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flattering terms, how can I help it?” He returned his gaze to the road and took a steep uphill street that reminded her of the climb up to the top of a roller coaster. “Haven’t you noticed the looks we’ve been getting all day? Everyone magical at work can sense something is going on.”
    “Damn.” She returned her attention to the street and the unlucky pedestrians who were struggling up the incline. Some of the San Francisco streets needed either a base camp halfway up or trained paramedics equipped with heart resuscitators. “I was hoping our shields were good enough to keep everyone out.”
    “I don’t think we can do that. It’s just something we give out as a mated couple. I’m not sure what it is, but I know it when I sense it.”
    “Well, it doesn’t mean we have to admit anything, does it?”
    A muscle flicked in his cheek, and she got the uncomfortable impression that her fake flippancy was starting to annoy him.
    “No, but as I said earlier, your birthday is coming up next week, and then it will become obvious to even Feehan that something’s changed.”
    Lampposts emblazoned with the Italian flag announced they were in the heart of Little Italy, with its closely packed bars, shops and eateries that spilled out onto the sidewalks even on cooler days like this.
    “Oh, look, we’re here.” Ella pointed at an unlit neon sign at basement level. She wasn’t discussing anything to do with mating. She had a job to do. “Can you find somewhere to park?”
    “Naturally.”
    A parking space appeared to the right, directly in front of the Blue Flamingo.
    “Now, that is one skill I’d really like to have. Can you tell me how you do it?”
    Vadim reverse-parked the Mercedes in the tight space in one fluid motion. “It’s quite simple. You just envision a space opening up, and it will happen.”
    “ Right. You know, if magic was that easy, we’d all be doing it.” She checked that she had her phone and got out of the car. The smell of garlic and baking bread tantalized her nose. “God, we have to eat while we’re here.”
    He stepped onto the sidewalk beside her and inhaled. “Yes, we definitely should. Let’s do the interview first, though.”
    She followed him down the steps to the front door of the Blue Flamingo, which was propped open with a beer crate. The usual stale smell of flat beer, disinfectant and urine wafted out. Inside, there were no customers, just one young guy behind the bar restocking the shelves and watching basketball on the flat-screen TV above his head.
    He looked up as they approached. “Hey we’re closed. Come back in an hour or two.”
    Vadim extracted his government ID card from his wallet and flashed it at the bartender. “We’re from the SBLE. We just need to ask you a few questions.”
    Ella was always amazed at how quickly people accepted she was a bona fide government employee without checking her identity with a secondary source. It seemed this guy was no exception. He might be a bit nervous, but it wasn’t because he feared them, which was definitely a mistake.
    “You probably need to talk to the boss. He’s not here.”
    “Actually, we want to talk to the person who was behind the bar last night.”
    “That would be me. I’m Mike. What’s the problem?”
    Ella pulled out a barstool and sat down, allowing Vadim to conduct the interview.
    “We’re trying to trace the movements of a Brad Dailey. We believe he was here last night.”
    “Brad? The blond-haired guy who got dumped?”
    “That’s the one.”
    “Did something happen to him? I made sure he didn’t drive home. I called him a cab, and Adam, the other guy who was here, said he’d see him home to his apartment.”
    “The man’s name was Adam? Did you get his last name?”
    “Nope. I missed that.”
    “It doesn’t matter. You did the right thing not letting Brad drive.”
    Ella sensed Vadim’s magic enfolding Mike, making him more receptive to answering questions. It was a useful