Stone Chameleon (Ironhill Jinn #1) (21 page)

I
t was after three in the afternoon when we pulled into the eighth pet store in Ironhill, the largest of them all and last on our list. Before we’d left IPC, I tucked my hair into a black ball cap. Not exactly incognito, but I wouldn’t be as recognizable without my hair showing.

“What if she’s not here?” I tilted my head back against the headrest of my car, staring at the bird cages and puppies in the front window beyond the windshield. “What if she has a tropical fish tank in her home and this has all been a waste?”

Harper sighed from the back seat, crunching on something that wafted fruity sweetness into the car. “If that’s the case, we just wasted one of your three days. You sure you don’t know what she is? There’s got to be someone out there who’s heard of her, if she’s that powerful. Maybe Grandpa.”

The elven nation divided over the jinn war. Harper and her grandfather were two of many who left their realm in favor of the human one. The elf nation held answers to my many questions about the jinn’s last hours, but I couldn’t ask them a bloody thing without inviting death for afternoon tea. At the moment, I didn’t want Harper asking them anything, either.

“It’s a possibility,” I lied. “Best not to speculate about anything for the time being.” If the water witch had been hiding her abilities along with the rest of the jinn for more than thirty years, chances were nobody suspected who she was. I found a small comfort in what Amun had said, that if I ever ran into one of the elusive creatures from the fairy realm, none of them could read my thoughts.

Amun glanced back at my friend. “Are you eating again?”

“Guess you’ve never met an elf before, eh?” Her grin came through in her voice. “We like to eat, the sweeter the better. Got a problem with that?”

He shook his head, and I explained about elven metabolism, my eyes closed in an effort to conserve energy. Warmth covered my hand, drawing my gaze to find Amun’s fingers curled around mine. Tiny zaps of pleasure shot up my arms, and I sipped in a breath.

His smile brightened the space inside my chest. “I’m not sure just anyone could have a grouper in a home-sized tank. Even if purchased small, depending on the breed, they can grow quite large. Either way, we’ll figure this out. I have faith in you.” The trust I found in his stare both caused a surge of pride in my stomach and a cold hand of terror to squeeze my throat.

“Ahh, that’s so sweet,” Harper sang, sticking her face between the seats. “Isn’t he sweet, Lou?”

I jerked my hand back, rubbing the tingles from it. Small fires burned in my cheeks. “Yes, sweet.”
Sweet enough to rot my soul.
“I hope your faith isn’t misplaced.”

Without sparing either of them a glance, I heaved my weary behind out of the car and peered into the window of Pete’s Pet Shack. Several rows of glowing blue fish tanks lined the back wall.

“Do you see her?” Amun milled about to my right with his hands in his pockets, while Harper, fingers playing over the clasp on her hip holster, lingered on my left.

“No. I’ll go back to the fish if you can ask at the front if they carry Emperor Angelfish and ask about the woman.” We’d thought it better to have Amun do the asking. If we’d finally come to the right place, word wouldn’t get back to the water witch that a dark-haired woman had been enquiring about her. Harper offered, but I didn’t want to paint an unnecessary target on her if I could help it. She didn’t blend in as an average-looking woman either, with her fiery red and ebony hair.

“I’ll stand watch.” Harper saluted without taking her vigilant stare from the parking lot.

Amun pulled open the door and held it for me, the bells jingling overhead to warn of our entrance. “Ready?”

“Fingers crossed.” I brushed by him and carried on through the aisle filled with bird seed and dog harnesses, while he went to the end of a small lineup at the cash register where a young blonde woman waited on customers.

Feigning interest in the aquariums full of goldfish, tetras, and tiny electric-blue crabs, I scanned the employees, identified by their blue Pete’s Pet Shack shirts. A male with terrible acne handed a baby guinea pig to a little girl, while explaining care and feeding instructions to her mother. An older female employee milled around the bird section with a parakeet on her shoulder, and another middle-aged man stocked the shelves in the dog and cat food aisle. None were anywhere near the fish.

Could she be on break? Eager to see what Amun had found out, I ambled toward the front again, stopping near the end of the leash aisle, fingering the collars to appear casual. It placed me a few feet from the end of the cashier station. I peeked around the corner. Amun was about to get his turn, as the customer in front of him collected her bags and left.

The man I’d begun to know disappeared behind Mr. Suave and Charming quickly, as if he’d flipped a switch within. Clearly dazzled by his smile, the blonde girl flushed, leaned closer, and gave her hair a flirtatious flip.

I strangled a leash in my fist. How much more obvious could she be?

“Good evening,” Amun said in his velvety tenor, doing his best Calvin Klein pose, with his hands flat on the counter, one knee bent. “I wonder if you carry Emperor Angelfish?”

Popping her gum, she giggled, her eyes taking on a dreamy glaze as she batted her lashes at him. Hussy. “Sorry, nope. Had some ’bout a month ago, but sold out.” Hands clasped together, she leaned across the counter propped on her elbows. “Anything else catch your eye?”

Did she wink at him? I rolled my eyes and edged nearer. By sheer will, I refrained from picking up one of the dog bones and pelting her in the head with it.

Amun’s dark laughter encouraged her, causing her lips to curve into a sultry smile. “Sadly, no,” he said. “I’m here on a mission, I’m afraid. Perhaps you can help me?”

“Pleasure’s all mine.”

Gag me.

“I’m looking for a woman.” He leaned harder on the counter, inviting her to a more intimate conversation.

“How about me?” she asked, tracing her bottom lip with a pink fingernail.

