The Zero Dog War (31 page)

“Your Guardian?” both Jessie and David asked at the same time.

“Mike.” A dull ache started in my chest as I spoke. “He was my Guardian. Had a special wristband that could set this thing off.”

“But he’s…” David paused, probably out of concern for my feelings.

“He’s dead.” The words sounded flat to my ears. “I know. But the Agency can still activate it long-distance, which is why I need you to turn this damned thing off. The bastards thought of everything—well, except for this, obviously.”

“Right.” Jessie walked back to the computer. He rested his elbows on the desk, smirking. “We’ve got the GPS figured out. Jammer is on the way courtesy of a friend of mine.” He threw me a saucy wink. “Used to work in a chop shop. Until you find the chip to toss it out you have to jam it.”

“Don’t tell me too much.” I chuckled. “And the plug itself?”

His face went solemn. “Well, that’s another whole different ball of wax. I’ve got some ideas, but let me check out some things before I present them to you. Don’t have that many surgeons on my list, but I’ve got the word out.” Jessie’s voice dropped an octave. “Do you think they’d really kill you?”

“They’ve already been popping heads today.” I nodded towards David. “I saw the news reports of heroes and villains dying without even getting into the fight. That’s not from the aliens, that’s the Agency.”

David frowned, biting down on his lower lip. “Why would they do that?”

“Because no one wants to fight a battle you’re going to lose. Even the villains aren’t that stupid.” The mental image of Tan, lying there gasping his last breath, came to the forefront of my mind’s eye. “They must have said no and their Guardians pulled it. You refuse to fight, you get your plug pulled.” I waved a hand in the air. “And don’t get any ideas about us being patriotic or anything like that. It’s one thing to go into a fixed battle and another to go to what looks like certain death.” My throat felt tight. “If I had known what was going on before we left, I might have tried to talk Mike out of it.”

“Then he would have killed you,” Jessie growled.

“Maybe. Guess I’ll never know now.” I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the hundreds of times I had run that scenario through my mind.

“That’s murder, no matter how you explain it away,” David said in a low, sad tone. “Especially when this Agency is supposed to be helping us fight these aliens. Killing supers who won’t fight is just…” He fell silent, unable to find the words.

“Which is another whole problem.” I gestured towards the laptop. “Everyone thought that our arranged fights were real, right?” I continued without waiting for the two men to respond. “So what if someone or something monitoring our transmissions thought the same thing?”

The redhead at the desk shrugged. “Probably think that you were the hot stuff like we all did.” He blushed, his attention on the computer screen.

“So they figured that they’d take you on and win.” David rocked back and forth on the couch. “But then why stop?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Why stop? I mean, they’ve retreated back into their ships and are just hovering there, waiting.” He smacked his lips together. “Not a wise move if you want to invade a planet. Take out the top defenders and start moving your ground troops in, get the boots on the ground. Instead they’re just sitting there. Not a very good military position to take.”

“Thank goodness for that much.” Jessie hummed under his breath. “There should be a parcel at the front door in a few minutes.”

David got to his feet. “I’m assuming I don’t need to sign for it.”

“Better if you don’t.” Jessie chuckled. “Just bring it right up here and we’ll kick it into gear.”

I shifted my position on the thin cushions. “Think this is going to work?”

“Of course.” The smug tone in his voice had me laughing.

“Thank your buddies for me.” Getting to my feet, I stretched out my arms, shaking the sleep out of them. The snap, crackle and pop as I arched my back startled me, reminding me that I was off my routine. Big time. Mike had always been keen on our daily exercises. He’d be pissed I’d forsaken them for a nap. Course we’d never talked about keeping up a routine in the middle of an alien invasion.

Jessie stared at the screen, chewing on the inside of his mouth before speaking. “You ever want to quit?”

“Every day,” I whispered. “Every fucking day.”

The silence hung in the air between us, the sudden tightening in my chest reminding me that I had a lot to make up for.

“It’s here.” David’s excited voice reverberated up the stairs. Jessie smiled as I walked to the steps and reached down to help the elderly man up.

“You should tell your friends to have better manners.” He wagged a finger at Jessie before tossing him the small box wrapped in plain brown paper. “Bike messenger drove up and threw it at me. Left without even saying a word.” He sat on the couch.

“I’ll make a note.” Jessie ripped the paper off the box and tore the flaps open. “This should at least keep you off the radar for the time being.”

The small black box was no more than three inches by two inches, the size of a cigarette pack with nothing more than a switch at one end. He toggled the metal stick and passed it to me. “Now you’re good.”

I looked at it. “Seriously?” Turning it over and over, I weighed it in my hand. “Pretty light.”

“Have to be. You’ll need to keep that within thirty feet of your transmitter to maintain the cloaking.” Jessie beamed, putting his feet up on the empty chair and rocking back, hands behind his head.

“Don’t get too smug. If we’re lucky, the Agency hasn’t caught their collective breath and no one knows I’m here.” I tucked the box into the pocket of my leather jacket, over my heart. Good place for it. “Now, what about the plug?”

“That…” he waved a finger in the air, “…can be dealt with.” His attention turned back to the laptop screen. “The problem here is that we don’t know the frequency it runs on. A GPS is one thing—we can get that info easy. But this, this is a bit more complicated.” A weak smile appeared on his face. “But they’re working on it. And by
they
I mean medical professionals looking to get a paper out of it at some point, so don’t be too shy.”

I shrugged. “If we survive this, they can get a whole damned manual out of it. Right now I’m running on borrowed time.” My right hand tapped the plastic case in my pocket. “And this is going to help convince them of that.”

