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I had a four-door black Jeep Wrangler, which converted to a hard top for the autumn and winter.

When it rained hard in Seattle, it often rained sideways—the wind whipping the droplets in a scattershot manner, and they stung, hitting like tiny hailstones.

I jogged over to my car, pressing the fob as soon as we got near enough.

A gust swept past, chilling me to the bone and I yanked open the driver’s door, scooting inside and fastening my seatbelt.

Dante called shotgun. He’d wisely left his faux fur coat back at the office and was wearing a double-breasted trench coat, cinched at the waist with a belt.

Even in a storm, he looked dapper. Carson slipped into the backseat, wearing a windbreaker with the hood up.

I turned on the heat and, as the car warmed up, I eased out of the parking lot, cautious because the roads were slick and the risk of hydroplaning was a real thing. In Seattle, too many people drove like the rain meant nothing, and fender benders were commonplace.

As I wove through the streets, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky. I counted to five before the rumble of thunder echoed behind.

“Well, it’s not right on top of us, but it’s near enough. Dante, call Sophia and ask her to shut down if the storm gets any worse. We do not want to fry the computers.”

“Will do,” he said, pulling out his phone.

As he was talking to Sophia, Carson fiddled with the equipment in the back.

“What do we need to do when we get there?” I asked.

“First, outside of Dante’s door, I turn on the dampener.

That will suppress any cameras and bugs for thirty minutes.

We also have a bug and camera locator, but it’s going to take a little time.

So, we have to focus, if we want to get done in that half-hour time frame.

They have a limited range, which means moving a step at a time. ”

“How will we know if the dampener is working?” I asked.

“We won’t. You have to go on faith. But it has never failed me before, and I tested it back at the office. Once we start the dampener, we go into the apartment.”

Dante got off the phone. “She’s shutting down now. Apparently the storm’s supposed to get worse.”

As if to underscore his words, a brilliant streak of blue flashed across the sky, and this time, the thunder was almost simultaneous. It rolled, deep and sonorous, echoing through the streets. Right on top of it, another flash, and another thunderbolt.

“It’s ramping up,” I said. “Thor must be mighty upset.”

“Or drunk,” Dante said with a laugh. “That’s what Orik always says—Thor’s having a good time when it storms.”

“He would know,” I said. I was half-joking. I had no idea what the gods were like, though I did accept that they existed. But their world seemed a long way from ours.

I eased to a stop at a red light. When it turned, I hung a left.

Another five minutes and we pulled into the parking garage below the apartment building.

The garage was underground, and I wasn’t sure how they managed it, but the water didn’t roll in to form deep puddles during the rain.

They must have had a good drainage system.

I parked in visitor parking, and—carrying our gear—we headed for the elevator.

Dante lived on the fourteenth floor and even I didn’t feel the need to run the stairs.

Especially with Carson being human. While he was trim, he wasn’t a powerhouse athlete.

In fact, he was lanky thin and, while he knew some martial arts, he was far more of a thinker than a fighter.

The Tremont Arms were luxurious and the view from Dante’s apartment never failed to awe me.

He could see out to the waters of Puget Sound, and the floor-to-ceiling windows gave the illusion that if you took one more step, you’d drop off into the glittering streets below.

Dante had lived here for eight years, and he had no plans on moving anytime soon.

He wasn’t the backyard-grill type of guy.

As we stood outside the door marked 1438, Carson flipped on a switch on the dampener. A moment later, a green light blinked on the sensor.

“We’re good to go,” he said. “Let’s get in there.”

“Won’t she notice something odd if the camera cuts off for thirty minutes?” I asked. It might be a little late in the game to worry about it, but the thought had just occurred to me.

“No, because she’ll see the same image she was seeing before we flipped the switch. Since Dante isn’t usually home during the day and he doesn’t have any pets, she shouldn’t notice anything odd about it.” Carson stood back as Dante unlocked his door.

“Okay, we’re good to go,” he said, cautiously opening the door. He flipped on the light and we entered the living room.

“Well, the fact that you’re a minimalist should help us,” Carson said.

“There aren’t a gazillion places for her to have hidden a camera.

If she did hide anything. She might not be smart enough to have thought of it.

You should talk to your landlord about getting new locks, and a good deadbolt that she can’t pick. ”

“How did she get into your apartment?” I asked. “You said you didn’t leave the door unlocked, and she doesn’t have a key, does she?”

“Not that I know of,” Dante said. “You and Carson are the only ones that have keys to my apartment, besides the management. But you’re right about installing new locks and a deadbolt. I’ll talk to Reicher today—he’s the landlord.”

We moved as a group, staring with the living room.

Carson had been correct when he said searching for bugs would be quicker thanks to Dante being a minimalist. Ten minutes later, we had combed the room and moved onto the dining room and kitchen.

By the end of thirty minutes, we had finished the entire apartment and had found nothing.

“You’re sure we couldn’t have missed anything?” Dante asked.

“I’m sure—” Carson started to say, but Dante suddenly let out a loud curse.

“Damn it to hell, she did steal something.” He walked over to his dresser.

A glass etagere sat atop the dresser—about fifteen inches tall with a series of glass shelves.

