a magicker, I would outlive most other humans, my family included. Something about my brand of magic extended my lifespan. Much like the stones I worked, I remained the same. To my dismay, I’d stalled aging at twenty-four. I took care with the cut of my hair and how I held myself to cast the illusion of appearing older—and when I needed to, I made use of magic to trick the eyes.

I avoided using that trick at work; I wanted to keep that ace up my sleeve.

While I hesitated, I picked up the folder, sat back in my chair, and opened it. The woman in the mug shot smiled for the camera, holding the identification sign with pride. Someone had given her letters and the freedom to play with the board, resulting in a rather amusing message at the bottom. “Will suck eggs for cash, sir?”

The dragon stopped growling, and he relaxed enough to grin at me. “She’s damned pretty, though, isn’t she? ”

Rather than read the board, I focused on her face. I could see Grimstone’s granddaughter hunting her for a spot on one of her shows—and men across the country would pay good money to watch. To my dismay, I realized I might be one of them.

I liked the playful expression on her face.

Something about her brown eyes came across as warm and friendly.

Well, I had a choice to make: I could be honest with the captain, or I could attempt to mask the reality of the situation. “All right. I will not deny that she’s attractive.”

Acknowledging reality would keep me on the right side of the line—and serve as a reminder to myself that while beautiful, the woman would be my partner until the captain took mercy on me and sent her to the academy for appropriate training.

“She’s downstairs with the babies, and she’s been trying to convince Patricia that she needs a baggier uniform. She’s concerned her breasts will be distracting. She is horrified because the specific blue of our uniform works well on her. She’s supposed to be trying to become a cop, not a model dressed like a cop,” the captain announced.

She wouldn’t be the first with similar issues nor would she be the last, although my fellow men had been concerned for other reasons. A few, Paul included, wore cups to protect themselves from damage in a rather sensitive area with a bonus of blocking prying eyes. I debated how best to handle the situation. “What has Patricia reported?”

“She’s in love, as are all the rest of our support staff. She’s painfully humble, she’s inquisitive, she’s open about her lack of education, and she wants to learn. That leads me to the next problem.”

We did not need any more problems. Between Jace’s status as a literal unicorn, the entire Grimstone clan out to add him to their family, and the attacks, we had a surplus of problems. A quiet weekend had put everyone on edge.

When would the killer strike again?

Where would the killer leave the next pile of bodies to be discovered?

I wanted to be out on the streets hunting the bastards behind the poisonings and murders rather than dealing with cold, ancient theft cases. However, with the woman, we had a lead.

We had nothing more than frustration with the dead weight cases.

I referred to the woman’s photograph again to learn her name. “Does Miranda have a last name?”

“She does, but she begged the eagle-griffons to let her maintain her privacy. She doesn’t want to damage her parents’ reputations, no matter where they might be. She’d rather be the sole one to be punished for her various sins.”

With that level of humility, it came as no surprise the women of our station had fallen hard for the thief. It also shined some light on the rumors of our sister station wanting us to take Miranda.

The last thing we needed was an entire station of women melting down because of a new recruit who wanted to do her best and showed every sign of being humble while doing it. I foresaw every single man in our station having issues, too.

Someone as pretty as the thief didn’t come around every day. On the surface, everything seemed a little too perfect. Narrowing my eyes, I considered her mug shot. I checked the folder to discover a single sheet detailing the theft that had gotten her arrested.

She’d been caught pilfering groceries from one of the upper-end stores in Precinct 1, and she’d been captured by a pair of red dragons. Upon realizing she starved, they’d fed her before handing her over to the police to be booked and questioned.

As one of ten children, I understood being poor; my parents did their best, but they’d lived paycheck to paycheck with all of us under one roof. Four of my brothers and one of my sisters still lived with our parents, and I helped pay the bills in the form of bringing over extra groceries under the guise of being young, dumb, and incapable of buying the right amount for one man.

One day, someone in my family would call me out on it, as I always bought what my family tended to need the most, which included bread, milk, eggs, flour, butter, and bacon.

Only an idiot would buy two cartons of eggs, more than a few loaves of bread, too much butter, and extra packets of bacon without realizing mistakes were being made. Until someone flung accusations my way, the staples would keep showing up.

