Ghost jumps to his feet. So do the cops. A split second later, I’m up too, and everyone else follows. The vampires—so one of the cops, the renaissance men, and the developer of Screech—zoom ahead. And, to my complete shock, so does the old, gray-haired Violet. They almost reach the food table, too, by the time the bathroom door swings open and Zoe steps out.
“No luck, huh?” she asks, her eyes taking us all in. “Wow, all of you guys showed up. Too bad the thief didn’t get the memo.”
“Actually, he did,” I tell her, and then glance at Bert, who’s standing over the duster with a pair of handcuffs.
I take a second to look over Zachariah in shifter form. He’s completely blue, from hand to foot, or from handle to fluffy part, I guess. Don’t use a duster myself, so don’t know much about them. I do know his handle’s plastic, though he looks like the type of duster you’d re-use, not just throw into the trash once you’re done.
“You think he knew it was a trap?” Zoe asks, still not realizing the duster’s the thief. Then she notices where the rest of our eyes are trained and frowns. “Hey, how did that get here?”
“Don’t touch him, Zoe!” Bert warns when she starts to reach down. “Duster, you are under arrest.”
“Has he lost his mind?” Zoe asks. “Are you seriously telling me the duster…” She meets my eyes, and hers widen… because she finally understands. “Xavi, is he…?”
“A Bayan? Yeah.”
And that’s when Zachariah shifts back and stares at Bert, his eyes filled with panic.
Up close, he does not look good. He’s lost a lot of weight, and the dark circles under his eyes suggest he hasn’t been getting too much sleep. Guess being a thief would do that.
And that’s when I realize we caught the thief. Which means I could get the scoop. And maybe even my job.
“Zachariah?” I step closer as Bert cuffs him. Magic cuffs that stick to any supe form just like hockey skates. Not that a duster can run far. Or at all.
“Xavi?” he asks, his face filled with shame. And then he hangs his head and stares at his boots.
“You two know each other?” Bert asks, a calculating look in his eye.
“Xavi had nothing to do with this,” Zachariah says. “It was all me. I needed the money, and I… I couldn’t think of another way.”
“Drugs?” the older Violet ventures a guess. “Or gambling? It’s always drugs or gambling.”
“Here, here,” one of the renaissance men chimes in.
Zachariah shakes his head in denial. “I got a girl pregnant. Tina…”
“The eye makeup shifter? From the dance team?” I ask in surprise.
Zachariah sighs. “We hooked up once. Guess we weren’t careful. Then she showed up at my door with Nathaniel and just left.” He looks up, eyes pleading. “You have to understand. She told me not to come back to Shifter Bay. And babies… I need a sitter when I’m at work. And formula. Diapers. Clothes. He keeps growing out of all his clothes.”
“So you’d restock my van and sneak in with the cleaning supplies?” Zoe asks.
Zachariah nods and hangs his head.
“Do you still have the necklace?” she adds. “The one from the safe? It’s a family heirloom that belongs to a little girl.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know!” Zachariah cries. “I’ll give it back. I’ll return everything. Except the food. I ate it. But I’ll pay for it. And I’ll pay back the money. Somehow. I’ll find a way. But you have to let me go. Nathaniel doesn’t have anyone else.”
I feel bad for the guy, I really do. But at the same time, he cost me my job. And nearly cost Zoe hers. Not to mention hurting all the stores around town that got robbed and Wes’s business.
“No. Please!” he cries as Bert starts to lead him away. “What’s going to happen to my baby?”
“I can take care of him.” Mini steps forward, blocking their path.
“You can’t take care of a baby,” Zoe frowns. “You don’t even have a job.”
“Then I’ll get one!”
“And resort to a life of crime to make up the rest?” I look pointedly at Zachariah.
“What if we help?” Amber chimes in, shooting a pleading look at her guys. All three of them nod, and she and Mini exchange a look. One I can’t even begin to comprehend.
“I’ll help too,” Zoe adds. “Ghost and I nearly crushed him with a table. It’s the least we can do.”
“But he nearly got you fired,” I remind her.
“I still have my job, don’t I?” Zoe grins. “So everything worked out in the end.”
Chapter Twenty
Zoe
“I still can’t believe we caught the thief,” I tell Ghost as I park the Cleanly Den van. I choose a spot in the lot down the street from Jewels Cafe, but the two of us aren’t in any rush. Xavi stayed back at Spell Library to quickly draft an article to send to his ex-boss. Amber and Mini—still can’t wrap my head around that one—went to pick up baby Nathaniel from the sitter. And Amber’s guys and Leith decided to walk back.
“You got the thief, Wyn.” Ghost turns to face me. “It was your idea. And it worked.”
“It did, didn’t it?” I grin, then let out a small sigh. “I actually feel bad for Zachariah.”
“So do I.” Ghost frowns. “After the types of criminals the agency had us go after, he just seems so…”
“Innocent?” I ask. “He was just trying to take care of his kid. I wish we’d known. I bet tons of people would have helped.”
“I’m sure they would have.” Ghost shakes his head. “All he had to do was ask. But he chose to steal instead. Almost cost you your job.”
“And Xavi his. I really hope that article gets him his job back.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Ghost cups my cheek. “Plus, I kind of like his backup plan.”
“What backup plan? He didn’t mention anything.”
“He thought of it this morning, while you and Leith were… occupied.” Ghost smirks.
My cheeks flush. “Well, are you going to tell me what it is or what?”
“Patience, Wyn.” Ghost grins as his magic swirls around my wrists, holding them for a split second before letting go. “I’m going to have to teach you some of that. Tonight.”
“Or you could teach me now?” I lean towards him when Leith shows up at the window and gives it a gentle tap.
I roll it down the window and slowly unzip my coat. “How about I show you guys some cleaning supplies in the back?”
Which is when I hear a snort and all three of Amber’s guys appear behind Leith, grinning ear to ear.
“Should we give you some alone time?” Chase smirks.
“Not in my van we shouldn’t,” Wes snaps back. And Leith shifts into a bee.
No one bats an eye.
“You could just clean it afterwards,” Julian tells Wes. “It’s literally your job.”