by Tegan Maher
"Thanks for that," I said, meaning it. Though I didn't have anything of real value, the thought of somebody pilfering through my undies drawer didn't sit well with me, and it was nice to know that at least somebody I trusted was there to keep things on the straight and narrow.
And yes, in a situation like that, I trusted him. As a matter of fact, unless it involved his lips, I trusted him implicitly.
"Did they take anything?"
"Not that I saw," he said, "but they were silent the entire time they were doing it. It was weird. One of them just stood in the middle of the room with his eyes shut like he was meditating the whole time. When the rest of them were finished, they looked at him, he nodded, and they left."
He nodded. What did that mean? Was he just saying he was finished, or was he saying he found something? No matter whether you're innocent or not, you're always a little guilty of something, and that naturally plays on your fears in a case like this.
And there was always the irrational fear that something benign to me could be stretched into something significant to them. People were convicted on circumstantial evidence all the time.
Or what if whoever did it planted something at my place? I mean, my wards were good, but I didn't go out of my way to reinforce them. Crime on the resort was minimal because most of us were friends, and Blake and crew vetted the crap out of everybody who applied. Still ...
"I wanna put extra wards up around my cottage," I said.
"Are they the same wards you've always used?" Meaning, did I still set them so he could come and go as he pleased. When we were together, it was a pain to make him wait for me to get home, so I'd just built the modification into the spell. When he admitted to swapping spit with Helena the Homewrecker, I'd switched back to the standard spells and maybe added a couple of boobie traps.
"No, but they can be."
He paused, and I got the awkward feeling that his feelings were hurt. But why on earth would he expect me not to change it?
"All right," he said. "Change them so that I have access, and I think it's a good idea to leave them up."
"Thanks. I'll change them now. And how did you get past them earlier?"
"That was all them. Just to let you know, though, they struggled with them a bit.”
I smiled a little at that. At least I’d made them work for it.
“And Des? I need to talk to you about Lucy," he said.
"Who's Lucy?" I don't know why I was pretending; maybe I just wanted him to have to say it.
"The woman you saw me coming out of the elevator with."
"Oh, her. Yeah, it's no big deal."
"It kinda is," he said. "Be in my office tomorrow at noon, please."
"You're making it official?"
"Of course I'm making it official," he said, sounding confused. I wanted to throat-punch him. "Why wouldn't I?"
I opted to just stop fighting it and get it over with. "Fine. I'll see you in your office tomorrow at noon."
"Thank you. Oh, and Destiny?"
"Yeah?"
"I saw the pictures. I'm sorry I hurt you."
"Yeah," I said. "Me too."
CHAPTER TWENTY
I WENT THROUGH THE house and put things to rights, though there wasn't much disturbed. At least they'd been considerate enough not to trash the place. I called Michael, who picked up for once, and told him what had happened.
"Well, we know the woman's an angel’s assistant, at least according to your friend. Two were PCIB guys, and I can find that out in a heartbeat. The other two stump me, though."
"Maybe the one was some sort of psychic, or energy tracer, or living X-ray machine or something."
He gave a dry laugh. "You covered a lot of ground there. I don't know, but I'll do my best to find out. 'Til then, don't leave the resort. Please. I may want to disembowel Blake for what he did to you, but I know he'll keep you safe."
That pissed me off a little. "If you remember, I was always better at self-defense spells than you were, and I'm a stronger witch by far than Blake is, even if he does brag about his levels. I'm pretty sure I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"Don't get your panties in a wad. I meant with the law. He's got some pull and can hopefully keep your neck out of the noose until we can figure this out. From what I've been hearing, the natives are getting restless. They want somebody's head on a pike."
"Oh," I said. Even though none of my brothers doubted my abilities, they did still tend to be overprotective big brothers. What they didn't understand was that just growing up with them had prepared me better for defending myself than any class could have. "Yeah. Staying alive to see this through is kinda a goal of mine. Speaking of, any luck with the gargoyle?"
"Not yet. But I did find out something about Colin Moore."
"Do tell," I said. "I've been trying to pin down his game since I met him. I don't feel like he's lying, per se, but he's not layin' it all out on the table, either."
"Right as always, little sister. He's an attorney, all right. But one of his biggest clients is—drumroll please—the DAB."
"Shut up!" I said, shocked. The DAB, or Divine Advisory Board, was the liaison between angels and deities and the rest of us peons. "What does a lawyer for them even do?"
"No clue, but I think it would be a good idea to find out."
My mind popped back to his sudden change in attitude. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea, too. And I'd kinda like to know why he didn't bother to mention it, you know, seeing as how a member of his biggest corporate client ended up dead and stuff."
The hair rose on my arm—one of the warning signals from my ward. I looked out, and who should be standing outside of it but Mr. Angel Lawyer himself.
"I'm gonna let you go, Michael. It looks like I'm gonna get a chance to ask questions sooner rather than later. He's standing right outside my house."
"Text me when he leaves," he said.
"Will do, and let me know if you hear anything about the gargoyle," I said, then hung up and opened the ward so Colin could get in. He took a step backward when I did. I giggled when I realized what it must have looked like to him. One second, he's staring at himself; the next, he's looking into my yard and at my house.
