How to Date a Dragon

Chapter 2

“One-Night Nick? Was Sadie sober?” Brandee’s bartender-roommate stretched the kinks out of her shoulders after a long shift.

“I think so. I can usually tell when Sadie’s had enough.” Brandee dropped onto the soft sectional in their living room, removed her shoes, and massaged her aching feet.

“Do you think she was dealing from the bottom of the deck?”

“Nope. She was shuffling the cards as she always does.”

It was nice of Angie to attempt to discredit the psychic to make Brandee feel better, but Sadie was never wrong. Never.

“Did she come right out and say it was a prediction?”

“Kinda, sorta, not really.”

“What exactly did she say?”

“Something about having a premonition that I’d be meeting Mr. Right soon. Then she said the next man through the door could be the love of my life…and Nick walked in.”

“She said ‘could.’ That means she could be wrong.”

“Have you ever known Sadie to be wrong? I think she just says ‘could’ because she doesn’t want to imply a person has no free will. Maybe she’s afraid of being wrong if a person is determined to prove her wrong.”

Angie gave her a sympathetic look. “Maybe. Or maybe there really aren’t any guarantees. I know she’s constantly been right before, but there’s always a first time to mess up, right?”

“Let’s hope so. I need my heart broken like a nunnery needs a condom dispenser.” Brandee rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her head in her hands. “I thought maybe the jerk-face who dumped me was my ticket out of Boringsville.”

Angie scrutinized her. “What do you mean?”

“You know. Living above the place I work. Struggling to make ends meet and hopefully save a little money for a rainy day. Hell, I thought I might even be able to afford my dream of owning a gallery if he and I…” She let out a long sigh. “Forget it.”

“You’re kidding. You really expect some guy to swoop in and rescue you from a life you don’t like?”

“No! Oh, my female gigolo…no.” Brandee shook her head emphatically. “It’s just damn hard to make it as an artist and support myself at the same time.”

“Did you think he was Mr. Right?”

She shrugged. “Mr. Possible, maybe.” Time to change the subject. “By the way, as soon as you’re ready for bed, can I commandeer the bathroom for the rest of the night?”

“Oh, crap. Did you forget you’re lactose intolerant again?”

Brandee snorted. “No. Do you hear me burping up a lung? And for your information, I don’t forget my condition. I just forget to take my medication with me sometimes and then can’t resist a special treat.

“I want to set up a temporary darkroom in the bathroom. I have to begin selling my work, not just to get a few dollars ahead, but also to build a name for myself.”

“I get that. So what do you have to do to sell your photographs?”

“Create a look or product no one else has. Make my name synonymous with that product. Capitalize on opportunities for publicity, and make everyone who can afford my work want to collect it.”

“That’s all, huh?” Angie gave her a sympathetic look. “I’ll get you a glass of wine.”

“I’ll get it. You do that all day.”

Angie was already walking toward the kitchen. “It’s how I show I care.”

Brandee chuckled. “It’s how you support yourself. Besides, I know you care. Otherwise I wouldn’t have told you what I’m going through.”

“Yes you would,” Angie called from the next room. The refrigerator door opened and clunked shut. A few moments later she strolled back into the living room, holding two glasses of white wine. “You tell me everything.”

“Do you ever get tired of it?”

“Tired of what? Your train wreck of a life?”

“Not just mine. Lots of people tell you more than you want to hear. It looked as if someone was talking your ear off when I was getting Nick his beer.”

“Nah. That was just a tourist wanting recommendations for cheap hotels. Like fifty bucks a night.”

Angie handed her a glass of Chardonnay, and Brandee took a welcome sip. “Fifty dollars? In this city?”

“Yeah, that’s a hoot, huh? I tried to recommend the hostel I’d heard about, but they weren’t interested.”

Brandee leaned back against the loose pillows. “So, getting back to me…if you were in my knockoff shoes, would you accept a date with Nick Wolfensen?”

“Not unless he changed his policy.”

“That’s what I was thinking. But how do you tell a guy to completely change his lifestyle?”

“Just come right out and say it. Someone needs to.” Angie sipped her wine.

“I guess so. I’ve got nothing to lose if there’s nothing to gain.”

Angie scratched her head. “I think that made sense.”

Brandee thumped her feet onto the coffee table and crossed them at the ankles. “Okay, I’ll confront him.”

“Good. Do it where I can watch.”

“Pervert.”

“Nick, I know this is your first case, but we’re desperate. The mayor’s stepdaughter has been kidnapped.”

“Desperate?” That’s hardly a vote of confidence. “If you’re so desperate, why use a brand-new PI? There are plenty of options for a kidnapping case.” Nick wanted the job, but his cop instincts told him something didn’t sound right. Captain Hunter had arranged this meeting fifteen minutes ago. They met at Boston Uncommon but left the bar immediately so they could talk in private.

“There are paranormal circumstances, and we don’t have time for lengthy explanations.”

“I see. What are these ‘circumstances’?”

“She’s a fire mage.”

Nick’s eyebrows shot up. “Shit.” He stopped at a bench and glanced around. No one was within earshot, so he and Hunter sat down. “Do you think the kidnappers know this?”

“Don’t know. No ransom demands have been made. There’s been no contact at all.”

“Any witnesses?”

“A neighbor thought she heard something like a muffled yelp of surprise, but when she looked out her window she didn’t see anything.”

“Where were her parents?”

“The mayor was at City Hall and her mother was in the house. She didn’t think she needed to supervise a twelve-year-old in her own backyard. Now she’s sick with guilt.”

Nick felt for the poor woman. The best way to help her was to find her daughter. “So they may have kidnapped her for her power.” Nick rubbed his chin. “The criminal who’s not looking for money is usually looking for some kind of power.”

“It gets worse. The girl doesn’t know what she can do yet. A female fire mage won’t realize her power until the first solar eclipse after she hits puberty. Her mother kept putting off telling her.”

“Shit. She’s untrained and unprepared. Her parents must be frantic.”

“To put it mildly.” The captain rested his hand on Nick’s shoulder. “This case could make or break your career. I wouldn’t blame you if you decline, but I hope you won’t. I think you’re our only hope.”

How could he refuse? Not only would he feel responsible if anything happened to the girl, but she could burn the city to the ground if the kidnappers couldn’t teach her how to control the power she didn’t even know she had—the power to set fires with no more than a thought.

“I’ll do my best.”

The captain let out a long breath, as if he’d been holding it for a while. “You’d better do better than your best. The next solar eclipse is in nine days.”