The mutant poodle squirmed and licked Ascanio’s chin.
“Ugh. What do I do with him?”
“Bring him inside.”
I stepped into the office. Behind me Derek said, “I’d sterilize my face if I were you.”
“Mind your own business, wolf.”
The office smelled like coffee. Inside, Andrea raised her head from a small laptop sitting on top of paperwork spread on her desk. “What took you so long?”
“Good morning to you too, sunshine.” I dropped my bag by my chair.
Andrea tossed an envelope at me. I glanced at it. The Order’s shield logo marked the top left corner.
Uh-oh.
“What is this?”
“It’s Shane,” she growled. “He wants me to ‘cease my efforts’ to get my weapons, because they are currently being used to apprehend real criminals.”
Ha, I thought it was something dire. “He’s just jerking your chain. If you want, I’ll get Barabas to draw up a letter with his lawyer credentials on it. We’ll send it to the Order and you’ll get your weapons back.
Shane can’t hold your property.”
“I know that. I’m still pissed off. It’s your duty as my best friend to be outraged with me.”
“I’m outraged!” I snarled. “That bastard!”
“Thank you,” Andrea said.
Ascanio cleared his throat. “Consort? May I put him down now?”
I turned. He was still holding Grendel, who seemed to be enjoying it, judging by the way he kept licking Ascanio’s shoulder. Behind him, Derek was trying to choke off a laugh.
“Yes.”
Ascanio set Grendel on the floor.
Andrea peered at Derek. “What are you doing here?”
“I hired him,” I told her.
Andrea’s blond eyebrows crawled up a fraction of an inch. “And him?”
“Him, too.”
Andrea pointed at Ascanio with her pen. “How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“He can’t work here. He’s too young.”
I shrugged. “The legal age for employment is fourteen.”
“Yes, with the exception of hazardous jobs.”
“He will be an office helper. How is that hazardous?”
“Kate! Would you like to go outside and look at the bullet holes in the pavement?”
“He isn’t a full-time employee. He’s an intern.”
Andrea looked at me for a long moment. “I don’t think you understand this whole business thing.
Clients produce money. Employees cost money. We want fewer employees and more clients, not the other way around. We don’t need teenage bouda sex fiends as interns.”
“How do you know he is a sex fiend?”
Andrea looked at me like I was mentally challenged. “He is fifteen and he is a bouda. Hello?”
Good point. I nodded to the boy wonder and the sex fiend. “Pull up some chairs.”
When I came back from the kitchen with a carafe of coffee and four mugs to pour it into, everyone had gathered around Andrea’s desk.
I opened the file with the case and ran through it. By the time I finished, Derek was frowning. A crazy glow lit up Ascanio’s eyes. “Do you think people will try to kill us?”
“Yes.”
“Cool.”
Cool. Right. “There is a freezer in the back room with de Harven’s body in it. Go and examine it. Look at his face and memorize the scents. After you do that, walk through the office so you know the layout.”
They took off.
“What’s eating you?” Andrea asked.
“I had a fight with Curran.”
“What about?”
“He’s managing me.”