Finally, he pulled into the parking lot at Chili’s. I wanted to hear his story and get home before we got busted. Unlimited tea refills and some spinach con queso didn’t sound too bad either.
He pulled a laptop bag from the back seat and carried it in with us.
Leo had been right. The place was nearly deserted.
The perky waitress took our order, working hard to convince us to order more and flirting shamelessly with Leo. When she finally walked away, Leo unzipped the bag and powered up his laptop. “The Oversight Committee doesn’t share much information,” he said, “but I have managed to find out a few things. My dad was framed. I’m pretty sure it’s related to The Summit. Dad was selected as a delegate.”
“Your father was a delegate?” I was impressed. You had to be in good favor to be selected to attend. The Summit was the annual meeting of the genie representatives, non-genies, and the Directorate. “If he had such a good reputation, why don’t they believe him when he says he’s innocent?”
Leo shook his head. “He doesn’t have a good reputation. My dad has a troubled past. He only recently straightened himself out. He has plenty of enemies and I’ll be honest with you, he has done a lot of bad things.”
He wasn’t making sense. “How did he get chosen for The Summit?”
Leo leveled his blue eyes on mine. “He used to be a real troublemaker, but he’s reformed. He’s been a picture-perfect genie for the last five years. He even has a serious girlfriend. He’s a different man.”
“Assuming you’re right, that he has changed, what would be the reason for framing him?”
“Revenge?” Leo shook his head. “I’m not sure. I just know it’s related to The Summit. My dad’s selection was announced a week before the first theft. It can’t just be a coincidence.”
The timing was suspicious. “Aren’t those Summits at ritzy hotels? How was your father going to pay for it?”
Leo closed his eyes for a moment as if fighting for patience. “He did not steal the money. Dad has money. Not a lot, but enough. Plus all the expenses at The Summit are covered. He wouldn’t have paid a thing. I’m surprised you didn’t know everything was comped.”
“I don’t know much about the Directorate or the Summit,” I admitted. “Mom prefers the cell phone side of her job, and most of the genie business we discuss is limited to what I’m doing.” I shrugged. “Besides, Dad gets upset if Mom brings up the Genie Bureaucracy.”
“Your father is a civil rights attorney.”
With a nod, I said, “It’s too bad he can’t help you.”
“Genies would actually have to have some rights for a civil rights attorney to help,” Leo grumbled. “Doesn’t it bother you at all, Jen? One minute you could be at home with your family and the next, you’re banished to the other realm.”
“It’s probably a good idea if you don’t remind me,” I said, shifting in the booth. “Genies have been banished for way less than what we’re doing right now.”
“Sorry I brought it up,” he said, sincerity in his gaze. “But you have to admit the timing is suspicious.”
I nodded. “You’re right. So what’s your plan? You want me to find out information from my mother. She told me that my monitor, the Directorate, and the senior staff can access information about the wishes I grant. And of course, Mom can.”
Leo typed on the laptop. “Okay, the Directorate, that’s eight people. I don’t know who monitors my dad, but it should be a senior staffer. Odds are we’re looking at a problem with the senior staff. There are eighty-seven of them, and approximately fifty live in the Atlanta area.”
“How do you know that?”
Leo turned his laptop so I could see it. “Disclosure statement from Genie Communications. You wouldn’t believe how much surfing I had to do to find it. I’ve been trying to get names of the senior staffers since Dad was incarcerated, but I haven’t come up with anything. I even got license plate numbers from the Genie Communications lot and paid a PI to run them.” He shook his head. “She got names of several employees of the cell phone side, but a bunch of plate numbers caused her computer to freeze. The genie plates are protected by magic.”
“Is that how you knew about my mother?”
“No. My dad told me about her. He sent his reports directly to your mother.”
“Are you saying that your father thinks my mother is involved?”
“No,” Leo said quickly. “He doesn’t. He thinks that your mother is a good place to start. He said that she had access to more information than any other person.”
She probably did. “You didn’t consider just talking to her directly?”
“My dad also said that’s she’s loyal to a fault and that she’d never reveal any secrets.”
True. “So he suggested you try to get to her through her daughter.”
Leo narrowed his eyes. “No. Talking to you was my idea. And I’m not trying to trick you or use you. I’m desperate.” He sighed. “My father is all I have. I’ve tried everything else. I need the names of the senior staffers.”
“How am I supposed to do that? Break into my mother’s office?”
He nodded. “You can, can’t you?”
My mom had her office guarded with magic. Only a female with her blood could enter without setting off any alarms. I’d discovered this by accident when I was five. Mom had been working in her home office for hours. I eluded Dad and spent God knows how long trying different combinations on the office door.
When it finally opened, I went in and stood right behind my mother’s chair where she was working on the computer. She hadn’t heard me.
I jumped up and yelled, “Boo!” Mom screamed and screamed. Later I heard her telling Dad she should have recognized the flaw in the magic protecting the room.