I would worry about the new recruit’s home life until certain she wouldn’t be stealing groceries again.

“According to your expression, you are more than a little concerned about our new recruit. Elaborate.”

Waving the rap sheet, I replied, “She’s being moved into law enforcement over some groceries?”

“Yes. ”

Sometimes, I questioned the society we lived in. “Was she unaware we have programs for the poor?”

“While she is aware of some of the programs, she felt that because of her position she would end up arrested if she sought help.”

As law enforcement of all stripes often did just that to get particularly dangerous entities off the streets, we tended to leave the petty thieves alone. For the most part, we’d rather feed them through legitimate channels than deal with even more theft. I shook my head and sighed. “I’ll make sure she knows about the public programs and how she can best make use of them—or to help others, like the friends she surely has around the city in a similar position.”

“I thought you’d see things my way. Do your best, Lovell. I’m not expecting miracles, but the uppers want her to succeed, and that means we’re going to have a great deal of work ahead of us. I’m not sure how we’re going to overcome her educational woes, but if she’s even half as smart as Patricia says, she should be fine.”

“I’ll talk with Jace,” I offered.

“Good. I’ll mark that off my list. We may as well make that damned unicorn do something with that fancy degree of his.”

I snickered, rather enjoying the captain’s irritation over the situation. “He did do something with his degree. He became a cop. It’s not his fault we didn’t check beyond his base education. Dowdren would have told us if it became important.”

“Just like he told us Smithson’s species?”

“It never became important, and when it did become important, Jace did what was best for the community.” I respected the unicorn for that, and to thank him, whenever I had a few minutes, I’d go over his dead weight case and clean up his files, correct his newbie mistakes, sort out the inevitable inconsistencies he’d created just from trying to piece so much together, and otherwise work from the shadows to help him succeed. “If anything, he’s done a good job of making sure the entirety of the Cauldron City respects him, especially among law enforcement.”

“He’s too damned humble,” Captain Farthan groused.

“He is humble until he’s wearing a fur coat and prancing around in his parade gear, after which he’s quite proud and wants everyone to know how beautiful he is,” I corrected.

“Get out of my office and introduce yourself to your new partner!” the dragon roared.

As wise men left the scene when the dragons got cranky, I did as ordered, waiting until I closed the captain’s door behind me to grin over having nettled him.

Tuesday, May 1, 2057

Lower North Lakes, Precinct 153

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

Miranda waged war with her uniform, attempting to tug the stiff material into place so the fabric didn’t hug her breasts and otherwise showcase her physical attributes. Fortunately for her, she wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest, and judging from the gear on the table, nobody had gotten one for her yet.

To delay the formal introduction, I sized her up, decided I’d have to try her in two different sizes of vest, and went off to grab two. After a brief but fierce argument with Annalee, who ruled over our equipment, I made off with my plunder, promising to bring back the one that didn’t fit appropriately.

Once I made it back into the break room, I added the vests to the pile of gear and said, “After you’re fitted for your vests, you may find you won’t have to worry as much over the shirt. I’m Detective Lovell, and you have the misfortune of being saddled with me for the next while. My job is simple: I’m to get you ready for life in law enforcement. As I’m sure the ladies would be pleased to confirm, I’m a bastard, and you will be cursing my name by the end of the day.”

Patricia cracked first, and she howled her laughter before grabbing an empty holster and chucking it my way. As the dispatcher possessed excellent aim, I had a split second to dodge, catch, or eat a face full of plastic, leather, and metal. I opted to catch. Thus armed with another important piece of her gear, I held it up. “You won’t be armed yet; you need to go through your certifications at the range and get the appropriate paperwork filed, but this is a rather important part of your kit.”

I tossed it to her, and to my relief, she abandoned fussing with her shirt to catch the holster. At her questioning look, I nodded.

With practiced hands, she buckled the holster into place, settling it along her hip. I eyed its placement. “Lefty or ambidextrous? ”

“Ambidextrous,” she replied with wide eyes. “Most just assume I’m a lefty.”

“Ambidexterity is a real thing that happens in a single percent of people. How practiced are you with your left hand?”

