He came over halfway through Candace’s and Patter’s explanation, and even though he told them he’d already overheard most of what they’d said, they started from the beginning again anyway. It seemed that Patter liked to be thorough just as much as Candace did.
When they got to the end, Finn smiled at me and said, ‘You did good, Melissa.’
Candace rolled her eyes. ‘It’s well, Finn. She did well, not she did good.’
‘Fine. You did well, Melissa.’ He scratched his head and looked around at the scene. ‘So you battled a werewolf while he had a disempowerment device in action. That’s …’
‘That’s amazing is what it is,’ Wanda finished his sentence for him and pulled me into a hug. ‘What did I tell you, boss? This girl’s got stones.’
I laughed and pulled away, nodding down to my ankle bracelet. ‘Yes, I do. Very expensive ones. And if it weren’t for this Ádh Stone anklet, I’d be a big pile of werewolf leftovers by now.’
Finn shook his head. ‘Somehow I don’t think so. You would have figured out a way, Melissa. You’re a Wayfair, after all. Crime solving is what your whole coven is trained to do.’ He moved closer to me, lowering his voice. ‘As a matter of fact, I heard on the grapevine that you might be thinking of changing careers. When you make your decision, let me know, because you’d be a very welcome addition to my team.’
19. Ravenous
A few hours later, I gazed around at the revellers in the Water Bowl, wishing I could force myself into the party mood. Instead, I was constantly checking my phone in the vain hope that Mack might have finally called me back. Seeing as he seemed to have blocked me from calling him, it probably wasn’t going to happen.
For the umpteenth time I considered just going to see him so we could talk about things, extremely regretful ex-girlfriend to hopefully forgiving ex-boyfriend. But seeing as he was blocking all other methods of communication, I was afraid that a visit from me might prompt him to take out a restraining order.
The party had been an impromptu affair to celebrate Goldie’s release. Rover had pulled out all the stops though, so last minute did not mean low effort. Bright lights had been strung up, and there was a huge banner on one of the walls saying: Congratulations Goldie – Innocent Until proven Innocent! The tables were jam-packed with food and drink (yes, I’d had a lot of everything, and no, I still wasn’t full) and a band called That Stick is Mine! was playing. The band was a favourite among weredogs, and the dance floor was packed with heaving bodies.
There was one notable absence – that of Miles. Seeing as Goldie was his client, I would have expected him to at least stop by on his way to his dinner date. But just like every other lawyer I’d worked for so far, he was a great big disappointment on every single score.
‘You all right, love?’
I looked up at the sound of Nails’s voice, putting my phone back into my bag. She looked incredibly glamorous in a tight white dress and white stilettos. Her blonde hair was held in place with what looked like an eighties-style hair cone. Wow. I didn’t know they still made those. Between the drawn-up hair and the liberal amount of blusher and shading she’d applied, her cheekbones looked truly amazing.
‘Hey Nails.’ I greeted her with the biggest smile I could muster. ‘You look stunning. I’m so glad to see you here. I know Rover was hoping you’d come.’ He really was. For a scary, pitbull-esque weredog, Rover really did have a delightfully mushy heart. Wanda had told me many times that Rover was a sucker for romance, and that he put a lot of work into making sure that the different supernaturals played nice together. The fact that he’d invited Nails to his bar proved that she was right.
Nails grinned back at me. ‘Well, I’m over the moon to be here.’ She pulled Goldie closer. I hadn’t even noticed that he was standing behind her until that moment. ‘We just wanted to thank you, didn’t we Goldie?’
The bouncer grunted – although it was a far friendlier grunt than he usually gave me. And he hadn’t called me Witchy-Sue yet, which was nice.
‘I was just saying to Goldie, wasn’t I Goldie?’
He grunted again.
‘I was just saying so I was, I was just saying that you’re a bit like a bloodhound, Melissa. I was just saying that, wasn’t I Goldie? I was saying you were like a bloodhound, so I was, what with the way you kept on the scent till you found the truth out. Goldie agreed, didn’t you, Goldie?’
Goldie grunted for the third time.