“It’s gone—she stole my Aunt Tilly’s china figurine of a wolf.

” After another second, he sputtered. “My hairbrush is gone, too. I used the one in my bag this morning since I was coming from the hotel, but I have a Renoir brush and comb set that I usually use, and they’re gone. ”

Dante had shaggy blond hair that reminded me of David Bowie’s Labyrinth goblin king haircut. In fact, Dante looked a lot like the goblin king, right down to the guyliner.

“Are you sure they’re gone?” I asked.

He pulled open several drawers on the dresser. “Yeah, the only other place I would have put them is in the top drawer and they’re gone… What the hell? My heart boxers are gone, too. They were right on top of the stack.”

I raised my eyes. “Heart boxers?”

“I bought a pair of boxer shorts that were pink, covered with red hearts?—”

“So you could have a heart-on?” I snorted, but quickly sobered as he scowled.

“ Yeah, yeah , that would be funny if some pervert hadn’t stolen them. What does she want with my brush?”

“You said she’s a witch,” I said. “There’s always hair stuck in a hairbrush, right?

That she took several extremely personal items, like the shorts and brush and comb, and a figurine of a wolf which happens to be the type of shifter you are, tells me that either Rowan wants something that’s part of you. Or…”

“Or what?”

“Or she’s going to try to cast a spell on you.”

“Double crap,” he said. “We have to put a stop to her. Hey, while we’re here, let me run down and tell the landlord about this.

I’ll ask him to bring in a locksmith today, and also ask security to keep Rowan out, if she tries to enter the building again.

They have a picture of her in that footage from last night. ”

“Good idea,” I said. “Go on, now.”

As Dante headed out the door, I walked over to the bay window and stared out at the storm. It had ramped up and thunder and lightning rumbled through the skies at an impressive rate. Carson joined me.

“So, now may not be the best time,” he said, “but I was wondering if I could have Friday off? My sister’s coming into town for a visit and I’d like to show her the sights.”

I glanced at him. “Maya? Of course you can have Friday off. I’d like to meet her, though, if you want to bring her by the office.” I’d never met her in the ten years I’d known Carlson. She’d stayed in California for the most part, and the times she had been in town, I’d be busy.

“I can do bring her by the office. Thanks,” he said. “You know, it’s just her and Grandpa, and me now.”

“Your father died when you were young, right?”

“Damned fool got himself killed. He joined the military, determined to help provide a better life for us, but in basic training, a misfire on one of the guns killed him. He was pepper sprayed with over thirty bullets before anybody could put a stop to it.”

I sighed. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. My sister and I were five when it happened. Mama told us he’d had an accident.

I mean, how do you explain to a five year old that his daddy was shot and wouldn’t ever be coming home again?

Anyway, I was already reading and writing at a seventh grade level by then.

Mama got a job at our school. She was a teacher, and though she didn’t make much, being at our school meant she didn’t have to pay for a babysitter after school.

We did our homework while waiting for her to get done each day. ”

“And you started college young,” I asked.

Carson nodded. “I was accelerated from the time I was young. By ten, I finished my high school requirements. My mother managed to get me into an advanced program where I studied at home part time, and at the local university part time. By then, we were living with Grandma and Grandpa so we could save on rent and pay for me and my sister’s schooling. ”

“Smart. I wish I knew who my grandparents were—at least on my mother’s side,” I said.

“I had my bachelor’s by the time I was twelve, and then, I got my masters degree by the time I was fourteen. It was expensive, the program I was in, but my mother sold the house we had before moving in with our grandparents. She used that to fund our education.”

“What about your sister?” I asked.

“My sister Maya progressed slower, but her focus was on the arts and she was in advanced reading program, and my mother hired a tutor to help her advance. By the time she was fifteen, she was in college, except she studied the arts. She could draw like a pro when she was eleven, though.” He paused as the door opened and Dante returned.

“How did it go?” I asked.

“He’s getting a locksmith over here now, and Rowan’s picture has been distributed to the security guards and posted at their station, so that if she enters the building, they’ll stop her right at the desk.” He looked a little calmer. “I think I may back off on dating for awhile.”

“You never dated Rowan, right?”

“Remember when she came in for that disastrous appointment?” he asked.

I nodded. “Right.”

“She was already fixated on me. I’d been seeing her around the gym a lot.

That’s why I dropped my membership and started working out in the gym here, at the apartments.

Anyway, no, I never dated her. I don’t want her going after anybody she thinks I might be involved with.

That picture of you with your eyes scratched out, that was enough to scare the hell out of me. ”

“You said you called Destiny?” I asked.

Destiny was our connection with the police department.

“She said that legally, all she can do is take the report and file it, in case something more should happen. Stalking laws are still pretty lax.”

“Yeah, they are.” It made no sense, but that’s the way the government worked.

“All right,” Dante added, “I’ll stay here until the locksmith gets here. I can take a taxi or something to work, since we all came in the same car,” he said.

As Carson and I headed back to my Jeep, leaving Dante in his apartment, I said, “We need to find Rowan, and find her as quick as we can. There has to be some way to put a stop to this.”

“I hope so,” Carson said. “I really hope so.”