Page 14 of Dragon's Desire

"How long did it take you to dig her up? Have the worms gotten to her yet?"

The guy looked shocked, and Peter shoved him back.

"Huh? I mean, it wasn't an open casket, so you must be a real sick fuck. Whatever spell bomb one of you bastards used made a helluva of an explosion. Was it just because that's how you get your rocks off or because you felt a witch hunter earned one last indignity?"

Peter pushed him again until the man was against the desk.

"Come on, tell me. Was it good for you? What next? Did you dig dad up as well? What was left of him was buried right next to her."

Peter grabbed the front of his shirt collar and raised his fist. Kiercy laid a hand on his shoulder gently, and he whirled on her. His face was red with anger. She took a step back, thinking he might actually take a swing at her.

She held up her hands defensively and said, "Peter, why don't you step outside and get some air. I'll handle them."

He shoved the guy into the desk as he pushed off of him. He actually looked like he was ready to fly apart.

He turned away and practically growled, "Fine. I could use some fresh air. This place reeks of patchouli and sick fucking bastards."

Kiercy had been forming the I-told-you-so the moment she stepped in the door. She was ready to tell him how stupid he was.

But at least the big guy looked contrite, and maybe this wouldn't be a complete loss. She could appear reasonable compared to him, and maybe she could make that work. She'd have to talk to Peter later. Part of his cavalier attitude made sense now. He was overcompensating for grief. She might have misjudged him entirely.

10

PETER

Peter burst out the door, almost hard enough to splinter it, and slammed it behind him loud enough to scatter a flock of pigeons half a block away. He took a few deep breaths, collected himself, and then walked around to the front of the store.

It was a gamble, but he had to take it if he was going to get into the back room. He wasn't going to leave Kiercy in their all alone. He needed to see how she was handling things after his explosive exit. She might actually need backup. If a witch was working the front counter, he might be out of luck. But someone didn't need to be a witch to operate a cash register. Why waste a witch on retail when you could hire someone else?

But he couldn't look angry going in. He had to look calm. He took a few more deep breaths, waiting until he was sure his face wasn't still flushed, and his breath was steady. What happened back there had been more than enough to get his blood up.

Once he was sure he looked like just some guy, he walked in, and the young woman behind the counter said, "Welcome to Mistress Athena's Apothecary. Can I help you find anything?"

Peter gave her a slight nod, hiding the half a smile he had. When he looked up, he said, "I'm not sure yet. But I'll let you know."

She was just some woman. She might 'practice' witchcraft, but she wasn't an actual witch. She wasn't shooting for the goth witch with dark makeup look but seemed to land more on the side of the tree-hugger, hippie vibe with the beaded braid and flowing skirt.

He took a quick circuit around the store and saw the back door labeled "EMPLOYEES ONLY" next to a shelf stacked with boxes and boxes of incense.

Then he walked up to the front counter and said, "I'm looking for some incense. Can you show me where that is, darling?"

She smiled and said, "Oh, right back here."

He followed a little closer behind her than was usual. When she got to the back shelf, she turned around and giggled. "Oh, sorry."

"It's alright." He gave a half-grin and said, "I walked right past it. Thank you so much."

"Do you need help picking something out? See anything you like?" she asked, batting her eyes at him.

"I see plenty that I like, but I want to take a minute to figure out where to start," he said. "When I know what I want, I'll come find you, darling."

The woman twirled a lock of hair around her finger and said, "I'll be right up front, ready when you are."

As she turned and walked away, she had a bit more wiggle in her hips than she had before. Once she was out of sight, Peter dropped to one knee and pulled a small leather case out of his pocket, not much bigger than a wallet. Opening it, he took out a lock pick and tension wrench.

He put his ear to the door and listened. He could hear muffled voices that sounded pretty far away. When he looked under the crack of the door and didn't see anything, he figured it was safe to proceed.

He'd barely inserted the lockpick before he heard a click, and the lock turned. No lock was unpickable, but this was a joke. He didn't know if it was arrogance or stupidity. Did they think no one would dare try to break in, or did they just decide to save some money with a cheap deadbolt? It really didn't matter. It just made his job more manageable.

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