Giselle seemed to think it was time to stop the flirting and get on to business. “So we’re thinking the best way to hide the money would be to feed it into some kind of local business.” Giselle pulled out a sheet of paper. “Here’s a list of businesses started over the last few months. I’ll try all the clothing stores. You two try the restaurants.”
“You sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
The merwoman gave Alec a look that should have turned him to stone on the spot.
In fact it did.
Alec felt his body involuntarily seize-up. His feet felt like they’d been super-glued to the floor. The merwoman continued to stare at him, something deadly in her big turquoise eyes, and Alec couldn’t for the life of him move a single muscle.
Finally she turned that aquamarine gaze away and Alec felt his body come once more under his control.
“Wow, impressive.”
Marvin looked mildly amused. “Natural defensive mechanism,” he explained. “Ever heard the myth of Medusa, turning people to stone? That’s where it comes from.”
“Can you do it too?” That’d make for an interesting relationship.
“Nope.”
“What about the whole siren song thing?”
Giselle grinned. “Oh, we can both do that.”
Marvin added, “But not around werewolves. What’s alluring to monkeys causes you guys to bleed out of the ears.”
“Sensitive supernatural hearing?”
“Exactly.”
“Okay then.”
They left Alec’s apartment and set off on a strange kind of tour of new businesses about the city. Alec found Marvin an amiable companion. The merman was a horrible flirt, but mostly harmless about it. They made an effective pairing, what with Marvin’s open and engaging ways and Alec’s natural reticence. But they had no success, and met with a sulky Giselle later that night to find that she too had had no luck. She waved them off to the sushi restaurant without her, insisting that all she needed was a long bath and a can of clam chowder.
Back at Alec’s favourite sushi place, the dark-eyed waitress took their orders and then vanished, wearing a skeptical look.
“She doesn’t like me,” commented Marvin, idly watching the girl’s retreating back.
“And why should she have an opinion?” Alec hadn’t really noticed.
“’Cause she likes you.”
Alec was genuinely surprised. “She does? That was unintentional.”
“It’s one of your more endearing qualities.”
“Unintentionality?”
“Mmm. I remember you in high school, cutting a swathe through all those cheerleaders — no idea how much arguing there was over the presence or absence of your interest.”
“Oh yes, of course. Scrawny old me. The ladykiller.”
Marvin brushed aside Alec’s sarcasm. “You had this incredible attractiveness and you never even realized it.”
“I did?”
“You do.”
“Flatterer.” Alec could feel himself blushing. He sipped tea to hide his self-consciousness.
“Not at all. So, why are we dodging around this thing between us?” Marvin slid his hand under the table and rested it casually on Alec’s knee.
“You’re a merman who’s out and lives on the other side of the country?” Alec didn’t react to the hand on his knee, but he didn’t remove it either.
“Pah, insignificant details.” The hand squeezed and then began a gentle exploration.
“Because I have this feeling you’re just trying to satisfy some left-over adolescent curiosity?” The hand stilled its wandering and was removed.
Marvin pouted. “Why must you be so serious? Okay, fine. And what? You’re looking for a lifelong commitment, when you can’t even tell your family you’re gay?”
“Touché.”
The hand returned. “So our relationship has a few minor difficulties. What true love experiences smooth swimming from the start?”
Alec couldn’t help but smile at that.
The waitress and her frown returned with their order.
“I hardly see that she should feel so strongly,” said Alec, this time noticing the girl’s gloomy expression. “It’s not like I’m a regular or anything. This place hasn’t really been open long enough to have regulars.”
Marvin blinked at that. “New business? How new?”
Alec bit into a piece of sashimi. “Couple of months ago. And you know I wasn’t going to try it, because I heard the owner wasn’t even Japanese, but then. .” Alec trailed off, following where Marvin’s question had led. “Right time frame?”
The merman nodded. “And that waitress does have very large and dark eyes.”
Alec really looked at the woman for the first time. “Fetching girl.”
“What does she smell like?”
Alec shrugged. “Fish, but then, Marvin, this is a sushi restaurant. Everyone smells like fish.”
“Let’s finish up, shall we? I have a sudden need to investigate the kitchen of this establishment.”
The waitress returned, looking hard and determined. “How’s your meal, boys?”
“Delicious. But I’m afraid I must ask to see your kitchen.” Marvin pulled out his wallet and flashed some sort of badge at the young woman. “Health inspectors.”
The dark eyes widened and then narrowed. “Of course, sir. Right this way.”
Marvin stood, grabbed his jacket, and followed. Alec, rather clumsily, glommed on to the merman’s scheme and trailed after.
The kitchen was everything that a health inspector might wish, very clean and very modern, all the appliances shiny and new. It was also equipped with some very large and solid frying pans, which Alec’s head discovered much to his surprise. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Marvin receive the same frying pan treatment, then there was nothing but blackness.
Alec was the first to awaken. Werewolf healing apparently beat out merman abilities in that arena. It didn’t stop his head from hurting like the devil. There was a throbbing pain coming from the back of his skull. What the hell?
His sensitive werewolf hearing went into immediate overdrive. Not that he needed it — whoever was speaking was mighty close.
“Health inspectors, health inspectors indeed. I think not!” That was an unknown voice, deep and masculine and heavily tinged with Irish.
The sushi restaurant owner, I presume.
“Now, Da,” that was the voice of the pretty dark-eyed waitress. “How can you be certain? Pure certain they aren’t health inspectors?”
“Well, that one there’s a web-handed tail-ended nark. Can’t you tell from the hair and the cheekbones? Humans just don’t grow that beautiful. Not outside of Denmark, anyway. Can’t rightly place the pretty boy, but you can bet he’s something we don’t want reporting on our whereabouts.”
“Shame really, he’s been coming in to my section for weeks now. I kinda thought, you know. .”
A snort met that comment. “Just goes to show where thinking will get you.”
“He’s also awake,” said Alec, sitting up and testing the strength of the rope that bound his hands tight behind his back. The rope eased against his flesh. Not strong enough for a were of any breed, let alone a wolf. He cocked his head at his two captors. They really didn’t know what he was. Silly selkies. Alec supposed he couldn’t really blame them all that much, after all, he didn’t look like a werewolf, not even slightly. For once his appearance was standing him in good stead.
Alec let them think they had the upper hand — or was it flipper? — at least while Marvin was still out of it. He looked sideways, down at his companion. The beautiful blond lay flopped, eyes closed, face abnormally pale. Alec frowned in concern. What if they really have damaged him? Perhaps mermen can’t recover from frying pans to the head. Alec could feel his canines beginning to show in anger and agitation. What the hell? He wasn’t in any immediate danger. Usually, his wolf side didn’t take any kind of protective interest in others, not even in his friends, only in his own worthless skin. Alec heard Jack’s voice in his head, Yoga breaths, darling.