Practice mattered; ambidexterity allowed someone to work with either hand equally, but if someone with the ability lived their entire life working with solely their right hand, they lacked the skill and refinement to realistically utilize their left. Her answer would change how I kitted her—and how often I took her to the range to work her firearm skills.

“I broke my right arm a few years ago, which is how I learned I’m ambidextrous,” the woman stated, and she shrugged. “Once I realized I could use my left hand just as well, I started practicing. I’m not as good as I could be, but I didn’t start using a gun until shortly after I broke my arm, and I practiced with both hands. I find my left hand is more comfortable for shooting.”

Comfort mattered, especially when training for hours to build the appropriate skills. “I’ll have you practice with both hands, but we’ll focus on your left as your primary. I want you to try on both of these bulletproofed vests. Whenever we’re on a sketchy call, you’ll need to wear them, and you’ll find that the vests will help with your general problem.” I turned my gaze to Patricia, raised a brow, and gestured at her chest, which she kept squished as close to her body as possible through either a mix of sorcery or a steel-lined bra. “Patricia, please share your secrets with Cadet Miranda.”

Patricia snickered, and before I could stop her, she unbuttoned her shirt and opened it to reveal a sports bra, one that devoured the entirety of her breasts and featured broad straps and a zipper. “You will need one of these—preferably more than one. They’re pricy, but we get them as part of our equipment. You’ll need one. I’m sure Detective Lovell would be pleased to take you to our equipment manager to be sized and issued your work apparel.”

Miranda’s eyes widened, and she stared at Patricia’s chest. “You’re just showing them off!”

Ah. I dealt with a shy and humble woman. Lifting my hand, I rubbed my temple in a firm circle, hoping the massage would ward away my growing headache. “In an emergency, we may need to remove your vest, shirt, and bra.” I picked up the bulletproof vest I felt might work the best with her, holding it up. “Do you know how to use one of these?”

A red flush stained Miranda’s cheeks, and she shook her head.

After handing it off to her, I took the time to explain how the vests worked, how they were supposed to be worn, and walked her through putting it on. To my relief, it fit well, and I sent one of the other cadets back to Annalee with the other one with instructions to grovel for having needed to check out two. The young man, who took the young part to extremes, ran off. I kept an eye on him before turning my gaze to Patricia, who had shucked her shirt off completely and posed so everyone could admire her sports bra.

The other cadets, all young and male, formed two groups. One paid attention to what Patricia said about how the bra worked. The others gaped.

I made a mental note of the gapers, and I suspected Patricia did the same .

They would be getting a long discussion about how women were not their breasts, and even if a woman did decide to take off her clothes, their job as officers of the law involved ignoring the show and treating women like people.

Once Miranda struggled through putting on her vest, I went over her work, walked her through a few corrections, and nodded my satisfaction. “Once we get you an appropriate bra for the work, you’ll be fine. But, should you be shot, the impact sites will swell, and we need to get off all constraining material to view and access the damage. Patricia?”

The dispatcher grinned, grabbed her discarded shirt, and shrugged it back on. “Detective Lovell is right. If I were to be shot in the line of duty, the first thing my fellow officers would be doing involves stripping me out of the vest, shirt, and bra to assess the damage. Men are issued fitted cups as well, although they’re optional, just like these bras are. But at your size? I highly recommend taking as many as Annalee will give you. I would request seven; that lets you wear one every day before you have to wash them. Lovell?”

“I’ll try to get her to issue ten, maybe a few more. On training days, she’ll need to change her bra to be comfortable.” In reality, I’d aim for twenty and get into a fight with the equipment manager over it, bringing the captain into it. I expected, for a rare change, I’d get my way. “Does she have a duffel or locker yet?”

“Annalee was out of duffels,” Patricia admitted. “We have a locker for her; she’s being placed with you detectives for this, as it makes no sense to have either one of you traverse the entire station while kitting up. Your locker has a better bathroom nearby, too. ”

As I couldn’t think of a single detective in our station who would cross any of Miranda’s lines, I nodded my approval. “I’ll take her out for a proper duffel on our first outing. For now, the locker will suffice. Has she been given the tour of the station yet?”

“She’s seen everything except your floor. Masoner is being moved a few offices down so Miranda can be with you for training.” Patricia winced. “Are you going to be okay with that?”

