Sighing, Cameron looked away, running a hand over his hair. “I never give out information about my clients. I know what every single one of them does, but I don’t get involved.”
“We need to see proof of that. So far, it’s not looking good for you. Trying to control a city is a risky business.”
“Employing the spawn of a witch and warlock is risky, too. Didn’t they break the law by getting married and having a kid?”
Woah. Where had the personal attack come from? It wasn’t as if he knew me. How dare he judge my parents?
“Sorry,” Justina said, frowning at me. “Did Mr Fieldman just turn the attention away from him and onto you?”
The sarcasm that laced my boss’s voice made my muscles relax. He was deflecting for some reason.
“Yes. He’s afraid. He knows he’s breaking the law. He’s got away with it for far too long. Well, you can look down at me all you like, Mr Fieldman,” I spat. “It doesn’t make your situation any different. Tell us where the drugs are being made. And, who’s on that business’s payroll.”
His gaze intensified as he looked at me again. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “That was uncalled for. My sister recently announced that she’s in love with a warlock. Seeing you reminded me why I’ve forbidden her from ever seeing him again.”
Mackenzie. Seriously? The idiot had picked the leader’s sister? Well, it kind of served him right for being so stupid. Although, again, who was I to judge.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re stalling. It’s okay, I’ll get my partner to bring the list of buildings so we can get started on our search. The warrant is right there in the folder.”
“They wouldn’t allow you to do that,” Cameron hissed, his clenched fists banging the table.
Justina sat back and folded her arms across her chest. “The Scottish government have had enough of your bullying tactics. They still want to work with you, but they cannot let your actions lead to death. Especially as you seem to be ignoring the fact that you have someone on your payroll that is contaminating the drugs. And, you don’t give a flying fuck.”
A twitch again. Oh, we were getting to him now. The powerful man was starting to break. It was a shame that the pressure we had to enforce was related to money. If he had been compassionate… Wait, no, that probably wouldn’t have been good. He was better being a scoundrel.
“We know that the liquid magic drugs that Helena created are shipped up to Edinburgh. They’re then enhanced by other magic, before Keith delivers them to London every other week. In fact, there’s an entourage waiting to meet your friend right about now.” Justina checked her watch.
The man’s pretty face turned ugly as he scowled. It looked like he knew more than he liked to let on.
My skin was tingling. I loved this part of the job. Not breaking people down, but getting results. Not having a personal connection to a case made it even more exciting.
“You’re going down, Mr Fieldman,” I said, sitting forward in my seat. “You pretend that you know nothing about the businesses running out of your buildings, but your anger makes it clear that you know full well where the drugs are being made. Maybe you employed someone to spike them. Did you want to kill people? Does it ‘open you up?’”
His eyes flared, the dark irises blending with the pupil. Something passed between us in that moment. A knowing. He had an addiction too. Was it to extra magic? Like me?
“I don’t know anything about the deaths. I…” The air huffed out of his lungs as his shoulders sunk and his head hung forward. “I’ll give you the details of everyone who works for Keith. It’s his business, not mine. I just…”
“He plies you with as much as you want, doesn’t he?”
The shakes that took hold of his body made it obvious. He’d been using too much. Would I get that way when I lost my connection to the warlock magic? Right now, it was always simmering in my veins, never lessened, always there.
“I… I thought I was strong.” He looked directly into my eyes as he raised his lowered head. “I thought I could resist it. I was wrong.”
It was as if he was talking straight to me. He was. He was warning me what could happen if I let the magic take hold. I would be tied down by it, unable to give it up. Unable to release the warlock link.
Which meant there would be another war. If I kept the power for myself, I would self-destruct. I couldn’t let that happen. The solstice was almost here. Two more weeks. I had to hold on for just two more weeks. Otherwise, all hell would break loose.
Chapter Thirteen
“Now this is what you call a fast moving case,” Justina said as we put the uniforms on in the small staff room.
We were in the factory. Cameron had bargained with us to get his sentence down. By complying, he would have a reduced prison sentence. Not much though, he had done some cruel things. The government had been too scared to take him down before, but with the backing of all agencies in the UK, he would be behind bars for a while.
“You don’t think it’s a trap?” I asked Kurt as he handed me a stupid net hat.
My hair might not exactly be styled beautifully, but the thing was just plain ugly. How could people wear them every day?
“Don’t screw your face up like you’re holding dog poo.” Kurt’s smile was full of warmth. “I don’t think it’s a trap. Cameron’s in a place where he cannot contact anyone on the outside. He didn’t have time to warn his friends.”
Straightening the tunic and pulling gloves on, I tried to rein in my disgust at the choice of uniform.
Infiltrating the factory wasn’t going to be as fun dressed as normal people.
Cameron had written us fake recommendations to get us a job in the factory. It had taken a few days to set up, but as far as the factory floor manager knew, we were there to ‘help the processing of natural chemistry’. Whatever that meant.
“Right, pipe down,” Kurt said when I opened my mouth to speak. “You might have placed a silencing spell, but it’s still dangerous. We’re employees remember. Justina and I will look for the woman who wrote to Vernon Jupiter. I want you both to question the other employees. Look for someone suspicious.”
