Envy and Magic

by Melody Raven

  He brought the car to a stop in front of Sam’s new building. It was a no parking zone, but he wasn’t going to get out of the car. They were already arriving fashionably late, and Sam was meeting him down here anyway.

  But, most importantly, this wasn’t a date. He didn’t need to get out and open the door. The more he distanced himself from what was happening, the easier it would be to maintain a professional—

  All rational thought fled when Sam emerged from the building and, after nodding at the doorman, made her way toward his Crown Vic.

  Derek jumped out of the car and crossed to the passenger’s side to get the door for her. Once she was closer, he leaned in and whispered, “What are you wearing?”

  Sam frowned and looked down.

  The dress was insane. Like, the kind of thing he expected to see on some LA party girl, not on someone going to a party of bureaucrats and politicians.

  “It’s a dress.”

  “Where’s the rest of it?”

  Sam rolled her eyes and set her arms flat against her sides. “Look. It stops below where my middle finger ends. Therefore, not slutty.”

  Maybe on someone else that would be a good measure, but her legs were so long to begin with and the sky-high black heels she wore only made the dress seem shorter. “I thought you were supposed to blend in.”

  “You want me to blend in by looking bad?”

  “You don’t need to look bad. I just don’t want you to stand out.”

  Even her makeup, which Derek knew absolutely nothing about, seemed to stand out. Her eyes were surrounded with some sort of black liner or shadow or something, but she didn’t look like a raccoon. It was all he could do to keep himself from staring at her eyes, which was saying a lot considering how hot the rest looked in the dress and heels.

  “For the love of.... Yes, there’s a lot of leg, but I’m not showing any cleavage, okay? I’m perfectly respectable.”

  “I’m not saying you’re not appropriate. I just—” Derek broke off. There was no good way to end this conversation. Instead, he pulled the door open for her. “Come on,” he growled.

  And when she sat down, even more leg was exposed. Derek ran a hand over his unshaven jaw. After sneaking in his nap, there had been no time to shave. Now he was going to show up with Sam looking like a supermodel and he looked like a bum who happened to find a clean suit in the trash.

  He got back into the car and as soon as he saw an opening in the post rush-hour traffic of Manhattan, he pressed his foot on the gas a bit harder than necessary.

  Sam leaned into the seat as the pressure of the acceleration pushed her back. She curled her fingers into the side of her seat and he noticed they were a glossy black to match her shoes, dress, and eyes. He supposed it was a theme. The dark colors were a stark contrast to the pale skin of her legs and arms. She was right, though. The high-necked, tight dress didn’t show any cleavage at all, yet somehow he felt as if it were showing everything.

  But that could be because he knew what she looked like beneath the soft fabric. Even if he’d been under the influence of whatever the hell her sister had given him, he remembered it all too clearly.

  “You didn’t have to pick me up,” she said as he made an aggressive motion to pass someone going five under the speed limit.

  “We’re both going to the same place and you’re looking for some sort of wizard. You need someone to look after you.”

  “I’m not looking for a wizard. There’s no such thing.”

  “Some dude using dark magic, right?”

  “Or girl.”

  “And what’s your term for that?”

  “An asshole?”

  He snorted. “So why don’t we call that a wizard?”

  “I don’t make those decisions.”

  He decided to let the subject drop and he let up on the accelerator. “So how did you get an invitation to this anyway?” If she really needed to get in, he would’ve offered to bring her as his plus one, but she’d assured him that she had her ticket already.

  “Claudia was invited. I think she donates a lot of money to the force.”

  “You give money and they make you go to these things? That seems like more of a punishment than a reward.”

  Sam shrugged. “Claudia doesn’t go out as much anymore. When I was younger, I remember she’d always be dressed up for something or another, but lately... I think she’s too tired.”

  Derek was tired of it and he never went to these things. “How old is your grandmother?” He knew from his investigation that her mother was forty-five and Sam was twenty-eight. But when he’d looked up Claudia Harris, her birth date had been listed as nineteen sixty-six. Which made her five years older than her daughter.

  Considering that Abigail didn’t look more than thirty-five, the listed ages probably weren’t to be trusted.

  “Claudia is ninety-three,” said Sam with a completely serious face.

  Derek let out a long whistle. “Damn.”

  “The rejuvenation spells are rather basic. I can get you a cream if you want.”

  “You can get me something that will let me live forever?”

  “Not forever. Just longer than normal.”

  “I’ll pass for now.”

  Sam raised a brow but didn’t say anything.

  He wondered whether this was something they offered to everyone or whether he was getting special treatment. Or how many people refused it when they were young and then came knocking down doors once the wrinkles really started to come in. Derek already had some premature crow’s feet thanks to working a job that liked to put people in an early grave. Maybe that cream wasn’t a bad idea. “So what are you going to be doing while we’re there?”

  Sam held out her hand toward him. She wore a bracelet with an ostentatious-looking gray gemstone in the center. “This is going to do all the work. If I stand next to someone who is connected to the darkness, it will heat up and let us know.”

  “That means you have to mingle?”

  “Yep. Don’t worry, though. I won’t embarrass you.”

  Derek nodded, but he wasn’t worried. These events were for the people who wanted to climb up the ranks. Who wanted to network and get on the mayor’s good side. Mingling was probably a good thing, damn it.

  He supposed this wasn’t all that unnatural to Sam. She’d grown up in a family of socialites. Her mother was a career woman, but she was no stranger to the political and philanthropic circles of the city. She knew exactly what she was doing.

