by Carina Cook
In the meantime, she busied herself with a few after work chores. She picked up some groceries and cleaned her kitchen. Then, on a whim, she called Beef. She didn’t really expect him to answer, since she figured he was still angry at her, so when he did, she ended up stammering like an idiot. It put him instantly on alert.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “Did something happen with that mountain of a man you were talking to earlier?”
“No, no, everything’s fine. I just expected to be talking to your voice mail is all. You took me by surprise.”
“Oh, well, I figured something was wrong, since you’re calling me.”
He didn’t say it in passive aggressive tones. Clearly, he wasn’t trying to dig at her, but it hurt anyway. Even moreso because she knew he was right.
“Why don’t you come over?” she asked on a whim. “I’ll grill up some hot dogs, and I got some pasta salad and beer. We can have an impromptu cookout.”
“That sounds really good,” he said cautiously.
“I should probably warn you that if I get a phone call, I might have to leave quickly. But I’ll explain as much as I can before I go.”
There was a pause as he thought this over. “So what you’re saying is that I should get my ass in gear and come over now, right?”
She smiled a little. Even just having a plan to come clean made her feel better. Things would be okay. She’d fix her friendship with Beef, and then she’d get the lamp back from Chad, and then…then she’d see what happened next. With Darius, and with her life.
“Something like that,” she said.
He didn’t answer. Just hung up the phone. She shook her head as she set her cell on the counter and went to the patio to fire up the grill.
By the time Beef arrived ten minutes later, Audra had put together a nice little impromptu meal. She might not have been much of a cook, but she knew how to entertain. She’d put some ambient music on Pandora and opened all the windows to let in the breeze. Chilled glasses awaited the beer, alongside a plate of cheese, crackers, fancy cured meats, and pickles. All she needed to do was fire up the hot dogs, and they’d have a nice meal going.
All the prep gave her something to focus on, because now she was nervous. Funny how the missing lamp made her concerned, but she felt completely confident in Citrine’s ability to keep an eye on Chad in a way that she could never do. So the thought of the lamp wasn’t half as nerve-wracking as the thought of telling her best friend that she’d been hiding a big secret from him all these years, and she could actually control the elements. What would he say? She was fully ready to demonstrate—she’d gotten out some candles, and she could make a mini rain storm over the sink, if she needed to—but what if he thought she was a freak? What if he was too afraid to be her friend anymore? She knew he wasn’t the kind of person to easily abandon friends, but once the worry caught hold of her, she couldn’t shake it.
By the time he knocked, she was trembling with nerves. She opened the door and tried to smile casually, but his expression was as bleak as hers. Suddenly, all of the pickles and beer seemed ridiculous, but she gestured toward the table anyway, hoping he didn’t notice how badly her hand shook as she did it. But of course he did. He shot a significant look at her fingers, shook his head, and fished one of the beers out of the ice.
“Something tells me I’m going to need this,” he muttered.
“Me too.”
Audra held out her hand, and he poured her a glass and handed it over before helping himself. They took their first few drinks in silence, and then he set his glass on a coaster.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” he asked. “It’s rude, I know, but the suspense is killing me. I’d like to get it over with so I can say, ‘Oh, that’s all. I knew that,’ and then you can be all, ‘Yeah, but I was worried,’ and then we can laugh at it like we’re in a cheesy sitcom.”
“I’d be surprised if you knew this one already,” she said. “It’s a pretty big secret.”
“A man can dream.”
“Yeah.” She took in and let out a shaky breath. Getting it over with sounded like a great idea, but now that she was here, she had no idea what to say. After a moment to gather her thoughts, she launched in. “I can control the elements. I can light fires with my mind. I can make it rain. I can call up sandstorms. That one time that we had that freak hailstorm on the way to Jacey Smith’s party? That was me.”
“I knew you didn’t want to go,” he said triumphantly. Then the rest of her speech seemed to sink in, because he looked increasingly more confused by the minute. “Wait. What?”
Her cell rang. Audra was so wound up that the noise made her jump, and she could have sworn that Beef did too. She shot him an apologetic look as she reached for it. Citrine’s number was on the caller ID. Finally.
“I’m so sorry, but I have to take this,” she said. He nodded as she answered, “Hey, Citrine. What do you have for me?”
“Well, your man spent most of the day applying for jobs, including one at Darius’s construction company. Isn’t that funny? No sign of your lamp, but he did make a reservation at a club tonight for drinks.”
“A reservation for how many?” she asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Two. I think he’s got a hot date.”
“What are the chances?” she muttered. “Well, can you and Derek tail him there? That seems like a prime opportunity for him to make a wish, if he’s looking to get some tail. He might wish that the girl in question doesn’t realize what an ass he is.”
“After following him around all day, I think that’s impossible. I think being an ass is in his DNA.” Citrine sighed. “Honestly. Humans.”
Audra didn’t know what to say to that, so she let it pass. “So can you keep an eye on him? I’ll pay for it, of course.”
