Part 14 (1/2)

I spun and threw the rolling pin, surprised I could do what he said so easily. The heavy wooden pin flew end over end several times before cras.h.i.+ng into the back of the fleeing Johnny's skull. He fell forward, facedown on the pavement.

I stepped toward the still-conscious thief and pushed the gun out of his reach with my toes like I'd seen on every cop show I'd ever watched. I leaned over him and grabbed the phone off my office desk, dialing 911.

”I'd like to report an attempted robbery by three complete idiots.”

Ernie snickered and I gave him a thumbs-up.

Minutes later, the police pulled into the back parking lot. It didn't take them long to cuff the three thieves. The police took a statement from me but ignored Ernie.

”He saw what happened too, he can back me up. That will make a stronger case, won't it?” I lifted my eyebrows at the young officer.

”I'm sorry, ma'am,” Officer Jensen said. ”We don't take statements from supernaturals. They don't exist in the human court system.” His dark eyes darted away from mine and then back again. ”I'm sorry. For what it's worth, I would take his statement. But it would get the entire case thrown out when the judge realized he was a Supe.”

”That's discrimination.” I frowned up at Ernie, who shrugged. What would they say, then, if I told them I was a Super Duper too? Would they have even come to help? I had a feeling that they wouldn't. Or worse, they would have sided with the robbers because they were human . . . and I wasn't.

”Yes, it is discrimination.” The officer nodded, lifted his hat, and scratched the top of his head before putting his hat back in place. ”Nothing to be done about it. If you need anything or remember anything else, please don't hesitate to call.” He handed me a card that had his name and a cell phone number on the back of it.

I tucked it in the palm of my hand. ”Thank you.”

He smiled and backed out as his walkie-talkie squawked to life. He pressed the b.u.t.ton and spoke softly into it. Maybe he thought I couldn't hear.

”Yeah, boss, she's here.”

My blood ran cold and I swallowed hard. I could only guess who he spoke to. I wasn't fool enough to believe it was his chief of police. Achilles most likely, even though the image of the Greek hero on a cell phone was a hard one to believe possible.

I forced myself to walk forward and shut the door behind Officer Jensen. ”Ernie, I think your time at my bakery is going to be cut short.”

”What? Why? I haven't had a good piece of home-baked goodies in years. I've been living off that cellophane-wrapped c.r.a.p in the store.” He whined at me and I smiled, though my lips trembled.

”Officer Jensen just said, 'Yeah, boss, she's here.' So I think we can't stay. Or at least, I can't stay.” I gathered up my keys for the bakery along with Barbie's keys and walked to the door. ”Maybe you should go your own way.”

”Nah, you're interesting. I've been bored out of my head for the last thousand years. A monster shows up, and things finally start to happen again.”

I paused at the door. The officers had taken my wooden rolling pin for evidence, but I had another one. A metal one I used for making fondant. I reached for it, the cool stainless steel in my hand a nice weight. I glanced at Ernie floating at my left shoulder.

”Just in case.”

He grinned at me. ”Not going to be a matter of if you need it, Alena, but a matter of when, I think.”

I pushed the back door open a crack. The moon was only partially up, giving the back parking lot a gloomy look of dodgy shadows among the dark purple of the night. Officer Jensen sat in his police cruiser, his head bent over something. Maybe more paperwork. ”Do you think he's watching the bakery?”

Ernie floated up to peer out over my head. ”Pretty good bet. If he's ratting you out to someone, then they'll want him to keep an eye on you for sure.”

I closed the door and backed away. Hurrying, I wove through the bakery, around the counter, and to the front door. I peered out into the growing darkness. Across the street from the bakery sat a police cruiser identical to Officer Jensen's.

A loop of claustrophobia tightened around my neck. Trapped.

”How am I going to get out of here?”

Ernie floated around so he was directly in front of me. ”Walk out, see if they follow or try to stop you. They might be here to make sure no more break-ins happen.”

A frown settled on my face. ”Really? Do you believe that?”

”No. But I don't want you flipping out and s.h.i.+fting in here. You might bend my wings. Worse, you could wreck your bakery, and that would mean no pastries for me. Which would totally suck rotten eggs.”

I put both hands on the door and stared hard at the officer. ”Ernie, why would I s.h.i.+ft? I don't want to be a giant snake. I'm never going to s.h.i.+ft into one.”

The very thought made my skin crawl, and that only made me shudder more. Who in their right mind would want to be a snake so big it could swallow a horse whole? No. That wasn't- ”You won't have a choice. If you're threatened or scared bad enough, you'll s.h.i.+ft.”

”I don't want to!”

”Sorry, but you will. It's not a matter of if, but when.” He fluttered his wings and did a slow circle.

”You like saying that, don't you?”

He shrugged. ”It's a good saying. Not if. When. That's life. Not if you die. When. Not if you fall in love. When. Not if you get your heart broken. When.”

”Not if you turn into a giant venomous snake the size of a two-story house,” I whispered.

He nodded. ”You got it now. So what's it going to be, beautiful? Door number one? Or door number two?”

Paralyzed by indecision, I stood there in my bakery and bowed my head. ”Achilles is going to keep coming after me, isn't he?”

Ernie didn't answer right away. He floated over to the cash register and lowered himself to it. ”He's only been woken up to kill you. I think.”

I put a hand to my eyes to cover the p.r.i.c.kle of tears. The stainless steel rolling pin in my hand seemed a silly thing now, useless against a hero who had a sword and knew how to use it. I dropped it to the floor with a clatter. ”Maybe I can sneak by the officer in the front.”

I flicked the lock and stepped out of my bakery, leaving behind the comforting smells of dough, yeast, and flour. Moving quickly, I strode down the street, putting the bakery and the officer behind me. ”Ernie, can you see if he's following us?”

”Yup, he's doing a U-turn.”

”Donkey b.a.l.l.s,” I bit out, and hurried my stride.

”I don't think speed-walking is going to get you out of this. Go. I'll catch up with you later if I can,” Ernie said as he flew above my head and off to the side.

I broke into a run. The buildings whipped by in a steady blur, and behind me the police car's siren rent the air, shattering the false silence. I took a hard right down an alley and kept moving as fast as I could. I leapt dumpsters and sleeping homeless people, climbed two fences, and took three more turns before I let myself slow down. The siren had been turned off, or I had outrun it. I wasn't sure which, and really it didn't matter except that I'd bought myself some time.

My hand brushed against the old brick building and I leaned into it. Just what was I going to do now? I had a hero who wanted to kill me. How was I going to stop that from happening?

I didn't realize I'd spoken out loud until someone answered me.

”I can help you, Alena.”

I spun around with a gasp. Behind me stood Remo, the vampire mob boss. He leaned against the building, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. The tip burned bright as he drew a breath, the color flickering over the metal fangs in his chin. Violet eyes stared hard at me, as though trying to see through me. I glared at him, hating the way I felt around him. Equal parts intrigued and scared, irritated and amused. Even I knew that was a dangerous combination for a recipe.

”I don't want your help. And you shouldn't sneak up on people, it might be bad for your health.”

He smiled around the edge of his cigarette. ”Threatening me right off the bat? That's amusing.”