I unlock the door to my apartment, and that plan goes right out the window. Because Mini isn’t sleeping on the couch. She’s in my bed. With my fuzzy.
The two of them are curled up so she’s spooning the little ball of fluff. And Snowball’s got a contented smile, the kind he only gets when he’s curled up on my lap. He’s never been like this with anyone else. He growls at my one-night stands, and if it wasn’t for the containment spell, he’d probably tear them limb from limb.
And it isn’t just men. I’ve had Amber over a few times, and Snowball never took to my best friend. Or her sister, Violet. And the one time their vampire friend Sapphire tagged along, she and my fuzzy got into a snarling match.
Just the sight of his teeth and his terrifying growl should have kept Mini away. But she’s got her arm draped over him instead.
It baffles me. But it also keeps me from kicking her butt to the couch. That and the girl stinks.
Her spell’s worn off, and it turns out that instead of a makeover spell, she used a much cheaper masking spell instead. It basically convinced us all she looked and smelled good, while she was the same dusty, stinky Mini underneath. Which means she’s going to need a bath and my bed’s going to need a change of sheets before I’m going anywhere near it.
I head to the kitchen instead, only to discover that Mini raided my fridge. She ate the pizza I was planning to have for breakfast and the yogurt I usually grab at night when I need a snack.
I glare at her, but my fuzzy looks so content that I leave her be and head for the couch. It takes me forever to get comfortable, but just when I finally doze off, my buzzing phone startles me awake.
I’ve got a crick in my neck, my arm’s numb, and pain shoots down my back as I sit up. Meanwhile, Mini’s curled up in my bed, wrapped in my cozy blankets, holding my pet. And the slight smile on her face makes me want to smother her with my pillow and toss her to the curb.
I scowl as I reach for my phone, but instead of an alarm, the name Silver Steins Brewery shows up on the screen.
“Hello?” I pick up the phone, not bothering to keep my voice down.
“Zoe?” I hear Dominick’s familiar voice on the other line. He’s one of the three brothers who own the Silver Steins Brewery, and the one who hired me to clean up the magical explosion last night.
“Need me to clean up another magical explosion?” I ask.
“Yes,” Dominick replies and then starts sputtering. “N-n-nnness. Listen, did you finish cleaning my office last night? After I left?”
“I did. Why, did I miss something?”
“Ye-nah-yes.” He pauses before trying again. “N-Yes. You need to come down here. Now.”
“I’ll grab the van and be right there. Twenty minutes tops.” I tell him, but my stomach growls. Because stupid Mini ate all my food and there’s nothing else left in the fridge. “Listen, do I have time to stop for breakfast at Bob’s?”
“Yes.” Dominick’s answer doesn’t match his tone, and he’s still spluttering. “Zoe, wait! You need to get here right now! The police are already on their way.”
“Police? Was anyone hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Who?” I demand over Dominick’s sputtering.
“No one. But the brewery got robbed last night.”
“Robbed? Shit!” I glance over the back of the couch at Mini, who’s sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes. She’s got a serious case of bedhead and a bit of drool on the side of her mouth, but she doesn’t look smug. Just surprised.
I narrow my eyes on her and check on the containment spell I left in place last night. I would know if it was breached, but it’s still safely in place. Which means that there’s no way she could have followed me last night and robbed the brewery. Not unless she’s working with someone.
“Listen, Zoe.” Dominick sounds frazzled. “The police should be here any minute now. Can you please get here as fast as you can?”
“Of course.” I hang up and jump to my feet. “Who are you working with?”
“What are you talking about?” Mini lets out an over-exaggerated yawn. “Did you say someone was hurt?”
“No. But the brewery got robbed. I know you’re involved. Just tell me who you’re working with and I’ll get the police to go easy on you.”
“So now you think I was working with someone?” Mini rolls her eyes and picks up Snowball. As in my pet Snowball, who could chew her arm clean off. Except instead of growling at her or baring his teeth, the round fur ball gives me a large, toothy grin. And then, he starts to purr.
“What did you do to Snowball?” I glare at her.
“Nothing. Isn’t that right, my sweet little girl?” Mini runs her fingers through his soft white fur.
“Snowball isn’t a girl. And he isn’t sweet.”
Snowball snarls in response. At me.
“Whatever. I give up.” I glare at both of them, grab a change of clothes from the dresser and head into the bathroom to get dressed. I don’t have time for a shower, so I quickly brush my teeth, change, and head out.
I consider grabbing takeout from Bob’s but head straight to the brewery instead. I want to know what got robbed and how it could have possibly happened on my watch.
I call Wes—my boss, Amber’s mate, and the guy who just happened to hire his brother to clean for us last week—on the drive over. Not because I now think Mini’s innocent. But just to be sure. A few carefully placed questions, and I learn that all three of Wes’s brothers are away on a fishing trip with their dad. Which means that I need to ask Dominick some questions so I can figure out who Mini’s accomplice is.
I drive up to the brewery and pull into the lot. There’s one car there already, a dark blue sedan that belongs to Dominick. I leave my cleaning supplies in the van and head toward the old warehouse.
It looks unexceptional from the outside. Even a little run down. But going inside is like stepping into another world. One with rich, intoxicating scents and multicolored bubbles filling the air.
The machinery along one wall ferments the magical beverages, each bubble perfectly unique—or so Dominick explained one of the times I was by to clean the brewery.
“Are the police here?” I ask when I spot him next to a stack of beer barrels.
“Yes. Shit!” Dominick snaps, which really isn’t like him. He’s normally so self-controlled. And I’ve never heard him swear before, although that might be because he’s usually accompanied by his four-year-old daughter, Avery. “N-n-Yes. Damn it!”
“Wait, so the cops aren’t here yet?” I frown.
“Yes.” Dominick replies.
“Can you say anything other than yes?”
“Yes.”
My frown intensifies.
Dominick looks furious as he rubs his hand across his beard, a wild look in his eyes. Before I can question his odd behavior, the brewery’s front doors open and footsteps echo across the wooden floor.
I turn around, fully expecting to see Liam and his partner Bert—or another uniformed cop—only to lock eyes with Ghost instead.
It’s like an exact repeat of our meeting at Jewels Cafe, except for one minor detail. Not the fact that he looks tired—like maybe he didn’t sleep—or the fact that Julian isn’t here with him.