Peter settled into a seat, sipping his own cup of coffee, and Daisy moved about my tiny, shabby apartment sniffing the corners and the threadbare couch.
I caught myself hating on my meager living situation and thought of the shifters living underground. Guess it could be worse.
I leaned against the cracked kitchen counter and savored the earthy goodness of the coffee. “So… what brings you by?” I figured it had something to do with the death last night… or possibly the incredibly awkward way we’d parted.
Peter wrapped his big hands around his cup and looked up at me. “Gabriel—you remember the coroner?”
I nodded.
“He’s still examining Davies’s body, so this hasn’t officially been ruled an investigation yet.” He leaned forward, a little grin on his lips. “But I did some preliminary work.”
I couldn’t help but grin back. “Of course you did.”
His smile broadened in his eagerness. “I looked into the band’s singer, Amarina, the one who pulled him out of the water?”
I nodded for him to go on.
Peter lifted a thick brow. “Turns out Davies had a restraining order against her.”
I lowered my coffee cup and uncrossed my ankles. “You don’t say?”
To my left, in the “living area” of my tiny place, Daisy huffed. Your couch is more dead skin cells than fabric.
Just what I wanted to hear. I turned back to Peter. “Why?”
He shook his head. “The court order didn’t say—which is unusual. But maybe not for a cop.” He shook his head. “Sometimes there’s a little more coziness between our department and the judges than I like.”
I lifted a brow. Mild-mannered Peter had been expressing more criticisms of his own police department than I’d heard before.
“Anyway.” He lifted a broad palm. “Amarina’s playing at a jazz club tonight, The Pearl, and I was wondering if you’d go with me and help me look into it.”
The Pearl was a popular place in the Darkmoon District, attracting patrons from all walks of life… including Ludolf and his favorites. My stomach flooded with ice at the thought of running into him there, with Peter as my date. I set my half-empty cup on the counter and looked down at my bare feet.
“Maybe we should just wait… until it becomes official, you know?” I shot him a tight-lipped grin.
Crack crunch.
We both glanced toward the living room, with its drawn black curtains and single sofa in the center of the dirty, worn carpet. Daisy stood there, munching on something hard, her nose scrunched up and lips curled back.
“Daisy? Daisy, what are you eating?” Peter half stood, but the dog swallowed, and he sank back into his chair.
I fought a smirk. “Yeah, Daisy. What are you eating?”
The dog looked uncomfortable, then her whole body lurched and she gagged and coughed. Eck. The food between the cushions is… disgusting.
I stifled a giggle with my fist.
Peter turned to me, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry.” He clicked his tongue gently at his dog. “Daisy, what have you gotten into?”
With his back turned, I tried to disguise a bark as a cough. And yet, Daisy, you’re eating that disgusting couch food. Why?
Her ears flattened as she licked the roof of her mouth, black lips curled back. I couldn’t help it!
I smirked and let out a quiet whine. Just remember this next time you’re feeling superior. You couldn’t help eating food out of someone else’s couch.
“You alright?”
“Hm?” I jerked my gaze to Peter, who was watching me, brows pulled together. He glanced between Daisy and me.
Erp. I needed to distract him. “Besides, that club is really tough to get into. It’s pretty exclusive.”
“Oh.” Peter bit his full bottom lip. He glanced up at me, brows raised. “I could give you a personal advance on the funds? Just until it’s officially ruled a case and I can hire you on through the department.”
My stomach sank. Why, oh why, did he have to be so kind? “Er, no, it’s not about the money, it’s just—” I scratched the back of my neck. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with Bon.”
He chuckled, genuinely tickled. “Since when? You feeling okay?”
Good point. Not like I’d ever paid much attention to police procedure or Bon’s opinions before.
He licked his lips, a more serious slant to his brows. “But to be honest… I wanted to come by also to just see if you really were okay.” He shot me a gentle, though questioning, look. “Things seemed a little weird last night….”
My stomach lurched. Where to begin? From running into my ex, the coworker who’d cursed me, and my former boss, to being summoned by Ludolf to the underground headquarters—last night had been beyond weird.
I took a sip of coffee to buy myself some time, then waved a hand dismissively. “I’m fine.”
From over by the window, where she stood sniffing the curtains, Daisy growled. Liar!
Peter gave me a pleading look.
I rolled my eyes at the dog and thought carefully about my next words. “I’m just… I’m worried you’ll get hurt.” Truth enough for you, Daisy? Ludolf’s threats to him were still top of mind for me.
Subtly, Peter’s eyes shifted to his truth-sniffing dog. My stomach sank that he had to double-check I was telling the truth, but I didn’t blame him. I’d been lying and acting shifty a lot lately.
Daisy’s tail merely wagged. Guess I’d passed.
He turned to me, a warm grin on his face. “I’ll be fine.” He sounded touched. “This is just a little stop by a jazz club… we’ll ask Amarina a few questions, off the record of course.” He spread his hands out, palms down. “Very low key.”
I let out a sigh. “Fine.” Ludolf already knew about Peter, so really, what would be the harm in taking him to the club? “But I meant it—it’s not easy to get into.” I threw my head back and finished off the last of