“I’ll be fine. Will the rest of Cauldron City survive the first time Paul has a harder time getting his due affection? We’ll find out.” I shook my head over the absurdity of the situation. “Paul’s going to be partnering with Jace, so I think we’ll make it out of this alive. I’ll try to make arrangements so he doesn’t flatten half a block from neglect.”

Miranda blinked. “Is something the matter with this Paul?”

I shook my head, and I allowed myself a grin. “He’s an elephant shifter. Elephants are herd animals, and Paul has a full dose of animalistic instinct. Elephants require a lot of attention and care from their herd to thrive. A grouchy elephant is known to do serious amounts of property damage. As such, we try to make certain he has enough support.”

“Cauldron City really is the home of the weird and weirder,” Miranda muttered.

As I doubted she meant for anyone to hear her, I ignored her comment, going to work gathering up her kit. “We’ll deal with Annalee first, and then we’ll take everything to your locker. I’m hoping being overly burdened with gear because she doesn’t have a spare duffel will get her to see things my way.”

Patricia laughed at me. “If that gives you the courage to face off against her, then so be it. I wish you good luck, and I’ll even forgive you if I have to mop you off the floor once she’s done with you.”

“Give me a memorable tombstone,” I quipped back, and once I had as much of Miranda’s stuff as I could carry, I said, “Come along. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Tuesday, May 1, 2057

Lower North Lakes, Precinct 153

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

While Annalee put up a fight about the bras, I waged war on Miranda’s behalf, winning her a collection of fifteen. Hearing the equipment manager wail over needing to purchase custom bras pleased me. To add a little insult to injury, I informed the women I would be waiting outside of the women’s bathroom so they could handle the fitting, thus barring Annalee from finding an excuse to put off the order.

She would delay solely to irritate me and get some payback over the crap I’d given her over the lack of a duffel bag.

Once I got Miranda’s gear put away in her new locker, I got us both coffee, took her to my office, closed the door, and said, “Expect a little chaos today. It’s assignment day, which is when we find out our shifts, who we’re partnered with, and so on. The captain decided you’re to be placed with me until further notice, and he’s testing out a group, where my regular partner is at for the moment.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“You’re not to blame,” I replied, sitting at my desk. “Make yourself comfortable. While some of the older detectives live and breathe formality with the babies, I’m not one of them. New cadets are called babies around here because they have a lot to learn. Most of us will call you Cadet Miranda unless you request that your title be dropped. You’ll get ribbed, so I would brace for that. All the babies are hazed at least once. In our precinct, hazing can be as simple as being forced to go get another cop out of bed at six in the morning. One of the other stations did that to one of our detectives, as he’d just earned his promotion. We also had a genuine concern involving someone he’s now living with, as she is not to be trusted with the preparation of food. That aside, there are some unwritten rules of conduct everyone is expected to abide by.”

While she remained tense, she sat across from me, clasping her hands on her lap. “Do you mean the silly string and spray cheese thing?”

“That’s part of it, yes. I take it Wynonna or Patricia told you about that?”

“They even had pictures. They told me it eventually happens to everybody, so if I’m getting sprayed with that stuff, I’ve been accepted by everybody.”

Well, that was a bit of a twist on the friendly hazing, but it worked for my needs, so I decided to roll with it. “That’s close enough. I’ve gotten two different stories about why you’re here. Frankly, I’d rather hear it from you. That way, I know what I’m working with, you have a chance to present the situation as you see fit, and I get a better feel for you. At the same time, you’ll get a better feel for me.” If all went well, she’d trust me but keep me at a distance, something that would make both our lives easier.

For her sake, I wanted her to succeed at becoming a cop, but until I had a better understanding of the full situation, I would maintain my space and establish boundaries.

“I got busted stealing food at a grocer,” she stated. Her voice remained quiet, although the disgust in her tone indicated she’d expected better from herself. “I went to Precinct 1, which was my first mistake. My second? Robbing a store owned and operated by dragons.”

That would do it. “I don’t recommend stealing from dragons or unicorns. The dragons are obvious. They become quite cranky when they have something stolen from them. The unicorns are stealthy, they’re stubborn, and they are the kind to take grudges with them to the grave. Getting on a unicorn’s permanent shit list, fortunately, seems to be a little difficult, but don’t touch their gems. They will find you.”

