The hippocampi didn’t consider themselves part of the Fae world—nor did they consider themselves shifters. While they probably could fit into either, they tended to view themselves as isolated, unique unto themselves.
“I’d rather not talk about it.” There wasn’t much I could say. The two would make my life as miserable as they could for as long as they could.
“What are you going to do?”
I shrugged. “I suppose I’m running on the premise that I’ll deal with it when I get there. Anyway, what brings you here? Is it Straff?”
When we had found out that Straff had escaped, one of the first things we had done was to inform Rhiannon. At that point, we hadn’t counted on him returning to the former scene of his crimes, but now I was glad we had already given her the warning.
“Not really, though he is a concern. But there’s another problem. I suppose Angel told you about the missing teens?”
“Do you think Straff took them?” I asked.
Rhiannon shook her head. “No, actually. Though several murders have occurred that lead me to think he’s returned, this is something I think is totally off his radar. Please don’t say anything to anybody else until you’ve had a chance to look into it.” She sounded so serious that we all leaned in, waiting. “I suspect that one of the members of our Pod has been acting as a go-between to procure sex slaves for buyers on the Dark Web. I can’t prove it, though. And I’m reluctant to put any member of our Pod in danger by asking them to look into it. There’s also the danger that I might end up asking someone involved on the other side.”
I caught my breath. The thought that one of the hippocampi might be going up against their own people seemed almost profane. But there were rotten apples in every bushel. I glanced over at Herne. “Could Yutani track this down, if it’s on the Dark Web?”
“Maybe,” Herne said. “He’d probably need more to go on, though.” He frowned, leaning back in his chair. “So you think whoever is abducting the girls is selling them?”
Rhiannon nodded. “We reported it to the police, but they haven’t found a trace of the girls. We aren’t a large Pod. I can’t imagine that whoever is doing this can keep going for long, not without being found out. But we’re big enough so that I can’t just pinpoint the slaver. Not to mention, I fear that if we catch him, he might never tell us where those girls went. I want them back.”
“Are they the type to run away?” I asked.
“No, that’s the thing. Twinkle and Lecada are at the top of their classes—well, each one in a different field, but they both are stellar students. They help out with charity events, and neither have ever been in trouble. Lecada was on her way home from studying with a classmate when she vanished, and Twinkle was on her way home from the range—she’s into the biathlon—when she disappeared.” Rhiannon shook her head. “I know that Straff is on the loose again, but…there’s something about these girls’ disappearances that just doesn’t jibe with his MO.”
She looked so worried that I immediately wanted to jump in with an offer to help, but the decision wasn’t my call. Herne ran the agency, and he was the one who decided whether we took on cases or not. But right now, I had little doubt by the look on his face. His eyes had clouded over and he looked like he wanted to find a punching bag. Herne hated crap like this, and he was almost always willing to help out when women and children were being exploited.
“We’ll do what we can. I can’t promise you anything, but we’ll come over. We need to look into Straff’s escape anyway. My father’s ready to tear apart Whidbey Island to find him and the guard who helped him. If I were her, I’d pray that Straff killed me before Cernunnos finds her. Do you realize what sort of punishment lies in store for disloyalty to a god?” He shuddered. “I wouldn’t trade places with her for all the world.”
“Thank you. I can’t ask for more than your help,” Rhiannon said. “You might want to stay out at the Pod this time. The hotel you were at last time is undergoing renovations. We have two bungalows at the encampment for VIP guests of the Pod. I have license over who gets to use them, and right now, I’ll assign them to you for as long as you need. When shall we expect you?”
“Given this is a time-sensitive case, we’ll head over to Whidbey Island tomorrow morning.” Herne stood, bowing graciously.
She smiled as she headed for the door. Glancing back over her shoulder, she said, “Ember, congratulations and best of luck. I don’t envy you. Stepping into the world of the gods won’t be easy. I hope it serves you better than it did me when I was faced with that choice many years ago.” Before I could ask what she was talking about, Rhiannon vanished down the hall.
Breathing a heavy sigh, I turned toward Herne. “She almost underwent deification? What for?” It seemed odd that we didn’t know this. But then again, we didn’t know all that much about the water-horse shifters.
“I’m not sure,” he said, staring at the door. “Will you ask Angel to order lunch and call another meeting? I’ll be there in a few moments. I need to make a couple of calls.” He gave me a peck on the cheek, telling me he really was preoccupied, and I headed out of his office, stopping at Angel’s desk to ask her to order lunch.
Chapter Three
As we once again gathered around the break room table, Yutani opened his laptop. I wandered over to the window, staring out into the drizzling rain. The sanitation workers were making the rounds—they had been collecting the trash on Fridays, but now we were on their Monday route. The truck rattled and hummed as the massive pincers picked up the dumpster and emptied it into the back of the truck.
Turning back to the others, I saw that Angel was accepting bags of food from the Anton’s Fish Shack delivery guy.
“That was fast,” I said, helping her carry the bags of chowder and fish and chips to the table.
“They just had to bag it up and run it over. They have a couple delivery boys who are quick as lightning. They like the tips.”
“Chowder,” Viktor said, licking his lips. “Yum.” He glanced at me. “Wearing a sweater?”
I nodded. “I’m cold.” I had grabbed a sweater from my office because the building seemed unusually chilly this morning.
Herne entered, also wearing a cardigan over his polo shirt. “Furnace is on the blink, guys. It’s going to get a lot colder in here before the landlord manages to fix it. He’s sending someone over, but they won’t even get here until mid-afternoon. So bundle up. It’s forty-three degrees outside and it’s going to feel like that in here before long.”
“Wonderful,” Talia said, shaking her head. “We should just buy this building and become our own landlords.” She held up one hand when Herne started to answer her. “Don’t even start. I know you don’t want to, but it makes sense. Either that or find a new office space.”
“I know. But it will be fine. I’ve offered to handle the payment if he picks a reputable guy and not his cousin again.” Herne shook his head. “We’re not going to be subjected to Jamie again.” For years, the landlord’s cousin had “handled” repairs, leading only to yet more costly repairs to fix his fixes. “Actually, I know that I’ve balked about the idea of buying the building in the past, but I’m starting to think it might be a good idea.”