‘I mean, I know it’s awful sad that Decon had to get killed,’ she went on. ‘Well … it’s probably awful sad for someone, anyway. Not me but … someone. But it’s all worked out for the best in the end, thanks to you. You must pop over to Moony’s sometime soon. Goldie’s moving in, so it’s going to be all change over there.’
I couldn’t hide my surprise. ‘Wow. A weredog moving in to a werewolf enclave. That’s a pretty big step. How do the rest of the Lupin Lane pack feel about it?’
Nails snorted. ‘They’ll come around. I’m their alpha now, so I’ve told them it’s time for us to finally stop fighting with weredogs. They can like it or lump it – there’s plenty more packs for them to join if they don’t like mine. And I’ve told my bouncers that you’re to be welcomed with open arms whenever you come to Moony’s, too. You’ll be drinking for free, of course.’
‘As long as it’s anything other than Wolfbite, I’m there.’
She laughed. ‘You can have anything you like. Oh, and maybe come in the afternoon so you can visit with Patter.’ She pulled Goldie even closer. ‘We think he has a bit of a crush on you. Don’t we, Goldie?’
Goldie … well, you know how Goldie responded.
‘Patter is living with you?’ That was a quick but wonderful outcome, I thought. I’d learned a short while earlier that Patter’s mother had left a long time ago, and I’d been worried about him ever since. I knew that Candace was concerned too.
‘Well, he’s a nice lad. A bit rough round the edges. But then so was this one before I ironed him out.’ She gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. He wiped his face, but I could see the beginnings of a smile, somewhere beneath the moodiness. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a completely different man when they were alone. Or maybe Nails liked her men to be less talk and more action.
Just as the conversation seemed about to judder to an awkward stall, my phone began to ring. ‘I have to answer this,’ I said, trying to push down my hopeful feelings. ‘It’s important.’
She gave me a quick hug before leading Goldie away. As I pulled my phone out of my bag I whispered, ‘Please be Mack. Please be Mack.’
It wasn’t Mack.
As Miles Master’s number flashed across the screen, I considered not answering. I even considered chucking my phone into the nearest bin, for all the good the stupid thing had done me lately. But earlier on I’d confronted the Big Bad Wolf. I was pretty sure I could deal with Miles Master.
‘What do you want?’ I said, eventually answering. ‘I’m really busy right now, Miles. I’m at Goldie’s release party. You remember Goldie? The client you didn’t give a toss about?’
‘Melissa, your cheeky attitude is quite unbecoming of a lady.’
‘Yeah, well I’m not a lady. I’m a witch. What do you want, Miles?’
‘You were supposed to arrange dinner for two at Swanks tonight, were you not? Or did you forget about that as well?’
‘I didn’t forget. I booked you the best blooming table in the place.’
‘Well, I know that, seeing as I’m sitting at it. So why aren’t you sitting across from me? Get here soon, please. And wear something nice. That little black number from the other night should do just fine.’
‘Excuse me? What, you think you can treat me like your general dogsbody for the last few days and now I’m going to date you? Bog off, Miles.’
There was a beat of silence. Finally he said, ‘Melissa, there seems to have been one or two misunderstandings over the past few days. Misunderstandings for which I take full respo
nsibility. But I really do need to speak with you regarding a matter of the greatest urgency. So please, will you join me for dinner?’
I looked down at the phone, deciding. ‘Fine. But you’d better order yourself a very big drink while you wait, because I’m not going to rush.’
≈
Swanks was the most exclusive hotel in the Irish supernatural world. So exclusive that you couldn’t see it unless you were a guest or an invitee. As I rounded Toff’s Corner that night, it was clear that Miles had told the doorman to expect me. Instead of the usual distraction spell that made the building appear like a doss house, I could see the sparkling glass and metal doors in all their splendour, as the doorman held them wide.
‘Miss Wayfair,’ he said, bowing low. ‘You’re expected in the Starlight Restaurant.’
I gave him a polite smile, but all the while I was feeling itchy. I liked nice things, for the most part (nice things are nice, after all). But the atmosphere at Swanks always rubbed me up the wrong way. I was never going to bow for anybody, so I certainly didn’t want people bowing for me. For some insane reason it was what their clientele liked, so I just hoped that the doorman got paid well.
