Golem in My Glovebox by R. L. Naquin Read Free Book Online

patted her on the knee and smiled—this time a friendlier, welcoming look. “Good choice. Maurice will get you settled, and you’ll answer directly to him.”
    I nodded at Maurice, grabbed Riley’s hand and went out the front door. Whatever was going on between the two of them was private. And I had to admit, part of the reason I’d set things up this way was because I had a hunch Maurice had some baggage to work out.
    Also, I really didn’t know what the hell else to do with her. From what I gathered, the Board could deal out some harsh punishments. I didn’t want to be responsible for Stacy getting stuck in a cell for ten years or having to spend the rest of her life on a chain gang of trolls. Assuming, of course, she ever got a trial. Under the circumstances, Bernice might have been tossing people into prison without a second thought.
    Maybe my imagination made the Board harsher than it was, but I’d rather Stacy stayed with Maurice. Whether she believed it or not, my job was to help people, not punish them. Though a little punishment for forcing me to miss Molly’s party might make me feel a better.
    I let out a heavy sigh and sat on the porch steps. Riley settled next to me and rubbed his palm over my back.
    “You okay?” He kissed the top of my head, and I leaned against his chest.
    “Tired, I guess.” I glanced at the tree at the end of my driveway and felt a stab at my heart before looking away. Iris used to hang out down there, keeping watch over me. Keeping me safe. Now he was gone.
    My mother could have saved him. Not only was she an Aegis, like me, she was also a necrofoil—someone with the power to hold back death till help could arrive. But after we defeated the Collector, she’d already been kidnapped again when I went to get her, this time by someone or something even worse than her original captor.
    The great irony in the whole thing was that Iris had died in part to rescue my mother, then someone else had taken her while we were busy trying to save her.
    About a month had passed since then, and still we had no leads on where my mother and the other Aegises had been taken or by whom. The only clue was the note I’d found attached to a filthy ragdoll:
    She’s my mommy now. Come and find us , Aegis. Let’s play!
    Since then, nothing. No leads. No word. And I was stuck playing social worker to all the monsters in the country. I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t have my own problems to sort out. I liked helping people. But come on. I couldn’t keep saving the world and not save my own mother. I didn’t expect life to be fair, but some reciprocity from the universe would be appreciated.
    Riley snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “Maybe we could take a weekend. Go down to Monterey or something.”
    I nodded. “Maybe. Sara’s getting used to running the office without me, and Maurice can handle the house for a few days if nothing else happens.”
    A tiny movie projector in the back of my head ran a reel behind my eyes, showing Riley and I romping through the surf, having drinks with little umbrellas, riding a ski lift, visiting a ruined castle. Clearly, the miniature filmmaker in there wasn’t concerned by where we went.
    As if in direct answer to my greedy thoughts of deserting everyone for a getaway, my phone chimed out the wedding march. I dug it out of my pocket and saw Bernice’s area code but a number I didn’t know.
    I considered not answering. If I tossed the phone in the bushes, we could jump in the car and make a run for it. They had toothbrushes and clothes in whatever beach town we decided on. I let the phone ring a time or two more while I daydreamed this scenario before I answered.
    “Zoey, it’s Art,” said the tinny voice from the speaker. “I think I know who took your mother.”

Chapter Three
    Art was one of my least favorite people in the entire world. And I was one of his.
    A million years ago—okay, about twenty—Art had been the reason the Board had