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Before dinner, I had another sword-fighting lesson with Yuto. With so much going on, I had been tempted to skip it, but who knew what expertise I would need to steal the control device?

I was back home now, packing for the attempt, and had a pile of weapons and tools on the dining table. They included the two remaining grenades from the glovebox, the magnet on a rope, and the magical sword.

What else would be useful? Aside from locating Radomir and Abrams? Too bad I didn’t have an Elixir of Locus for one of them. Though I didn’t know if I could stomach swallowing another of those concoctions. Nobody’s esophagus deserved that kind of torture.

“I’d need to pack Pepto Bismol.”

To think I’d made fun of the werewolf bartender, Francisco, for serving his paranormal customers a drink made with the stuff. Maybe most potions upset one’s stomach.

A knock sounded at the door. Before I could answer, Jasmine strolled into my apartment with a backpack slung over her shoulder .

“I heard you’re storming another castle and need help.”

“Where’d you hear that? My mother?”

“You were chatting with her next to a porch full of werewolves.”

“There were logs in between us.”

“You know our kind have good hearing.”

“Emilio was probably hoping to learn where I get my farm-sourced salamis.”

“Oh, no doubt.”

“Is your truck still drivable?” Jasmine waved in the direction of the parking lot.

“Yes.” The back end now lacked a fender, and the tailgate was so mangled that it wouldn’t open, but the truck had made it up to visit Mom. “Some parts have just fallen off.”

“Comforting. We can take my car if you want.”

“Don’t you have a twenty-year-old hatchback?”

I’d seen it before. The tiny car looked like it would crumple in a stiff wind.

“It gets good gas mileage,” Jasmine said.

“I’m sure, but you can’t storm a castle in a hatchback. You need something badass. Like whatever that vehicle was that tried to run us off the mountain.”

“A Rezvani tank. I looked it up. It was pretty dope.”

“It’s an actual car that you can buy?” I’d assumed it had been custom-made and that only evil overlords could afford it.

“Yup. I bet they had the military edition. It’s got ballistics armor, a ram bumper, electrified door handles, and night vision.”

“We felt that bumper firsthand.”

“I’m a little sad we didn’t get to see the electromagnetic-pulse protection and smoke screen.”

“How much does all that cost?”

“It’s a steal at three hundred thousand.”

“Is that all? I’ll put one on my grocery list. ”

“I would.” Jasmine waved toward the window. “Oh, I forgot to ask. Did you know there’s a police car in your parking lot?”

“Again?” I groaned. Were those same officers back to question me? Or Rue? Maybe they’d gotten their warrant.

“Don’t you feel bolstered knowing the authorities are spending so much time keeping an eye on your complex?”

“If they had succeeded in stopping a single crime, I would.”

Leaving my gear on the table, I stepped outside. Since my apartment didn’t face the parking lot, I had to go around the corner of the building to check on it. I spotted the police car right away, but it was empty.

Groaning again, I headed for the building toward the back of the complex where Rue’s apartment was located. Jasmine trailed after me, the walkways well-lit as twilight descended.

“You don’t need to come,” I told her. “I’m just checking on someone.”

“There might be adventure, excitement, and a chance for me to prove myself worthy of your heartfelt recommendation for my résumé.”

“After all we’ve been through, I’ll give you one.”

“Oh, good. Will it be heartfelt?”

“Aren’t you just going to type my name and number on a list? How could that be heartfelt?”

“I could use a fancy font. Maybe with curlicues.”

“Nothing says you’re a professional like curlicues and hearts on your résumé.”

I thought about mentioning Bolin’s offer to help her network with real-estate moguls, but he could bring that up to her himself.

“It says I have personality. People like that in colleagues and subordinates.”

“You think so, huh?”

I peered around the corner of the back apartment building and sighed. The male and female officers stood at Rue’s door. No, they’d opened Rue’s door. Or she had.

Worried for her, I picked up my pace. If she got arrested because she’d been standing next to me when I’d turned wolf to defend the complex…

Damn it, why was everything my fault these days? Or at least happening because of me?

“Can I help you?” I called.

They were already stepping into the apartment. It was dark, and I didn’t sense Rue inside.

“Good evening, Ms. Valens,” Dubois said, no emotion on her face to suggest she’d been caught doing something shifty.

Before she held up a digital copy of a warrant, I knew she had one.

“Do you know where Rue Thepnakorn is? We’ve been issued a warrant allowing us to search her apartment, but we would prefer to let her know we’re doing so before barging in.”

“You’ve already barged in,” I said as her partner turned on the lights.

“Only because she’s not here.”

“What do you expect to find? She’s eccentric and has an eclectic collection of stuff, but nothing is illegal.” I hoped not anyway.

Rue had objected to making potions using ingredients like livers from recently deceased women, so I gathered she had ethical lines she didn’t cross in her field.

