Rachel POV

Ivy was sulking in my passenger seat. I had somehow convinced her to come to the track with me, but she wasn't dealing well with the early hour. We were almost to the track though, and she'd be able to get a coffee once we were inside.

"Why did I let you convince me to come?" Ivy asked, leaning her head against the window. Ivy was wearing all black and I wondered if it was wise, considering it was going to be pretty hot today.

"Because it's an easy way to make cash if you know what you're doing," I said. "Plus, sitting by myself all day will get pretty boring. I might go play the slot machines, and that's not what Trent gave me money for."

"Trent gave you money for this?" she asked, eyeing me.

I shrugged, "He doesn't have the time to come down here himself, and he really wants to know if he's the only one targeted. And he'd also like us to catch the culprits. I'm not complaining. I've got a wad of cash to spend, and I intend on keeping any winnings."

Ivy snorted, "Well, good."

We were silent for some time, and I soon took the turn off to drive up the long drive to the track. The parking lot wasn't very full, and I managed to pull up in a spot relatively close. I led Ivy into the building next to the track where she made a beeline for the coffee stand. Yawning myself, I followed. The coffee here wasn't too bad, and it would be nice to get a little kick before I started people watching.

It didn't take us long to get the coffee and find a good spot in the bleachers, and soon I was pointing out some of the things I had learned sitting next to Trent the day before. Sitting with Ivy was a bit different. She wasn't in a very good mood and I had been hoping that by dragging her out here, I could alleviate some of the worry she had on her shoulders.

Unfortunately, what happened to Nina was still weighing heavily on Ivy's mind, and I was slowly realizing just how much the girl meant to Ivy. It was nice that Ivy had moved on and found someone who could seek love and common ground with her, but it felt odd knowing that Ivy was so attached to the young vamp. Could I ever find a relationship that had so much give and take as what Ivy seemed to have found?

I felt a pang of loneliness and then the image of Trent came to mind. We both had a lot to give, but I wasn't right for him. He had so many responsibilities and I was simply a liability in the end. I worked best as a co-worker. At this point, I was even willing to admit that I didn't care about what he'd done in the past. He was a murderer, no doubt about it, but he had his reasons, I could see them clearly now. But I didn't belong in his world.

Sadly, I could think of no one else who could rival what Ivy and Nina seemed to have.

I leaned against Ivy, pointing at the gate where the horses were lined up. "Watch number 3. I bet on her and I think she's a winner. She seemed excited for the race, but not overly strung out.

The bell went off, the gates were thrown open, and the horses surged forward in a giant mass. Within moments though, the horses had strung out along the inner fence. I had spent a few moments the night before researching the sport and had come to the conclusion that horse racing was different depending on the country you were in. American horse racing was probably the most recognized because of the media, so it was easy to look a few things up.

I was sitting on the edge of my seat, watching the horses take the curve in the track. Number 3, Too Hot for Cincinatti, was in the middle of the pack, but slowly making her way to the front. It would be over in a matter of moments, and I didn't want to miss watching the finish.

Even from where we were, I could hear the pounding of the hooves on the dirt track, and the sound lifted through me. When Too Hot moved into second place, I was barely holding onto the seat, excited at the prospect of winning. I broke into a grin as I watched her nose past the first place horse, winning the race with seconds to spare. Grinning, I turned to Ivy to see she wasn't even watching the track.

I brought her to the track to watch the horses, and there she was, staring moodily down into the bleachers, her brown eyes tracking someone. I turned and followed her gaze, my own eyes lighting on a fair haired man wandering an aisle. He kept looking out at the track and then back down at the schedule he had in his hands.

I couldn't tell if he was an elf from here, but he certainly looked suspicious. My excitement faded as adrenaline kicked in at the thought of chasing him down. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I asked Ivy.

"The man who doesn't belong? I sure do," she said, standing up from her seat and stretching.

I stood as well, cramming my winning paper in my back pocket so I wouldn't lose it. I followed Ivy as she moved down the stairs, heading toward the end of the aisle the man was walking along. His baby fine blonde hair reminded me of Trent, and I instinctively knew that if I got close to him, he'd smell like cinnamon and wine. When he lifted his own gaze toward Ivy, recognition hit as I realized he was the man who had chased me down on the track.

Thankfully he didn't recognize me. My awkward appearance and frumpy clothes worked perfectly. I may have moved the same, but I looked nothing like myself.

"Excuse me!" Ivy called as she caught the man's eye.

The man raised an eyebrow at her as she came closer. "I was hoping you knew more about horses than I did," she said, laughing a bit. "My friend dragged me here and we were hoping to see certain horses, but I can't recognize one from the other," she said, waving her hand flippantly toward the track.

I grew uneasy as I watched the elf tense up, unsure if he should trust Ivy. But she had gotten closer to him than I had a few days before, and I knew we'd be able to grab him before he tried to run. "What horse are you looking for?" he asked.

"I'm looking for the horse Trent Kalamack has in the race," Ivy said. I was glad she spoke, as I didn't trust him to not recognize my voice.

But the moment Ivy had said Trent's name, the man looked at her suspiciously, and began to back up. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, and I pushed past Ivy.

"Why else would you be here?" I asked, reaching into my bag for my handcuffs.

The man's eyes followed my reach and he swore and turned to race down the aisle. Ivy jumped ahead of me and the chase was over in mere seconds, as she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and brought him down in a chokehold. The people around us stared in disgust and moved away, but interestingly, no one seemed to call for security.

As Ivy dragged the man out of the aisle, she looked at me. "What now?" she asked.

"Well, he's definitely the guy," I said. "I guess we bring him to Trent's compound?"

Ivy nodded. "Good plan. I'll bring him to the car."

She paused, looking at me. "Go get your winning and I'll meet you there.

It took me a few minutes to get to the front of the line, but eventually I got my money and headed out to the parking lot to find Ivy sitting in the front seat with no prisoner to be found. I slid into the driver's seat and looked over at her. "Ivy…" I said, and she smiled at me.

"He's in the trunk," she said, and I shook my head, smiling all the same. I started the car and backed out of the spot. I had been hoping to talk to Ivy, cheer her up, but I suspected I wouldn't be getting to it today. I hoped she would try to make contact with Nina. Being locked up by the I.S. couldn't possibly be fun, and I knew Nina would appreciate a visit.

The drive through Cincinnati was short and when we arrived at the gate to Trent's compound, I slipped out of the car to hear thumping coming from the trunk. I had made sure to make the ride good and bumpy.

I entered the gate house, "I've got someone Trent is going to want to question," I told the guard on duty.

The guard looked at me in surprise, not recognizing me. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but Mr. Kalamack is currently in meetings."

"Oh, right," I muttered to myself and then invoked the curse to set me back to my own body. There were a few gasps in the room and I raised an eyebrow at the guard. "How about now?" I asked.

The guard stuttered, "I – I'm sorry, Ms. Morgan. He really is busy," he said, apologetically. "In fact, he's not ever here."

Sighing in frustration, I turned back to the door. "Well, at the very least, can someone come get the perp out of my trunk?"