Incident 1 Definitely Not Paid Enough for This #5
“Feliks and one of his girlfriends. Ex-girlfriend, I guess. She finally caught up with him here and more or less threw him into the machine.” Ross gave it a stare and huffed out an annoyed breath.
“Feliks agreed to pay for the damages, but it’s still going to be a bear to explain this to the owner. ”
“How did you stop a fight between two werewolves?!” Annabella demanded incredulously.
“Bucket of water.”
Glenn threw his head back and laughed loudly. “You didn’t!”
“What, it works on two fighting dogs.” Ross gave him a small smile.
Warmly, Glenn said in a soft tone, “I’m glad it did. But you should have called one of us. We would have taken care of it for you.”
“Glenn, I don’t know a single phone number to anyone in the clan.” Except Glenn’s, but that was a dangerous road. “And no offense, but I was handling stupidity like this for a while before you ever walked in here. I can handle it. What are you two here for?”
“To talk to you, actually.” Annabella was still staring at the junked machine with her bright red lips pressed into a flat, irritated line.
She looked particularly snazzy tonight in a form-flattering black dress and bright red high heels that put her at super model height.
“We just came back from an all-clan meeting.”
“It didn’t go well.” Glenn finally eased back a foot, giving Ross a little breathing room.
Ross appreciated it, as frankly, his body reacted in interesting ways when Glenn stood close.
“We attempted to come up with an agreement for inter-city interactions. This habit of the young ones attacking each other with little discernment is worrying for us.”
“You’ve seen how werewolves and vampires are at odds.
” Annabella waited for Ross’s nod before continuing sourly, “Well, it’s not just them.
They’re just the worst example of the bunch.
And it’s all silly, really, the reasons for the fights.
We actually used this gas station as an example of how peaceful we can interact if we put some effort into it. ”
Ross let out a humorless snort. “And then you walk in to find this.”
“Yes,” Glenn sighed, shoulders slumping. “Rather disheartening. Although it does speak well of you that this was the only damaged part of the store. Two werewolves in a fight normally demolish a room without any trouble.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. I keep a bucket of water near the counter for that reason.
It’s come in handy more than once, and water’s much easier to clean up.
” They both looked frazzled. Ross didn’t know why he thought that, with them dressed so sleek, and every hair in perfect place, but it was the impression that struck him regardless. “Want a beer?”
“God, yes,” Annabella said instantly.
Ross fetched two from the cooler and uncapped them before handing each over. They settled at the mini-bar in front of the window. Ross couldn’t drink on the job, but he deserved coffee after cleaning up that disaster, so he made himself a cup before joining them.
“I shudder to think of what this place will be like again when you leave,” Annabella said, apropos to nothing.
Glenn’s head came up sharply. “Leave?”
“He’s a college student,” Annabella explained. “He’s on break.”
“A long break,” Ross noted dryly. “Too long, in fact. I have to start up again soon, otherwise I’ll have to re-apply altogether. But that’s a different subject. Tell me more about this all-clan meeting. I was under the impression that there’s only four clans in this area?”
“Correct.” Glenn seemed more intrigued to talk about Ross, for some reason, and his tone was a tad reluctant as he answered.
“You’ve seen the werewolf clan, which Feliks is part of.
There’s another clan of vampires. Neither are pleased that my own clan occupies this territory as well, since we have such an interesting mix of people.
It’s taken many talks to get things as settled as they are. ”
Ross considered the interesting altercations that had happened in and around the gas station in the past eight months he’d been here. Almost nine months, now. Settled was not the word he would have used.
A phone rang and Glenn answered it with blinding speed. He spoke quickly, a frown gathering, but it was in—German? With a grimace, he hung up the phone again. “Apologies, Ross, we must go. My kobold reports a problem in my household.”
Ross had no idea what that was. Still, he got the gist. “Sure. May the problem not result in broken appliances.”
Even as Glenn slid from the bar stool, his expression grew dark. “A tad too late for that, I fear.”
Uh-oh.
Dunham was one of his regular customers, another werewolf with a Scottish accent thick enough to slice and serve on bread.
He was this big, affable sort of man, a little shaggy with his greying brown hair and beard in perpetual need of a trim.
He unloaded two armfuls onto the counter—an assortment of the basic grocery items the store carried, which included bread, milk, peanut butter, two types of jam, crackers, canned soup, and Mac and Cheese boxes.