“A wolf.” The male officer halted inside and sneezed three times. “What is this place? A mad scientist’s laboratory?” He sneezed again.

Dubois looked upward to twists of herbs and baskets of tubers dangling from the ceiling. The lease forbade making holes in the walls and mentioned sticky hooks that could be removed. I would have to have a chat with Rue about using those .

“She’s into botanicals and chemistry.” I doubted they would believe me if I told them she was an alchemist. “But I’ve never seen her with a wolf, a coyote, or even a mouse. We have a no-wild-animals-for-pets rule here.”

Dubois sniffed. “I can smell a cat box.”

How could she smell anything over the pervasive incense odor?

“We allow those.” I’d yet to see Rue’s feline familiar, but she’d mentioned having one several times.

The male officer walked into the kitchen and lifted a frying pan on the burner. “Looks like she was making dinner. This is still warm.” He gave his partner a significant look. “She might have seen us coming and hidden on the premises.”

“Does your warrant allow you to search this entire place?” I folded my arms over my chest, certain it didn’t.

“Is there a reason you’re protecting Thepnakorn, Ms. Valens?” Dubois asked.

“I’m protective of all of my tenants.”

“Even the criminals?”

“Nobody here is a criminal . I do background checks. You can’t get an apartment if you’ve passed bad checks, much less trained a wolf to attack people. And that hasn’t happened. You can’t even do that. Wolves aren’t dogs. They don’t sit for treats.”

That probably wasn’t true. I could imagine Emilio sitting for salami. And Duncan for chocolate-covered bacon. Hell, I’d offer a perky sit and a tongue loll for a bar of quality dark chocolate.

“We’re not sure what’s possible in that area.” Dubois exchanged a long look with her male partner, then eyed something slightly magical that was glowing on a shelf.

There were a lot of objects and ingredients in the apartment with magical vibes, but I didn’t think the mundane police officers would be able to sense them. Of course, if the objects insisted on glowing , it didn’t take someone with paranormal senses to detect magic. And these two… looked like they might be on the verge of broadening their horizons on what was possible.

“Let’s check the woods. That’s city land.” The male officer eyed me. “We don’t need a warrant.”

I rubbed my face, hoping Rue wasn’t hiding out on the property, but the warm pan did suggest she had been here recently.

“They look like the kinds of people who are going to keep turning over rocks until they find a worm,” Jasmine said after the police officers left.

She lingered outside the doorway, eyeing some of the items in the apartment but not stepping inside.

“Unfortunately.” I joined her on the walkway. “It would be helpful about now if a crime wave would start up in Lake Forest Park or Edmonds, and the police would be distracted by other work.”

“Maybe if you put an end to all the crime in Shoreline, they’ll stop feeling the need to visit your property.” Jasmine smiled at me.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told her about the convenience-store owners’ wish that I do that. And Duncan’s willingness to make me a superhero cape.

“If I could keep crime from happening here —” I pointed to the ground, “—that would be a start.”

“Likely so.”

I pulled out my phone and debated calling Rue. If she was skulking in the woods or behind a rhododendron somewhere on the property, I didn’t want ringing to give her away. One should silence one’s phone when hiding from the police, but one didn’t always think of such things in the heat of the moment.

My phone rang, startling me. A number I didn’t recognize popped up. I eyed it warily. It might be Rue contacting me from someone else’s phone. More likely, it was the troglodyte who’d called the leasing office and threatened Bolin.

“Hello,” I answered .

If it was the troglodyte, it might be useful to answer on a phone that would store the number.

“Ms. Valens?” The male voice was familiar, but I groped to place it.

“Yeah.”

“This is Minato.” Ah, the store owner. “I’m here with my wife.”

Uh-oh.

“Did someone try to rob you again?”

“No. A few black vehicles have driven by, those inside peering in our direction, and there was a knife fight earlier in the parking lot, but nothing that threatens our business or persons has happened yet today.”

“Yet today? Are you expecting a mugging or murder tonight?”

“Nighttime is always more dangerous,” Minato said grimly.

I wished I could retract my sarcasm. With their store on a busy intersection, those two had likely witnessed the deterioration of the neighborhood firsthand. I felt guilty that I wasn’t, even now, doing something to help.

“You may also find it increasingly so,” he added. “We heard from a man who purchased beer and is associated with the dubious criminal element that you are being targeted.”

“Yeah, the motorcycle thugs threatened me. It’s okay.”

Minato hesitated. “You are not concerned? Because of your… paranormal powers?”

“I’m not un concerned. I’m just…” I didn’t know how to explain that I was too busy to spend time worrying about those guys. Further, I’d battled werewolves and supernaturally powerful thugs shooting silver bullets. Purely human enemies didn’t concern me as much. “I’ve been taking sword-fighting lessons,” I offered as an explanation.

“Is that necessary? When you have a powerful… alter ego?”

A flashlight beam slashed through the woods. The police were wandering around out there .

