Page 2 of Shadow Dreaming

“Man up, give me the information that you’ve been withholding, and for cripes sake, stop with the double agent act. You can’t pull it off.” I stared at his pizza, which looked good. I motioned to the waitress. “A personal pizza for me, too. And a second for Benny here. I want pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, and mushrooms on mine.”

She nodded. “What would you like?” she asked Benny. “Same as before?”

He nodded, meekly this time. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll also have a cola,” I said. Pizzerias weren’t known for making the best espresso.

As the waitress left, I slid out of the booth and moved to the other side of it, so I wasn’t so near Benny. He smelled a little rank.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “I wouldn’t blame you if you beat me to a pulp.”

“I should,” I said. “Just enjoy my change of heart. Don’t expect it again, though. If I catch you pulling the same stunt once more, you’re toast. Get it?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I get it.”

“Good. Now, why don’t you start telling me all the crap that you kept hidden?” I pulled out my tablet and began taking notes as he filled in the blanks.

After we finished eating and I had all the missing info, we headed out of the pizza joint. I made a note of where it was. The food was great and the place looked clean. Then, Benny and I walked toward the bus stop where he could catch a bus home.

“Where you living now, my demented little Yoda friend?” I asked. I fluttered my eyelashes at him and laughed.

He made kissing noises at me. “I love you too, you half-demon she-bitch. I’m staying with a friend down in Lower Seattle.”

Lower Seattle wasn’t the same thing as Underground Seattle. Underground Seattle was where a lot of the more dangerous Supes lived—including a number of vampires. And Underground Seattle was literally underground.

Lower Seattle was mostly south Seattle, which had become the seedy underbelly of the city. Rent was cheap, the crime rate was high, and it was generally a place where you’d better be able to protect yourself if you decided to visit there. Especially at night.

“I’m glad you’re out of the Cardboard Jungle,” I said.

The Cardboard Jungle was a nickname for one of the homeless encampments. There were several around town, including one over by the docks, and each had its own name.

“So am I. I guess…I should thank you,” he said. “If you weren’t feeding me regular jobs, I couldn’t afford the rent.”

We reached the bus station. “Well, you usually do a great job, so I don’t mind handing you assignments when I get them.”

He hung his head. “Sorry I let you down, Legs. Despite our differences, I kind of…”

“Don’t get mushy on me.” I shook my head. I wasn’t interested in having a heart-to-heart with the goblin. “But I get where you’re going. All right, I’m off for the night,” I said, as the bus trundled toward us. “Call me at the office tomorrow.”

“I will. I promise.” He waved as the doors open and he hopped on, showing his Metro pass to the driver. As the bus pulled away, I turned and headed back toward the lot where I’d parked my car. I passed several questionable groups, but I guess my aura held them back because they neither said a word, nor made a move.

Once I was home, I settled down on the sofa. Jangles, my tortie, and Murdoch, my gray pile o’ floof, were curled up together, asleep. I ruffled their fur, then looked around my house. I was grateful that I had the wherewithal to buy my own place.

At one time, I’d been like Benny—on the streets and alone. Only, I’d been scared out of my mind. At fourteen, I was too young for that life, but I’d learned how to manage until Dante had rescued me. I’d just killed a man who was intent on either raping or killing me. Dante had smuggled me out of the crime scene and he took me under his wing. He got me back into school, made sure I had a comfortable home and plenty to eat, and he’d slowly brought me out of my shell-shocked state.

I pulled my legs up on the sofa, sitting cross-legged, as I watched TV and waited for Penn to get home. Penn was my other best friend, besides Dante, and she had moved in not long ago after her brick-and-mortar store went belly-up. Now, her online shop was booming, and she was doing her best to learn the best ways to make it a success. She was taking a business course at the Windchime Magical Academy, so she was gone several evenings a week.

“Hey,” she said, as she entered the room. “How was your evening?”

“Eh, I spent it with Benny. So…smelly and odd, as usual,” I said, making room for her on the sofa. “How about you?”

At five-three, Penelope Fircrest was shorter than me. She was curvy, plump, and pretty in a vintage rockabilly-goth way. She’d caught her flowing hair into a chignon, and she was wearing a pair of green cats-eye glasses that matched her green plaid skater’s dress. Chunky librarian heels finished the look, along with a cashmere sweater in pink. She dropped her bookbag on the side table and shrugged out of her sweater.

“Well, I got another A tonight. I’m scoring 4.0 in the class so far,” she said. “So…Benny?”

I rolled my eyes. “I had to chase him down. Little rodent was double-dealing info on me, warning our suspects and trying to blackmail them.”

“Great,” she said. “You leave him alive?”

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