Page 7 of The Mermaid's Bubble Lounge
You did that beautifully.
I flinched at Clive’s voice. I didn’t realize you were still with me.
Is it wrong that I’m feeling very aroused right now?
I laughed and shook off the last of the anger. I want to give Meri one of your cars. She needs a safe way to get around. She shouldn’t have to ask people for rides or risk walking around town by herself.
Clive was silent for a moment. None of my cars are appropriate for a teen with a new license. How about if we loan her the money to buy the car she wants.
Oh, I like that. Okay. I’ll talk with her when I get back. Thank you.
Of course. He paused again. You should also talk with your cousin Arwyn. From what Declan told me when we were trying to put out that fire at her gallery, she’s also dealt with stalkers all her life.
I walked across the parking lot and started down the stairs to the lookout. Good idea. And they both have a father who’s water fae. Arwyn’s other half is wicche, so there are spells she can do to protect herself. Meri’s mom is human. Still, though, there’s got to be some fae thing that’ll keep creeps away.
There was another long pause. I’m sorry, darling. If this is sorted now, I really need to go back to sleep. I’m having a hard time focusing.
Sure. I need to talk with you when you wake about something that happened at the wharf.
Hmm?
He was out. The worst part of these longer days was seeing less of Clive. Summer blew.
When I came down the stairs, Meri was waiting at the bottom, looking apprehensive. I patted her shoulder and then waved her back into the bookstore. Brow furrowed, Owen watched us go.
I had Meri follow me to the chairs by the window, motioning for her to sit. “I found him.”
Her eyebrows shot up as she looked me over, her gaze setting on my hand. “You have blood on your finger.”
I held up my hand to check and then let my claw slide out. “No. I have blood on my claw.”
Emotions flashed across her ethereal face: worry, anger, and finally a tentative hope that took the place of the defeat she’d been drowning in earlier.
I told her everything.
She whispered, “You made him pee himself?”
Shrugging a shoulder, I told her, “I’m very scary, Meri. I keep telling you, but you never listen.”
She giggled, as I’d hoped she would, her shoulders finally relaxing. “You really don’t think he’ll be out there when I go home?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. What I want you to do, though, is call me—or Fyr or Dave or Owen—if you even think you might be seeing his shadow around a corner. I guarantee you, all of us would look at it as a treat to go rough that guy up.” I glanced at my claw again. “Now you might be wondering, Sam, why aren’t you cleaning off that blood? Well, I’ll tell you. I want Fyr and Dave to have his scent. I want them to know who our enemy is. Okay?”
She nodded, eyes glassy with tears, and then she popped up and ran into the bar. She came back a moment later, carrying a clear bar towel. “Here. Use this to clean off and then we can put the towel in a baggie to keep it free from other scents.”
“Great idea.”
She left again before returning with a large plastic baggie. I dropped the towel in and she closed it up. “I’m going to go leave this on Dave’s desk. He’s usually the first to arrive. I can explain when he gets here.”
“Good call.” Watching her go, the tightness in my chest relaxed. She was taking control. She knew we were her weapons when she needed us, but she was the one in charge.
When she walked back in, she was grinning. “Fyr is going to be so mad that he wasn’t the one to scare that guy.”
I nodded. “Both Dave and Fyr will be pissed off they missed out. They’ll look forward to that call so they can have their own fun.” I didn’t want her to second-guess calling for help or to worry she’d be bothering any of us.
FIVE
Vlad Really Knows How to Clear a Room
