Rowena Flores had calling into work down to an artform. Only amateurs used excuses like, "I'm sick." Her boss, Rolando Sanchez, was the store manager at Sweeter Homes and he hated when employees missed their shift. The "I'm sick" excuse didn't work on him. If you told Rolando you broke your leg, he'd say you could ring customers up while sitting down. If you told him you were vomiting all morning, he'd say you could clean the bathrooms and vomit while working. If you told him you were in labor with your firstborn child, he'd tell you to have the baby at the store—it would be free publicity.

Rowena eyed Abby warily as they waited for Rolando to answer her phone call. She had him on speaker as Abby sat next to her in the white room Rowena now knew was one of Cross' guestrooms. When the familiar deep and thickly accented voice of the fifty-year-old manager came on the phone, Rowena panicked.

"Rowena? Flores, is that you?" Rolando's angry voice vibrated through the phone. "Girl, you better have a real good reason why you missed work yesterday. That's a no-call, no-show. Automatic termination."

A shot of anger spiked up in her. "What? Are you serious, Rolando? You're going to fire me? After all the times I worked overtime for you?"

"You know the rules, Flores."

"Yeah, I also know you like to pour whiskey in your morning coffee while you're at work so don't tell me about rules, Sanchez." She hated how he used her last name to address her like he was a coach on a sports team.

"I see we've resorted to blackmail now," Rolando noted. "Gina had to cover your shift. She hates you now."

"Liar, that woman loves me."

"You're the liar. You're lying to yourself if you think Gina even likes you much less loves you. You know she hates working extra shifts."

That was not a lie. Gina hated working other people's shifts. She was an older woman in her fifties who had a serious smoker's cough and a deep voice so gravelly Rowena wondered if it hurt Gina to talk. Rowena didn't understand why Gina didn't just quit her job at Sweeter Homes. She'd tried to ask her once but Gina made some vague excuse about staying away from a stripper pole. Rowena frowned.

"Was Gina a stripper before working at Sweeter Homes?" Rowena asked Rolando. She didn't think fifty-year-olds were in high demand as strippers but she'd never been to a strip club except that one time she followed an ex-boyfriend. Needless to say, she didn't get to observe the women as she was too busy getting thrown out by a bouncer after getting into a yelling match with her ex.

She heard a choked sound before Rolando sputtered, "Flores, what are you talking about? Don't let Gina hear you say anything about her days as Tipsy. She will cut you."

Gina had a stripper name and it was Tipsy? Rowena couldn't believe it!

"Tipsy? Are you serious? She never mentioned it to me." Rowena huffed before stealing a glance at a perplexed looking Abby. Abby was holding Kitty as she listened to Rowena try to save her job. "Is she called Tipsy because she liked to drink or because she wanted more tips? I really cannot believe she never mentioned this to me."

"Well, you two aren't close so I'm not surprised," Rolando said. She could practically hear him shrugging on the other end of the call. "I only know because I saw her dance a few times."

"Unbelievable. We have a book club together!" Rowena reminded him. "I let her pick all the shifter romance stories she wants. I even let her pick a BL book one time."

"What's BL?"

"Boy love," Rowena answered. Her tone made it sound as though she were stating a fact that was obvious and well known.

"You read gay romance stories in book club?" Rolando's voice got uncomfortably loud. Rowena rolled her eyes.

"Does he not like gay romance?" Abby asked.

Rowena lifted a shoulder. She knew Rolando had a son whose partner was named Larry so she hoped not. She turned back to the phone and asked, "Do you not like BL stories?"

"I've never read one but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. Maybe I should join your book club."

"Nope. We read romance novels, Rolando. You hate romance stories. You threw popcorn at the screen when we watched The Notebook, remember?"

"You know I hate Ryan Phillipe!"

Rowena's eyes widened. "He wasn't in that movie!"

"Whatever, Flores. Can you just tell me why you're wasting my time calling me when you know you're no longer an employee of Sweeter Homes."

"Rolando, you can't fire me. I have a good reason for missing yesterday and not calling in."

She heard him chuckle and sigh. "Alright, let's hear this good reason. I've been keeping track of all the excuses you've used. So far, you fell in the bathroom, you were being filmed while breaking a world record for eating the world's biggest breakfast taquito, and let's not forget the time you couldn't come to work because you were in jail."

The last one was actually true.

"Why do you sound like you don't believe me, Rolando?"

"Because your excuses are unbelievable. I only listen because they're so crazy. Alright, let's hear what you have to say for yourself now."

Rowena ground her teeth together as Abby's eyes widened. Abby shook her head.

"Fine, if you must know...I didn't go to work yesterday because I was kidnapped by a pack of crazy werewolves and they think I'm a witch who set my ex-boyfriend's house on fire."

Silence.

Abby's mouth fell open.

Rowena ignored her, waiting for Rolando to respond. He didn't disappoint. "You were abducted by werewolves? Fine. Not a problem. Bring one into work with you and call it a service dog. I really don't care, Flores. As long as you come into work."

"Rolando!"

"What? That was the worst lie you've come up with so far. You don't want me to fire you? Give me the truth, Rowena."

Rowena gave a frustrated growl. "Fine. My boyfriend cheated on me. No, correction—he's been cheating on me for six months."

"I knew it!"

Rowena wore a puzzled expression. "You knew what?"

"Was your cheating boyfriend the one you'd come into the store with?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Let's just say you weren't the only one he came into Sweeter Homes with, Flores."

Hot anger coursed through her. "No way. Tell me Reed didn't take Casey to Sweeter Homes, the place I work at. He could not possibly be that dumb."