It was odd for Kurt to give us the orders, but I saluted him anyway.
Gerard bumped me with his hip. “Looking smexy in that hat.”
Smiling up at him, I tried not to let my heart break. In the past, I’d had to choose between being a warlock or witch, not that I’d ever made that choice. And, now, I might have to choose between the ley line and Gerard. Life sucked balls.
“You’re looking mighty fine too, Mr-”
A rapping on the door shut me up. Gerard brushed a thumb over my cheek quickly before moving away. The manager came in, looking like every other worker on the floor. At least we would blend in with the ugly-arse uniforms.
“Ready?” he snapped, not looking up from his clipboard.
As we filed out, he checked our fake names off. We were no longer Deirdre and Gerald. I didn’t even bother to memorise who we were today. Nope. We were going to whittle out the scumbag who was poisoning the drugs, then take him down. It was going to be that simple.
There were a couple of names on our people of interest list. Justina had researched those on the employee roll call and two of them were men who had personal connections to Keith. They could have motivation to ruin the business. It would be hard to tell for sure.
“You two are over there.” The manager pointed for me and Gerard to go over to the left hand side of the factory.
The others were told to go into a small room that had a big glass wall. We could see straight through. The rows of tables and machines looked very clinical to me. Steam was being let off here and there, but I had no idea what was going on. My brain, although pretty brilliant at most things, wasn’t into chemistry at all. How did they get me this job again?
“Start by unpacking the boxes and loading the bottles onto the conveyer belt. Lunch is at one.”
Off he trotted, his unremarkable back turned
away from us as he followed Justina and Kurt into the room where they were doing experiments or something.
The faces of the witches that slaved away at the tables were tight, pale. Dark circles laid under their eyes. They were probably overworked and underpaid, just like most of these workplaces. A part of me wanted to wave a wand, or my finger, whatever… to give them the money they needed to live. That way, they wouldn’t be stuck in a drug filled warehouse.
“Come on,” Gerard said, pointing at the boxes.
No one was near us. That wasn’t a bad thing. Although, surely someone should be supervising us on our first day?
“I’m sorry!” A harassed looking woman hurried over.
Her greying hair was escaping from her hat, her eyes puffy and red. Had she been crying?
“Here,” she said, handing us a letter opener. “Use these to open the boxes. There should be one hundred bottles per box.”
She spoke fast, her words tumbling out as she thrust her own sharp opener into the top of a box. Her harried movement made the box slide. She laughed nervously, gesturing for us to help her. The bottles were small, filled to the brim with a clear liquid. The magic drugs.
“As you would have been told, these are medications for the private hospital sector. We have government clearance to enhance the healing properties before they’re shipped back to their main outlet.”
The woman missed the look that was shared between Gerard and I. It was a plausible explanation for what they were doing. Was she gullible enough to believe it? Probably.
“Thank you,” Gerard said kindly, taking the box off her when she went to move it.
She suddenly stalled, gazing up at him. His intense green eyes twinkled at her. Was he trying to get her on our side? He was doing a good job. When did my boyfriend get so good at flirting?
“You’re welcome. I’ll come and check on you later.”
Leaving a trail of nervous energy behind, she went off to another part of the factory.
Glancing around, I studied the faces of the workers nearest us. If I didn’t want to be stuck stacking bottles, I would have to find the culprit quickly. Kurt had threatened me, albeit jokingly, that I’d have to stay working here for as long as it took to find our killer. I had laughed in his face. I’d accuse anyone if it meant I wouldn’t have to be here for more than a day.
“He looks dodgy,” I said as I reached into the box and started to pile the bottles onto the conveyor belt.
Nodding my head in the direction of a man who stood nearby, I glanced at Gerard. Rolling his eyes, he didn’t even bother to look.
“What?” I tried not to laugh. “His beard is almost touching his belly. That’s plain dodgy.”
“While I agree that a beard that long is impractical, I don’t agree that he’s dodgy just because of it.”
Gerard wasn’t in the mood to play games. I didn’t blame him, it was a serious case. I should be looking at the others as an agent, not as Devon. As Devon, I wasn’t exactly the most amazing judge of character, even though I had let myself believe that I was.
“I’m going to have a little chat to some of them,” Gerard said, moving away from me.
Trying not to sulk, I watched him go. He was the best trained out of the pair of us. He would be able to get good information. I would have to stay and work. Great.
My fingers turned to jelly when my hand grasped one of the bottles and it slipped. Managing to catch it before it fell, I stared down at the cracked glass. The magic had seeped out of the bottle and now lined my palm.
The tingling sensation warned me of how powerful the magic already was. If they were enhancing it before it was being poisoned, no wonder it was killing people. A part of me wondered what it felt like to take the drug. It probably wouldn’t touch me considering how much magic I was able to access now.
Seeing a discarded towel nearby, I used it to wipe myself clean. If I told them about the broken bottle, it would draw attention to me. That was the last thing I needed considering I was searching for the bad guy.