Since this was a weekly event, Ross started ringing him up and placing it in bags. But this time, he found himself asking the obvious question. “You really do your grocery shopping here?”
The Scot stared at him, blue eyes nearly crossing. “No, this is for the bairns over yonder.”
“You’ve lost me, Dunham. Bairns?”
“Ye know, the wee ones,” he said as if Ross was just being dense. “The bairns that play over in the park, the ones that live in that flat over there.”
“Keep in mind I sleep during the day,” Ross told him patiently. “And I don’t live in this area.”
“Ah, then ye may no’ have seen ’em. Aye, they’re in a rough spot.
They’re feisty and sweet, and their mother’s a good one, but their bastard father walked out and willna pay ’em a dime for support.
Some days, the mother do no’ have enough food to put on the table, ye ken?
I step in and buy ’em a few things to tide ’em over ’til next pay. ”
Ross blinked at him. That was unexpected. “Do you know them well, then?”
“No’ so well,” Dunham admitted with a flap of the hand. “But it be age old tradition, ye ken?”
“No, I’m not kenning. What’s tradition, feeding children?”
“Aye, that. Well, families as need it. We Scots, we take care of our own. In olden days, ye gathered fish and put it on their windowsill, enough to feed ’em ’til market day. But I no’ be much of a fisherman, and yer goods will do ’em better.”
That was incredibly kind. Ross had done some research after realizing what his clientele was, but this habit of feeding the poor had not shown up on any of his searches. “That’s good of you.”
“Ye canna let the poor bairns starve.” Dunham shrugged as if it was no big deal.
“You could go to a proper grocery store, though.”
“I do, at times, but yer closer. And ye do no’ spook like some do.” Turning his head, Dunham breathed in deeply. “Seems most of me clan been in here. Clanmaster himself has been in often. What was Himself doing here?”
Ross was surprised Dunham hadn’t already heard about it. “Your total’s $42.38. He keeps inviting me to be his personal assistant.”
Dunham’s face brightened. “Oh aye, I can see how ye’d be good at that. Will ye take it, then?”
“Tell me why you think I’d be good at it? When all I’ve ever done is ring you up?”
“Posh, man, ye handle all that comes and goes through here like it be nothin’ at all, at all. Of course ye’d be good at it. And it’d be a blessin’ to the clan, aye, that it would. There’s some work to be done that’s easier if it’s a human handlin’ it.”
People kept saying that but never elaborated. Ross pushed for answers. “Why is that?”
“Well, there’s a few reasons. Himself is a bit of an odd duck,” Dunham confided, leaning in on the counter. “Take me, for instance. Usually, ye canna find a werewolf in with a vampire’s clan.”
“Yes, I was initially surprised by that. Feliks hates vampires.”
“Ye know Feliks? Ah, of course ye do, he runs through this area often. But ye ken my point, then. First time I met Himself, I felt the same. But he’d come to talk peace, and he gave me a good turn.
I was in a fine pickle at the time, ye ken.
I was in Ireland at the time, passing through, and the famine gripped the land strongly then.
He fed me, lone wolf I was, and gave me shelter.
I gave him help in return and we grew to be friends.
Himself is a charmin’ one. I’ve accused him of kissin’ the blarney stone, he has so much charm.
He makes friends of all sorts, and the ones who need help and protection, he offers it.
A good one, that one, and it’s why when he asked if I’d join him, I did no’ hesitate at all, at all. ”
“And it works? There’s no conflicts inside the clan?”
Dunham snorted in amusement. “Have ye ever met a family that never argued?”
“Good point. How many are in your clan?”
“I do believe it’s over a hundred now.” Dunham cocked his head. “It’d take me a moment to add it up, but a hundred and twenty-something sounds about right.”
No wonder Glenn wanted help. Ross had met these supernats, knew how many struggled to do even basic errands in society.
The functioning members of the clan couldn’t compensate for everyone else without being overwhelmed by the demand.
Just one person who could operate in daylight hours would be enough to off-set the burden.
Speaking of the devil, Glenn waltzed through the door and gave Dunham a slight smile in greeting. “Doing your windowsill presents?”
“Aye, that I be,” Dunham said peaceably. “I thank ye for the help, Ross. G’night.”
“Good night.” Ross stared at the massive were’s retreating back. “Does he really leave it on the windowsill?”
“Says it’s tradition.”
“Wouldn’t the doorway work better?”
“Feel free to argue the point. I haven’t made any headway on it.”