Chapter 2
Audrey
“Audrey!” Josie hisses from the corridor leading to the women’s bathrooms. My boss’s assistant is wide-eyed, and stress is radiating off of her like the heat of a midday sun on a particularly scorching day.
I lift my hand in greeting and I’m just about to call back to her, but Josie swiftly raises one finger to her mouth while she furiously beckons me closer with the other.
Taking a calming breath, I approach the quiet hallway cautiously, my hackles raised at Josie’s unusual behavior.
I don’t know how much more weird I can handle today. My morning already started a tad lopsided.
Getting a new puppy isn’t exactly the sunshine and rainbows I thought it would be.
I mean, it is, Anita is still all levels of adorable and she knows it, but there was also a bit of whining throughout the night, a fresh stain on the rug this morning where Anita missed the pee pad, and most notably, the sad remnants of one of my top five toys scattered around the living room.
Anita Wiener somehow got into my special box last night. Instead of picking an option from the cornucopia of chew toys I got her, she preferred to attack my cute stingray grinder and managed to sever the tail with its vibrating knot.
I called the emergency line at the vet to ask if I should bring her in, but since she didn’t swallow any parts they said just to keep an eye on her and hide any “inappropriate toys” that she could get a hold of in the future.
Can’t complain too much though. My girl’s got good taste. Just wish it wasn’t such a dependable toy that had to bite the dust. Guess I’ve got an excuse to go browse my favorite sites tonight and find an even better replacement.
Josie grabs my hand and pulls me into the bathroom, then clicks the door shut behind us.
“This is weird, Josie. Usually I’m all on board with freaky shit, but you’re kind of pushing my boundaries here. What’s going on?”
“Did you work on Caleb’s accounts last week?” Josie whispers frantically, looking over my shoulder like she’s expecting someone to burst through the door at any second.
And do what? I don’t know. Tax accounting is not the most exciting work environment, so I’m not sure why she’s wound so tight. Maybe she could do with a good toy recommendation too.
“Yes,” I answer hesitantly. “The numbers weren’t really adding up and he asked me to double-check his work.”
Caleb is one of the newer hires at our firm, still a little wet behind the ears, but oddly not too irritating.
We took a closer look at the deductions made from the employees and found they’re not declared anywhere else.
So not only were they skimming money off the employees, but those employees are sitting without their rightful insurance coverage and other benefits they’re entitled to. Hello, tax fraud.
When I was sure that was what’s going on, I called the city’s anonymous tip line and reported the company. Mess with your own money, sure. But mess with the people who are working for you, not okay.
“Were you the one to report them?” Josie asks.
“I’m neither confirming nor denying that,” I answer neutrally.
Josie’s eyes widen to an almost comical degree, and I fear a fraction further and they’d be in danger of falling out. “Audrey, you shouldn’t have done that.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I raise a brow at her. “Again, not saying I did, but if someone happened to disclose their illegal wrongdoings, anonymously so, why would that be a bad thing?”
“Mr. Gubber is pissed. That company falls under the umbrella of an organized crime ring and they’ve been laundering money that way. The employees aren’t actually real and you just blew their cover. Mr. Gubber gave the account to Caleb because he thought a newbie might not notice the discrepancies.”
“Oh fuck.” I take a step back and give her an assessing look. “You knew all this? And you didn’t report them yourself?”
Josie squares her shoulders and schools her features, and suddenly she looks like a whole other person.
“Audrey, I’m an undercover agent with the organized crime team.
We’ve had Mr. Gubber under surveillance for a while, but he’s just a small cog in the crime ring we’re trying to get to.
I’m playing the role of dutiful assistant to learn all I can before we take them all down. ”
“Badass. That’s really cool.”
Josie preens for only a second before she grabs my shoulder and implores me to hear her out.
“You’re in danger, Audrey. You need to get out of here as soon as possible before they try to find you and make an example out of you.
Do you have somewhere you can go to lie low for a while?
Maybe with your cousin in Starry Hill? They probably won’t dare to look over there with all the protections the island has in place. ”
My blood turns cold as her words sink in, not because I’m scared of whatever Mr. Gubber is involved in, but at how much she knows about my private life. “How do you know about Tilly? And Starry Hill?”
