Pink Princess Fairytini (Fairy Files #2) (25 page)

I sat back and enjoyed watching him move around the kitchen. He smiled as he set a plate, with a ham sandwich and strawberries, in front of me. “It’s good to have you here, Chloe. Now what did you mean about the flea market?”

I took a bite of my sandwich and enjoyed the flavors and textures. “You make a good sandwich,” I said. I swept my hand over his kitchen furniture. “Nothing matches. So I figured you got all of your furniture at the flea market.”

His eyes widened just a bit and he gave me a blank look. “It’s furniture,” he said. “It’s all made of wood. It all just matches automatically, right?”

I bit back a laugh and shook my head. “No. There are styles of furniture, clean lined modern or rustic or …” I trailed off when he kept giving me a blank look. “It’s okay. You have a very nice home.”

“I just picked what I liked. I never thought about it matching.” He shook his head and looked around his kitchen. “This is some conspiracy by the furniture makers to sell more stuff, isn’t it?”

I did laugh then, long and hard. And it felt good. “How about we don’t worry about the furniture and, after I finish this sandwich, I help you hang that kitsch we bought you at the flea market last weekend?”

He frowned and avoided eye contact. “I did hang it,” he said. “It just isn’t me. I’m sorry. I think you should figure out where you like it and then you can enjoy it while you’re here.”

And suddenly, my stay had been shortened. The tinge of disappointment mixed in with my relief surprised me. “Why don’t we look at it together,” I said. “We’ll just hang the pieces you feel most comfortable with.”

“Yeah, okay.” He got to his feet and took my plate to the sink. “I’ll go get it.”

In the end, I convinced him to tolerate three of the five pieces and we put them in spots that even he had to admit looked good. I understand that not everyone loves kitsch, but if he’s really considering a future with me, he’s going to have get on board at least a little bit. Because I’m not giving it up.

On Saturday, I got up early and met Sapphire for breakfast before we hit the flea markets. “Thank you so much for making my condo beautiful,” I said.

“Of course.” Knuffington had stayed home this time, and it was good to see Sapphire alone. “I should have done it right after you moved in, but work has been crazy hectic.”

“Yeah? What’s going on? The genes getting out of hand? Mutating and partying all night?”

“Hardy har,” she said. “No, it’s this side project I’ve been working on. We’ve got a new theory that I’m actually excited about. We’re thinking that humans might not have any genetic anomaly that prevents them from seeing the fae traits, but that the fae traits exist on a spectrum of magic that is invisible to humans.”

“Like ultraviolet?” I asked, skeptical. Faun horns looked like just another physical body part to me.

“Exactly,” she said, getting excited. “Don’t you see what this could mean? The fae wouldn’t have to use glamours anymore.”

“Those that bother with them, anyway. You should talk to my cousin Sandra. She’s half human, so maybe you could test your theory on her.”

She shook her head. “If you’ve got even a drop of fae blood in you, you’ll see the traits.”

“No,” I said. “That can’t be right. There’s got to be tons of humans who have a drop of fae blood and don’t know it. Wouldn’t they all be yelling about the freaky creatures they see?”

“That’s the most amazing part. They do see the traits when they’re kids, but the adults around them tell them it’s all in their imagination until they convince themselves it’s true and they learn to ignore what they see. They
stop
seeing it.”

“They develop the inability to see the magical traits?” This all sounded way hokey to me, but it was good to see Sapphire so excited.

“Sort of,” she said. “But it’s more like they see it, their brain says they can’t be seeing it and ignores the weird traits, so they don’t acknowledge them. It all happens so fast they don’t even realize it happened.”

“That’s…um, amazing,” I said, forcing a smile. I was pretty sure Sapphire had gone crazy if she really believed this stuff.

“I know,” she said with a sweet smile. “It sounds crazy and it probably is crazy, but it just feels like we’re getting closer. And that’s exciting.”

I might have asked her what the point of it all was, why she cared to find out why humans didn’t recognize the fae, but I knew better. For Sapphire, the answer
was
the point. It was all that really mattered to her. “Then I’m excited for you,” I said. “You know I’ve never understood your work.”

