Chapter 1

“Here are your keys, dear. Now don’t let your neighbor across the hall scare you.”

Roz Wells took the key from Dottie the apartment manager and froze. “Scare me? Why would he, she, or they scare me?”

“It’s a he. Nathan Nourie.” She stepped closer to Roz and whispered, “I call him Nasty Nathan, and I assumed he might scare you because he scares me. I’m told he’s harmless, but…Oh well, I don’t want to influence your opinion by relating my own harrowing experiences.”

“Harrowing?” Oh, my freakin’ God. “What’s wrong with Nathan?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. All I can tell you is he works in a morgue and has an odd sense of humor. Downright morbid if you ask me.”

Maybe she’s just easily freaked out. “Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

Dottie folded her arms and humphed. “You haven’t met him yet. If I told you everything…but I won’t. I wouldn’t want to prejudice you.”

“No, of course not.” Roz mentally rolled her eyes. So why did you tell me anything at all, lady?

“In fact, most of the tenants here may take some getting used to. If I were you, I’d stay away from the women in 3B too.”

“Why? What wrong with them?”

“Well, they seem to have gotten better lately, but they used to scream and holler all the time. Oh, and don’t get me started on my neighbor right across the hall, Konrad Wolfensen, unless you like nudists. But you’re on the first floor and we’re on the second, so you shouldn’t have to see what I’ve seen. I swear to God, my eyes can never un-see that.”

Roz wondered if leaving her comfortable apartment in Allston and moving to Boston proper was a good idea, but she wanted to keep an eye on her best friend Merry, having learned her new husband’s secret.

She’d confided in her last winter—Merry said she was marrying a shapeshifter and as crazy as that sounded, Merry was the most down-to-earth and stable person Roz had ever known. There had to be something to it, and Roz needed to know that her best friend in the world hadn’t made a horrible mistake.

“Well, thanks for the warning,” I think. “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you…You know that I’m Merry’s friend, right?”

“Which is why you were standing next to her at her wedding and why you knew her apartment was available before I advertised it. Yes, I remember.”

She could have just said, ‘yes’ without the attitude.“Please don’t tell her I moved in. I want it to be a surprise.”

Dottie shrugged. “Suit yourself. She’ll be in Florida with my nephew while he’s in Spring Training. You know her husband, star pitcher for the Boston Bullets, is my nephew, right?”

Roz gave her a sardonic smile. “I may have heard about that.” Like, each time I’ve heard you talking.

The door across the hall clicked open and a familiar-looking, gorgeous blond hunk stepped out of his apartment. A short-sleeve, black t-shirt exposed luscious biceps and it stretched across massive, taut pectoral muscles. When he turned around to lock his door, Roz noticed his tight butt and hair so long it almost reached his waist.

Don’t drool, don’t stare, don’t drool…

“Oh, hello, Konrad,” Dottie said with syrupy sweetness. “I was just welcoming our new resident.”

Some welcome.

“This is Rosalyn Wells. Rosalyn, this is Konrad.”

I wish I could shed thirty pounds twenty seconds ago. A hottie like him would never be interested in a lump like me.

“Oh, you’re Merry’s friend.” He nodded at the key in her hand. “Are you moving into 1B, her old apartment?”

“Yes, I am.” Why oh why did I wear my oldest, rattiest sweatpants today?

“I remember meeting you at the Burger Restaurant a few months ago and then I saw you again when you were Merry’s maid of honor. You looked ravishing in that blue dress by the way.”

Roz was taken aback. Oh no, he isn’t gay, is he? Good-looking, sensitive, notices and remembers details, sheesh. It’s always the good looking ones. But I’ll take the compliment wherever I can get it.

Merry was usually the one who attracted male attention. Roz had never considered herself memorable in the least. Her figure was less than svelte, and her dark brown hair was too straight to hold a style. She usually just swept it back in a bun for work. At least she liked her eyes. They were big and blue, but her eyeglasses hid them. Wearing glasses gave her an authoritative appearance, good for the courtroom but lousy for dating. “You remember me?”

“Of course I remember you. Welcome to our humble abode, Rosalyn.”

He extended his hand, and she grasped it. His big warm paw held hers in a surprisingly gentle clasp. Some kind of energy passed between them. Something she’d never felt when shaking the hand of a colleague.

“Call me Roz.”

“I’d hardly call this building humble,” Dottie said. “That chandelier in the foyer must have cost my nephew a fortune.”

