Page 8 of The Goblin in the Sink Drain
Another grumbling snarl jerked my attention back to the drain, and I leaned over the edge, sniffing for clues. I exhaled with annoyance when nothing but the usual wet-dog-hair smell hit my nose. Factor in the bleach we used for wiping down hard surfaces, the industrial strength cleaners, and the selection of shampoos, conditioners, and fragrance mists, and it was a miracle I could smell a damn thing.
“No luck?” Sloane, trusting my senses, didn’t check behind me. “I’m guessing Rían struck out too.”
“Too many competing scents,” he confirmed from behind me, close enough the warmth from his chest radiated into my spine. “Do you think it’s a trapped animal?”
“This is an old house.” I curled my fingers over the lip of the tub. “Banging pipes come with the territory, but even this old girl isn’t usually so vocal. I would feel better eliminating any possibility there’s a living creature calling for help.”
“Good thing we’ll be closed for a few days.” Sloane bumped her shoulder into mine. “We can exorcise the goblin in the sink drain, scrub GSG top to bottom, and oh! We can finally touch up the paint in the cat room. We can even get Clary out here to paint that mural you wanted while we’ve got time.”
Clary was a local artist Brentwood commissioned to paint a series of murals across town. Plenty of other businesses had booked slots with her too, impressed with her bold style. I wanted a meadow scene with our favorite clients acting as models, but paint fumes were a big concern for the birds, and they weren’t the only ones with sensitivities I couldn’t afford to ignore to indulge my FOMO.
“You’re right.” I grinned over at her. “I’ve been looking at this wrong.”
More than my sham of an inherited house, GSG had become a symbol of my independence. Proof that I could stand on my own two feet. That I didn’t need the Sartori name to earn a living or to validate me. I could turn this setback into a success. I just had to dial down my self-doubt and crank up my motivation.
“It’s an opportunity.” She nodded once. “Not a setback.”
The ruckus from the drain fell silent again, and I sucked in a deep breath. “Let’s get to work.”
With Sloane’s words ringing in my ears, I turned to face the Walshes. I didn’t miss the furrows cut across Rían’s forehead, but I had crated animals in an idling van waiting on me to get my butt in gear.
Time to test the length of my leash and step outside the wards.
three
While the fourof us had been inside, the parking lot had emptied except for the van. Rochele and Mindy leaned against its closed back doors, sharing a packet of Skittles, while Jess hovered outside the building.
“Bring it in,” Liam called out to our team. “Time to draw straws for who gets to drive.”
A tiny voice in my head urged that I should point out these were my animals, this was my business, and I ought to be the one ensuring they arrived at their destination safely. But with Liam shadowing my every move, an ice cube in hell stood a better chance than them entrusting me with an open road and a set of keys.
“Cotton swabs.” Rían held up a handful he must have snitched from the jar beside the washing station. “We’re fresh out of straws.”
“Close enough.” Liam accepted them, snapping them into various lengths. “Who wants to go first?”
“Me.” I had been paying close attention to his shuffling and chose a short nub. “Sloane?”
Hers was middling, not a good sign, and she wrinkled her nose as we waited for the others to make their selections. We stillhad a shot at winning the keys, a slim one, but next pick decided the game as Rochele thrust her swab, no more than cotton, above her head.
“Straws or swabs.” Liam appeared pleased with himself. “It doesn’t get shorter than that.”
“I win!” She spoke into it like a microphone. “Mindy, you’re shotgun.”
With a tight smile for her clanmates, Jess curved her shoulders in, making herself small.
“That worked out well then.” Rían planted himself in front of her. “I was hoping to ask you about the shifter tranquilizer you’ve been synthesizing with Burdock. I heard it can bring down a small dragon.”
“Oh.” Her expression brightened with delight. “Not quite.”
An SUV pulled into the parking lot, and the driver tossed Liam the keys before hitting the sidewalk where a girl in a frilly blue dress waited for him while her mom watched from behind the wheel of an idling sedan. The girl ran up to take his hand, guiding him to the car, and it struck me all over again how confident the Walsh clan was that Rían could protect them. Even with the Sartoris next door, even with a tunnel discovered under my floor, even with threats on all sides, these people let their kids out to play, confident in their magnus and happy to follow him.
“Sloane, you’re up front with me.” Liam pocketed the fob. “Everyone else pile in the back with Rían.”
With an apologetic smile at me, Rían guided Jess to the vehicle, pausing to open the door for her.
Hanging back with Sloane, I had to admit, “He handled that well.”
“Rochele and Mindy don’t mean to exclude Jess, I don’t think.” She tugged on her bottom lip in thought. “They bothwork for the Abbeville Police Department, so it makes sense they would be close.”
