and me. Most people aren’t afraid of Golden Retrievers. But any time a big dog bares its teeth, raises its hackles and advances with its head down, it’s time to pay attention, especially when in life that dog could put ninety pounds of muscle behind a flying leap.
“Just back away slowly,” I said, enjoying the startled look on Daniel’s face. “My house is warded. I’m tired of playing games. You show up and drop cryptic warnings about Watchers but you’re not giving me information I can give to Sorren that will actually do any good. So, give me your phone number if you really want to help out.” To my surprise, he rattled off a number, and then repeated it so I could store it in my cell phone.
I glared at him mistrustfully. “All right. Thanks. But I’m still not okay with you just showing up here. I’m going in my house now, and when I come back out, you’d better be gone.”
Daniel gave me an appraising look. “I hope you’ve got more tricks up your sleeve,” he said. “Because Watchers are bad news and Reapers are nothing to fool with.”
“Are you going to keep lurking around the shadows?” I raised my chin defiantly.
Daniel’s glare gave me the impression he wasn’t used to being challenged. “Tell Sorren ‘Alliance protocols’. He’ll know what that means.” Then he turned and walked down the street, and disappeared around a corner.
Bo’s ghost raised his head, gave me the wide doggy smile I remembered, wagged his tail and vanished. Baxter stopped going absolutely nuts once Daniel walked away. Bo and Baxter seemed to have an understanding. I leaned on the front porch and tried to stop shaking.
“Come on, Bax,” I said. “We’ve got things to do.”
I changed clothes and gathered my things to go out. Baxter gave me his best little blinky-eyed guilt-producing stare as I got ready. “I won’t be long,” I promised. “Then you can sit on the couch with me and we’ll watch a movie. With popcorn.” Baxter likes popcorn, and I knew from the wag of his tail that he was fine with that plan.
Teag and I met up with Valerie at the downtown barn where the carriage horses stay during the day. Andrews Carriage Rides has its barn near the Charleston City Market. Tourists love to come in and see the horses, and getting to walk through the stables is one of my favorite things, too. Drea’s family has always been exceptionally careful about how the horses are treated. She says that she dotes on the horses the way I spoil Baxter.
Valerie was waiting for us. Teag had brought Anthony along, and they both waved. “Hey, it’s a rare chance to combine work and a romantic nighttime walk past haunted houses,” Teag joked. I noticed he had his messenger bag with him, likely full of some of his magical tools. He also carried his long staff, and I saw him note my walking stick. Anthony was wearing a scarf Teag had woven, and I was willing to bet that it had protective magic bound into its threads and into the weaving itself.
“Please don’t think I’m a cheap date,” Anthony deadpanned. Valerie and I laughed. Anthony rocked GQ style, while Teag was more on the Rolling Stone or rumpled grad student side of fashion. Somehow, they looked right together.
“Thanks for coming,” Valerie said. I was surprised that she seemed a little nervous. Valerie is a history geek and a big Charleston supporter, so writing and researching the tours she gives is a dream job for her. She’s usually incredibly happy when she’s leading tours, and getting to work with the horses is the icing on the cake.
Tonight, Valerie seemed subdued. Due to noise restrictions, horse-drawn carriages can’t go through certain parts of the city after business hours, so most evening tours are done on foot. That made for an up-close experience that tourists usually enjoyed, but if the ghosts decided to be dangerous, being on foot could cause some real problems.
“Would you rather drive the route in a car?” I asked.
Valerie shook her head. “That’s the thing – I’m going to have to do the route on foot all the other times, so if there’s something out there that shouldn’t be, I need to know now, and not when I’ve got a group full of tourists.”
I knew Valerie wouldn’t even consider giving up the ghost tours. They were some of the company’s most popular attractions, and people came to Charleston just