“That chandelier has been there since my hair was short. Your nephew just bought the building when? Last summer?”

Suddenly the chandelier started to swing back and forth.

Dottie jammed her hands on her hips. “For God’s sake, Chad. Haven’t you gone into the light yet?”

Konrad elbowed Roz’s arm. “Chad is our resident ghost.”

Dottie rolled her eyes. “Yes, God forbid I leave him out when telling you about the other residents.”

“There’s a g—ghost haunting the building?” What kind of fresh hell did I just get myself into?

“Yes, but he won’t bother you if he likes you,” Konrad said. “I didn’t even know he was here until the séance.” Konrad looked at the chandelier. “You leave the new woman alone, all right, Chad? She’s a friend of Merry’s.”

Nice of him to intervene for me, but…The back of Roz’s neck prickled. “You held a séance?”

“Sure, didn’t Merry tell you?”

“No. I think I would have remembered that.”

Dottie shook her head. “She was the only resident who couldn’t make it, besides my husband. She said she had to work. My husband said he had to keep an eye on the building. I don’t know where he thought it was going…. Well, I have work to do now, but before I leave you, Roz, you should know that I’m not happy with loud parties or tenants that cause trouble. And I live right above you.”

Konrad leaned toward Dottie. “Is that some kind of threat? I don’t recall her saying she’s a party animal.”

Wow, is Konrad this protective of all the tenants or is it just me? Nah, he and Dottie probably have some kind of history.“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me,” Roz said, quickly. “I live a quiet life.” Not by choice…

“Good. We’ll get along swell, then.” Dottie gave Konrad a dirty look, stepped into her apartment and closed the door.

“So, can I help you move in? I’m pretty strong.” He flexed his sizeable muscles.

Holy Christmas! I haven’t seen muscles like that in…ever! Whoa, didn’t Dottie say he was a nudist? What I wouldn’t give to see…but no. Even if he showed me his, I’d never show him mine.

“Weren’t you headed somewhere else?” Roz asked.

“No. Would you rather I was?”

She chuckled. “Of course not. I just thought…oh, never mind. It’d be nice to have company while I wait for the movers.”

“Hi new kid.” Chad followed Roz down the stairs. Most of the residents seemed like kids to him. After all, he’d been haunting the place since the nineteen-sixties. Okay, so Konrad was older, but he was a werewolf. Other than Konrad, not even the super Ralph or his wife Dottie or the vampire Sly could claim Chad’s age or experience.

“That’s right, kid, we have a vampire. The only reason the landlady didn’t mention him was because she doesn’t know he’s living in the basement. Heh heh.

“I’ll bet you thought I was swinging from the chandelier, didn’t you kid? As much fun as that would be, I’m afraid my astral body doesn’t work that way. It’s not like I have an invisible body. I’m a spirit. That means I have no astral ass to sit on.

“But, just like a corporeal person who loses one sense and strengthens the others, I may have lost my body, but I’ve strengthened my mind to razor sharpness. Yeah, I’m smart as shit.

“Ha ha. I wish. Actually, I’ve learned to use my mind to affect objects. So, even though I wasn’t literally swinging from the chandelier, I concentrated really hard on the chandelier swinging until it did! It’s called telekinesis. If I were able to ride it, I’d do it every day until the damn thing came crashing down. You have no idea how badly I need entertainment.”

Chad followed Roz into her empty apartment, continuing to chat at her, as though she could hear every word. After all, you never knew when you might run into a sensitive soul who could sense, hear, or see his presence.

Roz glanced up at Konrad. “I just want to take a quick look around to figure out where I’m going to put things when the movers come.”

“Would you like me to wait outside?”

“Only if you want to.”

Chad continued, still hopeful. “The others in the building don’t know much about me, except Morgaine and Gwyneth. They’re the witches in apartment 3B and they’re noisy because they’re sex phone actresses. Some of their clients like screamers.”

Still no reaction from the new tenant, damn. “I like making Dottie and Ralph’s ceiling fan spin around. Dottie thinks I’m riding it and Ralph, who doesn’t believe in ghosts, scratches his head and tries to find a logical explanation. A short in the wiring? Oh, come on. It wouldn’t work at all if that happened.”

Roz pulled on her hoodie sweatshirt and fumbled for the zipper. “It’s cold out. Don’t you want to get a jacket?”

