He had a point, but I was still bothered. “Yeah, well ... .” I pursed my lips and glanced at the setting sun. “I hate to do this to you, but I need to start dinner with the others. Can you put all this away without me?”
Kade arched an eyebrow. “That’s a lot of work.”
“Yes, but you’ll starve if I don’t start dinner.”
He looked caught. We were very food-oriented. Mealtimes were a big deal at Mystic Caravan, and Luke and Kade were two of our hungriest members. “Fine.” He blew out a sigh. “I’ll expect a massage tonight for my sore muscles. You’ve been warned.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe I’ll want a massage. Have you ever considered that?”
“Yes, but it’s my turn.” He gave me a quick kiss, taking a moment to hold my chin and stare into my eyes. He seemed to be searching for something.
“I’m fine,” I reassured him, wrapping my fingers around his wrist. “I would be lying if I said that I’m not upset about the accident. But you’re right. There was nothing we could do. I’ll get over it.”
“You’d better.” He flashed a smile and then turned to the mountain of furniture that needed to be distributed. “My back already hurts.”
Cole chuckled as he moved to join him. “I’ll help. Just point where everything goes.”
Kade looked uncertain. “Are you sure? This is your vacation. You don’t want to spend all your time working.”
“I don’t mind. I’m curious about how the circus runs. I’ve learned a little bit, but it’s a fascinating operation. You can pay me back by telling me how things run from a security standpoint.”
“No problem. Let’s do this.”
RAVEN MARKO, OUR RESIDENT LAMIA, was already shucking corn when I joined her in the area that had been designated as the kitchen. We’re careful when setting up the circus, essentially creating a huge square with rows of trailers on the outskirts. There, our people self-segregate into groups.
Our group, which consists of the performers and security, takes the side closest to the parking lot for obvious reasons. We like to be in control and watch for invaders. The clowns take another wall, while the midway workers take up the third. We keep empty animal tents between the clowns and the midway. We have animals performing in our shows but they’re shifters, so it only has to look as if we’re transporting animals. Keeping the animal tents at the very back cuts down on looky-loos. The magical wards also help, but we’re diligent that no one gets back in that area. The final wall is made up of “others.” We’re talking janitors, ticket sellers and other menial jobs. We’re extremely cliquey.
The only exception is Raven’s boyfriend, Percival Prentiss. He’s a clown who utilizes a fake British accent. He stays in her trailer. I’ve never understood what she sees in him, but they seem to be quite tight. That means Raven isn’t sniffing around Kade, so I’m happy to put up with Percival and the wacky things he says.
“It’s too bad about the accident,” Raven noted as I started unpacking the burgers we’d made and put on ice the previous evening. When you move as much as we do, meals become an adventure. We were used to it, though, and there was no argument about who did what.
“Yeah.” I took a moment to glance over my shoulder and make sure nobody was eavesdropping before continuing. “Something called to me down there. It wasn’t a voice or anything, but I definitely sensed something.”
“You have strong mind skills,” Raven mused, her fingers deft as she stripped the corn husks. “It’s possible you heard an echo of the accident and that’s what caused you to pull over.”
I frowned. “That’s what Cole said.”
“The elemental?” Raven hiked an eyebrow and shifted her odd gray eyes to the man in question. “I find him … interesting. I haven’t spent time with elementals in more than a hundred years, so it almost feels like a new experience. They’ve always been a mixed bag.”
“What do you make of him?”
She shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t really know what to think of him,” she admitted. “He seems nice enough. I like that he’s been keeping Luke busy, which is a full-time job. He seems smart and he doesn’t freak out over little things. I guess I like him, but it’s a little soon for a final judgment.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I thought if anyone was willing to embrace my irrational dislike of Cole, it would be Raven. “That’s good,” I lied. “I want Luke to be happy, and Cole seems to make him happy.”
“And keep him quiet. That’s the important thing. In fact ... ,” Raven trailed off as a familiar shadow covered her workstation. There was a grimace on her face when she lifted her eyes and focused on the oily midway manager, Mark Lane. He was a conman of the highest order, but he brought in a great deal of money for the circus. He was something of a necessary evil, but several of us were poised to take out the evil if he decided to cross one too many lines. “What do you want?”
It was unusual for Mark to venture to our part of the fairgrounds. If he was here, he had something on his mind. That didn’t mean he was willing to forego an argument with Raven now that the opportunity had arisen.
“Oh, you say the sweetest things,” he drawled, offering up a leering wink for Raven’s benefit. “You really must stop with the fake hostility. I know darned well that you’re only using hate to obscure love.”
Raven and I snorted in unison.
“The only thing I love about you is when you leave,” Raven shot back. “I’ll repeat the question because it’s possible all that smarm clogged your ear canals: What do you want?”
“I’m not here for you,” Mark replied, his eyes shifting to me. “I’m here for the boss.”
I was afraid of that. “I don’t really have time for you either, Mark,” I replied. “Maybe you could make an appointment for later in the week. Or, better yet, why not make an appointment with Max? He’s the one really in charge, so it makes sense he should be your liaison.”
“Oh, don’t be daft.” Mark’s gaze turned dark. “We both know that Max is only along for the ride. He might pitch in for the occasional fight with you guys — and, no, I don’t want to know what it is you do when you go creeping around in the middle of the night — but you’re the one who handles day-to-day operations. That’s why I came to you. Stop dillydallying.”
I pursed my lips, amused. He was obviously upset. I hated him on a basic level, so I was always happy when he was unhappy. “Fine. What do you want?”
“I want to know how long the cop is going to be hanging around with us.”
It was the one statement I wasn’t expecting. “What do you mean?”
“The cop.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of Cole, who was helping Kade arrange the small bistro set outside the trailer we shared. “I want to know how long he’s going to be part of the gang.”
“Why?” Raven challenged. “Are you worried he’ll arrest you?”
“Actually, yes. Believe it or not, cops don’t like me. They always think I’m up to something shady.”