Doc pulled into Aunt Zoe’s drive, parking behind her pickup. Harvey’s rig was there as well, while Natalie’s truck sat on the street in front of the house.
I peered out the windshield. The porch light was on, but Dominick was nowhere to be seen. “That slick prick better not have gone inside the house.” I was out the door before Doc shut off the engine.
He caught up with me when I reached the front porch steps, catching my arm. “Easy, Killer,” he said under his breath.
“Where is he, damn it?” Shit, I’d left my mace in the back of my Honda.
As I crested the top step, Dominick stepped out of the shadows off to the side of the porch. “Good evening.”
He rounded the porch, stopping near the bottom step. My mirror was tucked under his arm. With his long black coat and hooded eyes, he looked more ominous than usual. I sniffed in the cold, catching a faint whiff of something sickly sweet in the air. My stomach did its usual song and dance, cramping and buckling, letting me know trouble with a capital T was near.
“Dominick,” I said warily, by way of greeting.
Doc didn’t say anything, but I could feel his tension in his grip on my arm.
“It appears you were successful on your hunt,” Dominick said. “Did you sustain any injuries?”
Nothing visible, but my welfare was not his concern. “I’m fine. How did you get the mirror out of the Sugarloaf Building while the lidérc was roaming around in there?”
I didn’t trust Dominick. Could he have somehow put the lidérc back in the mirror? Was this meeting a ruse to ensnare me in another one of his cunning deals?
“A well-trained pet does not bite its master.”
“Then why couldn’t you catch it yourself?” Doc’s tone was terse. “Why put Violet at risk?”
“I was curious,” he answered, his focus still on me.
I crossed my arms. “About what?”
“Your adeptness.” He patted the mirror frame. “I was unaware you had this at your disposal.”
Did he know that Prudence had helped me, too, or was she still my secret weapon?
“It’s a family heirloom.” I touched Doc’s arm. “Would you mind grabbing that for me?” I didn’t want to get too close to Dominick and give away my other secret—that he set off my others alarm.
Dominick handed it over to Doc, measuring him with a steady gaze. “And what was your part in this, Mr. Nyce?”
“I just carry the mirror.” Doc returned to the steps, waiting on the one right below me. He would make a great offensive lineman.
“A humble knight-errant, I see.” A smirk surfaced on Dominick’s face. “Well, you have certainly found a suitable adventure to prove your chivalric merits. There will be plenty of perilous opportunities for you with a Scharfrichter in our midst.”
I rolled my eyes. Blah blah Violet stirs up a lot of trouble blah. Sheesh. Dominick and Cooper should start drinking together. They could toast to my next screwup.
A cold breeze rattled the old cottonwood tree in Aunt Zoe’s front yard before moving on to make the pines on the hillside next to us whisper. “All right, Masterson.” I was too hungry and cold to start a pissing contest. “I’ve fulfilled my part of the deal and the lidérc is back in its cage.”
“Yes. For now.”
I ignored the ominous undercurrent in his reply. “That means you will stay away from my aunt, agreed?”
“Of course.” His smile looked as cold and brittle as the icicles hanging off the porch awning. “You delivered as promised. Although you took longer than I’d have liked.”
My gaze narrowed. “Don’t dig up more snakes than you can kill, Masterson.” I stole one of Harvey’s lines.
His laughter filled the air. “How I’ve missed your kind, Violet. Worthy adversaries are few and far between in my line of work.” Dominick sighed loudly. “Truth be told, I was looking forward to many years of Zoe’s charms.”
“You can have Rex,” I offered. “He’s loaded with …” I paused, discarding the first few not-so-nice words that popped into my head, and settled on, “charms.”
Dominick stared at me for a moment, his eyes reflecting the porch light. “I will leave you to your family then.”
“You would be wise to steer clear of them from here on out,” I warned quietly.
“I’ll consider that.” He smiled. “I’ll see you again soon, Scharfrichter. Our work is only beginning.”
“I’ll be counting the seconds.”
“Oh, be sure to give Natalie my love. She’s blossomed of late. A flower well worth plucking.” With a bow, he turned and trekked through the snow toward the tree line.
Doc and I watched him until the dark shadows under the pines hid him from view.
“If that no good son of a bitch lays a finger on Natalie,” I started, my teeth clenched.
“Down, Killer.” He joined me on the porch, pausing to kiss my cheek on his way to the front door. “Let’s go celebrate a job well done.” He held the door for me.
“Happy to, my dark and mysterious knight-errant.” I patted his backside as I passed. “I’m always up for some celebration tequila.”
Inside the warm house, the heady smells of cheese and bacon greeted us. “Oh, man.” I rubbed my stomach, licking my lips. “I’m about to get knocked up with a big ol’ food baby.”
“Really?” Doc helped me peel off my coat and hung it next to his in the closet. He slid the mirror in there as well, leaning it against the wall. “I thought you were allergic to pregnancy.”
I looked up from pulling off my boots to find him watching me, his expression unreadable. Why did I feel like there was a question hiding somewhere in that statement?
“I am.” I set my boots by the door. “The last time I was pregnant, I was told there would be some joyful glowing happening. By month five, I realized that