She smiled and folded her napkin next to her plate. “Let’s go get some more kitsch for your place,” she said, clapping her hands together. “I hate that you’re not living with me anymore, but I’m so excited to have all that extra space for storing kitsch.”

I couldn’t bear to tell Sapphire that I’d left the condo she’d decorated for me. “I don’t have any money, Sapphire, but I’ll help find stuff for you.”

“Right, and I’ll have to store more of my older pieces at your place to make room for my new stuff. So we all win.”

My phone rang as we stood. I silenced it, because nothing interfered with Flea Market Saturday. When it rang again, I turned it off without even looking at it.

“Please, Chloe,” Sapphire said. “It could be about the missing kids.”

“It wasn’t Frost. It was a number I didn’t recognize.” The day before, I’d slept until the late afternoon, catching up on all the sleep I’d been missing that week. In the evening, Frost had filled me in on the latest missing child, but there’d been nothing else for us to do, so I’d gone liquor shopping with Pierson to re-stock the club.

“Okay, good.” She linked her arm through mine, and we were off for our favorite kind of shopping.

We were at Bea’s booth, debating whether or not a person can ever have too many kitschy clocks, when I heard my name.

I spun around to see Frost. “Chloe,” he said, a bit breathless, as though he’d been racing around looking for me. “I’m sorry to interrupt your flea market day, but I need you. Buddy needs you.”

“Buddy?”

“His daughter’s been kidnapped.”

Next to me, Sapphire gasped, but I was too stunned to make a sound. “But she’s a baby,” I said. “There’s no way to know if she had strong powers or not.”

He gripped my shoulders and met my gaze, his expression so soft, I almost cried. “I don’t need you to help me figure out why she was taken right now. I just need you to come with me. Buddy needs his best friend.”

“Yes, of course.” I gave Sapphire’s hand a squeeze, but didn’t need to say anything. She waved me off and told me to hurry. Frost and I raced through the flea market grounds and back to his car.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I turned off my phone, because…well, it’s our tradition and I never thought …”

“No,” he said. “You couldn’t have known. I just got the call a couple of hours ago. Buddy’s sister said she tried to call you earlier, but—”

“No,” I said, thinking of all the ways I’d failed my best friend, the man who’d saved my life. “Oh, no. I didn’t recognize the number so I didn’t answer.”

“It’s okay, Chloe. You couldn’t have known. And it’s not too late to help him. We will find that baby.”

For the first time, I really looked at Frost and saw the lines of worry around his mouth and eyes, the tense set of his jaw. “You’ve been to visit her, haven’t you?” This one was personal for him and not just because he’d been the one to find Evelyn’s dead body.

“A couple of times,” he said. “Buddy was speaking to me, though he wasn’t exactly friendly. I wanted to take her the gifts you couldn’t and check in with her like I knew you wished you could.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know.” He looked a bit lost. “I was going to, but every time I brought up Buddy or the baby, your expression closed. I didn’t want to cause you any more pain.”

“I’m glad she’s had you.”

The taxi stopped in front of Buddy’s sister’s building and we got out. Frost paid the driver and faced me. “She’s lucky to have you, too, Chloe. You didn’t do anything wrong by not answering your phone. You’re allowed to have a morning off.”

“Tell that to the baby who’s scared and facing who knows what kind of horrors and darkness. Ask
her
if it’s okay that I took the morning off.”

“She’d understand, too.”

I glared at him, until he shook his head. “Fine. Let’s just go talk to Buddy and his sister. They wouldn’t tell me anything until I had you with me.”

“What? Why? They don’t think this has anything to do with me or my mother, do they?” I wondered if kidnapping Buddy’s baby was something my mother would do to get back at me and I wished, not for the first time, that I knew her better.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Do you think she could be behind this?”

“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure she would do something more obvious. She’d want me to know who was responsible.”

“Makes sense.” He looked more sure than I felt, trusting me when I was doubting everything.

Together, we walked inside and up the stairs to the small apartment Buddy had shared with his sister since he’d gotten back from Rubalia. I wondered why they hadn’t all moved into the much bigger place Buddy had shared with Evelyn.

