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“She was in dire shape. Had I known how much gas costs for her, I might have restored her body and never gotten her back in running condition. But the first time I drove her, I understood my fate: I would be dishing out to feed her. She only goes on drives on sunny days when the temperature is above sixty but under eighty. Otherwise, the seats may as well be pans in the oven. Let’s not talk about what happens on cold days.”
I snickered, well aware Erik would rather roast than freeze. “Is there something wrong with the air conditioning?”
“One day, I will get the gremlins out of the air conditioning in that car. For now, I drive when the weather is pleasant and I can drive with the windows down. I’ll order the fuel and take you on a spin. I’ll even let you drive.”
If he was trying to keep me around, he was doing an admirable job of it. “How often do you stall her?”
“More often than I care to admit, but I’m getting better at it. She’s far less forgiving than modern manuals.” Erik stared out the door’s window, smiling at his vehicle. “I was thinking about using her to lure you out. I figured if I parked nearby, you’d come out to look at the car, then I could lure you into the vehicle and make off with you.”
The realization his ploy had a high chance of working pained me. “I can guarantee you’d get me out of my apartment to come talk to you if you brought that beauty onto my street. I’m going to insist on staying at my apartment for a while. I am not quite ready for Diamond Ward standards. I currently have Gray Ward standards. But if you were to bring fast food to my home, you’d get an invitation inside. Just be aware that my kitten is a potato thief.”
“Now that I’ve learned my mother is trying to charm your kitten, the whole potato thing going on in the kitchen makes sense, but I was becoming a little concerned. We like potatoes, but we don’t like twenty pounds of potatoes prepared in at least ten different ways.”
While I doubted even Garnet could devour twenty pounds of potatoes in a single sitting, I could see her trying. I suspected Erik’s mother would be sending my kitten home with an obscene amount of leftovers. With luck, the carbunclo wouldn’t tire of potatoes, although my wallet would be all right if she tired of hot sauce.
I needed to get shampoo safe for the kitten as I foresaw numerous baths in the future.
For the moment, I needed to focus on more important matters. “You’re really not angry with me?”
“I’m not angry with you—and I would have been far more angry if you’d stayed and gotten persecuted for being a necromancer. Miami is the kind of place that wouldn’t mind asking questions of your corpse. We can mend fences and rebuild bridges if we’re both alive to do so. Hopefully, they learn from their mistakes. But purple dragons are facing persecution as well. Do I like what happened? No. Your safety is far more important than my general comfort. It didn’t take me long to figure out I have a lot to prove. Challenging for a second carbunclo kitten is a bit ruthless, I do have to admit. But now that I’ve seen her, I can’t blame you in the slightest.” Erik turned to me. “You will let me pet her, right?”
“You’ll have to bribe your way into her good graces, I’m sure, but if you show up with potatoes just for her or hot sauce, you’ll win that war quickly. She likes having under her chin scratched, but she’s really hesitant about strangers picking her up. If you go find her a gemstone, and you tell her a story about how you ventured into the wilds to get it just for her, I’m sure you’ll have her charmed in a hurry.”
“That’s good to know. I won’t pick her up unless she asks.”
“I’ll teach you what her sounds mean,” I promised. “Does it bother you that I’m planning on testing into the city’s system?”
“Not at all. You want to be here based on merit. Of course, I will campaign fiercely to change your last name to Millson, but that can wait for after you’ve earned your position, whatever that position might be.”
I had a rather exhaustive list of positions we could explore, but I couldn’t mention any of them while his father hovered. “I was looking into forensic accounting.”
Erik turned to his father. “How are we doing in terms of forensic accountants?”
“I’m not your ward’s hiring manager,” the commissioner replied. “Wage that war on your own after she’s passed her test. The only bit of help I’ll offer is an allowance to use her Miami record, names and general identity removed. I would also permit you to pair up, using Miami as evidence of general compatibility in the field. Testing in will allow for that. You’re going to have to be patient. She is testing in at her pace, and you won’t hurry her along. Kinsley, I’ve found that ‘no’ is a very useful word. Use it on him often. Frankly, I’m of a mind that he needs to do more demonstrations. Remember, Erik. She is anonymous. That means you can’t dote yet. You have to wait for her to go through her testing.”
Well, I had an idea that would allow us to do our own thing for a while until I tested and do a great deal of good. “Is issuing a challenge permissible?”
That caught the commissioner’s attention. “Finding your carbunclo a companion that likes Erik is already a challenge. What do you have in mind?”
I entered the living room, which they’d decorated in a cozy and modern style, waiting in the entry until the two men joined me. “Your family of cops versus me. The team to identify the bastard attacking brothel workers is the victor. If Erik wins, I’ll either promise to be the one to propose to him or tolerate that fancy proposal?—”
“It’s a wager,” Erik announced. “I will be accepting your tolerance of my fancy proposal as my prize for identifying the attacker and making sure he, she, or they are brought to justice. What do you want if you win?”
While Erik had his moments and could be impulsive when he wanted to be, his lack of hesitation indicated he’d likely already wanted to get to the bottom of the attacks on the workers. While I’d still work both of my cases, if I could get Erik and his family also working on the case, it might get closed faster. And if the police did close the case, I’d be honest with Cecilia and indicate I’d corrupted an officer of the law to do my bidding. I’d even confess to the women I planned on keeping the officer I’d corrupted. “I want vouching for a better place until I test in. I can’t wager for your family sponsoring me; already have one.”
The commissioner narrowed his eyes. “Who sponsored you?”
“Mr. Enzo Acri. I met him while at Shrine Hill. He feels I haven’t been compensated properly for my bounty work. I’m honestly glad I could spend the money on Garnet; the amount I keep getting paid is over my current comfort level,” I confessed. “And since he proposed it as compensation for my bounty work, I don’t have a problem with accepting his clan’s help.”
“Enzo is a good sponsor. Nobody will believe he at all aided you through the testing process. If anything, the results will be considered more valid as he’ll monitor your honesty himself. He hates cheating on things like tests—and he’ll be keeping an eye on you for suitable behavior. I’ll allow it, and I’ll make sure your parents know to leave it be,” Erik’s father stated. “And while he’s cordial enough with us yellows, we don’t have a close relationship. And if he has noticed your lineage, he will keep that a secret and allow you to fly or fall based entirely on your merit. But yes, we’ll vouch for you so you can qualify for a better apartment. I make no promises that Erik won’t attempt to relocate you to his home, but you two can wage war over that as you see fit.”
“Where I’m at now is fine, especially as it puts me close to Cecilia’s brothel. I won’t consider moving until the brothel worker attacks are solved and they’re safe. And if I do move, it’ll only be after I help do renovations on her apartment units so others can have a chance at a good place to live. She’s short-handed, and she charges low. She still has problems with the tenants, though.”
The commissioner sighed, turned in the direction of the kitchen, and hollered, “Chester!”
Erik’s brother came into the sitting room, and he’d charmed Garnet into riding on his shoulder. The kitten had mashed potatoes on her face, which she worked at grooming off. “What is it?”
“Your brother needs to work with you on the brothel attacks. If you find the attacker first, Kinsley has agreed to endure the fancy proposal he wants to do. She’s gunning for vouching for a better apartment. We’ll do that anyway, but she’s stubborn.”