Jaeger’s Lost and Found

Chapter 1-4

Archie stumbled over the threshold while tearing off his pea coat. The bookstore had been in his family for generations, though no one had chosen to live there before him. His hair was dripping, his heart thudding, and his mind screaming at him to lock the door ten times over to prevent anyone from ever entering again.

The bell chimed a second time as Edie pushed the door open behind him. “That went well.”

“Did it?” Blood soaked his shirt sleeve where the ugly little mutt had bitten him, and his arm pulsed and ached. He unbuttoned the cuff and pushed up the sleeve, revealing small puncture wounds, and not from one bite, no, the cursed dog had bitten him twice.

Edie winced. “We got paid.”

“I need a doctor.”

She snorted. “Melodramatic much? It’s a tiny little bite wound.”

“I could get tetanus or rabies.” His heart hammered again. He could get ill, seriously ill. What if he needed to stay at a hospital, be away from home overnight? His mouth grew parched, his throat closed.

“Oh-oh, are we having a meltdown?” She stepped closer, squinting at him. “You’re going a little blueish, Archibald. Perhaps you should try breathing, don’t you think?”

He tried, he did, but his throat was clogged.

“Is it because you missed m**********n day?” Somewhere distantly Archie heard the doorbell chime again. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. There is still time to abuse the wicked stick on the correct day, no need to freak out about it.” She tugged at his arm. “I’ll be with you in a minute, sir.”

Sir? Archie turned to look, but his vision was going foggy. There was a dark shape lurking by the door.

“Archie.” The commanding tone made him focus on Edie again, but her brown hair blurred together with her face, and the hideous flowery top she wore stung his eyes. “Snap out of it.”

“You need help, love?” The voice was rich, the accent unquestionably British, and it sent shivers over Archie’s already shuddering body.

“No, it’s alright. We’ve been through this before. Take a seat.” Her voice turned into a whisper. “Get it together Archibald, or I’ll tell the young gentleman over there about your m**********n habits. I know how much you love to talk about it.”

Archie glared at her, some of the haziness easing away. “Bitch.”

She grinned. “There you go.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “You’re fine, and you know I’d never let anything happen to you. You will not die from a little love bite.” She flashed fangs, but he knew she was teasing, and the man who Archie now couldn’t make himself look at snorted. Edie squeezed his unharmed arm. “Go clean up, and I’ll make us some coffee.”

“It’s almost bedtime, too late for coffee.”

“I’ll make us coffee, go put on dry clothes, and slap a bandage on the bites unless you want them to multiply.”

He frowned at her, not understanding what she was hinting at. One quick glance at the man waiting for Edie had heat spreading over his cheeks, but he managed to halt it before it grew into a blush. Archie didn’t blush.

The man looked about thirty, maybe a little younger, with longish black hair and pale smooth skin that almost glowed in the dim light. Archie slipped away between the shelves, and once he was sure the customer couldn’t see him, he drew in a trembling breath. If he took long enough to clean up, he wouldn’t have to face him.