Konrad shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.” He opened the door as wide as it would go and said, “Hang onto this a minute.” Then he carried over the marble pedestal table from the foyer and propped it open, presumably to carry furniture through it.

Roz shivered. “It’s freezing in here, but I’d better wait to turn the heat on. Otherwise, it’ll all just rush outside.”

Oh, maybe she sensed me! Chad floated in front of her and made a scary face. Muuhauahuaha…Damn, I hope you’re sensitive and just ignoring me because we’re not alone. I’m sick of talking to myself all the time.”

Konrad opened the front door for Roz and held it as she stepped right through Chad to the outside. Disappointed, he floated back upstairs, hoping to find one of the witches to talk to.

Roz and Konrad settled on the front stoop. Konrad sat so close that Roz could feel his body heat radiating into her skin. It felt oddly comforting.

“I heard Dottie giving you her take on the neighbors and thought I’d try to put your mind at ease.”

“You heard her? Right through your apartment? I didn’t realize we were speaking loudly—or are the walls that thin?”

“No. I—uh, seem to have extra acute hearing.”

And kind of cute ears, slightly pointed at the ends. “So, about the neighbors… They’re not as bad as she thinks they are?”

“They’re not bad at all. Dottie’s the crazy one if you ask me.”

“How so?”

“Always sticking her nose into other people’s business. She acts like she has to protect her nephew’s investment or something. Like one of us is about to burn the place to the ground at any moment.”

Roz reeled back. “Why would anyone do that? You live here too.”

“Exactly.”

She shook her head. “Well, you don’t have to worry about her influencing my judgment. I’m an attorney. I form my own opinions based on evidence, not hearsay.”

“Sheesh, you even sound like a lawyer.”

She chuckled. “Comes with the territory, I guess. But I wish I could find some other lucrative line of work.”

“Really? Why? Isn’t law fulfilling?”

Wow, he seems genuinely interested. How rare is that in a man? Plus kind and good looking. Maybe living here won’t be so bad—even if he turns out to be gay. Maybe we could go shopping together. “Well, to tell you the truth, the job is changing me in ways I don’t like.”

“Ah. You’re becoming jaded.”

“You said it. That and it’s no fun. I wish I could find a job that I could be passionate about and have fun while I’m doing it.”

“I get that. I’d like the same thing. So, what type of law do you practice?”

“I’m a public defender, low on the totem pole, so I get all weird cases. Tomorrow night’s the full moon. I can hardly wait to see what the next day will bring.”

Konrad laughed. “Imagine that, Roz Wells gets the weird cases. You must have some stories to tell.”

“Yeah, too bad about that attorney-client privilege thing.”

“Oh, come on. You can talk in generalities. Some of those stories probably wind up in the news anyway.”

“True.”

“So, give me some examples of full moon cases.”

She sighed. “Well, there are the usual extra-terrestrial sightings, but with what I call the loonies, there’s always an unusual twist.”

“Like zealots with shotguns wearing tin foil hats for protection?”

She chuckled. “Yeah, or like one time when a guy claimed to see a spaceship melting. Funny how it happened on a hot day on a tarred road.”

“Ah, so he was seeing a mirage.”

“Probably. I didn’t hear about any melted spaceships.”

“Why did he need a lawyer? It’s not against the law to report an extraterrestrial sighting.”

“But shooting out the windows of a “melting” minivan is kind of frowned upon.”

Konrad’s laugh was deep—sort of like Santa Clause without the “Ho ho ho.”

“The moon isn’t full every night. What do you do the other twenty-seven days?”

“If it’s not the nuts, then it’s the dregs of society. Drug dealers who hang around playgrounds getting into turf wars with the pedophiles—each one claiming the same street corner—once I had a not-so-bright client who called the cops on the druggies, only to be picked up himself for violating his parole. And of course there are the vandals who like to show off their colorful vocabulary by hating a particular subgroup in graffiti.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a barrel of laughs, but you knew it wouldn’t be, right?”

“Sure, I knew I’d meet my share of dirt-bags. But I also pictured the occasional innocent person that I could really help. Most of the time the son-of-a-bitch is probably guilty and lying his head off, but everyone deserves a fair trial—presumed innocent until proven guilty, right?”

“Right.”

She shook her head. “That assumption is rapidly evaporating. Now I look at a defendant and the first thing that pops into my mind is, ‘What the hell did this one do, and what line of bull is he going to feed me?’”