"C'mon in," I yelled. "We need to talk."
He stepped through the space, then I closed it up again. He turned to look behind him and reached out to touch it. I didn't feel anything that time because I wasn't trying to keep anything in, just out. Of course, from inside, you couldn't even tell there was a ward in place. The view was the same as it always was.
"That's impressive," he said. "How much energy does it take to maintain it?"
"None," I said. "I'm a water witch. I set them to draw off the ocean. This close, it's a snap. Even inland, it's not a big deal. There's almost always extra energy of some sort in the air or ground."
I thought back to the one trip I'd taken to a major city. No water, no real plants to speak of, no breeze ... I didn't know how any witch could live there, but then again, I was raised in the country.
I didn't have a porch, which was one of the few things I didn't like about my cottage, so I invited him inside and motioned him toward the kitchen.
He looked around, then took a seat at my little glass-topped table.
"Tea or water," I asked. Though I drank water at work most of the time, I still held on to the sweet tea habit I'd had all my life when I was at home.
"Tea," he said.
"I just got off the phone with Michael," I said as I poured us each a glass. "He tells me you have some powerful clients. One in particular."
He pulled in a breath and huffed it out. "I was wondering how long it would take him to find that out."
I gave him a small half smile. "He's sharp, and he's connected. It doesn't take him long."
"In my defense, I wanted to tell you, but I'm bound by a nondisclosure agreement. Like, literally bound. I'm tongue-tied. I couldn't have told you if I’d wanted to."
"What about now that I al
ready know?" I asked, taking a sip of my tea.
He lifted a shoulder. "Not sure. Nobody that isn't authorized has ever asked me anything, so I've never tested the boundaries of the NDA."
"What was your business with Cass?" I asked, testing the waters. Of course, even if he could tell me didn't mean he would.
He shook his head. "Client/attorney privilege. I'd tell you if I could, but I can't."
"You mean you physically can't, or you won't?" I didn't mean it as a jab; I was curious.
"I mean I won't," he answered, then looked at his glass. "That's some strong tea."
That earned a real smile; everybody who drank my tea said the same thing, but I couldn't stand it weak. "I'm from the South. It's the only way I know how to make it."
He rolled his eyes. "Good grief. I should have known. Where the tea is sweet and the witches are wicked."
"And don't you forget it either, buddy."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I DIDN'T ACCOMPLISH much the rest of the day, which was kind of my goal.
After we finished our tea, I asked if he wanted to go to the beach. The idea of rattling around the house doing various forms of nothing had lost its shine, and I wanted to get out.
"Don't you get sick of the beach, working and living here?" he asked.
"Are you crazy?" I asked, only half kidding. "I love it. There's just something about the water that's humbling. Plus, I'm allowed to do whatever I want in the hotel, too, as long as I don't do anything that could harm the reputation of the Enchanted Coast Resort or engage in any behavior criminal or otherwise that could cause legal liability or harm to the corporation, the brand, or the individual stockholders." I put most of that in air quotes.
He laughed. "As an attorney, I have to say that leaves quite a bit of gray area. How do you feel about gambling?" His eyes took on the gleam specific to lovers of the game. It surprised me because he didn't strike me as a risk taker.
"How do I feel about it? I feel like I could take your money at five-card and beat the pants off of you at blackjack."
He narrowed his eyes at me. "Is that because you're a witch and can cheat?"
"Oh, no," I said. "The whole casino is spelled against any kind of magical cheating. I have no idea how they managed it, but I couldn't cheat if I tried."
"What about counting cards?" he asked, curious.
I tilted my head. "I don't know. I'd assume there's something in place, but all I know for sure about is the magical enchantments."
"Then how about this—we spend a couple hours in the casino, then head to the tiki and spend some time in the water."
It occurred to me that he'd just mapped out my entire day. "Does this sudden desire for my company have anything to do with earlier?"
He shrugged. "It's about fifty-fifty. I think you don't have eyes in the back of your head and could use an extra set, but I also find myself enjoying hanging out with you."
Well, points for honesty, anyway.
Tempest only had to hear the word casino and she was ready to go. That little fox was a gambler through and through, and she was good at it, too.
She butted me with her head, pushing me to hurry. I didn't go up often because between working and hanging at the beach, it just wasn't something that held much appeal, so when I did want to go, she didn't give me a chance to change my mind.
I changed clothes and grabbed the beach bag on the way out the door—the one good thing about our resort was that, unlike many casinos, the only dress code was that you be actually dressed. There were even folks in damp bathing suits, so I didn't feel out of place in jean shorts.
We were almost to the casino before I remembered I’d told Michael I’d text him when Colin left. No need to scare him or have a hit put out on Colin, so I fired off a quick text to let him know I wasn’t dead or in jail.
The casino was busier than I'd expected it to be, and after playing a few hands each of five-card and blackjack—and beating Colin more than I lost—I was starting to get claustrophobic. I looked around to see if Tempest was anywhere in sight and jolted when my eyes landed on Lucy, Blake's new squeeze.
