“Not hard to be smarter than some dumb bigot human.” She shrugged.

As gentle as he could be, he stripped off her clothes and examined her for any use of magick or any sort of physical harm. She had a bruise on her thigh, where the smear of oil had been.

“He pushed me into a wall. Dumb, I know. But I wasn’t expecting it. The bruise will be a good reminder.”

“Sometimes, Meriel, I really wonder what it was like to be you growing up when you say stuff like that.” He held out her favorite pair of lounge pants and then a soft, long sleeved shirt.

“All the best lessons in life are those learned the hard way. If I don’t take them as lessons, then I take them as failures. I prefer the former.”

“I prefer for my woman not to get assaulted in the middle of a crowded city at rush hour.”

“Me too.”

Chapter 27

“I’VE got something.” Nell walked into Meriel’s office.

“Really now? Can you clear it up with a cream?”

Nell’s serious face fell and she snorted. “Ha! Thank God William used a rubber before me. No creams needed, though dude, my mother happily informed me yesterday that I’m going to leak. Super glad I told her I was pregnant.”

Meriel moved back. “Like how?”

Nell laughed. “Thank God for you, Meriel Owen. Milk. From my boobs. Though you can leak amniotic fluid. Which, ew.”

“Have you been watching those baby delivery shows on cable again? You cried the last time. We agreed you weren’t to do that anymore.”

“I cry a lot. Especially when my mother tells me my breasts will leak dairy products.”

“This is what happens when you let the boys go too far, Nell. I would have thought you’d know that by now.”

Nell socked her.

“Enough baby talking. I know where your human is. Your homing spell worked perfectly. I also sent some people to go check the address on the paper. In entirely predictable news, it’s a warehouse complex in North Seattle. Lots of empty space there. Only two tenants left and I think she’s one of them.”

“WELL, let’s search a little, shall we?” Meriel moved to her computer and began to search. They’d already done a search on the address. It was a commercial property run by a management company. The management company had come up clean. But that didn’t mean there was a dead end.

“How are the individual warehouses numbered?”

“They’re lettered. A through F. B and E are occupied. Tool and dye shop in B. Has been there in that location for nineteen years. Owners are a local family. Not a witch in the bunch that I could find.”

Meriel was busily verifying this herself. “No liens against anyone in the family. No criminal records.” She continued clicking. “The business pays on time, the owners too.” She looked at pictures on their website. “They’re established. She’s not there. This isn’t about them at all.”

“I agree. E is a smaller warehouse. Current business has been there three years. They make specialty trailers to pull luxury cars. I shit you not. I’ve seen these trailers, they’re really amazing and cost a crapton of money too.” Nell’s love of cars was clear on her face.

“These people aren’t as well known. One of the owners’ sons has a record for assault. Also for writing bad checks.”

“I already got that part. Sheesh. I can handle the police record stuff.”

She glanced to Nell. “They’re mortgaged to the gills though. But, that’s not unusual right now. Many people are hurting.”

“I don’t think she’s in the occupied warehouses.”

“Why’d she not say which one if I’m supposed to meet her?”

“I’m sure she planned to have you wander around and then get the drop on you.”

Meriel rolled her eyes. “She’s dumb.”

“Totally. So your boy is interestingly enough in the vicinity. Want to take a pass with me? I’m not going in or even getting close. I just want to see it for myself.”

“That little shit who ripped my blouse yesterday is at the warehouse facility?”

Nell nodded.

She got back on the computer and began to look for the origins of the building and then the land it sat on.

“Do you think she knows enough to choose a powerful place?”

“No. I would of course. But she’s been turned for thirty years. She didn’t grow up in a clan at all. What she knows about us, hell about herself, is all superficial. She never bothered to hone her own spellwork, that much is clear. Her laziness is what got her stuck to start with.”

“And it’s going to help us take care of her once and for all.”

“I can’t go without telling Dominic. He made me promise.”

“I like that he worries. Call him then. Or is he still sleeping?” Nell winked.

“Tom is staying with us. So they had plans to go to breakfast. Dom took him to Heart of Darkness last night and they had a great time. I’m glad he’s here. Dominic needed it.” Needed to know that just because the woman who gave birth to him could have killed him just a few nights before didn’t mean a damned thing because he had a father. Tom loved him and Dominic loved him right back. It was a good thing, made Meriel happy to see them together the way they were.

She called him. “Hey you.”

“What’s up?” Meriel heard talking in the background. Simon’s low bass tones and Tom’s smoother voice.

“I’m sorry to bug you. I know you’re busy.”

“Never too busy for you. What do you need?”

“I’m going on a scouting mission with Nell and I promised I’d tell you when I was going to do anything having to do with Gloria.”

“Meriel.”

She tried not to laugh.

“Yes?”

“A scouting mission? And what does this entail?” His voice had lowered and gone all silky. She knew he was honed in on her and pissed off too. But it was hot and she was crazy because she loved it.

“You know what that voice does to me.”

He sighed and she knew he was searching for patience and trying not to be amused. “Why do you need to go? Why don’t you let me go?”

“I need to go because it’s part of my job. You don’t need to go because you’re busy with something and you don’t work for the clan. I’m calling because I promised to. It’s not a commando mission. We’re just going to cruise by the place the homing spell pinged for, which also happens to be the address Gloria gave me. This isn’t an episode of I Love Lucy. Nell is a smart woman who is very good at her job.”

He groaned. “Why don’t I come along?”

“Say hello to everyone for me. If you like, I’ll text you when we’re out so you know what’s going on. Oh and hold dinner for tomorrow open on your schedule, please. Some of the witches from Rodas are coming out, including the hunter.”

“I didn’t agree to this plan with you and Nell.”

“I never said you had to. I promised to call you and tell you and I did. Now, I love you. Have fun and I’ll text you in a bit.”

“If you get hurt, I will kick your ass.”

“Same goes, buster.” She hung up, still smiling.

“YOU think you can do a covert look at the warehouse with this car?”

“Look, you, this is my biz. I know how to do it.” Nell rolled her eyes.

“I never thought it was possible, but you’re even bitchier now that you’re knocked up like a dirty whore.”

Nell burst out laughing. “You’re going to make me have to pee. Stop. Anyway, this is not that unusual a car and given that this place has a specialty car service, I can’t think anyone’s going to look twice. Well, other than the fact that this car is bitchin’ and all.”

“Good point. I have been properly schooled on the matter of covert investigation. Also, you were what? Five when the word bitchin’ was en vogue?”

“I see how you are.” Nell slowed down a little and Meriel opened up her othersight. And then exhaled.