Swanks had more than one restaurant. It also had more than one VIP bar, because all their customers liked to feel important (and bowing, apparently, wasn’t enough to satisfy that need). But of all their different bars and restaurants, the Starlight Restaurant was the prettiest. It was also the most popular with women, which was why I’d booked it for Miles and his date. Had I known his date was going to be me, I wouldn’t have chosen such a romantic setting.
The ceiling and the walls were the colour of a perfect night sky, with twinkling stars and fluffy clouds floating around – clouds that the guests could request to drift their way, giving them some privacy whenever they needed.
The restaurant was busy tonight. I could see Miles sitting at the nice secluded table I’d been dumb enough to arrange. I could also see Mack McAdams and the rest of the Call of the Wild, sitting around a large table at the centre of the room. There was a stunning woman sitting to Mack’s left. I recognised her immediately as the supermodel, Julie Rayn – the one who had sent him the romantic card. I guess he’d taken my advice about seeing other people, then. Wonderful. I was sooooo happy about that. Ecstatic in fact.
All right – I was jealous as heck. Especially when I watched Julie whisper something in his ear, following it up with a sultry laugh. Mack let out a husky laugh in return.
As I walked past their table, I thought about waving at him. But what if he ignored my greeting, the way he’d been ignoring my calls? He was laughing again, at something else that the fabulous Julie was saying. Maybe it was time to face facts. Maybe Mack wasn’t cut up about me calling things off. Maybe he was secretly relieved. He certainly seemed to be enjoying himself without me. So I held my head high and walked on by. Mack looked up at me briefly, giving me an odd sort of double take before his cheeks grew flushed and he turned his head away.
I swallowed, making my way to Miles’s table. He stood up, looking concernedly into my eyes. ‘Are you quite all right, Melissa? You look upset.’
‘I’m not upset,’ I said, taking my seat. ‘I’m absolutely fine. Can we just order and get this over with?’
‘Goodness, Melissa, I’m not about to pull your teeth here. I’d like this to be a pleasant meeting between employer and employee.’
‘Hmm.’ There was a bottle of Golden Haze on the table – a sparkling wine that was made by witches who lived in a remote enclave in Italy. It cost about five gold rounds a bottle. I took it out of the ice bucket, poured myself an enormous glass and drank it in one go. ‘Well, I’m a bit surprised to hear that you think I’m still your employee, Miles. I’ve already told you that you’re no longer the boss of me.’
He held up the hand of interruption. ‘I believe you said I was not the master of you. A clever if obvious little pun, I thought.’
I sat forward. ‘Do you ever stop trying to be superior, Miles? If I’d listened to you earlier on today, Nails would be dead. And poor little Patter would have been forced to help his father murder her. If that’s what being a lawyer is, then I don’t want it.’
He sat back, sipping from his glass, regarding me with the most irritating smile on his face. ‘You really are fabulous when you’re angry, Melissa Wayfair. I pity any lawyer who goes head to head against you in the Wyrd Court.’
‘First of all, I do not want you thinking I’m fabulous when I’m angry. I don’t want you thinking anything like that about me.’
He went to raise the hand again, but this time I kept talking over him. ‘And secondly,’ I continued, ‘I’m not so sure I’m going to be a lawyer. It’s not like you’re going to give me any credit towards the LOL after the way I disobeyed you today, now is it? Anyway, I’m beginning to think that I might prefer a job where I get to put the actual criminals away. Seems like it might be more satisfying than a job where I get to do a poor job of defending the innocent.’
That irritating smile was growing wider. ‘Oh yes. That sort of job would suit you perfectly, Melissa. You’re everything I hoped you would be when I hired you. A Wayfair, through and through. Now, we need to go over what we’re working on next. Patter is a priority, obviously. He’s living with Nails and Goldie right now, but we’ll need to sort out the legalities of that. And the Nemo Foundation will be offering to pay for his education at Wentforth’s College of Wizardry, naturally.’
