necessarily,” Shayla said. “I think the initial fee should go to the company. Each of us will be paid by the company depending on how much work we put in to each case. For example, this missing Mermaid. If I do a lot of underwater investigating, then I would bill the Shadow Agency for my time. Ditto on any time either of you devote to it. All of our payments come from the company rather than the client.”
“That makes sense.” Carmen flashed her white teeth in a smile. “I think this calls for another round of drinks.” She signaled Johnny, who dipped his head in acknowledgment.
“I think we need to get busy,” Maddie started to protest. “Time matters when someone has been abducted.”
“True,” Carmen agreed. “But Shayla can’t exactly jump into the ocean right now, so it’s going to have to wait until morning.”
Maddie looked from one to the other. “One more drink,” she finally agreed. “And then I want to go home and get started on the computer at least. I’ll start calling my contacts in the morning.”
“What are you drinking?” Shayla asked. Broken Chains kept a wide variety of exotic blood for its Vampire clientele, along with usual bar beverages, both alcoholic and non.
“This is European Farmer,” Carmen said, draining her wineglass. “First time I’ve tried it. Pretty good, too.”
Shayla shuddered. “I’ll just stick with my wine,” she told her friends.
“Me, too.” Maddie raised her nearly empty glass. “Beer is better than blood, at least for me.”
“I beg to differ.” When she took another sip, Carmen deliberately flashed her fangs. As she’d known it would, this made the other two laugh.
Though Maddie had to be at work the next morning, the three of them ended up staying until last call. Shayla had switched from alcohol to seawater, though Maddie had continued to drink beer. She claimed her Shifter metabolism gave her a higher tolerance. This seemed true, since in all the time Shayla had known her, she’d never seen Maddie even tipsy.
Carmen stood, drawing several men’s eyes. Tall and slender, her vivid good looks matched her personality. No one, upon first meeting her, ever suspected her to be a Vampire. She delighted in this and exploited it whenever she could.
“I’ll walk you two out,” Carmen said, showing her teeth. Due to the obscure location of Broken Chains, they had to walk through some sketchy areas of Galveston before they could even catch sight of a cab. And Shayla refused to set foot on the bus. Something about going around the island driven by a complete stranger while packed into a bus with other total strangers made her entire body feel out of tune. Plus, the buses stopped running at eleven thirty. Since tourist season had started, there would be tons of cabs the closer they got to Broadway.
Shayla and Maddie nodded. Carmen knew how much they appreciated her help. More than once they’d been accosted by a human male with bad intent. Though Shayla had taken to carrying a pistol with her, using it would draw more attention than she wanted to deal with. Ditto with Maddie shape-shifting into a Wolf.
Carmen, on the other hand, had no objection to getting a little fresh blood if she had to. Self-defense, she called it. She never took enough to mortally wound anyone, just to weaken them. She’d explained to her friends that not everyone bitten by her would automatically become a Vampire. She had to consciously choose that path, releasing an enzyme when she bit. So far, she’d never made another Vampire. She claimed she wasn’t sure if she ever would.
Which explained why there weren’t a lot more Vampires running around Houston and areas south of there.
Of the three of them, naturally Carmen felt most at home with the dark alleys and empty warehouses. She glided through the shadows, making Shayla realize her friend was a perfect fit for the Shadow Agency. They each had their own set of skills to bring to the table.
Maddie strode along confidently, too. Only Shayla felt off. Not exactly in the moment, somehow. She was conscious of the distant pull of the harbor and the need to soon slip into the water. Land was fun, but it never would be her true home.
Despite the late hour, the other two women were still energized with excitement. Maddie wanted to get started searching immediately and Shayla agreed with her. Carmen, on the other hand, seemed more focused on getting their business up and running. There were, after all, a hundred things that needed to be done. Flyers and business cards made and printed. A mission statement written. Rates and fees for various services agreed upon. She and Maddie chatted back and forth, assigned each other numerous tasks, though Maddie clearly was itching to leave and get busy. Shayla listened, still feeling a bit detached. She wanted to focus on the case at hand first, even though, of the three of them, she had more spare time. Carmen and Maddie, each with their jobs and other activities, would have to parcel out slots of time for this new venture. Maddie also let them know she’d decided to wait before quitting her job, at least until she could be certain her salary would be enough. She had bills to pay.
Since both Shayla and Carmen could set their own hours, neither would be impacted as severely as Maddie if the Shadow Agency failed.
“But it won’t,” Carmen declared, her sultry voice ringing with certainty. “Because we’ve found a niche with a need. As long as we provide good customer service and fulfill that need, we’re a shoo-in for success.”
Shayla nodded, still lost in her thoughts. Maddie noticed.
“You’re awfully quiet.” She elbowed Shayla in the side. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t stop thinking about that poor missing Mermaid,” Shayla admitted. “Nantha. She’s young. The young ones are often overconfident and reckless. I have a feeling that there’s a lot more to this story than Zach realizes.”
“Or maybe more than he’s letting on,” Maddie interjected.
“No, that wouldn’t make sense,” Shayla argued. “His number one priority is finding his sister. Why would he hide anything, especially if it might be helpful?”
“True,” Carmen said thoughtfully. “I admire the way you’re so focused on this case.”
“She’s also pretty focused on him,” Maddie pointed out.
Carmen’s brows rose. “Really?” she drawled. “I’m guessing he must be easy on the eyes then. So tell me, Shayla. Was he sexy?”
Maddie laughed. Shayla blushed. “Maybe,” she allowed. “He’s Shifter. I’d definitely call him hot. Tall, dark blond hair cut short in one of those deliberately messy styles and light gray eyes. Rugged features, which match his muscles.” She stopped when she realized both her friends were staring at her.
“What?” she asked, her face heating. “You asked if he was sexy. I was just describing him for you.”
The other two women broke out laughing.
“If you think he’s sexy, then he must be to die for,” Carmen teased. “You hardly even notice when I try to put some really gorgeous Vampire men in front of you.”
“Same here,” Maddie interjected. “I’ve made it a habit to have a few of my unattached Shifter friends stop by our table over the last few months, and you didn’t react to any of them.”
Shayla’s
