Page 20 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter (Quirk of Fate #5)

Malik woke the next morning to his phone buzzing on the nightstand. He reached for it carefully, trying not to disturb Tynan.

Unknown number. He frowned and answered quietly. “Hello?”

“Is this Malik from Malik’s Motors?” A woman’s voice, vaguely familiar.

“Speaking.” He eased himself up, gently moving out from under Tynan’s arm.

“It’s Joanne from the bakery down the street from your shop.” Now he placed the voice - she ran the small bakery that sometimes provided pastries when he had early morning customers waiting.

“What’s up, Joanne?”

“I’m sorry to bother you on your days off, but I thought you should know someone tagged your roller door last night. It’s a pretty big mess, you can’t miss it. It looks like they tried to break in, too. The side door handle is all messed up.”

Malik sat fully upright now. “You sure about that?”

“I walked past it myself this morning on my way to open up. I recognized the tag style. It’s the same one those punks from a few blocks over use. The ones who hang around that tall guy in the fancy suits.”

Grok’s crew? It certainly sounded like it. Malik’s jaw tightened. They had a deal.

“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll head back to town and check it out.”

“No problem. I hate to see it happen to your place. You’re one of the good ones around here.”

After hanging up, Malik stared at the phone for a moment. The workshop was his livelihood, his territory. His rhino side bristled at the violation.

Tynan stirred beside him. “Everything okay?” His voice was thick with sleep, as he blinked awake.

“Sorry, hon,” Malik glanced over at his mate. “We need to head back to town. Someone tagged the workshop door and tried to break in.”

Tynan sat up immediately, fully alert. “Do you know who?”

“I’d guess it’s Grok’s crew, based on the tag.” Malik stood and started gathering his clothes. “I just don’t understand why it’s happening now, though. He and I came to an agreement. There hasn’t been trouble at the workshop in years since I bought it.”

“Remember those guys who jumped me that night?” Tynan’s chest vanished as his torso was suddenly covered in a shirt. “Do you think it’s possible they’ve seen me at the workshop with you?”

Malik hadn’t considered that. “Maybe. But Grok paid his dues for that incident. This feels different.”

It didn’t take long for either one of them to finish dressing. Sparky, roused by their movement, fluttered over to Tynan’s shoulder.

“What’s with the rush? I was planning a morning of meadow exploration and possibly terrorizing some field mice.”

“Someone vandalized Malik’s workshop,” Tynan explained. “We need to go back.”

“Featherless,” Sparky muttered. “Always ruining perfectly good plans with their criminal tendencies.”

As they loaded up the Jaguar, Malik noticed Tynan’s worried expression. His mate kept glancing at him and then away.

“What’s on your mind?” Malik asked, closing the trunk.

“I’m just concerned this might be my fault. If those men recognized me spending time at your shop…” Tynan trailed off, guilt evident in his eyes.

Malik pulled him close. “This isn’t on you. If Grok’s crew is causing trouble after our agreement, that’s between me and Grok.”

The drive back to town was tense. Malik kept one hand on the wheel, the other holding Tynan’s. His mind raced through possible scenarios and responses. Breaking their deal was a serious offense in the unwritten rules of their neighborhood.

When they pulled up to the workshop, Malik saw it immediately. Across his roller door, someone had sprayed a crude rhino outline with a line through it. Below it, the words “FREAKS OUT” were in dripping red paint.

“That’s…specific,” Tynan said quietly. “Rhino with a line through it.”

Malik examined the side door. The lock had been tampered with, but it had held. His security system was still armed according to his phone app, and no one had made it inside.

“This isn’t Grok’s usual tag,” Malik said, running a hand over his head. “But it’s definitely aimed at me specifically.”

“Do you think…” Tynan lowered his voice, glancing around the empty Sunday morning street. “Do they somehow know what you are? The rhino thing seems like more than a coincidence.”

That thought had occurred to Malik, too. “I’ve been careful. Never shifted anywhere near here. And that ridiculous outline only has one horn, not two.”

“It could just be a reference to your size,” Sparky offered from Tynan’s shoulder. “You are built like a brick building with legs.”

“Maybe,” Malik said, unconvinced. He pulled out his phone and scrolled to Grok’s number. “Time to find out what’s going on.”

