He pulled two baggies out of his pocket and tossed one at each of us.
I opened up my purse and caught it, but Vanessa yelped and jumped back, the baggie of Legacy falling to the ground.
He looked between us and slowly pulled out a gun. “You know about the Legacy.”
I couldn’t have been more surprised if he had pulled an elephant out of the waistband of his pants. A bullet would kill a mage just as effectively as a human in most cases. But mages seldom used them.
My dad had been shot, and I couldn’t help but consider if it was the same gun. If not the same gun, then maybe the same network?
All these thoughts raced through my head in a split second. I grabbed Vanessa and threw up a ward around us. This limited our mobility, but staring down the barrel of a gun meant my highest priority was protecting us.
“That’s a gun!” Vanessa shouted.
“I. Noticed.” I bit out. I could talk and maintain a shield, but it wasn’t going to be easy. I had to pour a lot of power into the shield because a bullet or anything with a lot of force could tear through a light ward.
Already, I felt as if I were jogging at a steady pace. My pulse was pounding in my ears, and sweat broke out on my body. I could maintain this for a while but not forever.
“Hey, DJ, why don’t you put down the gun. We don’t care about Legacy. I mean, they took it willingly. They knew the risk.” I was panting by the end of my speech.
He lowered the gun a little, though it was still pointed at us. “That’s right. You get it. I even told them that they could overdose on Legacy, but they laughed me off. No one really believes they will be the one to die. I thought once word got out about the overdoses, the girls would stop taking Legacy from me, but someone is watching out for me, because they’re taking care of the overdoses for me.” He smiled, though it never reached his eyes, which were ice cold.
I saw something flash from the corner of my eye, probably Patagonia. My arms and legs felt heavy from the exertion of the spell. I could go on for a while, but I was struggling to split my focus between the spell and the conversation.
“Clearly, you have everything made. We were just curious, nothing more. We have our own scams to worry about. Plus, who would believe us? Right?”
He lowered the gun a bit more. “I’m only giving it to people that deserve it. These girls think they are too good for me but are more than happy to take drugs for free. It’s not my fault. I mean, I have to make the drug active, and maybe I make them more powerful than normal, but then I warn them that it’s really strong, but they don’t care.”
“Of course not,” I lied. I wanted to know more about how the pills were activated and who had given them to him. He was definitely murdering these girls, whether he believed it or not. But there was no point of telling him that.
Vanessa didn’t get my mental message. “What about Michael?”
A quick flare of pain crossed his face. “That was Beth’s fault. I gave her that pill because she wouldn’t go out with me, but she passed it on to Michael. But they were both addicted, and that’s not my issue.” He was wildly swinging between pain and cockiness. Deep down, he knew what he was doing was wrong, but his entire world was based on being right.
He lowered the gun until it was pointed straight down. “Why don’t you guys just go?”
I let out a sigh of relief and started edging toward the door with Vanessa behind me. I lowered the shield a little, just enough to move. The door was less than a dozen yards away, and once we got out of there, we could get help. We could prove what he was doing eventually, from far away.
He cracked a grim smile. “I got through things when Edward Santini was killed. I’ll be fine now.”
I hesitated but only briefly. I wanted to ask about the connection, but now was not the time.
I didn’t see the attacker until the moment they hit DJ Wiz. One moment, he was standing alone opposite us, then the air next to him shimmered, and Olivia crashed into DJ Wiz, sending his gun flying through the air and sliding across the floor.
“You killed my father!” Olivia screamed, and she attempted to wrap her hands around his neck.
He attempted to push her off. “No, I didn’t. I had nothing to do with it. I’m just a middleman in this whole thing.”
Vin grabbed him by the arm and yanked him to his feet, his voice heavy with magic. “What do you know of Edward’s death?”
I ran over to find the gun and reached under the couch, but I couldn’t get to it.
DJ Wiz was fighting with Vin, but Vin towered over him. His voice was a bit hysterical. “I had nothing to do with that. After Michael died, Edward started poking into things, asking questions, but I only heard things. Then suddenly, he was dead. I was totally out of the loop.”
He pulled his arm away and turned to face Vin. “You don’t know anything. Why don’t you just focus on your big-breasted woman and leave me to take care of my business? If you don’t, then I’ll tell my boss, and you don’t want to mess with—”
I was still digging under the couch, so it took me a second to notice the silence. But the time I got to my feet, the silence had been replaced by a gurgling noise coming from DJ Wiz.
Green foam came pouring out of his mouth, over his chin, and down his chest before pushing out of his nose. The room filled with the foul odor of sulfur, and the air was heavy with magic, the aura of bitter almonds, as I had felt from the Legacy pill.
“What’s happening?” I shouted, but no one listened.
DJ Wiz reeled back and fell to the ground, and he bucked and arched his back before lying still. It all happened so fast that I hadn’t had time to shield him or try anything.
“What…?” I lamely asked.
