Page 54 of The Flame Game

“A wise man does not interfere with a pregnant woman’s desire for conquest. This is an ancient truth. Their venom will not hurt your children, and it will help them develop their immune systems. Variety, however, is encouraged. As my daughter enjoys checking on gorgon snakes, issue invitations for gorgon children to visit. This way, your children can socialize while my daughter is bitten by the various serpents of the visiting hive. That will satisfy those requirements. I have already handled speaking to the CDC regarding the appropriate napalm to be dispensed to her. Do not be alarmed when she seeks out snowbanks to nap in.”

“Me? Snowbanks?” I blurted.

“You will find pregnancy is full of adventures. You have already seen evidence of this. Were you not outside with little issue?”

“This early?” I poked my flat stomach. “You two are trouble.”

My husband laughed. “As long as I don’t lose my ability to coddle my wife, I don’t mind adventures.”

My father chuckled. “I will leave you to your work. Try not to create more trouble than you can handle.” Without another word, he vanished.

“I like that he didn’t even bother telling us not to create trouble, he just asked that we keep the trouble manageable.” I herded the dogs into the back, and Avalanche climbed over the center console to join her canine friends, snuggling against Blizzard’s side. The husky went to work grooming her, and I took pictures of them before they could grow up on me. “Where do you think we should start?”

“With some harebrained speculations and making use of some contacts. I’ll make some phone calls. Listen and take notes on your laptop. You’re about to get your first real introduction to gorgon subterfuge.”

“Gorgon subterfuge?”

“Yep. With the gorgons being targeted for eradication through rabies, they’re not going to sit still and let it happen. Now that the gorgons are aware it’s malicious rather than natural, they will defend themselves. I’m going to attempt to manipulate how they defend themselves to benefit our investigation.”

My eyes widened. “Is this what you do at work all the time? You manipulate people?”

“Sometimes. Other times, I have to figure out what the greatest evil is and deal with it. For example, there are multiple mafia groups operating in New York. Some have been heavily invested in sex trafficking and enslavement. Another group is more involved with your more stereotypical local crimes and crime organizations. Which group do I dedicate the most resources on?”

“I’d hope the sex trafficking and enslavement group.”

“Yes. That is one of the simpler decisions to make. Things get complicated, especially with highly established crime operations. Not long ago, we made use of tip-offs from a crime network in a different city to bring down a large portion of one of those rings. That’s definitely a shade of gray in terms of the law, but it essentially meant I could let one fish go to catch more dangerous fish and get those off the streets.”

I blinked. “Are you saying you cooperate with big-time criminals, Sam?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Every time we take out a ring, a new ring will start operations, and we always have to consider who will do the most evil. While we’d like to catch them all, we simply can’t. And some of the criminals I’ve worked with are fairly ethical.”

“How can a criminal be fairly ethical?”

“They pick their targets with care, do not threaten the average civilian, and keep to the spirit of certain laws. There’s a good example of this in a gang in Miami. They essentially target some of the more hardened criminals the cops down there can’t get off the streets. The gang’s actions fit the crimes, so the cops don’t tend to work too hard at taking out the gang. You don’t want to be a serial killer in Miami right now. The gang takes a brutal stance against mass murdering scumbags there. When caught, they turn up. In pieces.”

Ew. “But they don’t get a trial.”

“That’s part of why the gang has been left alone. I figure they’re former law-enforcement, pushed out or retired from old age. They’re taking all of the general steps to prove guilt. There’s no trial, but they’re not just slaughtering people. Some of them are registered bounty hunters and mercenaries, too, so if there is a hit out for one of these criminals, the gang will get involved, gather the evidence, and collect the bounty, which funds their activities legally.”

I got into the SUV, dug out Avalanche’s bottle, and twisted in my seat to give her a drink while Quinn set up her litter box on the floorboard. The ocelot abandoned Blizzard long enough to eat before returning to her furry throne. “I’m sorry I stole your kitten.”

“I’m not. I view her as a sufficient reward for you. You’ve earned her after having climbed into how many dumpsters rescuing sick animals?”

“A few too many,” I admitted. “And there will be more. There are dumpsters I have not yet sufficiently explored in my quest to save every helpless animal on Earth.”

“You can’t keep them all.”

“I would have to take over the Earth to keep them all.” I considered the probability of successfully taking over the planet. “That seems like a lot of work. I’ll practice with my new job and reevaluate my stance on world domination later.”

My husband stared at me with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open.

“Taking over the planet while pregnant might be stressful on the babies, so I have to wait until after they’re born at the absolute earliest. Don’t worry so much, Quinn.”

“Well, I wasn’t worried before, but now I am.”

I giggled, wiped out the interior of the bottle, and used the erasable marker to jot a note reminding me to clean it properly before using it again. “You’re so easy.”

“I don’t know who taught you to be so wicked lately, but keep doing it.”