“He couldn’t bear to be in his old place without her,” Frost said, as though he’d read my mind. “He and his sister are looking for a bigger place. Buddy wants somewhere safe for the baby, but far from his condo with Evelyn. Somewhere close to the bar, but in a good school district. He’s been having a tough time finding the perfect place.”

“A tough time moving on,” I guessed.

Frost nodded and knocked on the door. Buddy answered it right away, his face drawn with worry. “They took my baby, Chloe. The rebels took my baby.”

Friends that are like family are a gift beyond price
. – Chloe Frangipani

Choose your friends wisely. They will always want more than you can give
. –Althea Frangipani

I wrapped my arms around Buddy and squeezed him tight. “We’re going to find her,” I said.

He let out one sob against my shoulder before pulling me inside and giving me a seat at his small kitchen table. Frost closed the door behind us and sat down at the table with Buddy’s sister, May, Buddy, and me. “Tell us exactly what happened,” Frost said.

“I had her with me at the market down the street,” May said. “Buddy was trying to find a parking space and then he was going to join us inside. The market doesn’t have its own lot, so you have to find parking on the street and—”

“Yes,” I said, placing my hand over May’s to try and calm her. “I know the place. Parking is impossible. What happened?”

May bit back a sob. “I looked away for just a moment to grab some more apples and, when I turned back to the cart, she was gone.”

“Did you see who took her?”

“No,” Buddy said. “But I did. I saw him race out of the market with my daughter. I recognized him as one of the rebels who held me hostage.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Why would the rebels want to kidnap children?”

“Maybe they want to use their super powers,” Frost said. He put a hand on Buddy’s shoulder. “We aren’t sure that some of them haven’t run away, but all of the missing kids have obvious and superior magic. Did Sunshine have any signs of greater powers?”

Buddy shook his head. “She’s too young to be sure, but she did seem fascinated by May’s diamond necklace the other day. All trolls have an affinity for diamonds. You think her kidnapping may be related to the other disappearances?”

“I don’t know,” Frost said. “But it looks like Vin and Chloe will be taking a trip to see the rebels in Rubalia.”

“I want to go, too,” Buddy said.

“No,” Frost and I said together.

Buddy’s jaw tightened and he sat up straighter, anger replacing the worry and fear on his face. “She is my daughter and I have every right to go with you and help you to find her.”

“And if Missella has an answer you don’t like?” I asked. “You can’t beat anyone up. You going to be able to keep your emotions in check?”

“Not everyone can be as emotionless and cold as you, Chloe, but I’ll do my best,” Buddy said.

His words were like a slap in the face. A slap that pricked my skin and bled into my body, freezing me and ripping through me all the way down. Buddy knew me best, and he saw me as cold and emotionless? Had I been conditioned by my mother, with all her physical and verbal smack-downs, to hide my emotions so well that even my best friend believed I had none?

“Chloe?” Frost said. “What do you think?” I blinked and found everyone staring at me, waiting, like I’d been asked a question.

I swallowed and straightened my shoulders. Buddy’s baby didn’t have time for me to break down. “I’m sorry. My ice heart must have gotten in the way of my ability to hear. Could you repeat the question?”

“Chloe, don’t throw one of your little princess tantrums just because I stated the truth,” Buddy said.

I ignored him and looked hard at Frost, begging him with my eyes to change the subject.

“I said that Buddy’s presence, his obvious distress, might convince Missella to tell us the truth. She’s not typically inclined to honesty, from what I understand of her.”

“Unless she’s behind the whole thing,” I said. “In which case, Buddy could get us all killed.”

Buddy groaned. “I think I know how to conduct myself—”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Frost said. “She’s all about gathering the support of the people. Kidnapping their children is hardly likely to win her any supporters. I think it’s more likely she knows something that could lead us to the kidnappers, and Buddy might convince her to talk.”

What he said made sense. “Fine. Buddy can come with us. I’ll check in with Vin, find out what time works best for her, and let you know when and where to meet us.”

Buddy nodded. “I’ll wait for your call.”

I stood and left without another look at him.

“He didn’t mean it,” Frost said, once we were back on the street. “He’s out of his mind with worry. He would have said anything to strike a nerve, to convince you to let him go to see Missella.”