I could definitely get in and access her files without any alarms going off. And I knew the key code to the door. I’d seen her punch it in half a dozen times.
I didn’t want to share any of this with Leo. “What would you do with the information?”
“I’d check them all out. I’d ask my dad about them. Maybe one of the senior staffers is holding a grudge from my father’s wild days.”
“If he was such a nightmare, why wasn’t he punished?”
“He was punished,” Leo admitted. “Several times. He went ten years with no powers at all.”
His father was like a serious criminal! “How do you know he’s innocent?”
Leo met my gaze. “I just do, Jen.”
I looked away to avoid the intensity of his gaze. Out the window a man was helping two young boys out of an SUV. He waited for each of them to take his hand before crossing the parking lot. I thought about my dad. I didn’t know what I’d do without him, and I had a mother. I wasn’t sure what the deal was with Leo, but he didn’t seem to have one.
“I guess you want information on the Directorate too.”
“That would be great.”
“I was kidding,” I said, hearing the irritation in my voice. “I’ll try one time. I’ll get the names and that’s it. Then you’re on your own.”
A grin broke across Leo’s face. “Thank you, Jen.”
“Who are your father’s main enemies? Can you narrow it down?”
“If money isn’t a motivating factor, yes. The top three suspects are Elaine Franklin, an old girlfriend who now works as a staffer, Danny Cannon, the husband of a fling ten years ago, and an old poker buddy, Tim Oliver.”
“But you can’t connect any of them?”
“Not yet.”
I eyed his five o’clock shadow. “How old you are you really.”
“Seriously? I’m seventeen.”
“No way,” I said. “You’ve got to be at least twenty.”
He frowned. “Male genies mature faster. Physically and emotionally. Hasn’t your mother told you that?”
“No. She didn’t tell me much. You don’t seem more emotionally mature than other guys.” I wasn’t touching the physical thing.
“So you’re about as mature as a fifteen-year-old girl,” I said, unable to resist the slam. “Girls do mature faster than guys.”
His face fell. “Not that much faster.”
“Sure,” I said with a tone that made it clear I totally didn’t mean it. “Whatever you say.”
He started to argue, but the perky waitress showed up. She refilled my tea and somehow managed not to pour it all over me despite the fact that she never took her eyes off of Leo.
He hadn’t touched his Coke, but she brought him another glass. Then she finally brought us the chips and queso.
“Is there anything else you need?” She winked at Leo. “Anything at all.”
“Thanks, Tracy,” Leo said reading her nametag. “We’re good.”
When she walked away, I rolled my eyes. “Can’t you turn off the charm or something? That’s so annoying.”
“I can’t do anything about it. If you think it’s annoying, imagine how I feel.”
“I’m guessing you feel like some kind of rock star.” I couldn’t believe the attention he was getting.
“It really interferes with my social life,” he said.
“Yeah right. I’ll bet it does.” He could have left with any one of these waitresses. And one or two of the waiters.
Leo dipped a chip in the cheese and ate it.
Sure he was cute, but I had brothers. I grabbed a chip and scooped out the yummy cheese and spinach. I waited until he looked away to pop it into my mouth. Delicious.
“I’m not a rock star and I have no desire to live like one. My father taught me what that sort of lifestyle brings. He partied away most of his life, and part of mine. What do you think would happen if I really liked a girl, and I took her out to dinner?”
“Probably what is happening now.” I grabbed another chip.
Leo loaded up another nacho. “Exactly. She’d get pissed about all the unwanted attention.”
I wasn’t sure I was buying his tale of hottie woe. “You’ve never taken one these bimbos up on their offer?”
Leo finished chewing and looked down at the table. “I didn’t say that. I just said I know better now.”
“So you really can’t turn off the animal magnetism thing?”
He shook his head. “There isn’t any way. My dad tried every way possible to alter his appearance. No matter how ugly he was or how few teeth it looked like he had, women always responded like, well,” he glanced at the waitresses, “this.”
“If you flip your hair and say ‘Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful,’ I’m out of here.”
Leo let out a way too dramatic, long-suffering sigh. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Okay. Fine. If I can get the names of the senior staffers and your father doesn’t recognize any of them, what are you going to do?”
“I’ll have the PI check for anybody who raises red flags. Gambling debts, drug problems, whatever.”
“I don’t understand. Isn’t it a violation to reveal the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. to a PI?”
“Veronica’s a former staffer. She remarried and joined her husband, a PI. She already knows, so I’m not violating anything.”
“If she was a staffer, doesn’t she have the names?”
He shook his head as he finished off another chip. “She knows some, but she’s been out for seven years. Things may have changed.”
“Why do you think it’s a staffer? Because of the Summit, or because they have access?”
“Both. Money can be a powerful motivator.”
“Then you’re thinking that they were paid to set up your dad.”
“Maybe.”
“Then it could be anybody. How would you figure it out?”
“I’d get the staffer to talk.”
Oh, sure. That wouldn’t be a problem. “You think they’ll just tell you the truth?”
