Page 9 of Dark Obsession

Cody wrote out a receipt, bumping up the charges to accommodate the condition of the stuffy attic and the multiple ferrets. Gerald thanked him and asked if he was a runner.

“With this big ol’ bulky body?” Cody shook his head. “I’m more of a corpse pose kind of guy.”

Gerald grinned, then squinted. “I don’t mean to pry…”

Cody mentally braced himself. Clients had asked a wide range of questions in the past. “But?”

“Those marks on your neck. Are they from the vampires last year?”

A cold wave pushed out from the base of his spine, touching every organ and bringing gooseflesh up along his overheated skin. He was back in the basement of the DPW garage, tied to a chair and helpless as Aldrik pressed his cold lips to his neck. The spark of pain when his fangs broke the skin flared through him, simultaneously hot and freezing.

Cody blinked rapidly, looking around the bright kitchen, one hand on the smooth, cool marble of the island as if to hold himself up. He picked out the gleam of sunlight along the edge of the stainless steel refrigerator; the dark green leaves of a plant near the window; breakfast dishes stacked neatly beside the sink.

“I’m sorry, I can see I’ve upset you,” Gerald continued, running his hands over and over together. “That wasn’t right of me to ask.”

“No, it’s not…” Cody stopped himself at the slight tremor in his voice. He cleared his throat and finished, “It’s all right. Just surprised me is all. I’m not used to the question.”

“The only reason I asked is because of this.” Gerald tugged down the neck of his track suit to expose two scars.

“They got you, too.”

“Just outside the door here.” Gerald let the material fall back into place as he shook his head. “A few of my friends simply vanished. It was a terrible time.”

“That it was.” Cody wiped his palms on the legs of the coveralls, feeling the attic dust coat his skin. He tore off the top of the receipt and placed it on the island. “Thank you for calling Critter Catchers, Mr. Dorchester.”

“Please, call me Gerald.”

“All right. You take care of yourself, and if you need more critters caught, give us a call.”

“Thank you, I will. You take care as well.”

Gerald showed him to the door. Cody’s feet may as well have been cast from lead as he followed the brick paver walkway to where the truck was parked at the curb. The ferrets squeaked and huffed as he peeled off his coveralls behind the truck. Jugs had given each one a small bowl of water which they were alternately drinking from and splashing in. The fresh air, slightly less humid than the blast furnace of the attic, made his skin pebble. Hands trembling, he dug the headlamp and safety glasses out of the pockets, cursing himself for not doing it before he had taken them off.

He stuffed the coveralls into the bin Demmy had written NASTY on in thick-pointed Sharpie. The bandana was stiff with sweat and dust as he took another swipe at his forehead, and he dropped that inside as well before securing the lid. Pausing outside the driver’s door, he blew out a breath and shook out his hands before climbing into the cab. Jugs had started the engine, and the AC against his overheated skin made him shiver.

“Everything go all right?” The collar prevented Jugs from lowering his head, so he held his phone up in front of him as he scrolled through social media.

“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t it?”

“Just wondering. You were in there longer than usual.”

“Was I? He was telling me about the roommate he’d had who released the ferrets in the attic.” He pulled away from the curb. His head seemed to be floating a few inches above his neck, and he tightened his grip around the steering wheel.

“You said something about buying me lunch?” Jugs said.

Cody laughed. “On top of your pay?”

“It’s a perk of the job that keeps me coming back.”

“First, we drop off the ferrets at Homeless Pets.”

“Think Darcy will be happy to see you?”

Cody made a seesaw motion as he thought about yet another ex-girlfriend he’d left waiting for him to call. “Hard to tell. She seems to have gotten over me.”

“I’m sure she needed to attend some kind of program to do it.”

“Hey, I can’t help it if I have a magnetic personality.”