Vin growled. “He was about to say something he shouldn’t, and the spell killed him. It was probably about who is making Legacy.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You compelled him to answer.”
“My magic couldn’t overwhelm a promise. Plus, I wasn’t touching him. He volunteered that info… or tried to.”
I tucked those notes away for future reference.
He glared at me. “Why are you here with Vanessa without me?”
“Without you? What do you have to do with anything? And if you two hadn’t barged in, we might have been able to get more information from him.”
“Ella?” Thomas said from the open doorway.
I blanched and stepped back.
His eyes went from me and Vin to DJ Wiz on the floor then to Vanessa and Olivia. Vanessa was holding Olivia as she cried, upset that the information about her father was almost in her grasp but ultimately had been lost. I could relate—could my father’s death also be tied up in this? The feather from the side of the Legacy tablet had been on a folder with my father’s name in a vision I had seen of Edward’s death.
Thomas took in the scene, especially DJ Wiz lying on the floor. The foam hid most of his face and was creeping across the floor.
“He was mixed up in those Legacy overdoses, wasn’t he?”
“Of course you knew about them, Thomas.” Vanessa spat at him over Olivia’s back.
Thomas turned to her then dismissed her before looking back at me as if I were the only one that counted. “After all those security blocks on that key you asked for, I started poking around. I discovered that while I have been dealing with attracting events to the casino, a lot has been happening without my knowledge.” He crossed the room while he talked to me and finally took my hands in his. “I wish you had told me all this.”
I looked up at him and said nothing. Could he be telling me the truth? A large part of my heart wanted it, but the better part of me was skeptical. Someone powerful had to have been orchestrating this cover up. Who better than him? My fingers twined through his, and I couldn’t look away. He lifted my hand to his lips and gently pressed a kiss on my knuckles.
As he let go of my hand, something cold and cruel briefly crossed his face. “Everyone get out. Emily, call Butch in secur
ity. We’ll take care of everything.”
When no one moved, he pointed to the door. “Unless you want to go in front of my father to explain yourself, get out now!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
I gave one final bow on stage to thunderous applause. It was Vanessa’s and my final show at the Magia casino. I didn’t know what Thomas had done, but I received a phone call from the organizers of the Cauldron Festival apologizing for the mix-up, and I was invited back as a VIP guest. Through Bear, I had heard that they were very pleased with how things had worked out and they would like to work with me on security again in the future.
The day after the events in the penthouse apartment, every newspaper had run a story about DJ Wiz being found in his home, dead, after a heart attack. Apparently, he had a “previously undiagnosed heart defect.” The club was closed for two days before a new DJ was brought in.
Farther back in the newspaper was a much smaller story about a bartender from the Magia Casino who was killed in a car accident on his way to work. I had cut out the story about Bert and set it aside to discuss with Bear once I went back to work. He agreed that we shouldn’t train for a short time while I took care of other obligations. In fact, he insisted, even saying that it would be good for me.
Vanessa and I had agreed to continue working for Natasha until she could get the perfect replacements. We spent the mornings getting mani-pedis, massages at the spa, walking in the mall—basically anything that Vanessa wanted to do. She finally got the vacation she felt she deserved while her mom was gone.
I had set up a gathering at my house for a few days after Auntie Ann would return. Vanessa, Olivia, Auntie Ann, Badger, and Bear were invited. I needed to get everyone on the same page because the real investigation was just beginning. While we had some answers regarding the Legacy overdoses, we had a lot more questions. Olivia was eager to find out if and how her father’s death fit in. I wondered about my own dad’s murder.
Dr. Trout had called a few days after the events. She said that progress was going to take a while, but she was learning a lot from the Legacy sample we had gotten her. I had also remembered the baggie that DJ Wiz threw at me and I caught in my purse. I rushed it over to her, and she said it would be invaluable.
While I was there, I had gone to see Britney. She confirmed that DJ Wiz had given her some Legacy. She was going to join Beth in rehab. She said the partying lifestyle was on hold for a while.
The applause from the audience went on until we received a standing ovation. I couldn’t help but smile, though I knew that little of it was for Vanessa and me. Natasha had been refining her act night after night. Despite a technical glitch when the music cut off, it had been her best night yet.
In all the excitement, I had forgotten about Sapphire, but luckily, she hadn’t forgotten about me. She left me a note with her contact information. She was starting a tour of Europe but swore she would come back to Rambler the first chance she got. I sent her an email, apologizing for all the craziness and wishing her all the best until we met again.
I exited the stage, and in the darkness of the backstage, I stumbled into Janice from the musical comedy act. “Pardon me.”
She grunted in reply.
I waited until Natasha and Vanessa passed by, then I leaned in to whisper, “Sure was weird that the music cues were all messed up tonight.”
Slowly, she turned to face me. “Huh?”