While Jace broke the mold in many ways, I’d been exposed to his family enough to understand we courted trouble if anything happened to the shaggy little pony of a unicorn.

“That’s good to know. Are there a lot of unicorns here?”

I pointed in the direction of Jace’s office. “One works on our floor. The rest work in the medical field.”

“Ah. I haven’t seen a doctor here.”

Right. I’d have to talk to the captain about getting her checked over for any health problems. I hesitated to lean on Dr. Erik, but I was willing to bet he had a foal or two kicking around who might be willing to take on a charity case until we could get her health insurance situated.

Assuming, of course, the cheap bastards in human resources counted her as a legitimate cadet.

Only time would tell.

“And before the incident at the grocer?” I took care to relax in my seat, using my body language to imply I had no problems with her activities. For the most part, I didn’t.

People needed to eat, and my job was to serve and protect—and sometimes, that meant having compassion in the face of homelessness and starvation.

“I’m what you would call a petty thief. I only took little things without much monetary or sentimental value.” Miranda scrunched her shoulders and did her best to shrink into the chair. “I learned some things I shouldn’t have, so I had to go into hiding. I’m pretty sure the underground has a kill order out on me because of what I’ve learned.”

I tensed. “A kill order?”

She bobbed her head, reminding me of one of our songbirds when caught pilfering out of the seed jar. It amazed me the birds hadn’t clued in we wanted them pilfering from the jar as they needed a startling amount of food to function. We’d turned it into a game, playing stupid so the birds could rob us blind of their favorite seeds. “I figured out the magic they’re using to rob people. I refuse to participate in that. They’re not doing it for any good purposes and stealing more than is fair, even from the rich snoots.”

That explained why the judge wanted her in our hands. Cauldron City had a witness protection program, but it was one of the worst in the nation. The dragons failed to compute subtlety most days. The unicorns wisely refused to share their secrets. The other species capable of hiding someone in a city ripe with magic came few and far between.

The police couldn’t spare the resources to protect someone from magical powerhouses—or large organizations.

When push came to shove, we sent those needing to be protected to a safer city, including New York.

With Cauldron City being plagued by idiots foolish enough to attack the Black Dragon of New York’s family, nowhere counted as truly safe, especially not for a thief who’d angered the underground.

“Are you willing to walk me through it?”

“I can show you. If you want to learn the method, you really need to see it for yourself.” She tilted her head to the side. “You smell like a magicker, so you should be able to do the trick, too. Once you see it, you’ll get it. I don’t know if you need tools or whatnot for your magic.”

One day, I would get used to the idea that shapeshifters could sniff out facts about people, including their species and abilities. Rather curious about her sense of smell, I asked, “Can you shifter types sniff out specific species?”

“You mean like if someone is a cat shapeshifter or a dog?”

“Yes, exactly that.”

Miranda considered me through narrowed eyes, and after a few moments, she relaxed her shoulders. “Not really. Well, I can’t, not unless the smell is really obvious. I can tell a skunk from a mile off, but I can’t distinguish types of cats. I can usually tell if someone is a canine. I can usually tell someone is a shapeshifter, though. They have a hint of their animal about them. ”

That matched what I’d heard from other shapeshifters. Satisfied with her answer, I rummaged through my drawer for a pad of paper and a pen, and I dropped them on the desk in front of her. “Knowing there might be a kill order on you changes a few things. We’ll need to ask all the relevant questions. With luck, what you know becomes common knowledge, which may remove their motivation.”

“They’ll try to get rid of me as an act of revenge. They’re the type.” After drawing a deep breath, she said, “I can tell you the what, the why, and the how. There are a few options for the who.”

“Let’s start with whatever you’re comfortable with telling me. Anything actionable, knowing we need to keep you safe, will be addressed. Ideally, we’ll be able to make changes within law enforcement to set up traps, catch those behind the thefts, and make the problem quietly disappear. And I don’t mean you.”

She flashed a grin at me, grabbed the pen, and began drawing on the piece of paper. “There is a city under this city, and it’s populated with three primary types of people. Factions. Groups. Organizations. Whatever you like. The entry is in the park.”

