After being used to calm, peace and quiet in my work, the noise of the shop is a bit jarring to my ears. I’m not sure how anyone gets anything done with the noise level. Thankfully, Taran’s office is quieter once we can shut the door.

Austin’s friend, Ronnie, sits down at the desk and opens his laptop. “So what am I looking for exactly?”

Goldie hands Ronnie her phone with Rayne’s phone number pulled up. “Can you find her phone?”

“Give me some time,” he glances back at us, “and room to work. This shouldn’t take long.”

Something tells me this involves illegal activity. “Is this illegal?” I ask, suspecting the answer.

Ronnie flashes a mischievous smile. “Only if I’m caught.”

“That’s what I thought. How about I go out and get some coffee. Anyone?”

Goldie shakes her head and sits down in the chair in the corner. Ronnie lifts his hand. “One cream, two sugars.”

I glance at Bronaz and he shakes his head. “I’ll come with you.”

We leave the two in the office and weave our way through the busy shop to the front. Bronaz pours the coffee and hands me a cup. I don’t put anything in it, blowing across the top to cool it before taking a sip. “Do I want to know what Ronnie’s doing back there?”

Bronaz looks in the direction of the office and shakes his head. “It’ll be okay, Kuras,” he assures me. “Ronnie does this sort of thing for a living. While it’s probably not strictly legal, it’s not like he’s stealing identities. He’s looking for where Rayne’s phone is active. If we can get a general area of where her phone is, it could lead us to her.”

I consider that. I never considered myself a law breaker and I really didn’t want to go to jail but Bronaz is so confident everything is fine, I will trust his judgment. “I always thought that was stuff of science fiction and cop television shows. Apparently, it’s a real thing.”

“Austin can do some of it, too, but Ronnie is the best. We’ve been really lucky to know him. He’s helped so much.”

In a way, I’m a little jealous. It sounds like Bronaz likes and respects Ronnie and I feel a little like an outsider in his life.

I suppose I am. I have to remember that this is new for us both and it will take time. I’ve never had any experience with fated mates, so I’m not sure how it’s supposed to go.

“I hope it pans out and gives us something to go on.” I just met Goldie and Bronaz but already I am committed to help in any way possible. It’s important to me to not only help out my fated mate, but to help someone in need. Goldie is such a nice person and this is such a horrible thing to have happened.

“Are you okay?” Bronaz is looking at me and for a moment I can see the unguarded concern in his eyes. It warms me inside. I want him to look at me like that all the time. I don’t know what I do to cause him to close off when he does. If I could just figure that out…

Goldie comes out of the office in a rush. “He found something!” she says, waving her phone. “And he even sent me the area to my phone so we can get there. Ronnie is so smart!”

“Want to go now?” Bronaz asks that but we all know the answer to it as we set our cups down at the coffee pot and head for the door.

Oops. I forgot to take Ronnie his coffee. Hopefully he’ll understand.

Ronnie’s research leads us to the old canal area of the city. It’s been dry for years; after the city rerouted the canal to wind through the downtown area for tourism, it left the abandoned area to fall into disrepair and disuse.

We get off the bus and head in the general direction on Goldie’s phone map.

“What a horrible place for her to be taken.” Goldie’s mouth is pursed tightly as she flicks her phone off. “It’s around here somewhere. This is where her phone was last on.”

Left unspoken is the concern that her sister’s body will be here, too. I hook my arm around hers in comfort. I’m not about to spout platitudes at her. There’s a very real chance her sister died here and we’ll find her. I don’t want that to happen and I know no one else wants that either. So I just silently support her.

She smiles gratefully at me. “I can see why Austin likes you. You’re a very soothing presence, Kuras. Thank you for coming with us.”

Bronaz points his hand across the street that runs parallel to the dried up canal. “Start in that alley and work your way up,” he says. “I’ll walk along the embankment.”

We both dart across the street. Most of the storefronts here are abandoned and debris litters the sidewalks. It’s fallen into the hands of gangs and petty drug trade, judging by the graffiti that claims the sides of the empty buildings.

Goldie pauses at the entrance to a dead end alley. “Kuras,” she calls in a quiet voice.

I join her as we enter cautiously. Her foot catches an empty bottle and sends it clanking away. It startles a cat which skitters away, kicking something square and black out from beneath a garbage pile.

She rushes forward and picks it up. “Kuras, this is her phone.” Turning it over, her finger smooths across the raised glitter initials RB. “This is her phone!”

I step back to the mouth of the alley and shout for Bronaz. He appears shortly after, racing to us. “Did you find her?”

“No.” Goldie’s expression drops a little. “But this is hers. It’s dead,” she says, punching at the power button. “But it’s definitely hers.”