“I’ll do what I have to do.” He studied me for a minute. “Jen, I probably shouldn’t tell you this part, but you need to understand that the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. or one of the employees probably is involved. The PI asked Dad all kinds of questions about the events of the week before the thefts. The only thing he remembered was a feeling that he was being watched.”
“We’re always being watched,” I said with a shrug.
“This is different. The PI got surveillance photos from cameras around town. Places Dad went during that time. A black Lexus crossover was following him. We saw it in over half of the videos.” He pulled up some photos and showed me the laptop. A blurry crossover was in every shot. “The plates from the Lexus froze the PI’s computer.”
“So they really are connected to the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E.”
“Yes. Maybe Dad’s enemies. Maybe not.”
“How many enemies does your father have?”
Leo opened a file and hit page down to show page after page of names and pictures.
Oh my God. He must have had some wild days. “Does he have any friends at all?”
“Katie. His fiancée. The others have turned on him since the imprisonment. They were all willing to believe the worst.”
“And Katie isn’t a genie?”
He shook his head. “She’s a nutrition professor at Emory.”
“Does she know about him?”
“Only since he proposed.”
“Does she believe it?”
He shoved his hand through his hair. “She does now.”
The woman would be magically prevented from telling anyone about genies. She probably didn’t believe it at all. “How long have they been dating?”
“Five years,” he answered. “Dad really cares about her. I think he would have married her already if it weren’t for the genie thing.” Leo took a sip of his coke. “She’s a vegetarian. My dad is like the original carnivore. He practically lived on burgers and steak. But he gave up meat for her.” Leo met my eyes. “He doesn’t even cheat when she’s not around. He seriously gave it up.”
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like watching a parent date. Just about everyone I knew had divorced parents, but mine seemed happy together. Thank goodness. “Do you like her?”
“She’s great.” His features relaxed as he talked. “Dad never dated anyone close to his own age before. Except my mother.”
I didn’t ask, but he answered anyway.
“The Oversight Committee paid her off when I was born. She never looked back.”
Illegitimate children were a huge problem in the genie world. Non-genies raising those powerful children could really cause problems. Most of the time, the Committee handed over big bucks for custody of the child. Now I knew what had happened to his mother. “I’m sorry.”
“No big deal.”
“Your father raised you?” I dug into the chips again.
“No. My grandmother did. When she died, my dad stepped up, and he’s been there for me ever since.”
His grandmother could only have raised him if she had been bonded to his grandfather. Leo was lucky his grandparents had married, or he would have been sent to a foster home.
I’d never been so glad that I would never have a child who was a genie. My granddaughter would be a genie, but my daughter would not. Neither would my sons. Unless, a little voice in the back of my mind said as I studied Leo, you have a child with a male genie. I shrugged off the thought. Leo was dangerously sexy, and I shouldn’t even be here.
“I should get home,” I said. What was wrong with me? Having children was something I never thought about. I didn’t even sit around daydreaming about a husband like those girly girls in the wedding movies.
Leo checked his watch. “Ian said we’d practice at five.”
I glared at him. Thanks for the reminder. I took a sip of tea. “You know that spot in the band was mine.”
“It’s just temporary,” Leo said. “Give me a couple weeks, and then it’s yours.”
&nbs
p; “You don’t even want to be in the band?”
“It’s been kind of cool, but basically I just needed access to your house and your family.”
“We won’t even discuss how creepy that is.”
“I’ve been messing around with the drums for a while, so when I heard about Ian needing a drummer—”
Wait a minute. “Messing around? Can you even really play?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Of course I can play.”
“How long have you been playing?”
With a shrug, he said, “You know that doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
My jaw dropped. “Of course it does. What are you saying? That you have more raw talent than me?”
Leo gave me a funny look before he answered. “No,” he admitted. “I’m as good as the average high school senior. That’s all I needed. Honestly, it isn’t like your brother’s songs are all that complicated.”
“No way are you as good as me.”
Leo’s lips quirked at the corners. “I’m probably not as good as you, Jen, but I have the look your brother was going for.”
“True, but you’ve got to pace Ian. He tends to rush the song, and you’ll all end up sounding horrible.”
“No problem.” He studied me for a moment then started to say something but stopped. Finally, he said, “You’re worried about Ian? You can be sure that I have the skills his band needs. You should know that.”
“Maybe I just don’t want him to ruin his reputation before I get my turn in the band.”
“Sure,” Leo said fighting a grin. He shut down the laptop and put it back in the case.
I had the strangest feeling that I had missed out on part of the conversation.
Chapter Five
By the time Leo pulled the car into my driveway, I had decided that there was more to Leo’s father than met the eye. The troublemaker that Leo described would not drive this sunshine yellow, politically-correct car. Maybe Leo was right. Maybe his father had reformed.
Could someone really have framed him for the thefts? Leo was right about one thing, I did not want to be next. My mother would die if I was convicted of a crime, and wasting away in the other realm wouldn’t be a picnic for me either.
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