Will reading it help me get to know my big sister? Probably not, but I still turn to page one.
Chapter 4
Liam
“I don’t see her,” I tell Bert as I parallel park in front of Spell Library. I scan the unoccupied benches and vacant steps. Nothing.
“She’s probably inside.” My partner pulls open the glove compartment and starts taking out essentials. Black gloves. Baseball cap. Sunglasses.
“You could wait in the car,” I suggest. “This won’t take long.”
“I don’t mind. Not like I got anything better to do.” Bert pulls the cap low over his eyes and rests one gloved hand on his holstered weapon.
The act is born out of pure habit, not necessity. The most dangerous thing about Silver Springs in broad daylight is... well... I look around for inspiration and spot a flash of orange fur on the other side of the street. Cat shifter, and a young one by the looks of him.
The little devils really are the most dangerous things in town. They may look all cute and fluffy, but they love racing down the streets, tripping up unsuspecting pedestrians. Annoying and dangerous, yes, but definitely not illegal. I would know.
“Good to go?” I ask as Bert lets go of his gun and adjusts his jacket sleeves, making sure they’re pulled down low over his gloves.
With his full getup in place, he looks like a cat burglar, or possibly an assassin. At least, he would if the word ‘police’ wasn’t emblazoned in huge letters across his chest and the front of his ball cap. Vampire Officer Bert Stevens, reporting for duty.
I really don’t get why he insists on working the day shift. He’s got enough seniority to take his pick, and if he worked nights, he wouldn’t have to protect every last inch of bare skin from sunlight... or dress like Officer Assassin. Not that I’m complaining.
Bert makes one hell of a partner. He’s been on the job longer than I’ve been alive, and policing runs in his blood, just like it runs in mine. Plus, I’ve got just as many quirks as he does, what with me being a troll. Mine are just a little different.
I reach for the car door—gently, since my broken door count is already up to six this year—and Bert raises a hand to stop me. I expect him to warn me to be careful, but he takes off his sunglasses and reaches inside the glove box instead.
“Hold up. I just need a moment to make sure I’ve got all the disks.” Bert spreads the library audiobook open on his lap—you know, the old-fashioned kind that’s got several dozen flimsy CDs stuffed into equally flimsy plastic sleeves. I honestly haven’t a clue how Bert manages not to rip them as he counts out the disks. But hey, at least he’s stopped asking me to hand them to him. Troll fingers just aren’t made for that sort of thing.
“You know you can download audiobooks from this thing called the Internet, right?”
“I may be old, but I’m not that old.” Bert rolls his eyes at me as he continues flipping through the CDs.
“You don’t look a day over four hundred,” I joke, fully aware that Bert’s just over three hundred. That and he actually looks my age. “But seriously, man, you really should give the Internet a try. You can download dozens of audiobooks, and you never have to switch disks.”
“I would, but I haven’t got anything to download them on.” Bert shrugs.
“You could get a smartphone,” I suggest, though I don’t know why I bother. It’s a lost cause with Bert, just like it is with Gran. The vamp may look like he’s in his twenties, but he doesn’t act like it, which isn’t typical for vampires.
All the other vamps in Silver Spring have managed to adapt. The brothers who run Club Vee act just as young as their mate, Rose. Sapphire, with her hundred dollar coffees and hoodies, may be odd, but I’ve seen her on Tinder... and swiped the hell away before she could turn me into her own personal blood bank. And then there’s that pale, silver-haired vamp who plans events for the city—can’t remember his name, but I’ve seen him running around with his nose glued to a tablet. Which means Bert has no excuse... except for the fact that he’s Bert.
“I get along just fine without one of them smartphones,” he says, pulling out his ancient flip phone. “These are more durable. Dropped mine out of a moving squad car once. It looks all banged up, but it works just fine. Can’t say the same thing for your smartphones. If they’re so smart, why do you keep breaking them every other month?”
“I break nearly everything every other month,” I growl. Definitely a downside of being a troll. Large hands and more strength than I know what to do with. Good thing my kind’s eligible for Unintentional Use of Strength Insurance. If we weren’t, I’d go bankrupt.
“Fair point.” Bert slips on his sunglasses and gets out of the car. “Watch the door. Or at least wait until Monday.”
“What’s happening Monday?”
“Heard there’s a new mechanic opening in town. Hot Wheels Garage, I think?”
“So no more getting the car towed to Scarborough?” I grin as I gently nudge the door shut.
“No more trying to drive to Scarborough without a door,” Bert fires back.
“That was one time.” I give him my most menacing scowl, but it has absolutely no effect. Bert’s had plenty of troll partners before I came along, so he knows what he’s doing.
“One time was plenty.” He grins. Or, I think he does. Hard to tell with his face all covered up like that.
“Sorry about the detour,” I say as I take the steps to Spell Library two at a time.
“I’ve been meaning to go to the library, anyway.” He holds up the audiobook. “See if I can find the sequel.”
I consider telling the vamp that he could have checked the library catalogue or placed a hold, but why bother? I’ve said the same to Gran, but I’ve learned to pick my battles.
We enter the foyer just as Amber—who makes the best Mood Teas in town—is leaving.
“Oh, um... Hi, officer.” Her eyes grow wide when she sees me, and she takes a nervous step back.
My instinct is to let out a frustrated growl, but I’ve long since learned that would be counter-productive. You can’t stop people from being scared of you by acting scary.
“Just Liam is fine.” I give her my friendliest smile.
Amber takes another step back. Great. Just great.
Those downsides of being a troll I was talking about earlier? This here’s a big one. Even in a supernatural town like Silver Springs, we stand out. Sure, some of the other supes are just as tall—yetis mostly, and the occasional bear and moose shifter—but I still tower over ninety percent of the population. Add my troll build, and the signature troll scowl—plus a short temper I can’t always control—and Amber’s reaction is a daily occurrence.
“It’s the uniform, bud.” Bert pats me on the shoulder, sensing my building rage. When I start to calm down, he turns to Amber. “You own Jewels Cafe, right?”
“I do.” She nods. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around, though it’s hard to tell.” She gestures vaguely at his face, which is completely covered.
“Right.” He pulls off his sunglasses and pockets them. “I’ve been by a few times with Liam. Name’s Bert.”