“So she was here at one point.” Bronaz looks around at the ground. I really hope he doesn’t uncover her body lying among the debris.

“There was a fight,” she declares.

“There was?” I glance at our surroundings. I don’t see any bullet holes or anything that would indicate there was a fight. I’m not sure how she knows this.

“I’m positive. Rayne wouldn’t be taken without a fight. That’s just who she is.” Goldie moves garbage with the toe of her boot.

We each continue down the alley with a methodical search that we hope will turn up something.

Bronaz is facing us and backing up when he turns and runs into the fire escape ladder which has been left lowered. “Mother fu—”

Goldie holds her hand out. “Stop. Don’t move.”

Bronaz freezes in place.

She approaches him carefully but reaches for the ladder. Carefully, with two fingers, she pinches at what looks like air before holding it up. Faintly in the light, I can make out several strands of long silvery hair.

“This is hers. This is her hair.” Goldie looks at the both of us. “I need something to put this in.”

With a shrug, Bronaz shows her his empty hands. I don’t have anything either, which I indicate with a shake of my head.

She huffs out a breath and glances around.

I find a hamburger wrapper flapping around from one of the garbage piles. “Here,” I say. Grabbing it, I scrape the inside against the brick of the building until I’m confident there’s no food left on it and hold it out to her, outer wrapping side up so it will contaminate the hair the least.

We wrap the hair carefully and she puts it in her jacket pocket. “Maybe Marigold can create a location spell or something.”

I knew there were mages in the city but I was always under the impression they were more rare than any of the mythical shifters. “That sounds like a good idea.” Even if it leads to nothing, we gave it a try and we’re a little closer to discovering a clue that can really help us.

I just feel it.

We hot foot it back to The Raven’s Moon and Marigold gently takes the hair strands from Goldie. “That’s definitely Rayne’s,” she says holding it up to the light. “I’d recognize it anywhere.”

---

“I knew it!” Goldie says, her face lighting up with the first thing that approaches hope since I met her that morning. “Can you do anything with it?”

“I’ll certainly give it a try, honey. It’ll take some time. This sort of magic isn’t easy to whip up. It takes some preparation.” Marigold puts the strands in a plastic baggie. “When I have something ready, I’ll give you a call.”

When we leave the shop, Goldie is practically walking on air. “Thank you so much you guys.” She grabs me suddenly and squeezes me tightly in a hug. Bronaz doesn’t escape a hug either.

“Call us when you hear from Marigold, alright?” Bronaz pets down her back before she lets him go. “We’ll figure out where to go from there.”

“I’m just grateful I’m not alone.” Goldie’s eyes tear up and she wipes at them with her sleeve.

“You’re definitely not alone.” I know I’m not a known friend to her, but I’d like to be. “I want to help in any way I can.”

“I know. Thank you. I’m going to go home and tell my folks what we learned.” She backs away and after a wave, trots off to the corner to catch the bus to take her across town.

Once she’s gone, it suddenly feels very odd standing there with Bronaz. It’s like he’s reluctant to leave. Or maybe that’s just me, not wanting him to leave.

“Well, I guess—”

“You know, my place isn’t far from here. It’s how I knew about the store,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets. “If you’d like to come over. I don’t have anything pulled out for dinner.”

Bronaz pauses as if he has to think it over before he nods. “We can get delivery, unless you’re opposed to that.”

I can sense his reluctance. I wish I knew what was causing it. Forcing a smile, I bounce on my toes before we head back to Shadowdawn Boulevard to catch the crosstown transit. “Are you kidding? If I could get away with eating take out all the time, I would. My wallet and my waistline can’t afford it.”

We get to the stop and I cross my arms against the afternoon wind that picks up along the boulevard.

He circles to stand behind me, wrapping me in his arms. “Is that why you learned to cook? So you wouldn’t develop an addiction to fast food?”

Pressing into his warmth is a calming balm to my spirit. He’s close enough I can feel his heartbeat. His arms are strong and sheltering. I stare in fascination at his forearms which peek from beneath the pushed up sleeves of his shirt, fascinated by the burst of color and images that spring forth from beneath the fabric. “Have you seen fast food addiction?” I shake my head in mock sadness. “It’s not a pretty sight.”

He laughs and the rumbling sound from his chest is joyful. “Selling your mother’s cookware to score a hit from Red’s Hotdog Stand?”

My inner dragon is very pleased at the easy banter we are enjoying. “Mustard smeared across my face. It’s a sorry state of affairs. But I think we can probably get away with Chinese, if you’re up for it. It’s not exactly fast food so it should be safe.”

“Then you make the call and I’ll pay.”

I didn’t anticipate my day would go like this but it’s a very nice way to end it.