Page 14 of Haunting Salem

He laughed. The bombastic sound made me wince.I do. That’s why I’m worried.

Well. Fuck.In for a penny. In for a pound. I suppose.

Watch out, ten o’clock.Kael lifted his chin before apparating.

I glanced in the direction Kael pointed and tensed. The bartender was coming our way. I glanced at my team then back to the man. He had an affable smile on his face, but there was an undercurrent of control and dominance too. His dark red hair had been slicked back and fell to his collar, curling at the ends. His hawkish green eyes took in every inch of the area even though he'd been focused on my table. He exuded power and commanded attention, however, when the man's name was called by, who I could only guess was the Sheriff, his demeanor changed.

“No need to mess with them,” the Sheriff said. “They’re here in an official capacity.” He held out his hand to me. “Zane Adock. You must be Simone Hadley.”

I took his hand and a zap of current went through my palm. Every alarm bell went off in my mind and for the first time in two years, Gaspar appeared in my peripheral vision along with Kael. "I am. Thank you for allowing us to be here, Sheriff."

Zane leaned forward and whispered, “Put the reaper away, Miss. We mean you no harm. You’re a curiosity to Cian.”

I cut my gaze to Gaspar who nodded then disappeared in a flash. If anyone had seen him, no one at the table said a word. “Sorry. We’re a little jumpy right now. This place runs a little hot.”

Zane’s chuckle sounded more like cut rocks tumbling together. “You should see it on the full moon.”

“I beg your pardon?” I tilted my head.

“Never mind that,” Zane said. “Cian, everything okay?”

“Yeah, I guess I came in a little too—hot?” He relaxed and instantly the tension surrounding us dropped a few notches. “How was your dinner, did you enjoy the food?”

Fuck yes, we did. “The burgers were amazing.”

“So were the nacho fries,” Owen added.

Zane pulled up a chair and Cian retreated to the bar. “So, I heard you’ve all been on little adventures today. See anything exciting?”

I didn’t quite know what was going on in this little bar, but whatever it was, I didn’t want to leave. “We did. I have to say, for only being here a few hours, I almost don’t want to go home.”

“Then don’t,” the Sheriff said, glancing at Lucy then Jack. “We’re always looking for new witches in these parts.”

And, once again, I had a sinking suspicion I was missing something big. “Well, thanks for the offer. We might have to consider it after all of your hospitality.”

“You do that.” He stood then. “My shift is starting. Dinner’s on the house. I’ll let Lore know and if you need anything while you’re here, don’t hesitate to stop by the Sheriff’s Department or come back here, okay?”

I nodded. “Sure. Thanks again. We appreciate it.”

Zane inclined his chin. “Not a problem.”

I glanced around the table and could see we were all on the same page. Something big happened between us and the Sheriff. What I didn’t know, but I had a sneaky suspicion, before our time in Salem was over, we’d find out.

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