The phone rang three times before Grok answered. “Bit early for social calls, Malik.”

“This isn’t social. Someone tagged my workshop last night. Tried to break in, too.”

A pause. “Wasn’t my crew.”

“Tag’s different but it’s on my street, which means it’s your territory.”

Another pause, longer this time. “I’ll look into it. But I’m telling you, my boys know better than to mess with your place.”

“There’s a crude rhino with a line through it sprayed on my door,” Malik said. “And the words ‘freaks out.’ Ring any bells?”

“Rhino?” Grok’s voice sharpened. “That’s definitely not one of our tags. Listen, I’ll be there in twenty. Don’t clean it up yet.”

The call ended. Malik looked at Tynan, who’d moved closer to examine the graffiti.

“He’s coming here to see it. Says it wasn’t his crew.”

Tynan frowned. “I believe him. This feels…different. More targeted.” He touched the paint, then pulled his hand back when it came away red. “Still fresh.”

“This isn’t random vandalism,” Malik agreed. “Someone’s sending a message.”

They waited outside, Malik taking photos of the damage while Tynan paced nervously. Sparky flew up to perch on the roof, keeping watch.

Grok arrived in a black Mercedes, stepping out in an impeccable suit despite the early hour. He surveyed the graffiti with narrowed eyes.

“Definitely not my work,” he said by way of greeting. “And not my crew’s style, either.”

“Then who?” Malik demanded. “You should know. You’re the one always making a big deal about controlling this area.”

Grok’s jaw tightened. “Things have been complicated lately. There’s a new player trying to move in on the east side. Been recruiting young punks, making noise.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this when we spoke about the incident with Tynan?”

Grok’s gaze flicked to Tynan, who stood slightly behind Malik. “Didn’t seem relevant at the time. They were sticking to their side of the line.”

“Well, they’re crossing it now.” Malik gestured to his door. “What’s with the rhino?”

Grok shrugged. “The new crew’s got weird symbolism. Animals for different neighborhoods they want to ‘clean out.’ Your block likely got tagged as rhino territory in their system.” He looked Malik up and down. “Probably because of your size. They’re targeting businesses they think are different.”

“Different how?” Tynan asked.

“Places that don’t fit their vision for the neighborhood. Apparently, they want to clean up the streets, bring in new development.” Grok’s lip curled in disgust. “Glorified thugs with real estate connections.”

Malik processed this. The explanation made sense, but something still felt off. “And the ‘freaks out’ part?”

“They’re not subtle. Anyone who doesn’t match their image of the perfect citizen is a ‘freak’ in their books.”

Sparky chose that moment to swoop down, landing on Tynan’s shoulder. Grok’s eyes widened slightly at the raven.

“That’s a trained bird?”

“Yes,” Tynan said quickly. “He’s very well trained.”

Malik steered the conversation back. “I need names, Grok. Who’s behind this?”

Grok checked his watch and glanced down the street.

“Guy calls himself Garrison. That’s all I know for sure.

Been operating out of the old warehouse district.

” He stepped back toward his car. “I’ll put out some feelers, let you know what I find.

In the meantime, you might want to beef up your security. ”

After Grok left, Malik turned to Tynan. “What do you think?”

“I think he’s telling the truth about it not being his crew,” Tynan said, stroking Sparky absently. “But I’m not sure he’s giving us the full story about this Garrison person.”

“Agreed.” Malik looked back at the graffiti. “The rhino thing bothers me. Seems too specific.”

“Are you absolutely certain no one has seen you shift?” Tynan asked quietly.

Malik shook his head. “I only shift at the cabin. It’s completely isolated.”

“What about before you met me?”

“I’ve always been careful.”

Tynan’s expression remained troubled. “If they’re targeting ‘freaks,’ and they somehow know about you…”

“Then we both need to be extra cautious,” Malik finished. He pulled Tynan close, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Let’s get this cleaned up and check the security system. I want to make sure nothing was compromised.”

As they gathered cleaning supplies from inside, Malik couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of their trouble. The rhino symbol was too much of a coincidence. Someone knew - or at least suspected - what he was.

And that made them dangerous.