Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

            “This is Vincent’s work,” Glenn said, his manicured fingernails touching Nick’s photo. “What he did to Rachel’s thieving boyfriend to find where the focus was.”

            “Thievin’?” Cassie asked, her complexion somewhat gray.

            “Long story,” Jenks said, his sparkles a sickly blue and green.

            Glenn adjusted Brett’s photo, making it lie just so. “And this is what he did to a member of his own pack when he walked away because it had gone too far. Needless to say Markson didn’t survive. To live through it wasn’t Vincent’s intent. I’ve got several reports of permanent maiming that I’m trying to link to him, but Vincent is skilled enough to know what to conceal and how to do it. That’s what scares me. What we haven’t found.”

            My stomach hurt, and I stuffed my fear down deep. “Where did you get these?” I said, wanting to hide them in the folder again. “I didn’t even know these existed.”

            Glenn shrugged. “We were allowed to investigate because Nick was human. This,” he added, dropping another folder on his desk, “is Parker’s work. I got these from the courts.”

            “My God,” I whispered, appalled at the multiple, court-worthy shots of missing digits, ruined eyes, shredded ears. The damage was so bad that Wereing had made it worse.

            “Finding Parker’s work is easy,” Glenn said, seemingly unaffected by the maulings. “She tends to take trophies. Alpha female is new for her. I’m not sure how long it’s going to last. She’s been a loner since her last pack turned on her.”

            Jenks took to the air on a column of bright sparkles. “They did what?” he said, shocked.

            Cassie was clearly shaken. “You’re right,” she whispered. “This is too much for the pack. They aren’t fighters.” But my relief was short-lived when she added, “I have to go.”

            Damn it to the Turn and back. . . . “Cassie.”

            “I have to go,” she said again. “If I’m not there to stop them, they will start looking.”

            Jenks’s wings hummed as he stared at her. Pixies could tell when people were lying, and he didn’t seem convinced.

            “I’ll go home. Get them calmed down.” She hesitated. “Eat something.”

            “Thank you,” I said, relieved.

            “But if you go out to that chop shop without me, I will make your life a livin’ hell,” she added, and Jenks snickered, his cheerful dust telling me she meant it.

            “Deal,” I said. “We’ll be at Piscary’s until Martie checks in.”

            “The vampire bar down at the waterfront?” Cassie eyed Glenn, now filing the folders, hiding them with the rest of the atrocities we commit on one another.

            “Mmmm. Sounds good. I haven’t had a decent pizza since I left Cincy,” Glenn said as the cabinet clicked shut, and Cassie’s lips parted.

            “You can’t . . .” she said as Glenn unlocked a lower drawer and took out his sidearm.

            “Yes, ma’am,” he said cheerfully as he holstered it. “I can and have. Rachel is right. Bringing in vampiric muscle would be an asset. I can’t ask anyone here to make an assault, which means I need to coordinate with Pike. Me going to Piscary’s is better than Pike coming into the FIB.” He touched his chest pocket, eyebrows rising as he remembered something. “Give me a second. I want to make sure Martie knows how to use an amulet.” Glenn lurched to the door, then hesitated. “You’ll wait for me. Right? Let me hear you say it, Rachel.”

            My lips curled up in a grin. “Glenn, I would never let you walk into a vampire bar alone. Besides, I have to prime the amulets.”

            “There it is.” Motions fast in anticipation, Glenn strode out into the common area, voice raised for Martie.

            “You can’t be serious,” Cassie said, and Jenks dropped down to that stuffed rat to arrange his whiskers. “He’s human. You can’t take him into Piscary’s.”

            Hip cocked, I looked down at my phone and texted Ivy to save us a table for three. It got busy around noon. “He’ll be fine,” I said as I hit send and dropped my phone into my bag. Arm going over her shoulder, I guided her out into the FIB’s third floor.