"I don't know these people," Rolando said. "But if Casey is a tall blonde with super muscular legs, then apparently your ex-boyfriend is really dumb. Maybe he wanted to get caught. Some men like to live dangerously."

"Well, that sounds like the woman he was cheating on me with."

Rolando sighed and hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if I should tell you this but that wasn't the first time I'd seen that woman."

"Where else did you see her?"

Rolando cleared his throat. "Now, Flores, you know I like to bet on a game every now and then."

Rowena rolled her eyes. She knew most of the men who worked at Sweeter Homes liked to bet on the outcome of basketball games, baseball games, football games, any kind of game that involved balls. "Yeah, what's your point?"

"The only way to bet is to go to Little Mikey's."

Dots began connecting in Rowena's mind. Little Mikey was anything but little. He was a huge man well over six feet tall and had to weight three hundred pounds if not more. He was also Clarkton's biggest criminal and he ran a pawn shop. The cops couldn't' make any of their charges stick but everyone knew if something illegal was happening in Clarkton, Little Mikey was involved.

Casey Sloane had been involved in some sort of illegal gambling ring. What if the gambling ring was partly responsible for her murder? If Rowena could find out that information, she could share it with Casey's brother and clear her name.

"Do you know what she was betting on?" Rowena asked.

"No, that I wouldn't know. I just remember seeing her a few times at his place of business and money may have been exchanged."

"Maybe she was just pawning something?" Rowena suggested.

"Nah, Little Mikey's bookie, Silvio, was there too. That blonde was definitely making bets."

"Do you think you can find out what she was betting on?"

"That would be a no."

"C'mon, Rolando. I just want to know what sort of bets she was making."

"No way. Little Mikey values his confidentiality. I'm not going to ask him what the blonde makes her bets on just so you can make her life miserable somehow."

"Too late for that," Rowena grumbled. "The blonde is dead."

"You killed her?" Rolando gasped.

"Are you kidding? Of course I didn't kill her! Why would you think that?"

"Because I know you. I've had to bail you out of jail before."

"I paid you back!"

"Why do you want to know what she made bets on?"

"I didn't kill her but somebody did and her brother's friend mentioned she was part of an illegal gambling ring. If you won't ask what she'd make bets on, I'm going to have to visit Little Mikey's pawn shop."

She could hear Rolando sighing on his end of the call. "Listen to me, Rowena Flores. I don't know what that woman was involved in but it's not going to do you any good to play Nancy Drew with Little Mikey. I can't help you. No, I won't help you and people like Little Mikey are dangerous. He won't like you asking questions."

"You don't get it, Rolando. This woman was murdered and everyone thinks I killed her."

"The cops have your prints? They got any proof? I have a friend who is a lawyer. You need me to make a call? My cousin Hector is back in town too."

Hector Sanchez was an ex-marine who turned vigilante. Rowena didn't know him well except for the few times Rolando invited him to company get togethers. Rolando insisted Hector needed more human interaction.

"No, way! I'm fine. They have no proof. Do not call Hector on this. Listen, forget I mentioned the gambling thing. Can you just let me have a few days off so I can work out this issue? I really can't get fired, Rolando. You know I have bills to pay."

"Fine! I'll give you a few days off but if anyone asks, you better tell them you had mono and ring worm at the same time."

"That's gross!" Rowena shrieked.

"It's the only way I'm letting you call in."

"Fine. Whatever."

"Also, you have to promise me not to go to Little Mikey. It'll be too dangerous to question him alone."

"Are you volunteering to go with me?" Rowena asked.

His response was quick. "Not a chance."

"Fine, then I promise not to question Little Mikey alone."

"Good. Listen, I have to go. I'll tell Gina you said hi."

"Yeah, yeah, you tell that stripper I said hello and she and I are going to have a long chat about sharing personal history with your friends."

"You two aren't friends," Rolando insisted.

"If we're in a book club together, then we're friends."

"Whatever. Are you done?"

Rowena rolled her eyes and disconnected the call. Abby was watching her with wide eyes. "That's your boss?"

"He's a nice guy even if he seems like a jerk sometimes," Rowena said.

Abby shrugged. "I can't believe Reed brought Casey with him to the place you worked at. Do you think he wanted to get caught?"

Rowena shook her head. "No, I genuinely feel like he was just being dumb. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't come to check on me. Does he think I'm responsible for Casey's death?"

Abby bent down, placing Kitty on the floor. "I haven't talked to him but I know he's going through a lot right now with his house being burned to the ground. He's tried coming here but Cross sent him away."

"Why?"

"You'd have to ask my brother that." Abby looked down at her phone. "We still have plenty of time until lunch. Cross, Liam, and Matt are out patrolling the town. Did you want to go to one of the local shops to get some clothing? It looks like you're going to be in Howler a few more days or however long it takes to reveal who killed Casey."

Rowena scrunched up her nose. "You're being really nice. You weren't this nice the first time you saw me."

Abby had the grace to blush. "Well, I thought you killed Casey. We all did. It wasn't until you were unconscious that Cross explained how you couldn't possibly be her murderer. Casey was strong. There's no way you could've overpowered her to tie her up."

Since Abby was being so sharing, Rowena had to try. "What does combating the moon mean?"

Her head jerked back. "Uh...no way. I'm not answering that for you."

"Why not?"

"It would be dangerous to have that knowledge."

Rowena felt like Abby was being cryptic but now wasn't the time to get into it with the alpha's sister. "I don't really want to go to any shops but I do want to find out about Casey's illegal gambling bets. Little Mikey is always at his pawn shop."

"You just promised your boss you wouldn't question that man."

"No, I promised him I wouldn't question him alone." Rowena's eyes practically twinkled as she smiled at Abby. "I'm not breaking my promise if you're going with me."