Chapter 2

Going to Special Agent in Charge Tim Smith to accuse Floyd of assault on my first day was bold, even with the recording. A witness could be the difference between things being swept under the rug and a full investigation. Given Floyd’s statements, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were numerous complaints against him.

His eyes cut to the door behind me. “Lead the way.”

“Thank you…” The badge around his neck was twisted. Since he’d made a point by looking at the door, I figured introductions could wait and started walking.

“Keep an eye on him, will you?” Ex-military asked the other guy.

I didn’t hear a reply, but that could’ve been because of the pounding of my heart or the anger that was growing now that I was out of immediate danger. My fingers tightened around the recording spell, which was still active. I let it continue. It could only help my case if whoever ended up with the recording could hear a continuous track from my conversation with Floyd to their own voice. Coupled with the video, it should be enough.

Enough for what, though? I was hardly making friends by reporting a senior agent, and one who was my boss, on my very first day. Narzel, the evil trickster he was, must’ve been paying special attention to me today.

“I didn’t catch your name.” He lengthened his stride until he was beside me.

“Kelsey Pine, but you already knew that.” He’d been at the window long enough to see me cast the recording spell and summon my wand. Besides, there wasn’t anyone in the TBI, as we affectionately shortened the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s name, who didn’t know me. I was the only witch on staff and the only witch under direct police employ in the entire state. Everyone knew me.

“Wayne.”

“Nice to meet you, Wayne. I appreciate the help.” That was if I still had a future with the TBI or any law enforcement agency after this. If I was fired, the clan would take me back; their entire purpose was to organize and control witches. It wouldn’t do to have us mingling with the rest of the world too much, driving down the price of magic. But the idea of going back to the clan, admitting defeat, and living with their rules left a bitter taste in my mouth.

No. Floyd wouldn’t be the end of this dream. I hadn’t defied my clan, dodged a lifetime of casting the same spells, lost friends, and given up a guaranteed job to be fired on my first full day out of training.

“It was the least I could do after standing there like an idiot after he punched you.” Wayne rubbed a hand across his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you out of there. There’s no excuse for my inaction.”

“Have you ever seen anyone being assaulted in this building before?” Our headquarters wasn’t open to the public. There were exceptions, but we weren’t a police station or a jail. Most of us were more investigators or subject matter experts than police.

“No.”

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“Then you’re forgiven.”

“But,” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “I’ve been trained to act, not stand around and puzzle over events with my buddy.”

“Walking down the hall of a safe building chatting with a friend should be a time you can let your guard down. Besides, being a witness is useful in this circumstance.” Saying those words absolved me of my guilt as well. Spending a day training with another agent shouldn’t have ended this way. I could be angry at Floyd for being an ass, but any self-directed anger was undeserved. “As I said, you’re forgiven, and if that isn’t enough, do twenty more push-ups tonight as penitence.”

Wayne snorted. “When I was still in training, two people in forensics started arguing about what some odd marks on a bullet casing could mean. They were nose to nose and flinging insults at one another. There was also some hair pulling.”

“What?”

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking, but no.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “One guy yanking on another’s ponytail.”

I stopped and stared at him. “You’re kidding.”

He held up his hands. “By the earth, it’s the truth.”

An image of two guys in lab coats yanking each other’s hair while bickering popped into my mind. Once I started giggling, I couldn’t stop. Tears leaked out of my eyes as I came down from the adrenaline high I’d been on.

With it went most of the anger, leaving fatigue behind. I wiped away the tears as my thoughts settled. My face ached. Floyd deserved to be reported, but it would’ve been easier if I was still angry. The adrenaline would’ve carried me through the complaint. “You made this harder.”

“I know it feels that way now.” He shook his head slightly. “It’s better to have a clear mind. You’ll just have to trust me.”

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you.” I pushed off the wall and resumed the trek to Smith’s office. “But a coherent complaint is more likely to get action than an angry rant, so thank you.” Though it would’ve been fun to indulge in an angry rant.

“That’ll do for now.”

As the distance between us and Smith’s office shrank, I started rehearsing what I would say. My future could depend on this conversation, and striking the right tone was vital. Factual, but firm. Smith had respected that in the past, and hopefully it would be the right method for this conversation.

We reached Smith’s office door. Wayne looked me over from head to toe, his eyes resting briefly on the spell. “Ready?”

I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. My heart rate picked up, and suddenly, Wayne’s earlier insistence that laughter would help made sense.

He rapped on the door. A muffled acknowledgment was all Wayne needed to open it. He motioned me inside.

It took more than the usual amount of encouragement to get my feet moving. Under the best of circumstances, Agent Smith was intimidating. I’d seen brick walls that appeared fragile next to him. At a few inches over six feet, he was nearly a foot taller than my own 5’5”. He had the bulk too, with shoulders that looked like they could hold up the world and the muscles to go with them. Sitting behind a department issue desk, he looked like a myth that had gotten a little lost.

He shoved a stack of papers to the side and looked up. Whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips. His eyes locked onto my split lip and puffy cheek. Smith looked past me to Wayne and then back at me. “How badly are you hurt?”

“Split lip. I think the rest is just bruised, but I’m no doctor.” My hands shook a little, but I held out the spell anyway. “Will you accept this recording? It’s evidence of what happened. It’s also still active, but if you accept it, I can make it stop so you can listen to it.” Some of that was babbling, but I hoped he would understand.

Smith held out his hand. “I am willingly accepting a recording spell from Agent Pine, who will now end the recording so it can be reviewed.”

I set the orb in his hand and fed a bit more magic to the spell. “Haglaz.” It stopped recording, and the orb turned from clear to a soft blue, with the bottom third darker than the rest.

He set it down on the desk and motioned for the two of us to take seats. “What happened?”