“Ah. That.”
“What?”
Vas’ expression went blank and fury unfurled in my chest. “That son of a bitch reported my panic attack?”
“Not in that many words. He merely reported that you pulled off to the side of the road and seemed incapacitated.”
“That’s just fucking great. And Samael wonders why I want nothing to do with him.”
“Samael ripped him a new one when he found out that had made it into his security report.”
I shook my head. This was why Samael had been so remarkably cooperative and when I’d asked him to stop ordering his demons to follow me around. He’d already decided to replace them with Vas.
“I get that this sucks,” Vas said. “But look on the bright side, I’ve already seen you at your worst, and whatever happens, you can trust me not to report it to anyone.”
“Anyone except Samael.”
“Only if he asks me a direct question.”
It was our deal from the last time we’d worked together. I attempted a smile, but the whole situation sucked. Vas and I had the beginning of a friendship, but Samael just kept coming between us.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d sent Vas for this exact reason. He knew we were friends, and the possessive demon was jealous. He was likely hoping I would take my frustration out on Vas.
Asshole.
“Fine. I’m going to interrogate some humans. You can stand around and look suitably intimidating.”
He rolled his eyes. “Cramped elevators and bigoted humans. Two of my favorite things.”
“Hey, why should I be the only one having a sucky day?”
Vas scooped me into his arms with a sigh. “Where to?”
I almost protested but flying would be faster than driving. Instead, I rattled off the address and closed my eyes as he leapt into the sky.
He flapped his wings harder, then caught a draft and soared. I stared into space, still pissed off about losing the asshole who’d shot up Merrill’s back room last night. I’d given his description to the demons and light fae, along with the human authorities, so I had to believe that someone would recognize him and bring him in soon.
Vas let out a disgusted sound and I frowned at him. He was staring down at the bone bracelet wrapped around my wrist. He wrinkled his nose, his dreamy eyes narrowing.
“You’re still wearing the bracelet from that witch.”
“Her name is Hannah as you well know,” I said primly. “And she said it would protect me.”
“She’s ablackwitch,” he said patiently. “She’s someone you need protectionfrom.”
I barely suppressed a smile. Vas had been thoroughly creeped out by Hannah. Completely offended by her existence. He sure wasn’t going to like what was in store for him. Hannah was going to get me into that auction, and if Vas was glued to my side, he was going to need to play nice with her as well.
We landed with barely a bump, and Vas put me on my feet. Crystal Clear Cleaning’s headquarters was a large garage attached to a duplex in Albright. The garage door was open, and a woman was sitting at a desk in the corner doing paperwork.
I heroically did not wrinkle my nose at the overwhelming scent of the cleaning products that were stacked throughout the garage.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes.”
Crystal Grant had short brown hair which looked like she’d been running her hands through it. The short cut had the benefit of showing off her impeccable bone structure, and her face was makeup-free. She got to her feet behind her desk.
I’d spent some time online stalking Crystal Clear Cleaning last night. According to my research, Crystal had started her company ten years ago, and had fought hard and long to work for as many paranormals as possible. Not only did her employees clean Mariam’s building, but they also cleaned a variety of dark fae businesses, a werewolf bar, and a small spell store owned by a witch in Brightleaf.
