him,” Irma sniffed.
Jazz swallowed a sigh. The moment was gone.
Jazz drove past various auto body and repair shops in the commercial district until she reached one small business complex
and pulled into the driveway. A long low-lying building was tucked into the back with several garage doors pulled up and various
limousines and town cars being washed and detailed for the day’s work. The sign over the office declared it to be All Creatures
Limo Service. Jazz parked the T-Bird in one of several slots marked Visitor and climbed out.
“No honking the horn or flashing the lights because you get bored,” she warned Irma. “Dweezil’s threatened to blow up the
car if you throw a tantrum out here. He said you freak out the customers when you do that.”
“The man who looks like an olive claims I freak people out?” She gestured to a troll that exited the office. “Oh yes, I’m the odd one here.”
Jazz swallowed her laughter. The last thing she needed to do was encourage the irascible ghost.
“And why would I want to draw attention to myself? That hideous man would only send over those creatures to commit disgusting
acts on my body,” Irma sniffed, nodding her head toward the tiny men swarming over the cars being readied for the day’s work.
“Lord knows what perversions they would think of. At least if we have to come here at night I know that Nicky would come and
protect me.”
Jazz ignored the skittering sensation in her stomach at the name said out loud. “If they try anything I promise to protect
you as well as he would. Plus, vampires and dwarves don’t get along very well, so I don’t think Nikolai would care to come
by here.” She knew that to be fact, not rumor. “Maybe it’s my imagination, but I don’t think they want to deal with you any
more than you want to deal with them.” She watched the cleaning crew scurry around like busy three-foot-tall imps. Every once
in awhile, one of them would pause and stare at the T-Bird and then turn to a co-worker and say something, prompting more
stares. Jazz didn’t experience any warm and fuzzy feelings coming from any of them. She reached for her door. “Oh yeah, you’re
safe.”
Jazz winced when she walked into the office and was immediately assaulted by the pounding beat and explicit lyrics of Lucky
Cock’s Linger Ficken’Good.
“Fates preserve me,” she muttered, wishing for a soundproof bubble. She was tempted to silence the stereo system, but Dweezil
in a snit at the loss of his precious music wasn’t a pleasant sight.
“Hi, Jazz!” said the Barbie doll come-to-life seated behind the counter. Shiny golden blonde hair was swept up into a slightly
messy ponytail that looked cute rather than unkempt. It made a perfect frame for the delicate heart shaped face and big Dresden
blue eyes. In keeping with the image was the baby pink tank top tucked neatly into a pair of immaculate white linen pants
that didn’t show one wrinkle. Gold stud earrings decorated the Barbie’s equally delicate, but faintly pointed, ears. If it
wasn’t for that barely-seen point on the tip of her ears and the shift of otherworldly colors in her blue eyes, Jazz would
have thought the young woman was pure human. Except what human would knowingly work here?
“Hi, Mindy. Is Dweezil back there?” Jazz nodded toward the rear office.
The woman nodded, “But he’s on the phone right now. Do you want to wait?”
Jazz wished she could just ask Mindy to mail the money to her—except that Dweezil tended to “forget” to pay his people unless
they came by in person to collect. Jazz’s resume might be lengthy, but it didn’t list the usual 9-to-5 jobs that many employers
liked to see. Plus Dweezil paid well and he also, quite desirably to someone who liked to stay off the income tax radar, paid
in cash. So Jazz avoided headaches by showing up for her pay. And while Dweezil made her crazy, his antics also entertained
Jazz swallowed a sigh. The moment was gone.
Jazz drove past various auto body and repair shops in the commercial district until she reached one small business complex
and pulled into the driveway. A long low-lying building was tucked into the back with several garage doors pulled up and various
limousines and town cars being washed and detailed for the day’s work. The sign over the office declared it to be All Creatures
Limo Service. Jazz parked the T-Bird in one of several slots marked Visitor and climbed out.
“No honking the horn or flashing the lights because you get bored,” she warned Irma. “Dweezil’s threatened to blow up the
car if you throw a tantrum out here. He said you freak out the customers when you do that.”
“The man who looks like an olive claims I freak people out?” She gestured to a troll that exited the office. “Oh yes, I’m the odd one here.”
Jazz swallowed her laughter. The last thing she needed to do was encourage the irascible ghost.
“And why would I want to draw attention to myself? That hideous man would only send over those creatures to commit disgusting
acts on my body,” Irma sniffed, nodding her head toward the tiny men swarming over the cars being readied for the day’s work.
“Lord knows what perversions they would think of. At least if we have to come here at night I know that Nicky would come and
protect me.”
Jazz ignored the skittering sensation in her stomach at the name said out loud. “If they try anything I promise to protect
you as well as he would. Plus, vampires and dwarves don’t get along very well, so I don’t think Nikolai would care to come
by here.” She knew that to be fact, not rumor. “Maybe it’s my imagination, but I don’t think they want to deal with you any
more than you want to deal with them.” She watched the cleaning crew scurry around like busy three-foot-tall imps. Every once
in awhile, one of them would pause and stare at the T-Bird and then turn to a co-worker and say something, prompting more
stares. Jazz didn’t experience any warm and fuzzy feelings coming from any of them. She reached for her door. “Oh yeah, you’re
safe.”
Jazz winced when she walked into the office and was immediately assaulted by the pounding beat and explicit lyrics of Lucky
Cock’s Linger Ficken’Good.
“Fates preserve me,” she muttered, wishing for a soundproof bubble. She was tempted to silence the stereo system, but Dweezil
in a snit at the loss of his precious music wasn’t a pleasant sight.
“Hi, Jazz!” said the Barbie doll come-to-life seated behind the counter. Shiny golden blonde hair was swept up into a slightly
messy ponytail that looked cute rather than unkempt. It made a perfect frame for the delicate heart shaped face and big Dresden
blue eyes. In keeping with the image was the baby pink tank top tucked neatly into a pair of immaculate white linen pants
that didn’t show one wrinkle. Gold stud earrings decorated the Barbie’s equally delicate, but faintly pointed, ears. If it
wasn’t for that barely-seen point on the tip of her ears and the shift of otherworldly colors in her blue eyes, Jazz would
have thought the young woman was pure human. Except what human would knowingly work here?
“Hi, Mindy. Is Dweezil back there?” Jazz nodded toward the rear office.
The woman nodded, “But he’s on the phone right now. Do you want to wait?”
Jazz wished she could just ask Mindy to mail the money to her—except that Dweezil tended to “forget” to pay his people unless
they came by in person to collect. Jazz’s resume might be lengthy, but it didn’t list the usual 9-to-5 jobs that many employers
liked to see. Plus Dweezil paid well and he also, quite desirably to someone who liked to stay off the income tax radar, paid
in cash. So Jazz avoided headaches by showing up for her pay. And while Dweezil made her crazy, his antics also entertained
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