Lombardi nodded. “I know who they are. One works with us. I’ll get in touch with him to have him around to help out when Shanton comes to visit. I’ll have some men keep an eye on the others.”
“I nominate Elliot. He’s good, and he needs a distraction right now.”
Lombardi was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “You like him.”
A statement, not a question.
“I respect him. He’s come far for a pure human. Speaking of human, that’s another weakness. A pure human will be able to walk right through.”
Lombardi frowned. “I would be severely disappointed in the guards if they allow a human to slip by them.”
I shrugged. “Don’t cross them off just because of that alone. Some of them can be deadly. They just need the right tools. I’m working with Henzie to track spelled items as a counter defense.”
“Okay, so escorts, humans, powerful beings within the city, what else.”
“You might want to pull together a list of suspects you expect to make an attempt to get in. That way, we can at least be prepared for them if they were to try.”
He nodded. “Already working on it. I’m planning to hand out the information on Monday.”
“I think that’s it then. Only the pure human or the most powerful are going to make it through the wards. It’ll make it a little bit easier but also even more dangerous because whoever wants your client dead will be sending the best and not some hoodlums to make the attack.”
“Good, now let’s go.” He stood up. I blinked at him in confusion, and he broke out into a smile. He looked really good smiling, boyish rather than manly.
“A late breakfast. The least I can do is take you out to eat for all the hard work you’ve done for us.”
I smiled back. Breakfast with the boss. Sounded good to me.
I got to my feet and followed him to the parking lot. This had a different set of wards, not as crazy powerful as the one around the place since the employees and visitors used it. This just kept out baddies with the worst intent. There was another parking lot within the wards used by employees, but since I’d needed everyone out of there, they’d moved their cars in case they needed to leave while I worked.
I smiled big and waved at Alijah, who kept careful watch on everyone and kept them in line. No one wanted to anger the tiger shifter. He was intimidating enough as it was and his presence alone made everyone behave.
Lombardi walked me to a large black SUV. Surprise, surprise. Seemed like everyone used them in our profession. They were big and kick-ass. I couldn’t complain though. I drove a massive truck. I glanced at my baby only a few spots down from his and smiled. I was a closet vehicle junkie. I got off on big powerful trucks. I could respect Lombardi’s.
I climbed in and ran my hands along the nice black leather and stared at the upgraded system. He had the most current gadgets.
“Where to?” I asked when he climbed inside. He didn’t say anything as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
I cocked on eyebrow and his lip twitched with amusement.
“Not far. There’s a diner only a couple of blocks away and they have the best crepes around.”
“I didn’t take you as a crepes man. Maybe waffles.”
He chuckled, and I wanted to roll around in the deep smooth sound of it as my skin tickled.
Shortly after navigating the city like an expert, Lombardi pulled into a small parking lot, only big enough to fit five or so cars. We got out and he headed in the direction of a small restaurant wedged between two buildings easily three times its size. The place looked a little run down, but Lombardi’s sureness had me following him, hopefully not to my death.
The inside was just as small as the outside, with enough seats for about twenty people. More than half the seats were filled. A table was empty, but hadn’t been cleared yet. An older woman walked through, wearing an apron.
“Just sit wherever,” she called out, heading over to clean the table.
Everyone looked content as they ate, and the food looked delicious. My mouth watered as my taste buds had their own little dance party from all the scents in the room. Smelled like a mixture of fried foods and fruit.
We settled into a table for two by the window facing the parking lot, and seconds later, a younger woman came over and filled our waiting cups with water.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked, staring at me.
“Apple juice and a small coffee, please,” I said. I needed coffee. I still had some things to do and needed a little push to keep me running.
She smiled warmly before facing Lombardi. He kept it to water. The woman eyed us both curiously before walking away with a little sway in her hips.
Lombardi chuckled and when I looked at him, he was grinning.
“Interested?” I asked, not liking the pang of jealousy in my chest. I pushed it away, not willing to think about what that meant.
I dated around, but I hadn’t been in a real relationship since I was sixteen. I just didn’t have anything of me to give.
He snorted, and I felt like he was laughing at me. The waitress came back with our drinks.
“Are you ready to order?” she asked me.
“Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to look at the menu. Can I have a few more minutes?”
“Of course.” She grinned before going to the table next to us to ask if they needed anything.
I looked over the menu. My mouth watered.
I ended up ordering a honey crepe filled with peaches and drizzled with more honey. Lombardi got something heavier, crepes Benedict involving ham and eggs.
Before our food came out, the waitress came back three times to make sure we didn’t need any refills or anything else.
I frowned as she walked away again. “I think the waitress has a big crush on you,” I said.
Lombardi broke out in laughter and shook his head. “You’re unbelievable, you know that.”
I frowned, not appreciating being made into a joke, especially one I didn’t get. He picked up on my ire and gave me an apologetic smile.
