Page 63 of Playing with Fire

The old man laughed. “What do you take in yours, Gardener?”

“Make mine blacker than my soul.”

Quinn snorted. “Don’t ask for the impossible.”

Not even a triple espresso saved me. The instant Quinn tucked his blanket around me, it was lights out. The scent of coffee right under my nose roused me, and with a wordless growl, I untangled myself enough to make a grab for the cup. It warmed my hand and promised good things to come.

Coffee made everything better.

I could even forgive Perky for chuckling and sounding far too happy for anyone’s good. “We’re here.”

Where was here? Did I care? Mmm. Coffee. I sipped at it, and a happy sigh escaped me.

Someone with a good coffee machine and some skill had made my coffee, so black I needed to drink it before it dissolved through the cup and made its escape. “What time is it?”

“Three in the morning. We got stuck in traffic leaving New York, leaving New Jersey, again in Baltimore, and one last time in Washington. I tried telling the chief taking the 95 was a dumbass move, but he insisted. Since I had talked back—and was right—the chief thought I’d be the best one to wake you. I’m not sure if he thinks you like me or if I’m just expendable. He’s inside, and thanks to a little bit of powdered joy, he’s in a really good mood. I may have spiked his coffee with some pixie dust I bought from Mary. If he hasn’t figured it out, don’t tell him.”

Why would Mary sell a cop pixie dust? Was she insane? Was she trying to get arrested? I sighed and took another sip of my coffee. Nope, turned out coffee didn’t have magical properties capable of restoring sanity to the world. Bummer. “Mary sold you dust. What grade, Perky?”

“C. The tiny vial sealed in red wax scares me, especially since she put it in my pants. I got groped by a faery. If my wife finds out, she’s going to kill me.” Perky pulled out a vial I recognized as containing A+++ pixie dust. “I’m pretty sure having this in my pants is a felony of some sort.”

I sighed, as he was correct about the felony part. The thick coating of wax would probably keep the vial from breaking if someone dropped it. At least Mary—or whoever had packaged it—had treated the batch like the hazardous material it was. While pixie dust of any grade wouldn’t actually hurt someone, it took days for the highest grade stuff to wear off, and anyone dosed could be talked into doing anything with a smile.

“Give me that, you idiot. Did she really give that to you?” I secured my grip on my coffee with one hand and snatched the vial with the other. “You were right. Having this is a felony. Do you know what would happen if I dosed you with this?”

“I’d be the happiest man on Earth, and I wouldn’t be exaggerating.”

“You’d be my slave, too. You’d be so happy you’d do whatever anyone wanted and not even think twice about it.”

“But I’d be happy, Gardener. Would you deny me my happiness?”

“Yes.” To make certain he didn’t get any ideas, I stuffed the tiny vial into my bra. If Quinn wanted to find some happiness down my shirt, I’d consider having a fortunate accident occur. “Since C grade doesn’t actually require a special license, we’ll pretend you didn’t have this vial, Perky.”

“Despite appearances, I’m actually a good cop. I was issued a temporary permit. She can’t stock it in her shop without you, so she requested someone to dispose of it. The CDC gave me a permit since I’m the closest thing they had to a reasonable adult at the station. I’ve been sitting on that for weeks waiting for a chance to give it to you in private. I figured you wouldn’t want anyone knowing you were packing the good stuff.”

“Did the CDC tell you what they wanted me to do with this vial?”

“No, they didn’t. I figured the certified specialist would know what to do with it.”

“Great. I’ll have to call in and ask. Wonderful. Haven’t they caused me enough problems for one week? I’m still surprised they gave you a permit. You really have them fooled, don’t you?”

Perky laughed. “I know. It’s like they think I’m a cop with a doctorate for some reason. So weird.”

If Mary had unloaded the A+++ vial, what had happened to the A++ one? Some instinct, the same one that had warned me Chief Quinn was walking trouble the first time I’d seen him, blared silent alarms. “What happened to the A++ vial?”

“What A++ vial?”

“The one Mary had in stock.”

“I have no idea. She gave me this one plus some C for the station. She even had a permit to sell the C grade vial. She gave me a really good price on it, too. Maybe she used the A++ dust? She was pretty happy when I saw her.”

Why me? I’d have to investigate eventually, which meant I’d be sent to her shop, which meant I’d have to deal with the disaster surrounding my terminated employment in person. Unlike Mary, I wouldn’t be cruising on a high to get through the discussion. “Please tell me you scanned the vials to confirm their grades.”

“Yes, Mom.” Perky snorted and got out of the SUV. “Now that you’ve had your coffee, can we go inside? I’m sure Chief Quinn is causing trouble for someone without adult supervision, and Nilman likes encouraging him.”

“Where are we, anyway?”

“Richmond, Virginia. It had the nearest courthouse to the state line serving nocturnals.”