Welcome to the Neighborhood by Mary Abshire

him she took to heart. Feeling a new rush of energy, she shoved the door and hurried inside her office. She halted in the middle of the room and fixed her attention on the empty space at the bottom of the bookshelves. “I don’t fucking believe it.”
    Greg stopped at her side and she faced him.
    “It’s gone. I can’t believe it.”
    “What’s missing?” Corey said as he moved closer to them.
    “My safe.” She suddenly felt a million times colder and gravely empty, as if someone had stripped her soul from her.
    “Someone took your safe?” Phillip passed them, stopped near the bookshelves, and squatted. “What kind did you have?”
    “It was an antique, over a century old.”
    Corey whistled. “It must cost a fortune if it’s that old.”
    Phillip glanced up at her. “Let me guess, the contents are a hundred times more valuable than the actual safe.”
    She swallowed hard. “I had records, jewelry, currency from other countries and very personal items.”
    The vampire straightened. “If it’s birth or death records, I doubt anyone will find them valuable. It’s no longer a secret we exist.”
    Alexi lowered her gaze. Her concern wasn’t about her records, but rather the ones belonging to her maker and her clients. Her maker had saved the death records of the humans he’d killed and for the ones he turned into vampires. The documents were his souvenirs, and he prized them. Other documents detailed his entire financial assets. She’d stolen everything when she’d run away from him over two centuries ago, and not once did she consider claiming his assets or contacting the others he’d created. Greed and cruelty were qualities he possessed, not her. The records reminded her that she’d beat him, gotten away, and took what he valued most. Although the papers really meant nothing to her, she held on to them in case he ever found her. They could save her, but if they got into the wrong hands, they could damn her.
    And if her maker’s documents weren’t enough to cause worry, all the names and account numbers to her clients were housed in the safe. All someone had to do was create a fake identification and use the account numbers to steal millions of dollars. Her clients, especially the royal ones, would not be pleased. Her career as a financial advisor would be over, forever.
    “By the way, nice thong. Victoria Secret?” Phillip asked.
    The vamp stared at her body, rather, her lower portion. Alexi glanced down and noticed a gap in Greg’s shirt had exposed her. She quickly tugged the edges of the shirt and covered herself.
    Phillip moved toward her but came to a quick halt when Greg stepped in front of him. He glared at the vampire as if he were protecting her. Surely Greg knew a vampire’s strength surpassed that of a werewolf and he would lose in any battle against one.
    “I know who did this,” she said, hoping to ease the growing tension.
    “Old boyfriend?” Phillip asked, and Greg twisted to face her.
    “The movers.” She looked from Greg to the vamp. “I had trouble with them. They claimed their GPS broke and took a detour. Oddly, my safe was in the back of their truck.”
    “They would be the first ones I suspect,” Phillip said.
    Greg nodded. “I smell a light werewolf odor. They must be using the cologne that hides scents. I know you can’t pick it up, but we can.”
    “I smell it too," Corey said with his head tilted back slightly and his nostrils fanning. “It’s barely noticeable.”
    Alexi had seen commercials about the genetically engineered cologne that masked one’s aroma. It worked to an extent. If the person wearing the cologne was a different supernatural creature from the sniffer, the sniffer could not pick up the user’s scent, but those of the same race could.
    “The police should be notified immediately so they can investigate,” Greg said.
    “I’m sure they have better things to do than search for thieves who stole from a vampire.” Phillip snickered. “My