“Sorry, but we’re booked for tonight,” said Citrine. “We’re doing security for the vampire court. You’re going to have to keep an eye on him for a while. We can take over again after 2 AM.”
“Jeez. Do you ever sleep?”
Audra meant it as kind of a joke, but Citrine seemed to take it seriously. “I can go without sleep for about three days if I must. Although I assume Chad will get the lamp before then. Or you’ll run out of money.” She paused. “That was a joke.”
“Heh. So where is he going?”
“Barcelona. You know, the tapas restaurant right off the Strip? I made friends with the concierge and got it all set up. You’re in the corner. You should be able to see him in the mirror on the wall, but they’re going to seat him with his back to you.”
“Okay. What time?”
Audra took down all of the relevant details and thanked Citrine before hanging up. The moment she did, Beef exploded at her.
“Wait just a minute,” he said. “So you can light fires with your mind? And what does that have to do with tailing your ex around Vegas? And what do either of those things have to do with that big bald guy who looks vaguely like the Rock?”
Audra blinked at him, trying to put it all together in a way that would make sense. But that wasn’t going to happen, really. None of it made sense to her. Life had gotten so weird that she had no choice but to roll with it. At least he didn’t think she was nuts, although she should probably back up her claims before he started to doubt.
“Yeah, I can light fires with my mind,” she said. “See?”
She gestured toward the candles, snapping her fingers. They burst into flames with an audible hiss. The flames were tall at first, nearly reaching the ceiling, until she dialed them back to normal size. Her emotions were getting the best of her. She had to get them back under control, especially if she was going to have to demonstrate any more.
But she didn’t. Beef had a dawning look of comprehension on his face. “Your uncle could do the same thing. That’s why you had to come out here every summer. He was teaching you to be a…fire witch or whatever.”
“I’m called an elementalist. A mage who control
s the five elements. How did you know?” she asked with relieved surprise.
“That one time you brought me along, I heard you guys talking about magic a couple of times. You stopped as soon as you realized I was there, but I heard a little bit. I thought you were talking about a game or a movie or something, but you weren’t, were you? It was all real.”
“Yeah. And when he died, he left me his business because I’m the only other one in the family with the talent. I use my magic to safely store dangerous magical artifacts. Only I lost one, and I’ve been trying to get it back. I think Chad took it to be a dick.”
Beef’s face went completely flat in a way that scared the crap out of Audra until he spoke. “If Chad is also an element—elementalist, I will jump off a cliff. That guy shouldn’t be trusted with a puppy, let alone magical powers.”
“Oh, no. I think he just took something. Anything. He doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into. The big guy is Darius. He’s trying to help me get it back.”
“Ah.” Beef nodded slowly. “And what is he?”
Audra thought about it for a moment. “I’m all for telling you my secrets. I should have told you a long time ago. But I don’t feel right telling you his. I hope you understand that.”
“Oh. Sure. Of course.”
But Beef didn’t seem upset at this. In fact, he seemed strangely happy about the whole thing.
“You’re taking this awfully well,” she said, giving him a skeptical once over.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I always knew there was something weird about you. And I have no problem in believing in magic, especially when I see it with my own two eyes. But honestly? I’m so relieved that you’re not dealing drugs that I’ll happily accept any other explanation.” He looked sheepish. “I’m sorry, Aud, but that’s what I thought was going on. I thought maybe your uncle had gotten into trouble, and he’d sucked you into it. All these shady characters and mysterious meetings and what looked like arson attempts…”
“I guess I could see how you’d think that,” she said slowly, trying not to feel offended. “But I wish you knew I had more common sense.”
“I deserved that.” He hung his head for a moment but brightened quickly. “But I think I get points for not freaking out about the magic. Hey, can you cook the hot dogs with the power of your mind?”
She chuckled. “If you don’t mind them burnt. But I think they’ll be better on the grill. I should put them on, shouldn’t I?”
He nodded, so she took a moment to do so. The grill was nice and hot, so they wouldn’t take long. Now that the cat was out of the proverbial bag, she realized she was starving. Fear had deadened her hunger, but now it was making its presence known. Her stomach wasn’t rumbling, but it felt like it was close.
After the dogs were settled, she went back to the table and helped herself to a wheat cracker topped with gouda. Her favorite. She stuffed it into her mouth whole and chased it down with beer.
“Such a lady,” said Beef, getting a cheese cracker of his own. “So what next?”
“Well, I’m going to have to go to the club and keep an eye on Chad. Darius—that’s the big guy—will come with me, I imagine. He’s the one who found the artifact in the first place, so he wants to help get it back.”
“What can I do?” asked Beef.
Audra almost automatically turned him down, but then she thought better of it. “Actually, there is something you can do. I should have thought of this before. I’d like to get an idea of where Chad might have hidden that lamp. Can you make some calls? Tell people we’re looking for a seller who supposedly had some things in storage, give his name, see if you can’t find a storage unit or something? He can’t have given it to a girlfriend yet, so he must have put it somewhere safe. I’m thinking a storage facility makes the most sense.”