“The music tonight. Kinda like how the rubber duck was cut and how Natasha wasn’t invited to any VIP parties despite the fact that all the other performers are welcome. Don’t you think that is weird?”
Janice made her eyes wide. “Wow. That is weird.” Despite her innocent look, she radiated fury.
My hunch had been right. If I hadn’t been so distracted by the overdoses, I would have noticed earlier. I leaned in so my voice wouldn’t carry beyond the two of us. “I will check in with Natasha, and if she gets so much as a hangnail, I’ll tell Thomas to fire you. You might want to find a new venue to perform at.”
As I walked off, I could feel her spike of fear. She didn’t know that I hadn’t spoken to Thomas since DJ Wiz’s death. I was confused and upset. I wasn’t sure what to believe of him. I had hoped I’d magically be able to explain away my doubts, but I knew that was likely impossible. I headed to the dressing room to pick up my things but turned a corner and practically ran face-first into Emily.
She was carrying a huge arrangement of gardenias and pussy willows, which she shoved into my arms, then she wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Thanks.” I returned her hug.
She stepped back. “After I gave you that key, I suddenly knew that something was wrong, that you were who was in danger and that Thomas was going to be furious with me for giving you that key without his knowledge. I tried to catch you, but you didn’t hear me.”
So I had heard her calling my name that day.
“I went and got Thomas from his meeting. He was able to figure out where you were, using the security system. I knew that if we didn’t get there, something awful would happen. Thomas took care of everything, but if we hadn’t been there…”
I broke out in a cold sweat. I had lain in bed several nights, wondering what we would have done if Thomas hadn’t cleaned up the situation. I had tried to convince myself that it would have been fine, but her statements made me wonder. Would the marshal have dug into my past and found out who I really was? Would we have been accused of killing DJ Wiz? Or maybe the people behind Legacy would have found us first.
She pulled a card off the bouquet and handed it to me. “Thomas planned to be here himself, but he had to fly back east.”
I opened the note and read it. The script was slanted with a tall skinny script, each letter perfectly formed. There were no hesitations or mistakes—a confident note. I lifted it to my nose and could have sworn I could sense the aura from his magic clinging to the page. A tingle went through me, and the memories of his kisses on my body took my breath away.
Ella,
I apologize for not telling you in person. Something is wrong with the casino, and I must recruit a team I trust to work with me, and that will take some time. These flowers remind me of my retreat on the river. Until I can take you there in person, this arrangement is the best I can do. Think of me whenever you see them.
Thomas
My stomach sank, even though this was the best possible outcome. I couldn’t trust him, and rather than me finding my own excuse, he had given me an out. But I didn’t want an out. I wanted him to prove I could trust him. For a heart-stopping moment, the heady perfume of gardenias wrapped me in warmth. I stroked one of the petals.
“Thank you, Emily, and you can thank Thomas as well.”
We exchanged a hug goodbye.
Before turning the last corner, I peeked around it. I didn’t want to run into another person, but of course, there stood Vin.
“What are you doing here?”
“Ella, we need to talk.”
“No, we needed to talk six months ago, but there is something I need to say to you. Twice, you have come in like a bull in a china shop and ruined things.”
“Excuse me? I came to help you at DJ Wiz’s place.”
“How did you even know where we were?”
His eyes flicked away briefly, a sign of guilt. “I had a tracking spell on Vanessa. When I found out you guys were together and Olivia and I realized it was related to Legacy, she wanted to find you guys, and I figured I could help.”
“And the result is that she attacked him and he ended up dying. And in the nightclub when you compelled me to answer. If the wrong person had heard that, I could have gotten killed.”
This time, he genuinely looked guilty. “I’m really sorry about that. I shouldn’t have done that in public.”
“You shouldn’t have done that at all. You have no right to force me to say anything.”
“Is this because I’m engaged?”
“
No. It isn’t that you’re engaged. It’s that you disrespected me. If you’d come to me in private and asked, I might have told you. You might even have been able to help me. But how can I trust you now when you don’t even respect me?”
He looked genuinely pained. “Ella, I do—”
“No.”
I walked right past him, my huge bouquet of flowers brushing across his chest. It gave me no small amount of satisfaction to at least have this confrontation while carrying them.
When I got to the dressing room, I was alone in the hallway. Natasha and Vanessa were already laughing inside. This was the next step in my new life. A more balanced life. I would train and have a social life. Leaning on others rather than being all alone. Making my own family with the people who loved me.
Together, we could fix everything, especially me.
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The Case of the Exploding Luck Pumpkin
Vanessa is home in Rambler, Nevada for the biggest holiday of the magical calendar, Halloween and some time off from her mage training. When the traditional Luck Pumpkin disappears prior to the party, Vanessa makes a bet that she can find it. What’s at stake? Only midnight’s kiss with a handsome man! She will have to out navigate spells gone awry, slippery desserts and an exploding pumpkin if she wants to win the bet.
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There's No Business Like Mage Business Page 17