I gave her an anguished look. “It’s real this time. I need you to close up tonight. Call Sajid to come in if you need help.” I flew out the front door before she could reply, the bell nearly falling from its hook in my mad-dash escape.
Outside, the cool fall breeze flowed over my cheeks as I tried ringing the SF again on my way to the portal. I hung up when I got the same automated response. “Stupid, worthless organization!”
The sidewalks were full of supernaturals in our small marketplace. I had to race around people or risk being caught in the congestion.
“Hey, watch it!” somebody called when I accidentally barreled into them.
I finally reached the glowing red portal that led to the human side of downtown Chicago. With a single leap, I was through it and landed in a back alleyway in the heart of downtown. I didn’t waste any time. Images of those meaty arms closing around my sister and her icy fear kept smashing into me.
I whipped my phone out and typed as fast as I could into my rideshare app. The smell of exhaust hung heavy in the air, and I cursed the time. Rush hour traffic had begun. It would be a nightmare to get out of the city, and my local Supernatural Forces’ office was inconveniently located five miles west of here.
Thankfully, an available car was only two blocks away. A few minutes later, the driver pulled up and I jumped in before leaning forward in my seat. “Please hurry, as fast as you can. It’s an emergency.”
The tires squealed when he pulled into the nightmare traffic that was Michigan Avenue. Cars honked as everyone whizzed by. If Tessa’s abduction had happened anywhere but inside our small supernatural marketplace, I could have called 911. Even though supernaturals normally dealt with our issues internally, an abduction would be an exception. But dammit, Star Tattoo Guy had taken my sister in the one area of limited resources. Since Chicago’s supernatural population was actually quite small, our SF office was often lacking in availability.
My knee jittered up and down as the driver wove in and out of traffic, doing his best to stick to the fast-flowing lanes. It felt like forever, though, until he finally pulled up to the curb outside of the SF office.
“Thank you! I’ll leave you a big tip!”
I didn’t wait for his reply before I leaped out and sailed toward what appeared to be a mom-and-pop barbershop. I sprinted to the front door, and a hum of magic washed over my skin when I barreled over the threshold.
The illusion of salon chairs, mirrors, and blues music disappeared as the Supernatural Forces’ office materialized in front of me. From the outside, no human would have guessed that the supposed barbershop was actually the gateway to the supernatural community’s elite law enforcement and military combined.
“May I help you?” The receptionist didn’t bother glancing up when I reached the counter. So Jeff was working today. No wonder the phone hadn’t been answered. Thankfully, only two other people sat in the waiting area.
“I’m here to report an abduction. It took place around an hour ago.”
Jeff’s gaze whipped to mine, his computer forgotten, but when he saw me, his alert expression flattened.
My nostrils flared, and I wondered if I should wave a white flag or draw a pistol.
“Tala Davenport,” he drawled, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Fancy seeing you again. What brings you here today? Wait.” He held a hand up. “Let me guess. Your sister is the one who was abducted?”
I gritted my teeth. Pistol it was. “Yes, she was, but I need you to listen and take me seriously this time.”
“Sure, just give me a minute.” He turned back to his computer, his hand settling on the mouse.
With the angle of the monitor, I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I had a feeling . . .
I leaned over the counter to see a game of online poker. “Seriously, Jeff? I’m not joking. I need help. Now!” I banged my fist on the counter, which got a jump out of him.
He closed his game and gave me a withering glare. “Fine. Let me grab the paperwork, but in the meantime, why don’t you tell me what she’s done.”
“She hasn’t done anything. She’s been abducted. Just now—I mean, about forty-five minutes ago. You guys need to get on this right away. Her life could be in jeopardy.” Gods, why am I having to explain this? I mean, I know Tessa’s got a reputation, but she’s been abducted. They should be acting immediately.
Jeff pulled out a clipboard with the magically enchanted forms on it. “How do you know she’s been abducted?”
“Because I saw—” I swallowed thickly, the psychic images barreling through my mind. Licking my dry lips, I said more carefully, “Because a strange man came into our shop about an hour ago. Tessa was helping him, and she was alone with him. And then she disappeared with only her shoe left behind, so I called in a psychic friend of mine. She felt bad energy and got a glimpse of Tessa being taken. My sister’s disappearance is legit this time.”
He scoffed. “A guy showed up, and she disappeared with him. Really, Tala?”
“Did you not hear the part about what my psychic friend saw?” I replied through clenched teeth.
His eyes narrowed. “Have you thought that maybe this is a prank she’s playing? It wouldn’t be the first time. You know how she loves attention.”
If looks could kill, I was pretty sure he’d be dead in his seat right now. “It’s not a prank.”
“Or, maybe she lost her shoe, and that’s why your psychic friend picked up on the bad energy. Everybody gets annoyed when they lose stuff. Did you think about that?”
I leaned over the counter more and hissed, “It’s not like that this time. She’s been abducted. Now, quit wasting time. Who can help me?”
His disdainful expression grew. “Perhaps you’re overreacting again, like you did last time when you thought Tessa was abducted. Was that last year, or the year before that? I’ve lost count, but I believe your sister has gone missing at least half a dozen times in the past five years. Each time, we’ve enlisted an SF squad to track her down, only to find her sunning herself on a beach in Mexico, or hiding away at an exclusive spa retreat, or what was the last one?” He rolled his eyes. “Oh right, she’d gone on an impulsive road trip with a girlfriend and forgot to tell you about it.”
Shame at my overreactions made my cheeks heat, but then my lips parted in disbelief. “You mean the SF won’t help—”
“Look, Tala.” He held up his hand again. “The reality is that Tessa disappears regularly, and it’s not the SF’s fault that she doesn’t answer her phone or respond to any of the mass social media postings asking her to confirm her whereabouts. And how much SF time did we lose on Tessa’s last excursion?” With a tap of his fingers, forms appeared on the ledger, and my sister’s history with the SF scrolled across it in magical ink. “We lost approximately forty-two hours of squad member time on the last one. And I believe you were told that the next time you became worried over your sister’s whereabouts, that you would be billed upfront for the time requested of the SF, unless there was proof something had actually happened to her.” He raised his eyebrows. “Do you have proof this time?”
“No.” My hands began to shake, so I balled them and hid them under the counter. There was no way in hell I could afford to pay them either. That would probably cost more than I’d made in the last ten years. “Look, I know my sister is impulsive and does things rashly, but this time, it’s real.” My tone turned pleading. “This time isn’t one of Tessa’s wayward ventures. She’s been taken, and every second I waste arguing with you is another second that her life could be in danger.”