“Sometimes, it’s inconvenient for one’s alter ego to come out,” I said. “Trust me.”

“Had I that power, I would bring it out always.” Minato sounded wistful.

“Even when shoppers are browsing in the beer aisle?”

“Hm, perhaps not at work.”

“Exactly.”

“Is there any chance you are cogitating on a solution for our mutual problem?” There was that wistful tone again.

“It’s a priority. Trust me.”

Right after dealing with Radomir and Abrams and getting Duncan away from their clutches.

“Thank you,” Minato said earnestly. “You are our only hope. I’ve mentioned you to others, and, if you change your mind about accepting financial compensation, many in our community are willing to chip in.”

“That’s not necessary.” I said goodbye and hung up.

Jasmine arched her eyebrows.

“I miss being nothing more than a mom and a property manager.” I thought about calling Austin to see if he’d had his first snowboarding lesson yet and was having fun, but would he want to hear from his mother while hanging out with a bunch of his friends? Probably not.

“Sounds boring.”

“You say that because you don’t have kids. They keep things interesting.” For that matter, my tenants did too.

“My mom said Aurora and I were pains in the ass growing up.”

“But interesting, I’m sure. Werewolves are by default.”

The flashlight beam in the woods had disappeared from view. Hoping the police were giving up and returning to their car, I headed back toward my apartment. I stopped ten feet from reaching it. The door was ajar.

“Did you leave that open?” I asked Jasmine .

“No. I didn’t know how long we would be gone, so I turned off the lights and closed the door.”

“Hell.” I ran for the entrance, thinking of the magical sword, the wolf case, and other valuable things inside—like my espresso maker, damn it.

I halted one step inside the apartment. Furniture was tipped over, blankets and clothes strewn about the floor, and plates that had been yanked from cabinets and hurled across the living room lay shattered by the wall. The table I’d placed my gear on was upended. I picked my way through the mess toward it, afraid…

The sword was gone. I swore again.

The grenades were missing too. Only the magnet on the rope lay tangled on the floor, cast aside as something worthless.

“How am I supposed to storm a bad-guy lair with only that?” My fists balled in frustration. I hadn’t even figured out where the lair was yet, but I would have. I still would. I just?—

“Did you see this, Luna?” Jasmine stood by the overturned coffee table, pointing at the faux wood floor.

With anger and frustration tightening my muscles, I joined her. Heat warmed my skin from within, my magic offering to bring forth the wolf. But with the police officers loitering, that was the last thing I should do. Too bad. Whoever had done this had done so recently. We hadn’t been out of the apartment for long. With my lupine nose, I could have tracked them by scent.

Jasmine pointed at a message written in red paint. It was probably supposed to pass as blood, but my nose told me otherwise.

Don’t interfear. Don’t attack again. Or die.

“Nice spelling on interfere,” Jasmine said. “You’re dealing with some real masterminds. ”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t take a mastermind to rob an apartment or deliver a threat.” I headed for my bedroom, worried they might have found the wolf case. Maybe I’d been foolish to underestimate the local thugs.

“That’s not blood… right?” Perhaps not the paint connoisseur that I was, Jasmine eyed the damp red writing with more unease.

“Nope. Sherwin-Williams. Trust me. I buy it often. Evergreen Fog is a staple here.” I paused in the doorway, able to sense that the artifact remained in the heat duct under the floor. It was a good thing the robbers hadn’t been paranormal, else they might have sensed its presence and hunted for it.

“Is that a color?” Jasmine asked.

Stepping back into the living room, I waved to the soft gray-green paint on the walls. “2022 Color of the Year.”

“Fancy.”

I shifted my fingers toward the writing. “That looks like Beetroot. Maybe Sun-dried Tomato.”

“Is it weird that you know their whole line-up of paint colors?”

“Nope. I’ve done a lot of painting.”

“Is it weird that you’re not visibly creeped out by this?” Jasmine waved to indicate the writing and the vandalized apartment.

“I’m too busy being frustrated that they stole Duncan’s gifts.”

“Oh, man, they took the grenades?”

“And the sword.” That had to be a lot more valuable than the explosives Duncan had picked up at a military-surplus store or wherever one could purchase such things. “It was an antique.”

“The grenades were super handy.” Jasmine sounded more distressed by the loss of them. Maybe hurling them out the truck window had been exhilarating. “What bastards.” She shook her head. “What kind of thugs steal a woman’s grenades ?”

“The kind that are pissed that she’s determined to drive them out of Shoreline.”

“When are you going to do that? You’ve got a lot on your plate. ”

“Tell me about it.” And with these brutes gunning for me, it was going to be hard to focus on my number one priority.

I sensed someone approaching from outside and turned toward the door, no weapons nearby that I could grab. But my blood was hot, anger making my magic rise to the surface and sweep through my veins. If I needed to, I could call upon the wolf.