A brief but believable smile graced his lips. “Long lavender hair. Striking green eyes. Do you have anyone working here by that description?”

The girl straightened in an instant. “Nope. Sorry, can’t help you.”

“Are you sure? Perhaps a friend of a friend, or maybe you’ve seen her around the city?”

“Nope, never seen her.” The hussy turned and gestured toward the back. “Gotta go. It’s my break time.” Nervous laughter bubbled out of her. “Good luck with that.”

I exited the store to wait for Amun, who met me by the car a few moments later.

Harper jogged over from wherever she’d wandered off to.

“She’s lying,” I blurted, leaning against the passenger door. “That little tramp knows bloody well who you were talking about.”

Amun cocked his head. “What are you so angry about?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not angry about anything other than her”—I jabbed a finger toward the store—“lying worse than anyone I’ve ever seen. She’s likely running off this very minute to tell that evil woman you were looking for her.”

A smile crooked one corner of his lips. He leaned closer, the heat of his breath fanning across my ear. “You’re adorable when you’re jealous.”

My jaw dropped as I drew in a breath. “I am not jealous, Mr. Bassili. I have more pressing issues than you flirting with a blonde bimbo.”

“Seriously?” Harper looked at me and back to Amun. “Holy schmolies, you’re right, she is. I can honestly say I’ve never seen her jealous over anything or anyone.” She winked at him. “If you didn’t already know she’s got it bad for you, that should firm it up all right.”

“Harper!”

She shrugged. “What? You know it’s true. Just telling it how it is.”

“Shut it, both of you.” I whipped open the car door, dropped into the seat, and shut them out. How dare he suggest I was jealous? The uncomfortable stirring in my gut wasn’t due to his interactions with that woman. With everything going on in my life, romance didn’t even make my priority list. Besides, he didn’t belong to me, nor did I have any romantic interest in him. I was just angry over the situation and the fact that we hadn’t gotten anywhere after spending one of our three remaining days.

Amun settled into the driver’s seat while Harper climbed in the back behind him. Although he said nothing more, he continued to smile and started the car.

“Where to now, boss?” Harper asked, a tinge of laughter in her voice.

“I think it’s time for you to go home. I need to think without the two of you jabbering on like a pair of simple-minded fools.” Turning in the seat, I glared at her. “And how can you find humor in anything now? In three days, I’ll be facing the council and may end up nothing but a smear on Isaac’s lips. Dom is dead, and you’re supposed to be my friend.”

Harper recoiled, the shine fading from her eyes. “Lou, I’m sorry, I…I was just trying to break the tension, because, you know, it’s pretty thick right now.”

“We wasted a whole day on this pet shop business, and for what?” I raised my hand in a gesture of surrender. “To find yet another woman to flirt with Mr. Bassili?” Righting myself in the seat, I stared out the windshield.

Amun shoved a paper in front of my face, but I pushed him away. “I have to find out who that blonde girl is,” I said. “She knows something, I’m certain of it.”

He cleared his throat and moved the paper forward again.

“What? Why are you doing that?”

Eyes sparkling above the page, he waggled it before me. “Look closer.”

Tearing my gaze from his, I did as he asked. “Weekly Schedule” was written across the top, and below, a grid of days, hours, and employees. I snatched it from him and brought it closer. “But which one is she?”

“Olivia.” His grin turned smug. “Her nametag said so, making her last name, according to that, Denison. I’ve taken the liberty of locating her address already.” The proof shone at me from the screen of his iPhone.

I hugged the paper to my chest, daring to hope for a small break. “You little sneak.” A shove on his shoulder made him chuckle. “I could kiss you right now.”

Harper snorted as Amun said, “Maybe later.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Don’t hold your breath on that one. So, now what? According to this, she works until 9:00 p.m.”

All business once again, Harper pressed her face between the bucket seats. “I say we let ourselves into her hidey-hole and see what dirt we can find on this little ho.” A small ring of tools swung from the end of her slender finger.

“Are those what I think they are?” I imagined my expression to be as stern as my tone. “I will not condone breaking and entering to save my own hide, and why do you even have those?”

“Pfft. You smashed into that school for…” Her gaze fell, and she sat back. “How do you think I got us out of those troll shackles three years ago, magic?”

My stomach clenched at the reminder of Dom. “That was different. I thought I had a chance to…nobody’s in imminent danger here.”
Except me.
I nodded. “We’ll wait until she’s finished her shift and follow her. And hope she doesn’t make a phone call to the water witch in the meantime.”

Amun pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, exposing his silver watch. “That gives us more than four hours. I’m in desperate need of a change of clothes and a shower, and by the looks of you two, you could use a cat nap and a good meal. It’s safest if we go back to my house to wait, anyway, so Isaac can’t get to us. Just in case.”

“Oh, fuckballs, Lou! You gave that dead bastard the password to your place?” Harper growled low in her throat.

“Language. I needed him to hear the woman’s message, and honestly, I thought he was about to kill me, so it didn’t matter. I should have known she’d have covered her tracks like she always does.”

As Amun backed us out, Harper grabbed his shoulder. “Wait. What if this chick takes off early? Says she’s sick or something while we’re off napping. I won’t lie, I could use a few zees, but maybe we should stay?”

“She’s right,” I said.

Without stopping the car, he punched in a number on his cell and pulled out of the parking lot. “Good, you’re there,” he said into the phone. “I need you to get Elias and stake out Pete’s Pet Shack for me until I get there. Uh huh.” He shook his head. “It’s not a good time to discuss that. I’ll text you a description of the woman of interest. Thank you, my friend.”