“Hi.”
A younger woman was standing next to me, apparently appearing out of nowhere. Either I had been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I’d not been able to hear, or she’d literally sneaked up on me. Every person in the building was a witch. They were the only supernaturals who were safe from the drugs. Although, it was a moot point considering a couple of witches had died from the poison in them.
“Hey,” I said, rather too enthusiastically. “I’m new here.”
Great job, Devon. Stating the obvious always made people look suspicious. Not that the girl had taken any notice. She was staring at me with big eyes. It was kind of creepy.
“I’m Alicia,” she said, her cheeks blushing when I smiled. “I’ve worked here for a long time, but I’ve never seen anyone as pretty as you come through those doors.”
Was she…? Did she…? I was so confused.
“How long have you worked here?” I decided to ignore the odd behaviour.
Alicia was slightly taller than me. Her gaze travelled down my uniform, landing on my boots. No matter how hard Kurt had tried to get me to part with my beauties, I wouldn’t.
Tracing her tongue along her bottom lip, Alicia looked me in the eye. “I’ve been here for five years. Most people come in and out, but I stay. The perks are worth it. Even if my friends don’t hang around.”
Okay. For the first time since walking through the doors, I wished that at least one of my colleagues was by my side. Something about the way Alicia was staring at me made me nervous. Anxiety was not my friend, even when I wanted it to be. It always reared its ugly head in the most inappropriate moments.
“Today is my first day. Is there any gossip about anyone that will keep me entertained?”
Shuffling on her feet, Alicia glanced over her shoulder. When she looked back at me, she had a grin on her face. “There’s a few people who’ve been here a while. A couple of men just started, but they haven’t been accepted into the main group.”
“Main group?”
“Yes.” Alicia gestured towards a platform in the middle of the room.
Several workers gathered there, talking and drinking hot beverages. They would only stop for a few moments before going back to their station, but there did seem to be a small group that huddled together.
Our culprit was fairly new if Justina’s evidence was reliable. The letter sent to Vernon Jupiter had stated that a man asked the writer to tamper with the drugs. Justina was on the lookout for our letter writer.
“The man you’re with…” Alicia caught my attention again. “… is he your boyfriend?”
What was it with everyone in this city being interested in others relationships? Or even just being interested in us?
“Sorry,” she gushed. “I shouldn’t be so nosy.”
I didn’t know what to say. If I told her that I was with Gerard, it might give off the wrong impression. Especially if she was interested in him. Not that I wanted her to be, but he could get information out of her using his new flirting tactics.
“It’s fine. No, we’re not together.” My stomach churned as I said the words.
It took all my willpower not to cry. If the ancestors were correct, there was a chance that I wouldn’t be with Gerard, and that wasn’t something I wanted to contemplate.
Alicia grinned, her gaze boring into mine. She was far too interested in me to be worried about Gerard. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
“Can you point the new guys out to me? I want to know who I should get in with.” Winking, I was barely able to stop myself from apologising when she ducked her head in embarrassment.
Okay, it wasn’t fair that I was playing on her senses. Using Gerard’s tactic made me feel icky. A woman’s affections shouldn’t be played with.
Stepping to stand beside me, Alicia pointed at one man. He looked normal, or as normal as anyone in a uniform. There was nothing outstanding about him. I didn’t get any gut feelings, although,
that didn’t mean that there wasn’t anything there.
“The other one is through there.” Her hand indicated the room where Justina and Kurt were currently working.
Although we could see figures, it was hard to see what they were doing. Maybe the person we were after was in there with them.
“Thank you,” I said. “Can you tell me where the bathroom is?”
Considering we were meant to be stacking bottles, no one was paying attention. Once Alicia had shown me the way to the toilets, she disappeared. Digging my phone out of my pocket, I let Justina know that one of the newer employees was in with her.
Hanging around for a moment, I took a deep breath. We had only been in the vicinity for five minutes, and yet, my feet were already itchy. Monotonous work was not my sort of thing.
Poking my head out of the toilet door, I surveyed the floor. Gerard was chatting to the new man that Alicia had pointed out. Hopefully he had watched our conversation, picking up on the clues that Alicia was giving.
Stepping out, I glanced towards the other room just as the door opened. My heart almost vomited into my throat as my gaze clashed with Mackenzie’s. It was him. The roll of my gut told me what I needed to know.
Before I could even say a word, his arm reached up and a stream of orange magic flew towards me. Bringing my elbow out, and my hand up, I formed a ball of flames and thrust it towards the magic. Orange and blue flickers exploded right in front of my face as shouts echoed around the building.
“What are you doing?” I shouted as Mackenzie dove for the front door.
Shouting a barrier spell, I blocked him from getting out. Gerard called my name as noise erupted around us. For some reason, the witches had started to fight each other. Spells were being cast, fists were being thrown.
And in the midst of it all, I faced Mackenzie. How had the warlock managed to sneak into this place?
Hunted Witch Agency Box Set Books 4-5 (Hunted Witch Agency Set Book 2) Page 12