I wondered if she worked there or if she was just vacationing and visiting him, then tried to push all thought of it clear out of my mind. The task became much easier when Colin bumped me with his shoulder.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
I tore my eyes off the pretty brunette and focused on the hot guy I was with. His blue eyes reflected concern and a little confusion. He'd noticed where I was looking. "Do you recognize her from somewhere? Do you think she's following you?"
After pulling in a deep breath and huffing it out, I shook my head. "Nope, it's not me she's following. C'mon. I could use some sunshine and surf."
Tempest was nowhere to be seen but answered as soon as I called to her through our link.
And I saw the woman you were staring at. Is that her?
Yeah, that's her. Let's just go.
The pool was back open when we got there and seemed to be the place to be. Cyri and Aiden were there, Bob was there with his wife and kids, and Amber and Dax had come up through the ocean channel, too. The pool was another genius idea and was one of the most popular features of the resort.
I waved at everybody and dropped my bag off on a lounge chair in the shady area but then headed to the beach. The pool would be great in a bit, but first I wanted to do a little communing.
The Gulf of Mexico didn't have big waves, but I was a water witch—that wasn't a problem. We kept a few surfboards in a storage locker, and I grabbed one while Tempest went into the bar and hopped into her customary spot in front of the fan. Colin reached around me and grabbed one a bit longer and followed me to the water.
"You surf?" I asked, surprised.
He shook his head. "Nope. Never been on a surfboard in my life."
"Then I'll be gentle," I said, closing my eyes and calling to the water. The waves increased in front of me, and I pushed out into the surf.
"Follow me," I said, grinning. "I'm sure you'll be a natural."
He so wasn't a natural, though he did give it his best shot. Even though he fell every time, he still came up laughing.
"C'mon there, Kahuna,” I said after an hour or so. “Let's go grab something to drink and find some tamer entertainment, like hanging out with a couple of merfolks and a family of Sasquatches."
We were stepping out of the surf, laughing, when something sharp dug into the bottom of my foot. I instinctively shifted my weight, then lost my balance and bumped into him. He grabbed my shoulders to steady me, and I looked up to thank him.
Whatever I was going to say flew out of my brain as I found myself eye level with his generous mouth, still curved into a smile. I looked up into his eyes, and the smile slipped. His eyes went from ice blue to smoldering gray, and he leaned forward. I rose up on my toes to meet him.
As luck would have it, Tempest's voice sounded in my head, breaking the moment.
Destiny! Your phone's ringing, and it's Michael.
Okay, I'm coming. Answer it or tell Bob to. You have the worst timing ever, just so you know.
Or maybe I have the best. We still don't know what his deal is with the angels, so maybe sucking face with him isn't the best plan right now.
I patted him on the chest with a wry smile. "Duty calls."
"Lemme guess," he said as I pulled back. "Tempest."
I gave him a wry smile. "Ding, ding. Got it in one. Michael's calling. She's answering, but I need to go see what he has to say.”
"He has the worst timing ever," he said, repeating what I'd just told Tempe.
"Yeah," I agreed, smiling. "I think it's the big brother gene. He has some kind of warning ward attached to my lips." I joked, but I couldn't help but think that maybe Tempe was right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
BOB WAS TALKING ON my phone when I got to the pool but said goodbye and handed it to me.
"Hey Michael, what's up?"
"What's up is that your
boss was working with the gargoyles. We've captured some conversations where they were talking about Cass backing out of a deal and getting what he deserved."
"Any idea what?"
"No, but the other two gargoyles he was with are thieves and low-level thugs. Still, they have some deep connections with people who would be able to get the essence."
"Huh, so have you found anything new on the guy who attacked me? I don't understand where I'd fit into any of this. Cass and I were the exact opposite of bosom buddies," I said, noting that Colin was making a point to stand close enough to hear the conversation. Stupid werewolf hearing.
"Not yet. And I haven't figured out where werewolf boy fits in, either."
I muttered a quick muffling spell so that Colin wouldn't be able to hear what we were saying, then walked to the other side of the pool.
"He admitted to working with the angels but also says he's under a magical NDA. But then when I asked what his business was with Cass, he wouldn't say. Wouldn't, not couldn't. Claimed client privilege."
"Well, don't trust him. Angels are tricky and don't follow the same rules of logic that mortals do. I gotta go. I'll check back with you."
The line went dead, and I was left wondering how in the world I, a peon waitress by design, had managed to land myself in some kind of angel drama. When I was a kid, Mom used to tell me that I attracted more trouble than all of my brothers together, but this was ridiculous.
There was nothing I could do about it right that moment, though, so I tried to relax and enjoy my friends.
Bob's wife, Jolene, was from Tennessee and had packed fried chicken. The smell when she opened the basket made my stomach growl. Employees ate for free when we were on the clock, but if we were just hanging out on our off days, we only got a 10 percent discount, and that didn't apply to families.
Considering they had three kids who each ate more in one meal than I ate in two days, I understood why they chose to picnic rather than pay. We made good money, but not that good.