“You could go into a different type of law practice.”

“I already have. I used to do civil law. Lots of nasty divorce cases.”

Konrad groaned. “Don’t tell me. Now you think all men are scum.”

“Not anymore. It took a while to find the old die-hard romantic in me, but I eventually did. Now I think all men are criminals.”

Konrad laughed, but there was a nervous edge to it. He scratched the back of his neck, uncrossed his long legs and crossed them the other way.

Roz stretched to get comfortable too. “So, what do you do?”

“For a living?”

No for kicks, nervous boy. “Yeah. What kind of work do you do?”

“I work nights. In security.”

“You’re a security guard? Well, you have the size for it, but that wouldn’t have been my first guess. You sound so well educated. I mean, who uses the word ravishing these days? Oh! Not that you couldn’t be extremely intelligent and still be a security guard. I didn’t mean to…”

“Put your foot in your mouth?”

“Yeah, sorry. That happens when I meet a cute guy.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Actually, I used to be an educator.”

“A teacher? Where?”

“A private school for boys.”

Before she had a chance to ask him more about it, he was already rerouting the conversation to the present.

“And now I’m more of a security specialist. I analyze a company’s weak spots in their off hours and recommend the best protection to suit their individual needs. My brother and I own the business together.”

Maybe the past isn’t something he wants to talk about. “He works nights too?”

“Sometimes, but not for the company. He’s a cop but installs our alarm systems during the day. It’s far more lucrative than teaching.”

“I can imagine. Teachers don’t get paid enough for all they do.”

“So, what brought you to our building? Did you move here to be near your friend?”

Roz wondered why he suddenly shifted the conversation back to her. It seemed kind of abrupt.“Yes, actually.”

“But you wanted to keep your being here a surprise until she gets home? Why is that?”

Roz bit her lower lip, then came out with the truth. “I figured after I was all settled in, she wouldn’t try to talk me out of it.”

Konrad leaned away from her and appeared puzzled. “Why would she want to do that?”

“Oh, uh…no reason. I was just kidding.”

“No, you weren’t.”

Roz’s shoulders slumped. “You have one of those built-in lie detectors, don’t you?”

“Comes with the teaching gig.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet you heard your share of dogs eating their homework stories.”

“Oh, yeah. Dogs, wolves, something was always eating homework.”

“Wolves?” Roz shivered. “Where did you teach? Montana?”

He laughed. “No, Newton, Mass. But you should have heard the creative excuses. Almost made me want to give extra credit for imagination.”

“Like?”

“You’re distracting me from my original question, aren’t you?”

“Damn you’re good.”

“So, what’s the answer?”

“What was the question again?”

He gave her the hairy eyeball.

“Okay, okay. Do you remember that day Merry and I were having lunch in the burger place?”

“When I was sitting right behind you and overheard her telling you that Jason’s a shapeshifter?”

Roz gasped. “You heard that? You know?”

“Yes. I was quite impressed with how well you handled the news. I liked how you were there for your friend, no matter what she said or how crazy it sounded. You must be a very open-minded woman.”

She hung her head. “I may not be quite as open-minded as I seemed. I actually want to keep an eye on Merry. I can’t do that from Allston. But if she knew that, she’d kill me. Her family has been overly protective her whole life. I don’t want her to think I am too.”

“Yet you’re worried about her.”

“Naturally. She’s my best friend. I don’t want to doubt her sanity, but shapeshifters? Really?”

“You’re not willing to entertain the possibility of aliens or shapeshifters?”

“I never said that.” Roz sighed. “Look, I’m used to logic and objectivity. If I can’t see it with my own eyes, there has to be some kind of explanation. I can’t just flex the laws of physics on someone’s say so. You have to admit the whole idea is kind of weird, and she means the world to me. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to her.”

“Bad? Like what? Are you afraid it’s going to rub off on her?”

“No…yes… Hell, I don’t know! I can’t imagine why Jason would make that up. I mean, how did you take it? Weren’t you a little weirded out?”

“I was surprised, but not weirded out. Is weirded a word?”

“It is now.”

He smiled and bumped her arm playfully. Then he cleared his throat. “You may have moved to the wrong place if you’re easily, um, weirded.”

“Yeah, now that I know there’s a ghost here as well as an alleged shapeshifter… Holy crap.”

Konrad glanced the other way and mumbled something under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Oh look, there’s the moving van.”