“Sorry,” he said, his expression softening. “I’m not her type.”
“What?” I still didn’t get it.
He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s not me she’s crushing on. It’s you.”
My mouth popped open. Oh.
Did not expect that.
I laughed and shook my head. Definitely wasn’t expecting that.
After that, breakfast went by quickly. The waitress continued to check on us, but I never gave her any sign I was interested. She was pretty, but my interest was in men.
Lombardi left a nice tip when we finished and headed out. Considering our drinks never went under the halfway mark, she deserved the tip.
And the crepes really were the best. I wanted to go back and try their omelets. Those looked just as good. I got lost in my head, and by the time I was pulled out of it, I realized why the SUV wasn’t moving any more. Lombardi had pulled up in front of my apartment building.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“I’m dropping you off. You’re done for today. Rest up for Monday.”
“But I still have work to do.”
“And it’ll wait until Monday. Shanton is a big client for us, but I’m not sacrificing my employee’s health for him. Rest up so on Monday you can hit the ground running.”
I frowned and glared at him.
He kept his expression blank.
I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to win.
“And I don’t want to see you around the building at all until Monday. I’m going to be keeping an eye out for you. Stay away.”
“Fine.” I caved. “Fine.”
I grumbled to myself about bossy bosses as I climbed out and closed the door. I gave him a wave and then stalked into the building, feeling peeved that he wasn’t letting me work. I thrived on working. It kept my world spinning.
Chapter 16
I did as
Lombardi commanded and rested up for the rest of the weekend. At least, I rested as best as I could. He probably didn’t know I had a whole floor I used as lab space. I spent a good chunk of Sunday in there, working on the rest of the gadgets and traps to set up throughout the week.
When Monday did come around, I went in and got to work. I was stretched out on my front, a rock poking into my stomach painfully as I reached underneath a prickly bush to plant a trap.
The ventilation system they used for the building had a small vent near the bottom of the building, and I didn’t want it to be a source of entrance. All someone had to do was make themselves into a small animal to sneak through. Others could potentially use it to set gas or poison through the system.
“Can you get workers in there to make some adjustments? A way to shut off this section of the ventilation so that if someone tries to sneak some kind of gas through, it’ll stop it?” I asked Davies. He’d been escorting me around and taking notes on things to follow up on. The list kept growing, but I knew the others were already on the tasks, trying to shorten it. A lot if it was just places that needed a little work to adjust the set up—like upgrading the key system used to get into a maintenance room.
“They’ll work on it,” Davies said as he made another note for me.
A few minutes later, I sighed and crawled away from the trap. “It’s set, just needs to be armed and it’ll be good to go. This one leads to that closet space.”
“Got it.”
“How many traps does this make?” I asked. I hadn’t been able to keep track. I felt like I had set up a couple dozen traps, though I knew it wasn’t that many.
“Eighteen.”
I nodded. Back to work.
I rubbed my hand down my face. How many more did I have?
“Break time,” Davies said, scanning my face. I probably looked like I’d been up for the last three days. I felt like I had. These traps weren’t as simple as setting it down and walking away. I had to use magic to get them how I wanted, for them to know what to look out for to activate and work. We didn’t need a trap not activating because it had already caught a rat or a rabbit. These traps would only work if the room was empty. I didn’t want the same trap catching someone and then the room filling up with people who could band together to escape. I’d have people designated to each room to contain anyone caught so the traps could reactivate.
“Fine, but only because while I rest, you guys are going to test out the traps for me. I have a few drills I need to run to see if they’re effective or not.”
His eyes widened but his mouth stayed shut when he saw how serious I was. We needed to know what to anticipate when the traps were activated, and I needed to know if they worked or not right away, not when the baddies decided to come out and play.
“Don’t you know how to relax and have a little fun?” Davies asked.
I sent a glare his way. “Yes, when I’m not trying to make sure the dragon’s head doesn’t become a trophy on someone’s mantel. This needs to be completed before Shanton gets here. We aren’t going to fuck this up just because you wanted to have some more fun.”
He held up his hands. “Whoa, relax. I just don’t want you burning yourself out before he gets here. You need to find the right balance.”
I snorted. “I’m fine.”
Davies’s expression grew serious. “Dr. Laila Porter, stop acting like a child. You’re not fine. You’re exhausted. You’re using a lot of magic.” He paused and stepped closer, reaching out for my hand, rubbing away some of the dirt on my palm. “I’m only a human, but even I know you’re doing more than you should. Do this human a favor and relax, slow down just a bit. We’re all here for you. We won’t let you go down burning alone.”
My shoulders slumped and some of the growing weight on them disappeared at his kind words. How could he be my goofball Davies and then change into this caring man who knew exactly what to say? I’d never had anyone there with me. If I fucked up, it had always been on me.