Josie’s smile is indulgent, very unlike the person I thought she was.
“I know everything about everyone who works here. If you don’t want to go to the island, I can help arrange somewhere safe for you.
It won’t be forever. Once we have the big boss in custody and the ring dismantled, it will be safe to come back. ”
I take a second to process all this information, little moments over the past year slotting together like bizarre puzzle pieces, and I come to the conclusion that Josie really isn’t bullshitting me. “This is serious, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
My mind is already racing through a list of to-dos, thinking through my next steps before I announce, “I’ll go to Starry Hill. Rather a quaint cottage with people I know than you sticking me on some farm in the middle of nowhere.”
“How did you know that was my plan?” Josie asks with a quick wink, a little bit of her familiar persona sifting through.
I roll my eyes. “Har har. Very funny. Can I grab some stuff from my desk?”
Josie’s grin is apologetic. “No time. There’s an agent waiting downstairs who’ll keep a discreet eye on you until your transport arrives. We want you safe, but not be too obvious that you’re protected.”
“Fuck,” I breathe out. “You guys are organized. Consider me properly scared now.” And I am.
I’ve thought about hypotheticals before and how cool it would be to catch bad guys by simply being meticulously good at my job, but actually being told to evacuate to a magic-protected island—or risk my life—is not the way the story played out in my head.
Josie helps me leave the building in the most nonchalant way I’ve ever nonchalanted before heading back upstairs and pretending none of this ever happened.
Once in the car, I apply a fresh coat of ruby-red lipstick, slip on my sunglasses, and dial The Bandaged Heart.
I miss the days when I could simply text Tilly.
Since Starry Hill doesn’t really have good signal, phones are basically useless in most areas away from the shops.
So whenever I need to get in contact with someone over there, I’m treated to the privilege of making excruciating small talk before I get to the main purpose of the conversation.
Thankfully, today seems to be fairly busy at the clinic, or maybe Tilly can pick up on my subtle vibes, because she goes straight for the jugular after a perfunctory greeting.
“What’s wrong?” Tilly practically growls.
Those mama bear feelings must be riding her hard, because her instincts are spot-on. I am, however, going to try to keep this conversation as light as possible. No need to raise her blood pressure and risk the health of my little nieces, or nephews, or niece and nephew, that she’s currently baking.
“How do you feel about me moving to Starry Hill for a little while?” I ask casually, pulling out of the parking lot and steering my car toward my apartment.
“What happened?”
“Nothing you need to be concerned about.” I glance in my rearview mirror and spot a fairly inconspicuous car following a few lengths behind me. I fucking hope it’s that agent Josie was talking about.
“Audrey.” My name holds enough bite that I give her a very condensed, very sugar-coated version of what transpired this morning.
Tilly shifts into practical mode and I hear her muffled voice as she calls for Katie, the fairy receptionist, to fly and get Bodin.
“You know that big hubby of yours is going to freak out when Katie shows up,” I say, imagining the big orc storming across the island to get to his very pregnant wife.
Tilly huffs, and I can almost detect a smile behind it.
“If there’s a freak-out, it’ll only last about five minutes before he’s here to check with his own eyes that I’m okay.
I swear, the further I get in this pregnancy, the closer he sticks to me.
He’s practically hovering at my side lately.
Won’t surprise me if he carries me everywhere in the final month. ”
“Don’t pretend you won’t like that,” I quip as I turn down another street, hoping to keep the conversation light despite the nerves climbing up my throat.
Tilly is quite prone to injuring herself, and Bodin has somehow made it one of his life goals to keep her as safe from herself as he can. Usually this would send off all kinds of red flags for me, but in their case, it’s weirdly endearing.
I remember their wedding and how Bodin literally carried Tilly off while the party was still in full swing. Though, that was purely to get her somewhere private so they could start their fuck fest.
Oh, how I can only dream of having my own fuck fest, sans marriage or claiming ceremonies, preferably. The closest I’d ever get to commitment is my little Anita.
Tilly pulls my attention back to the conversation. “Luckily Bodin’s at Arran’s place this morning for a housing meeting with the committee, so I’m able to get some work done without any of his well-meant interruptions.”
I try my best not to react to hearing Arran’s name, the vampire having made another appearance in a particularly raunchy dream last night. Instead, I ask, “Committee?”
