Things were going well, and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

Or maybe the other frost giant. She showed up on a great hog of a Harley that seemed to actually be a Harley, not some kind of illusion.

 

Pulled up next to us. I tried not to laugh. “Oh dear.”

 

Hand signals.

 

“Should I follow her?”

 

“There’s probably illegal alcohol wherever she’s going,” I said to Kanesha, who was driving.

 

Kanesha laughed. “Well, we don’t have to actually drink it.”

 

I considered. “I have never yet managed to spend more than five minutes with Angrboda without getting drunk.”

 

“There’s something about drinking with your dad’s ex.”

 

“I think that’s why she does it.” I was pretty convinced that Angrboda thought the awkward feeling she gave me was quite amusing. “But I also told her I’m not getting drunk here. And if we go somewhere else you’ll get poisoned.”

 

She laughed again. “Maybe we can get an alcohol tolerance spell for me.”

 

I thought about that. “That might not be impossible.”

 

Angrboda pulled in at what was obviously a biker bar. I rolled down the window. “I said I’m not drinking with you.”

 

She grinned. “You’d be surprised how good the food is here. Come on.”

 

Well, as long as she didn’t try to get me to underage-drink. Not that they could arrest her, but they could arrest Kanesha.

 

Kanesha locked the car and we followed her inside. Of course, Angrboda would take us to a biker bar. But I could immediately smell the sweet smell of really good burgers.

 

“What do you want? Did you get dumped again?”

 

She shook her head. “Checking on you. Heard you had problems with our rivals.”

 

“I did. But it’s resolved for now. The boss talked to him.”

 

She grinned and claimed a table. A table because even in disguise, she was still big enough not to fit into the booth. And that was assuming it was shapeshifting not glamor.

 

I rather thought it was shapeshifting. But I hopped onto a seat opposite her. “I get the feeling this place is for burgers.”

 

“And beer, but you’re missing out. Silly girl, abiding by…”

 

“The law. Because I’d rather get arrested for something that achieves something than for drinking.” I grinned back at her. “So, this is a social call.”

 

She studied Kanesha for a moment before answering. “You girls are on your own without your normal support network. Somebody should check on you every couple of days.”

 

She probably had a point, but I didn’t want to admit I needed to be checked on. “We can look after ourselves. We handled the fairies.”

 

“Eh. Fairies. Not too hard to deal with if you understand how they operate.”

 

I reckoned she was right. “Just don’t start a bar fight.”

 

Her grin became feral. “Why not?”

 

“Because,” Kanesha said firmly, “I want one of those burgers.”