This Case Is Gonna Kill Me (36 page)

BOOK: This Case Is Gonna Kill Me

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The cork emerged with a satisfying little
pop,
and dark ruby liquid washed the sides of the wineglass. While I chopped the tomatoes and herbs and waited for the water to boil, I sipped wine and visited with the family who had called to offer their congratulations.

“Not that I particularly like Gold, but I have to agree with him on one thing,” I told my dad. “I really, really, really hope my future cases aren’t this exciting. I nearly got killed two … three … well, a bunch of times.”

“But you didn’t. And you made a lot of money for the firm and brought them a lot of attention,” he soothed.

“Yeah, not exactly what vampires like. They’re more behind-the-scenes types.”

“The world is changing, Linnie,” he said, and I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that.

I ate dinner on a TV tray and watched an episode of
The Forsyte Saga.
It proved to be a bad choice because I hit the point where Bosinney gets killed. It took a long time before I stopped dripping tears into the remnants of my pasta. I finally cleared away my plate and kept refilling my glass as I paced the confines of my apartment. Sleep was elusive.

At 1:30 I finally felt tired enough to go to bed. ’Zooks, purring like a diesel engine, crawled in with me and demanded a position against my belly and under the covers. I fell asleep to his warm rumble.

I dreamed I was dancing with John. He was telling me something, but I never fully caught the words. I knew it was important, and the lack of understanding made me cry with frustration. Then he seemed to be pulling away down a long tunnel of alternating gold and darkness.

Gray dawn light was limning the edges of the windows in my bedroom. I sat up and clawed my hair out of my eyes. There was a sweet smell like jasmine and orange blossoms in my room. I looked down at the foot of the bed and froze at the sight of a small branch covered in white and yellow flowers lying on the folded spread.

The bark was cool against my hand as I swept it up and buried my face in the blossoms. ’Zooks bumped his head against my arm and purred and
twert
ed. I hugged him close.

“Your daddy was here,” I whispered.

I scrubbed away the tears and threw back the covers. I couldn’t storm Fairy like some heroine in a fantasy novel. But there was another lady with a sword who might be able to help me. My friend had been essentially kidnapped. However odd the Álfar reality was, it existed within the geographical confines of the State of New York in the United States of America. Our laws had to have jurisdiction and take precedent.

I was a lawyer. I was going to establish just that and bring John home.

About the Author

Phillipa Bornikova has been the story editor of a major network television series, a horse trainer, and an oil-company executive. She lives in the Southwest. This is her first novel.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

THIS CASE IS GONNA KILL ME

A Tor Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

175 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10010

www.tor-forge.com

Tor
^®is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Bornikova, Phillipa.

This case is gonna kill me / Phillipa Bornikova.—1st ed.

p. cm.

“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”