Tilly clears her throat. “Ah, we’ve been having a bit of a housing situation here. All the currently inhabitable cottages are taken, so they’re trying to figure out ways to accommodate any newcomers.”
I sneak another look in the mirror, instantly spotting the car as I try to think of an alternative to the clusterfuck I’m finding myself in. “I’m sorry. This is terrible timing on my behalf. I could find—”
“Don’t you dare,” Tilly says sharply. “I’ll prepare the couch for you until we figure out something more permanent.”
“It’s not permanent,” I quickly correct.
“Sure, it’s not. But in the meantime, you’ll stay with us.”
Some tension seeps out of my shoulders. “Thank you. I promise we’ll be gone before the babies get here.”
There’s a pause before Tilly asks cautiously, “‘We’ll?’ Who is included in this stay? Have you met someone?”
Getting ready to shatter her hopes of me finally finding my own lifelong lover, but also wanting to play with her a little—a girl’s got to get her laughs where she can—I answer matter-of-factly, “Yes, actually. Her name is Anita.”
“And why is this the first time I’ve heard of her? Of course she’s welcome too. It might be a tight fit, but—”
This time it’s me cutting Tilly off. “She’s a dog. A teeny sausage dog with the cutest littlest legs and the prettiest blue eyes. I found her yesterday. Or maybe she found me. But she’s delightful, and mischievous, and a little chaos queen.”
“So she’s a mini Audrey?” The smirk is apparent in Tilly’s voice and a laugh bursts out of me at how apt that comparison is.
“Damn straight, she is.”
A door banging open sounds on Tilly’s end, followed by a deep rumbling voice I recognize as Bodin’s. After Tilly reassures him that she and the babies are okay, I try to follow their muffled conversation as she gives Bodin a quick rundown of what I told her and they discuss next steps.
There’s a quick sound of their lips smacking together in a chaste kiss before Bodin’s footsteps thunder out of the clinic and Tilly comes back on the line.
“Damn, if I wasn’t already having his babies, I know what we’d be doing when he got back,” my cousin sighs out.
“Romantic and horny,” I muse. “Nice.”
“Bodin and Shinsu will meet you at your apartment. Don’t go to the dock alone.”
“That seems to be a little dramatic.” Even though I try to play it off as nothing, my eyes flit to the car still visible in my rearview mirror, and a pang of thankfulness for Starry Hill and its supportive community ricochets through me.
I never doubted that the small island community would come through for me, that I would be safe there, that I would be welcome to stay as long as I want, and that they would care for me as if I were a permanent resident.
Having that type of safety net is something I never knew I’d need—never mind want—and a tiny, tiny, tiny part of me thinks it might just be a good thing for me to have a slightly extended vacation there.
“Audrey,” Tilly says sternly. “I know you and I know you wouldn’t call me first thing in the morning and announce you’re moving to Starry Hill if something major didn’t happen.
Whatever version of the truth you gave me is not the full story, and that’s fine.
For now. You can tell me everything when you get here.
But until then, I’m sending the guys to help. And I’m guessing, protect.”
Dropping all my defenses, I whisper, “Thanks, Tilly. I’m lucky to have you.”
“Right back at you. I’m looking forward to having you close. Now get to your apartment, pack everything, and wait for the guys to collect you and Anita. I’m excited to meet her.”
“Yes, Mom.” I automatically roll my eyes, but I can’t fight the smile tugging at my lips.
Pulling into my apartment’s parking lot, I aim for a spot closest to the entrance so I can run inside the moment I hang up.
My tail doesn’t enter the lot, but rather pulls into an empty space across the street.
The driver looks directly at me and gives me a very subtle nod.
Does that nod mean it’s the agent? For my own peace of mind, I’m going to say yes, it does.
Tilly continues, “I’ll let the girls know you’re coming, and we can do dinner tonight. Easier to tell all of us the full story at once instead of having to repeat it six times over.”
I ignore the parked-up guy and zone back into the conversation, thinking how good it will be to see all of my friends, and I wonder what kind of rumors will be swirling before I set foot on the island later.
“Katie knows, so I’m guessing it’s just a matter of time until the whole island knows I’m moving in. ”
Tilly laughs wryly. “Truer words were never spoken.”