The Accidental Familiar (Accidentally Paranormal Series Book 14) by Dakota Cassidy
Authors: Dakota Cassidy
Tags: General Fiction
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“If he’s gonna be a dick, he’s gonna be a dick with us there to have your back.”
Rick’s chin went rigid. “The deal didn’t include the three of you and the cat.”
But Nina leered at him, flashing her fangs. “And now it does, Rick . Consider that shit amended. Like it or I eat your face off.”
“Nina!” Wanda gasped, gripping her friend’s arm in admonishment.
But Rick nodded after he’d muttered something unintelligible in Spanish, almost as though he admired the vampire’s protective gesture. “Save your incisors for more important things. You’re welcome to come along.”
With that, he blew out the door and down the small path, heading to a red van labeled ARMD Development Corp in thick white and black lettering.
Ah. This must be how Rick made his money. Developing things. She didn’t know much about developers or what he was specifically into developing, and mostly she didn’t care. What she did care about was hanging on to this gig.
So she climbed into the wide side door and dropped into a seat between Wanda and Marty. Nina took shotgun, her sunglasses firmly on her nose as Marty passed her some sunscreen to cover her pale skin.
As Calamity hopped into her lap and settled against her, Poppy took deep breaths.
She could do this.
She would do this.
* * * *
She’d begun to nod off while they’d fought early morning traffic, her head falling to Wanda’s shoulder, drool forming at the corner of her mouth. The stop they came to was abrupt and sharp, jolting her awake.
Wanda reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Wake up, Sleepyhead. We’ve arrived somewhere. Though Mr. Strong and Silent hasn’t offered us an ounce of information about where,” she drawled, her words full of sarcasm.
With a yawn, her eyes opened in increments, the scent of Polish sausage and sauerkraut drifting past her nose. Familiar scents, scents she’d become accustomed to since she’d moved to New York.
And that was when she caught a glimpse of her surroundings and realized she knew exactly where they were.
Why were they parked in front of her apartment building?
The old, faded brick structure, crumbling in some areas, was well worn, but deeply loved by all its residents. The windows, square and unusually tall, sparkled in the gold and gray of the day, each sporting a flower box her landlord’s father had insisted on installing and which remained even now, some forty years later.
The garden just beyond the black iron gates and to the left of the double front doors had been lovingly planted and tended on rotation by her and the other residents. She loved the opaque blue gazing ball in the center, especially at this time of year with all the mums in bloom. Spiral bonsais made a small maze that led to a bench, where she often sat with one neighbor or another when she was between jobs.
But that wasn’t the best part of this apartment building by a long shot. What had intrigued Poppy from the get-go was the spire peak on the roof. Carved from stone, its swirling pattern and ornate ball topper with some sort of fancy symbols had enchanted her. The building also sported four matching square stones in the lobby with the same design.
The elaborate pieces, clearly made to match the spire, sat on thick pillars, bracketing the front doors and the elevators. She jokingly rubbed them for good luck every time she left for an audition
The spire undoubtedly looked ridiculously out of place and too grand on such a quaint building, but when she saw it after a long day, it let her know she was home. She’d always meant to ask about how the spire had come to be, but in her quest to become Broadway’s hottest ticket, she’d never taken the time.
Rick’s deep dark eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “Ladies, we’ve arrived. I’ll trust you can find something to do. It’s going to take me at least an hour here at this site, so maybe grab some breakfast at the diner. They have the best omelets in the city,” he
Rick’s chin went rigid. “The deal didn’t include the three of you and the cat.”
But Nina leered at him, flashing her fangs. “And now it does, Rick . Consider that shit amended. Like it or I eat your face off.”
“Nina!” Wanda gasped, gripping her friend’s arm in admonishment.
But Rick nodded after he’d muttered something unintelligible in Spanish, almost as though he admired the vampire’s protective gesture. “Save your incisors for more important things. You’re welcome to come along.”
With that, he blew out the door and down the small path, heading to a red van labeled ARMD Development Corp in thick white and black lettering.
Ah. This must be how Rick made his money. Developing things. She didn’t know much about developers or what he was specifically into developing, and mostly she didn’t care. What she did care about was hanging on to this gig.
So she climbed into the wide side door and dropped into a seat between Wanda and Marty. Nina took shotgun, her sunglasses firmly on her nose as Marty passed her some sunscreen to cover her pale skin.
As Calamity hopped into her lap and settled against her, Poppy took deep breaths.
She could do this.
She would do this.
* * * *
She’d begun to nod off while they’d fought early morning traffic, her head falling to Wanda’s shoulder, drool forming at the corner of her mouth. The stop they came to was abrupt and sharp, jolting her awake.
Wanda reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Wake up, Sleepyhead. We’ve arrived somewhere. Though Mr. Strong and Silent hasn’t offered us an ounce of information about where,” she drawled, her words full of sarcasm.
With a yawn, her eyes opened in increments, the scent of Polish sausage and sauerkraut drifting past her nose. Familiar scents, scents she’d become accustomed to since she’d moved to New York.
And that was when she caught a glimpse of her surroundings and realized she knew exactly where they were.
Why were they parked in front of her apartment building?
The old, faded brick structure, crumbling in some areas, was well worn, but deeply loved by all its residents. The windows, square and unusually tall, sparkled in the gold and gray of the day, each sporting a flower box her landlord’s father had insisted on installing and which remained even now, some forty years later.
The garden just beyond the black iron gates and to the left of the double front doors had been lovingly planted and tended on rotation by her and the other residents. She loved the opaque blue gazing ball in the center, especially at this time of year with all the mums in bloom. Spiral bonsais made a small maze that led to a bench, where she often sat with one neighbor or another when she was between jobs.
But that wasn’t the best part of this apartment building by a long shot. What had intrigued Poppy from the get-go was the spire peak on the roof. Carved from stone, its swirling pattern and ornate ball topper with some sort of fancy symbols had enchanted her. The building also sported four matching square stones in the lobby with the same design.
The elaborate pieces, clearly made to match the spire, sat on thick pillars, bracketing the front doors and the elevators. She jokingly rubbed them for good luck every time she left for an audition
The spire undoubtedly looked ridiculously out of place and too grand on such a quaint building, but when she saw it after a long day, it let her know she was home. She’d always meant to ask about how the spire had come to be, but in her quest to become Broadway’s hottest ticket, she’d never taken the time.
Rick’s deep dark eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “Ladies, we’ve arrived. I’ll trust you can find something to do. It’s going to take me at least an hour here at this site, so maybe grab some breakfast at the diner. They have the best omelets in the city,” he
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