“Yup. It looks like their GPS is working.”

Konrad kissed her on the forehead, rose, and jogged down the stairs to meet them, as if he were the one moving in.

Surprised, Roz touched the spot, and it tingled. He’s like a big, friendly Great Dane. Jeez, I hope he’s not gay.

Konrad slid into a booth across from his identical twin brother. “Nicholas, we’ve got to be even more careful now. A lawyer has moved into my building. She’s a public defender, but they know people.”

“Crap. First a private dick and now a lawyer. Like attracting like again?”

“Maybe. This one’s cute though. Kind of has that sexy secretary thing going on. Looks innocent as vanilla, but underneath there’s something very spicy. She even smells like cinnamon.”

“Steer clear, bro. She could be trouble.”

Konrad leaned against the padded vinyl back. “What if I don’t want to?”

Nicholas leaned back too and folded his arms. “Are you out of your mind? Should I remind you what you do for a living? A thief and a lawyer aren’t a match made in Heaven—unless God has a really twisted sense of humor.”

“The attempted robbery gig is temporary. It’s always been temporary. Besides, her job sounds temporary too. She’s trying to find a whole new line of work. Being an attorney doesn’t agree with her.”

Nicholas grinned and leaned forward. “Maybe she could become a librarian.”

Konrad almost sighed aloud as he fantasized. “Wouldn’t that be nice? I can picture her in glasses, riding the rolling ladder in my living room library.”

“The ladder you’ll never need unless you’re chopped off at the knees?”

Konrad chuckled. “Hey, it goes with the old world look of the place.”

A waitress strolled over to take their lunch orders. They both ordered rare steaks, bloody, with cold centers and no side dishes. She wrinkled her nose but jotted it down and left them to continue their conversation.

“How tall is she?”

“About five-six or seven.”

“So, you’re about a head taller. She’d need the ladder just to look you in the eye.” Nick grinned, wickedly. “Or you could find more interesting uses for it. It’s probably been gathering dust, just like you have.”

“Is that a crack about my social life?”

“No, it’s a comment on your lack of one. But you should wait to ask her out until one of you finds another line of work.”

“Yeah, yeah. So, what job do you have for me this time? A boutique? A jewelry store? What?”

“Nope, this heist is unusual. It’s a restaurant downtown. They have a free-standing freezer plus one of those dessert display cases.”

“Crap, those weigh a ton.”

“I’m sure you can lift them. No mere mortal could, that’s for sure.”

Konrad sighed. “Fine. You’re sure they have no cameras? No alarms? Remember last time? That was close. If I hadn’t shifted and growled, scaring the damn dogs out of their minds…”

“No dogs either. No security whatsoever. Not even a dead bolt. I’ll bet you could get in with a credit card.”

“Well, since I don’t have any, I’ll have to borrow one of yours.”

“Yeah, right. Like I’m going to hand over my credit card to my deadbeat brother.”

Thanks a lot, rude-o. “Be nice. And exactly what am I supposed to do with these things once I get them outside?”

“Leave ‘em on the sidewalk. Make it look like you were scared off. Oh, but bring me home some steaks and a Boston Cream Pie. You know how much I love those.”

Konrad shook his head. “Man, I’m glad I don’t have to carry the equipment far.”

“Yeah, we just want them inconvenienced enough to consider buying an alarm system. And then I’ll conveniently drop in.”

“Sounds good. So, when do I do it?”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight? Are you sure? It’s almost that time of the month. What if I get caught and locked up?”

“You won’t.”

Easy for you to say.

Nick tucked his napkin into his collar to protect his uniform. “You’re always careful.”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t want to miss a run through the Arboretum. We’re on for tomorrow at midnight, as usual?”

“Absolutely. Are you planning to go to Newton after that?”

“You know I have to keep an eye on the pack.”

“No, you really don’t. They kicked you out and replaced you with another Alpha. How can you possibly feel any responsibility toward them?”

“I just do. You’ve got tomorrow evening off, don’t you?”

“Of course. It’s the full moon.”

“It’s a good thing there are so many werewolves on the Boston Police Force, especially the ones who arrange your schedule.”

“If you do the job tonight, you’ll be nearly at full strength.”

“True.”

“Pretend your sexy librarian is watching. Muscles get the ladies hot.”

“Yeah. That’ll work.” Konrad rested his chin on his fist and drifted off into a fantasy of Roz Wells without baggie sweats.