Sensing my confusion, he added, ‘Oh yes, you won’t know about that, of course. I spoke to Candace a short while ago, and begged her to let me be the one to break the news to you. She’s in agreement that we’ll call ourselves a foundation going forward, rather than trying to skirt around the coven laws. She does like to do things properly, as I’m sure you know. Candace still retains ownership, but I’ll be providing the funding, as her money is currently being held in trust. Now once we have Patter’s education sorted out, we need to go and visit a young witch called Milly at the youth offenders’ wing of Witchfield. She’s–’
I put my glass down, and held up my own hand of interruption. It was about time I got a turn. ‘Just stop there. Stop right there. What are you talking about, Miles? Everything you’re saying sounds … well, amazing, to be honest. But it also sounds nothing like the man I’ve gotten to know. You abandoned Goldie when he needed you. And Nails. Not to mention poor Patter. So excuse me if I’m having a bit of trouble following this little about-turn of yours.’
‘Ah. Yes. Quite. Melissa, I said on the phone that there were one or two misunderstandings. And now I see that I still haven’t explained myself fully.’ He readjusted his cuff links, looking steadily at me while he did so. ‘Melissa, it’s not so much of an about-turn as it is a return to my true form. The last few days have been an assessment of sorts. I wanted to test your mettle, so to speak. I wanted to see if you were the sort of witch who was happy following orders, or if you were the sort of person who would always serve the interests of what’s right and good – no matter how obnoxiously insistent your boss was that you do as he said. Baz almost spilled the beans when you came to dinner the other night – he’s not a fan of subterfuge, that familiar of mine – but luckily I stopped him in time.’
I gave him an inelegant, open-mouthed stare. So that was what the lizard had been trying to tell me before Miles banished him to the bedroom. ‘Are you saying … are you saying you were testing me? Because that’s …’ I was about to say it was a load of bull, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised it wasn’t.
I’d felt like I was working for two men over the past few days, unable to reconcile the kind of guy who’d go out of his way for Candace with the kind of guy who’d abandon his client the way he’d abandoned Goldie. ‘That’s … the first thing you’ve said that’s made sense, actually.’
‘Ah. Well, that’s good then, isn’t it? Melissa, I’ve worked with a lot of lawyers over the years. Most have been a disappointment. I’ve been se
arching for someone like you to help me build my firm for a long time. There were many people who seemed promising, but they folded under pressure. They didn’t have the courage of their convictions. So I needed to be sure that you did. And honestly? You’ve surpassed anything I could have hoped for. Once you’ve passed the LOL – which I have no doubt you will – I’d like you to become my junior partner, with a review after one year’s service. If you agree, well … I think we could build something good together, Melissa. Yes, we’d be public defenders, but we’d also be building the Nemo Foundation. So … what do you say?’
I looked at him, reading his eyes. He was completely serious about everything he was saying.
‘Oh, and I should add – I will not be asking you to fetch my suits or coffee.’
‘That’s a really amazing offer,’ I said with a small laugh. ‘I think … I’ll need some time to think about it, though. And em … I might take off and leave you to eat alone, if that’s okay. I’m not really hungry.’
‘Oh? So that’s why I can hear your stomach rumbling so loudly? Because you’re not hungry?’ He glanced across the restaurant, and I knew he was looking right at Mack. ‘Now, I think we ought to go and eat somewhere else, don’t you? So you won’t have to watch your rock star ex in the arms of another.’
≈
When our second venue turned out to be the Fruit of the Vein, I tried to act as nonchalant as possible. It was a relatively new restaurant in Riddler’s Cove, and already it had established a reputation as the best eatery in town.
The clue was in the name, though. The Fruit of the Vein might cater for all tastes, but its largest customer base was vampires. Miles couldn’t have taken me here because he knew, could he? Nah. I hadn’t used my vampire powers for so long now, there was no way he could know about me.
I scanned the menu. There were plenty of vegetarian dishes, but my eyes kept going to the meatier options. My mouth salivated as I read about their rare steak in blood sauce. What in the magical world was wrong with me? I’d taken a double dose of those vitamins, and I’d been eating like a ravenous animal for days now. It was a good thing we had left Swanks, I supposed. The last thing I wanted Mack to see was me stuffing my face. Not when he was sitting next to a supermodel.
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