“Yeah, I can do that. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Oh, and one other thing?” He arched a brow. “Help me pick something to wear. I think I’m going on a date, and I don’t want to look like a schlub.”
“We’ll put together an outfit fit for a magical queen,” he said with a flourish.
“You are never going to let me live this down, are you?”
“Hell no I’m not.”
CHAPTER 12
As he got out of his truck, Darius reminded himself that this was not a real date. Audra had been very specific when she’d called—Chad was going to be having a late dinner at Barcelona, and the private investigators weren’t available. Did he want to go with her to watch for any signs of the lamp, and to take it from Chad if the opportunity presented itself? It couldn’t have been a more businesslike invitation.
But still, he didn’t go out with attractive, talented women often. And if they were going to fit in with the crowd at the posh tapas restaurant, he had to look nice. So he’d taken his blue suit to the cleaners and begged them to press it for him last minute, and he’d shaved with extra care and put on cologne. Rebecca had gotten him some new cologne with actual pheromones in it for his birthday, which seemed like overkill to him when it came to seducing women. But as much as he’d scoffed at it when he’d opened it, he’d worn it tonight.
He left the collar of his cream colored dress shirt open—no tie—so hopefully he didn’t look like he was trying too hard. But as he walked up the steps to her door and looked down at his freshly shined shoes, he realized he probably did. Oh well. It was too late now.
He lifted his hand to rap on the door, but before he could do so, a man opened it. The guy was…medium. Medium build. Medium brown hair. Medium height. Medium looks. He would have been utterly forgettable if not for the fact that he was in Audra’s house. A brother? Darius could only hope so, or this was going to get very awkward. Hadn’t she just broken up with Chad, or had he misunderstood the timeline?
“Wow,” said the guy. “I’m not interested in guys, but if I was, I’d hop all over you. You must be Darius.”
Darius blinked and half stuck his hand out, not sure what to do. “Uh…yeah. Who are you?”
“I’m Beef. Audra’s bestie. She’ll be down in a second.”
“What kind of name is Beef?” asked Darius.
“The kind I have,” said Beef simply.
“Okay then.”
The two men stood amiably at the bottom of the stairway, sizing each other up. They didn’t have to wait long. It couldn’t have been more than a minute before Audra appeared at the top of the steps. She wore a long, beige colored dress with fascinating fluttery panels that made her look a bit like a fairy princess. Too perfect to be real. Golden clips held her long blonde hair away from her face, which shimmered with golden makeup. Darius would have been reassured that he hadn’t overdressed except that he was too busy trying not to stare with his mouth open.
“Damn,” said Beef, grinning with admiration. “You clean up good, girl. Are you sure this isn’t a date?” He looked from Audra to Darius and back again as if sizing them up.
“We’re following Chad. I told you.” Audra’s glance at Darius was shy. “I’m sorry. He figured a bunch of things out, and I had to tell him about the lamp. But…I said nothing else, okay?”
“She wouldn’t betray a confidence,” said Beef reassuringly. “And I wouldn’t pry.”
“Okay,” said Darius, drawing the word out. “I trust your judgement.”
“You know, if this isn’t a date, it’s not too late to make it so.” Beef turned to Audra. “I know I gave you a hard time about the whole dating thing, but I like this guy. You have my blessing.”
“Thanks so much,” said Audra dryly. “We should be going now.”
“Right.”
With a flourish, Beef opened the front door and ushered them out. “Have a good time, kids. Make sure to do lots of things I wouldn’t do.”
Then he shut the door behind him with an emphatic bang, leaving the two of them standing on the front walk, staring at each other. Audra looked amused, but Darius felt fairly shell shocked by the who
le thing.
“Does…he live with you?” he asked haltingly.
“No. He’s using my computer to dig up some information on Chad. It’ll keep him busy, and it seems like a good backup plan. If he doesn’t go to the lamp soon, we might be able to track it down anyway.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Darius offered his arm and, after a moment’s hesitation, she took it. He ushered her to the truck and opened the door for her. There was a moment’s awkwardness where he wasn’t sure whether to boost her up or not, but she managed to get inside without a problem, even in heels.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, she said, “I have to admit I have an ulterior motive.” His stomach flipped. An ulterior motive for what? Asking him to dinner? Then she said, “My condo is warded. I though Beef would be safer there.”
“Oh,” he rumbled. “Of course.”
Barcelona was the place to go for dinner and had been ever since it opened a few months earlier. Darius wasn’t sure how Chad had managed to get a table on such short notice, or how Citrine had duplicated the feat. He’d only been there once—with Rebecca, of course—and while the food had been quite good and the Spanish-inspired décor had been quite nice, it hadn’t even come close to justifying the price tag in his opinion. He could whip up a better meal from his Food Network magazines at half the cost. He’d been really wanting to try to make paella, in fact.
The table was as promised. It was a small two-top, tucked away in a mirrored corner. They decided that Darius would sit facing the room. Although he was bigger, Chad would be less likely to recognize him. Audra would face the mirror, where she’d also be able to see the room. They got settled a few minutes early and spent a little time talking about which empty table they thought would be his.