The Bear and the Unicorn (Supernatural Enforcers Agency Book 6) Read Free Page A

just got turned around, and all those stupid suburban houses look the same.
    One of his more interesting cases was when the owner of a strip club asked him to investigate some missing money.  It was easy.  A bouncer and one of the strippers were trying to rip the guy off.  It had taken Zane all of thirty minutes to sense their guilt and another twenty minutes to catch them trying to flee.  Easy – career criminals they weren’t.  But it gave him a paycheck; he was now always welcome at The Magic Room (not to be mistaken for The Magic Box which really did have magicians), and that was where he met Mercy.
    Mercy wandered back to her desk, unflappable as always.  Par for the course with dove shifters – they were so peaceful about everything.  She didn’t even freak out when her paycheck was a little short.  The first secretary he’d hired almost scratched his eyes out when he dismissed her screams.  Damn cougar .  But no, Mercy just shrugged it off and told him she could work a shift at her old job until business picked up.
    He hoped it did.  He was about ten dollars away from actually living in the office.  He was behind on his rent and living off the goodwill of his neighbor next door – an elderly beaver shifter who despite evidence to the contrary, was convinced he was too far too thin and was systematically trying to fatten him up.
    Although, he didn’t want to pay too much back rent as he was considering moving.  He didn’t like the way his elderly landlady fluttered her eyelashes when she suggested there were indeed other ways he could pay.  His bear shuddered.  Giant brown bears should not be scared by bunny shifters, but the memory of her licking her lips and shaking her bosom at him was hard to forget.
    “Okay, any calls?”
    Mercy shook her head.  “Nope.”
    “Any messages?”
    “Nope.”
    “Any cases?”
    “Nope.”
    Great.  He retreated into his office and grabbed his phone, pausing while considering whom he was actually going to call.
    Well, he could call one of his friends – all of which still worked at the SEA.  Most were trying to distance themselves from him.  The others were sympathetic but clear that they didn’t want to hear his ranting about how unfair his treatment was.  Plus he had kind of pissed of Gunner Christiansen – his ex-boss.  The polar bear shifter had tried to persuade the powers that be to reinstate Zane, but they hadn’t budged.  Something that Zane hadn’t appreciated when he ripped into the person they hired to replace him on Gunner’s team.  Zane hadn’t realized that Gunner was actually dating the psychic woman and when a look of hurt entered her eyes… well, Zane was lucky he still had all his limbs.  Gunner was generally pretty low on the Richter scale – in comparison to Zane - but insult his female and all bets are off.
    He could try Juliet or even Gerry – a director of the SEA and the guy Gunner reported to – but he doubted he’d listen anymore than Juliet.  Cold bastardy snake shifter.
    His bear grumbled as he briefly thought about calling home.  His mother would cry and try to blackmail him emotionally into coming home to live with them.  His father would yell at him for making her cry and would demand he come home and get a decent job at the local paperweight factory.  Jeez – who even bought paperweights anymore?  Anyway, his mom would cry, his dad would demand and Zane would lose his temper.  The call would end with the two males roaring at each other and destroying anything within reaching distance.  Altogether not an appetizing proposition.  His bear and his dad’s bear… yeah, they were both too alpha to even talk to each other for longer than a few minutes.  There was a reason he tried to avoid ever going home.
    Nope, he hung up the phone and leaned back on in his chair.  What a cluster fuck.
    He could call Melissa.  His bear harrumphed.  The woman who got him into this mess.  No, our temper did.   Zane