“Rachel Morgan!” the floor guard exclaimed as if I didn’t know he was coming for me. “Get your stuff. Someone came to claim you.”
Claim me, I thought, smirking as I fluffed my out-of-control hair and listened to the click of dress shoes coming down the tiled hall. As if I was a dog or cat picked up by the pound.
But it wasn’t Trent. It was Pike.
“Pike,” I said, my welcoming smile fading as the guard squinted at the door lock, clearly unfamiliar with the code to open my door and my door alone. “Surprise, surprise.”
“Morgan,” he said evenly, adding an impressed, “Wow,” as he stared at the frizzy chaos of my hair.
“Not a word,” I said, flushing. Charms weren’t allowed, and the conditioner that Jenks had snuck in to me had vanished before I’d had a chance to use it. “You look better,” I said, and he inclined his head, still sneaking glances at my veritable ’fro of red. Even after six weeks, his hair still had that burned-off shortness, and his face was clean-shaven. He looked tired as he waited for the guard to figure the door out, standing with a red, oversize envelope with my name on it in his hand. His suit was black and his tie was gray. Wrinkles edged his eyes, and he seemed thinner. Not a good look when he’d been trim to begin with.
Why is he here? I thought, wondering if it was something to do with that red folder.
“I thought Trent was picking me up,” I said as the guard finally got my individual door to unlock, and it slid to the side.
“He’s in the lobby.” Pike’s grip on the large envelope tightened. “You would have been out sooner if you hadn’t smart-mouthed the judge.”
I grinned, remembering how I’d turned my time served into three days, into a week, then six. Jenks had thought I was crazy, Trent had, too. David, though, had known. He was a smart man. “I wanted some time to, a, let my wrist heal, and two, remind you that you need me.” I eyed him. My door was open but I didn’t come out. “How’s it going?”
Pike frowned, his gaze going to the envelope. Yep, it’s work.
Pulse fast, I stepped into the hall, immediately feeling out of place beside Pike’s professional polish. At least I wasn’t in jail-orange.
“Got what you want?” the guard said, and I turned to look into my private cell. “Once you leave, it hits the incinerator.”
I fingered the rim of my wrist cast decorated with the names of half the inmates on the floor and a good portion of the guards. I couldn’t wait to get it off. Jail medical care didn’t cover a charm to mend my wrist, and neither Hodin nor Al had shown up to fix it. I slumped, looking at my orange jumpsuit wadded up on the thin pillow. “I got what I want. Thanks.”
Pike tapped the envelope on the palm of his hand, and we started down the hall. Eyes were watching, most of them uneasy at who I was walking out with, and I nodded and smiled, trying to reassure them that I wasn’t Constance’s plaything—that this was all to plan. They were all good people caught doing questionable things for reasons that had seemed important at the time. The story of my life.
“You look pale,” Pike said, and I glanced up from studying the sound of his steps. He had a faint limp.
“And you smell funny under that five-hundred-dollar cologne you’re wearing,” I said. The guard behind us chuckled, and I added, “So, how’s the city?” to try to smooth Pike’s grimace. “Word is vamp-on-vamp crime is down.”
His focus was somewhere down the long hall and into the past, or maybe the future. “It’s still settling. Calm before the storm.” Pike took a slow breath and leaned closer, his exhale sending a delicious tingle through me as he whispered, “You really thought I wouldn’t find Constance hiding in a college dorm?”
Erica, I thought in a pulse of worry. My eyes narrowed. “My options for a light-tight area and a source of blood are limited. If you so much as—”
“Relax.” Pike sniffed in amusement as he pulled back. “Ivy’s little sister is fine. They’re both fine. I stop in a couple of times a week to give the girl a break, but honestly, how much blood does a mouse need?” He glanced at his finger and chuckled. “The entire dorm is taking care of her, but if I heard of a vampiric mouse, someone else might and put two and two together. Get her back.”
“Soon as I have a place for her,” I promised, and he nodded, handing me the envelope. I automatically took it. The thought to ask about Joni rose and fell. If she wasn’t okay, he wouldn’t appreciate me bringing her up. Besides, he looked too content for her not to be, and a flicker of satisfaction made me feel good. Small wins, big dividends.
“That’s your stuff. You can skip the exit interview,” Pike said, eyeing my new smile.
“Thanks,” I said, honestly pleased as I felt the bumps of whatever was inside. I broke the seal and looked in to see Trent’s ring. My phone and wallet were in there, too, both of which had been in Constance’s possession when I’d put myself in Doyle’s custody. “Thanks again,” I added, and Pike nodded once.
The stiff paper rasped as I put my black-pearl ring on. My phone was dead, and it felt odd when I tucked it in a back pocket. My wallet went on the other side. That was when I noticed the USB drive.
“Oh,” I said as I shook it out and it fell into my hand. “I don’t think this belongs to me.”
Pike slowed as we reached the end of the hall and the guard hastened forward to the door. “It’s your to-do list.”
“Mmmm.” I dropped it back in the big envelope as the door beeped and opened. “I’m not that good with lists. Maybe we should have coffee and talk tomorrow.” I smacked the envelope into his chest, and he reached for it, almost in self-defense.
“You want to meet openly?” he questioned, a worried slant making the scars on his face stand out.
“Why not?” But my pace slowed as I went through the doors and into a lower-security area. “Is it your brothers?” I said softly as the guard pointed at an X on the floor and went to the desk to get my paperwork.
Pike rocked to a halt beside me, his gaze going to an elaborate ring on his index finger. It was glowing, and I figured it was canceling out any listening charms, making me wonder if the no-magic-zone amulet had been Constance’s idea, or his. “No. I haven’t seen any evidence of them since Constance laid down the law.” His gaze sharpened on mine. “Or maybe it’s just you.”
I lifted a shoulder and let it fall to try to hide my unease. I wasn’t used to plans hiding within plans. Up front and in your face was more my speed. “I’d think that since you work for Constance, and she and I have an understanding, frequent communication between us would be expected.” I hesitated, grimacing at my institutional white sneakers. Edden, I decided. Trent would have included a sassy pair of size nines in my exit attire. The man did love shoes. “How is that going, by the way?”