“You mean the unfinished necropolis?” I asked, raising a brow.

“The dragons shouldn’t have left so much prime real estate open for anyone to squat in. But yes, that place below the graveyard. There are a lot of empty tunnels and rooms in there, and these people have moved in. These tunnels go beneath a lot of the properties in the city. If you know the right magic, you can access those properties from the necropolis. ”

That explained a great deal, and I cursed myself for not having even considered someone coming at the properties from beneath the city streets. I unlocked my computer, accessed the police database, and located the city plans. “The necropolis is mostly beneath this precinct. The thefts were across the entirety of the city.”

When I checked the plans a second time, I realized there were many spots where empty spaces could be.

Had someone finished what the dragons had started?

“The necropolis has access to the sewer maintenance tunnels. The thieves are accessing those tunnels before using magic to access their targets’ homes. There are limited properties with the appropriate wards to bar entry.” Miranda continued to scribble on the notepad, and I realized she drew a rather accurate map of the precinct. She circled several locations before tapping something not far from the memorial park with the primary entrance to the necropolis. “This is the best warded property.”

I leaned over my desk, heaved a sigh, and compared with the police records just to be certain. Sure enough, it appeared to be Jace’s new home. “That property, if it’s the one I think it is, belongs to a cop. If anyone does anything to that home, the culprits won’t live long. The Black Dragon of New York would handle it personally. If you happen to know anyone who can pass word along the line, I’d rather these folks just turn and walk away now. I prefer to catch thieves, not take bodies to the morgue.”

Miranda’s eyes widened. “Oh. That would be something else. None of the groups down there want his attention. And one of the groups has already botched that up. It started a gang war.” She scrunched her shoulders again. “Is that an okay term to use?”

Goodness. The woman was about to hand me the keys to the entire city yet she cowered, afraid of my disapproval? The first thing I needed to do was to inject a serious amount of steel into her spine—or give her back some confidence after dealing with whomever had created such a reaction. “Gang war is as good a term as any. Do you know why they want into that property?”

“Wealth, I presume. They want to hit up all the rich properties there. Most of the dragons with homes there are not precisely aggressive. They make good targets.”

“Well, a black dragoness lives there. She is one of the Black Dragon of New York’s granddaughters. Rumor has it she’s his favorite of his granddaughters and quite possibly the heir of his empire.” That gem had rocked me back on my heels when I’d first heard it. At first introduction, I’d judged her to be a bit scatterbrained, but upon closer investigation, I determined an intelligent, driven woman lurked beneath the surface.

Her mishaps in Jace’s kitchen had cast her in one light, as did her recovery from her ulcers and poisoning. But every time I spotted her, I worried we harbored a force of nature equal in strength to her grandfather.

I could only hope she never had reason to grow into that strength.

Cauldron City might not remain standing should she—or her grandfather—go on a rampage.

Miranda snickered, covered her mouth, and choked back her amusement. “They put a kill order out on me, so I see no reason to help them in the slightest. If they want to tango with that lot, so be it. If they wanted my help, they would have asked nicely. With what I know, I could steal just about anything from anyone in this city. All I need is a map or the address. If you want something stolen, I can do it—I just refused to do the kind of work the gangs want. They wanted bigger. I wanted to have enough money to eat and have somewhere to stay.”

Her motivations pained me; over the years, I’d witnessed so many lives ruined by desperation. That she might lose her life for daring to have ethics would bother me until I either secured her safety or we brought the gangs down.

Perhaps I’d been apprehensive about the assignment before meeting her, but I’d heard everything I needed to know about the situation. Until confident that she’d keep possession of her liberty and her life, I’d be keeping a close eye on her—well, as close as I could without crossing any boundaries.

The next few months of my life would be interesting, of that I was certain. “Would you prefer to show me this trick first or go into detail on the participants of this crime war?”

“I’d prefer to show you. That way, if they do catch me, you can light their operations on fire and burn them all to the ground. Pick your target, and I’ll get us inside.”

I had the perfect target in mind: Captain Farthan. I got up, checked my pockets for my keys, gathered everything I’d need for an outing, and said, “There’s no time better than the present. I’ll just go tell the captain that we are going to be following a lead, and then we’ll hit the road.”