I looked into his eyes, at the tightness around them. He needed something, and he wasn’t getting it. His expression conveyed a message I couldn’t read, and frustration built up inside of me.
Reaching for him, I tucked some of his shaggy hair out of his face so I could get a better look at him. “What’s wrong?” I asked. Something had to be.
Slowly, he blew out a breath. “I’m just pissed, okay?”
“About what? These last few days, you’d been on a trigger. You’re normally not like this.”
He snorted.
“Davies.”
His focus switched to something just behind me. “I’m just pissed at some people. My sister was mugged, and they hadn’t found the bastard, and I can’t do shit about it.”
I smiled softly and gently tugged on a strand of his hair. “If they haven’t found the guy when this is all over, I’ll hunt him down for you. I know a few tricks.”
“No, you won’t. I don’t want you in danger.”
I blinked at that. Usually people didn’t give a shit about the type of danger I was in as long as I did what they wanted. Was this why he was getting frustrated with me? Because I was putting myself in danger by working so hard and tiring myself out? I’d met people who had burnt themselves out completely. They were only a shadow of who they used to be, and they lived in a cloud of depression. I really didn’t want to become that, but I also knew my limits.
But Davies needed something from me. He needed to see me taking care of myself.
“Okay,” I said, putting the puzzle together.
He frowned, confused by my response. “Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. How about this? After we run these exercises, you and I will go out, have dinner, and chat. We can gossip, get a little drunk, and try not to cause a riot. Will that work?”
“Little Miss Laila, are you asking me out on a date.”
I chuckled. “You wish.”
Davies’s full lips curled into a seductive smile. “Deal. We do this shit, get it over with, and then you’re mine for the rest of the night.”
His words sent hot tendrils through my body and images of just what kind of night he had in mind flashed through my thoughts. I wasn’t opposed to it either. While I tried to get my head out of the gutter, Davies chuckled.
“Who do you want?” he asked.
“Um, you’ll be perfect,” I managed to say. “I’ll need Ami, Venni, and definitely Lombardi. Is Elliot around?”
“Yeah, he came in about an hour ago.”
I nodded. “Good, him too. I want another strong magic user since I can’t test it out. Know anyone?”
Davies looked thoughtful and then grinned. “Sarina is in today. She just got back from a long-term assignment. I think she’s level B.”
“Perfect, go grab her. I’ll wait over by the bench,” I said.
He grinned. “My pleasure.”
He handed me the notebook he’d been using and then took off at a brisk pace, disappearing into the building. I walked over to the bench and sat down, glad to have a moment to rest. My head wanted to pound with an incoming headache. Davies was right. I’d been pushing myself too much.
Elliot was the first to come out. He sat next to me and gave me a small, polite smile.
“How’re you doing?” he asked.
“Ready for this week to be over,” I admitted.
This wasn’t something I was used to doing. I spent all my time in my lab, messing around with my little projects. I didn’t have to worry about getting others killed because they didn’t see my products until they were ready. Not even Davies knew half of the things I worked on because they were still in their dangerous phases and I didn’t need him getting himself killed while trying to be funny.
“You’re doing a good job. For someone who doesn’t have this kind of experience, you know what to do. I’m impressed.”
I laughed, feeling lighter thanks to his compliment. I didn’t get them often and still wasn’t used to them. As a child, peo
ple were scared of me because of my control issues and as an adult, people expected me to make miracles. They expected me to be on spot every single time I used magic.
“Thank you,” I replied, unable to look at him.
Ami came out not long after that, looking more chipper than normal. She practically skipped over, grinning widely.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Nothing, yet,” she said. “But I officially have a date next week after this whole Shanton visit is over. Larson has been hard to nail.” She giggled at her own dirty joke, and I shook my head as everyone else came out, including Lombardi.
Those who really knew me were wary. The new person, Sarina, looked curious.
She stood about my height, maybe an inch taller, with deep brown eyes, full lips, and a heart-shaped face framed by strawberry blond curls, the tips of the curls white. She was gorgeous and I could see why Davies was excited to go and get her. He was still grinning while staring at her, and she completely ignored him.
She wore the matching uniform like everyone except Lombardi, who rocked dark faded jeans.
“Thank you for volunteering,” I spoke up, looking at everyone.
“We’re excited to test these traps out,” Davies said. He wrapped his arm around Sarina’s shoulders, grinning wide. She frowned at him before shrugging his arm off her. Something in me felt relief at her reaction, especially when she glared hard at Davies.
“I’m only here to prove you wrong, Kalman. I’m not scared of Dr. Porter’s traps.”
Davies’s grin widened. “You should be,” he said, and Sarina’s frown deepened.
I looked between the two of them and broke out in laughter. Wow. I just met Davies’s rival. He’d mentioned someone he was always competing with. I didn’t realize it would be Sarina.
Magical Intentions Page 14