“Good.” David reached for one of the juice cartons. “Now, what are you going to do?”

I drew a deep breath. “What I’m supposed to do. I’m going to save the world.”

If she’s a tree fairy, how come he’s the one with the wood?

Demons are a Ghoul’s Best Friend

© 2010 Wynne Hayworth

Afterglow, Book 2

Detective Cheney Fisher is used to the back-of-the-neck feeling that tells him he’s being watched. When attorney Pandora Jackson strides into the precinct, he’s the one doing the watching—and drooling. Her mile-long legs and fiery hair encase a sharp legal mind and a body he’d like to de-brief.

Despite his effort to keep his powers on the down-low, Pandora knows that Cheney is uniquely qualified to solve her problem—evaluating a strangely unfriendly bit of evidence from a court case. But it’s her instant attraction to the detective that scares her. Any loss of control and her powerful Fae ability could consume her, body and soul.

A suspicious fire in Pandora’s apartment drives Cheney’s suspicion that she’s being stalked by a very real threat. Bringing her under protection is the only option, even though proximity means there’s no way to fight the searing passion erupting between them.

Cheney’s instincts are spot-on, though. A madman with a taste for unnatural selection has a plan for Pandora. The only way to fight it is trust themselves, their powers…and each other.

Warning: Refrigerate after opening. This book contains scenes of magic, illusion and scorching hot fairy sex. There are also a few murders, a super sexy cop, a giggle or two, and a tip of the hat to Mother Nature. It is, of course, fiction, but was written using 100% organically grown words.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Demons are a Ghoul’s Best Friend:

Pandora matched her stride to that of the tall detective, a pleasant change since she was unused to walking next to men who surpassed her in height, especially when she was in heels. For a few moments she indulged herself by enjoying the sensation, then sighed and surrendered to business. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere I know we won’t be overheard.”

His voice was sharp, edgy, and she knew she’d hit the right button by mentioning Roz. She needed this man’s help with her current problem since there was no one else she could turn to. Although the first time she’d seen him from a distance, she’d wondered if he was the right person. Up close, face-to-face, she’d been even less sure since every single female hormone in her body had woken up and started singing girl songs.

It had taken quite a bit of strength to overcome the gleeful hallelujah chorus going on in her panties, but she’d managed it. For now, she needed Detective Fisher’s talent,
not
his penis, magnificent though it assuredly would be.

He stopped next to a car in the parking lot, surprising Pandora, as her thoughts had been far away from mundane things. Like where they were going.

“Get in.” He held the door, his tone commanding and abrupt.

“Well, since you’re being so charming about it…” She slid into the passenger seat and waited for him to join her behind the wheel.

He did, but not to start the engine. He turned to her with an expressionless face. “Now tell me what the hell this is about.”

She took a breath. “I met Roz when her husband had some dealings with our firm. It was a social occasion. We chatted and she told me about her job with you. She was very discreet and spoke highly of you. But I’m not an idiot. I put two and two together—and came up with considerably more than four. You baby-sit what are, for lack of a better phrase,
challenged
AGs.”

He inclined his head slightly. “And if I do?”

She pursed her lips, seeking the right words. “If you do, if my assumption is correct, then you are one of the few people who can help with my little—er—problem.”

“You think you have a challenged AG?”

She snorted. “There’s no think about it. I
know
I do. And I’m not sure where to turn, who to ask for help. Since it’s a puppy, you came to mind.” She straightened her shoulders. “I don’t quite know how to explain this. First off, I’m not into putting down animals like they were useless bugs. Everything gets a chance, as far as I’m concerned.”

Cheney nodded. “Agreed.”

“So what I would like…” Pandora paused, uncertain of what it was she really wanted. “Look, I don’t have that much experience with young AGs, or puppies for that matter. But you don’t have to be a psychiatrist or a vet to look at this thing and know there’s an issue of some sort.” She turned to him, trying to keep the pain out of her voice. “I think it’s in trouble, Detective. I don’t know why, but there’s something about it that’s disturbing me.”

“That sounds like an emotional response to a stray, not anything I’d expect from a lawyer.”

She curled her lip. “I’m a lawyer in court and it’s what I do for a living. I like the law. Always have. But that doesn’t mean I snack on warm furry things and drown kittens in my off hours, for Chrissake.” She sighed. “This puppy ended up with me as the result of a court case. Nobody else would touch it.” She swallowed. “I’m not sure why I did. I had the same reaction. It doesn’t…feel right.”

“Feel right?”

“I know. Stupid thing to say and a completely unreliable statement I’d tear apart in the courtroom. But it’s true. Maybe it was the environment it was born into.” Staring absently out of the car window, she tried to shed the unpleasant memories. “The case sucked. It was about animal abuse and an unscrupulous, money-grubbing leech.” She grinned suddenly. “I won. He won’t be abusing anything else for quite some time. In fact, he’s got five to ten years of finding out what it’s like on the
other
side of punishment. Not to mention I took him for every filthy penny he’d ever filtered into an offshore bank account.”

She flashed a quick glance at Cheney. “Global internet finance laws are quite restrictive these days.”

“So I’ve heard.” His voice was still cool.

“After the case, the evidence, as in the poor creatures involved, went to adoption agencies or homes. No worries about them. It was just this one…nobody wanted him. Honestly? I didn’t either.”

“Why?”

“Again, I don’t really know. Call it gut instinct. But as I said, turning him over to some euthanasia company…well, I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it.”

“And…” prompted Cheney.

“Well, I remembered my conversation with Roz. I decided to speak with you and ask if there was any way you could—
evaluate
this creature? Use whatever skills you have to tell me what the hell’s going on with it?”