  He reached the hotel where the reception was being held. Because it was still technically a government-funded party, the hotel was what he’d consider the high end of three stars. The food would probably be decent at best, but the open bar would make up for anything the catering lacked.

  Normally he’d park himself because the very idea of someone driving his car made him sick, but he couldn’t help slipping into date mode as he pulled into the lane for valet parking. After he forced himself to hand over the keys to the teenager, who he seriously doubted could handle such a large vehicle in the cramped parking structures of the city, he climbed out of the car.

  “You look like you’re about to be sick,” said Sam as she set a hand on his arm.

  Derek looked down to where she touched him and snapped out of his worry. “I haven’t had much sleep the past few days.” He set a hand at the small of her back and led her toward the door. His mind screamed reminders that they were here for professional reasons, but his arm wasn’t really listening to his mind at the moment. And Sam leaned into him and he didn’t fight it as he led her in. One of the valet guys opened the door for them, which meant Derek didn’t have to let go of her.

  He was close enough to smell her shampoo. Something feminine. Floral maybe. It was the little things like that which made him remember how long it had been since he’d been with a woman. Besides the mystical encounter with Sam, he was running on a dry streak of almost a year. Normally that would be driving him crazy, but he’d been to
o distracted over the past few months to even think about calling up one of his usual casual hookups.

  And after his night with Sam, no casual hookup would compare.

  Once they were inside the lobby, it was easy to follow the signs to the escalator that led to the floor where the reception was being held. There was a collection of formally dressed guests milling around a bar area in the hallway, but Derek led Sam past. “We need to get some good seats first. The trick is to not sit in the very back because then you appear antisocial. But you want to sit close enough to the door that you can actually be antisocial.”

  Sam smiled as they made their way to a table one over from the exit, and he was already about to move the napkin onto the seat when he heard his name being called.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  “Someone you don’t want to talk to?”

  He followed the direction of the voice and saw Voss standing next to a table at the very front of the room. “If you claim a table before you see anyone you know, you don’t have to sit with them.” Voss was already waving them over.

  “We can tell him that we’re sitting with friends,” offered Sam. “Shouldn’t you try to sit with Reyes?”

  Derek shook his head. “No. You said you needed to mingle for your wizard detector thing to work. Might as well start now.”

  “I have to mingle but you don’t. I don’t want to be a pain.”

  Derek didn’t answer. She was a pain in so many ways, but if she were easy, she wouldn’t be her.

  “Isn’t that Mayor Ramsey over there?” she asked.

  Sure enough, next to Voss was a short but arrogant man Derek had only met on the briefest occasions. And to make it worse, the mayor’s wife sat at the table that Voss was waving them toward. He figured he’d have to make a few moments’ worth of small talk, but this was going to be his own version of hell.

  This whole wizard hunt thing might be the only thing to save him from this hellish night. He didn’t want to think about going through all this alone. Unintentionally, his hand was back around Sam’s waist. She gave him a questioning look but didn’t pull away, which was good because they were just approaching the table as the DJ began playing classical music.

  “I was worried you weren’t going to make it,” said Voss with a slight bit of warning in his tone.

  “It was a late day,” said Derek, holding back that Voss should know better than anyone why he was late.

  Mayor Ramsey was sitting at the table now, talking softly to his wife, and Derek noted that three other chairs were marked off. Voss accounted for one, but since his divorce two years ago, he’d never brought plus ones to these things.

  So at least two other people were at the table.

  “Nice to see you again.” Sam held out the hand with the bracelet and Voss quickly shook it.

  “Ms. Harris. What a pleasant surprise.” And Voss did look surprised. He gave Derek a quick approving smile and Derek hoped like hell that Sam hadn’t noticed it.

  “Pierce!” said Mayor Ramsey, as though he had only just realized Derek was there. “So glad you’re here.” He motioned toward Derek as his wife stood. “Gale, this is Detective Pierce. He’s one of the main reasons we’re all here tonight.”

  Gale Ramsey leaned over the table and Derek shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure,” said Derek.

  “Oh no, the pleasure is mine. It makes me feel so secure to know that brave souls like you are keeping our city safe from disturbed souls like that man.”

  He could feel Sam tense up next to him.

  Ramsey must’ve noticed too. “I’m happy you brought a guest, too. Sometimes we forget that our officers have personal lives.” He grinned.

  “That’s funny. With the amount he works, I’m surprised he has any life at all.” Sam was smiling but the bite to her words was undeniable. He gave her a quick squeeze on her hip in warning. It was easy for her to trade barbs with Ramsey, but he would have to suffer any consequences of a pissed-off mayor.

  “The city is safer than it has been in decades,” said Ramsey. “This wouldn’t be possible without my men out there on the front lines.”

  Derek could see the small indent where she was biting her cheek to keep from saying anything, so he jumped in to save her. “So where is the man of the hour?”

  Voss looked around the room. “Reyes was here a few minutes ago. Probably grabbing a drink.”

  “We should do that too,” said Derek. “Want anything from the bar?” He might not be great at small talk, but he knew that bringing someone a drink was the best way to get on anyone’s side.

  “I just had one of the waitstaff run to get me a Scotch. I’m sure he can get you something too,” said Ramsey.

  As far as Derek knew, there were no waiters serving drinks, but Derek figured the mayor went by different rules. “It’s a short walk. I’ll be right back.”

  “I don’t like him,” said Sam as soon as they were out of hearing distance.

  “If it makes you feel better, he probably doesn’t like you either.”

  They made it outside of the ballroom and Derek looked down at her bracelet. “Any tingles?”

  “We just got here.”

  “And I already want to leave.”

  “Sorry. Nothing.” Sam glanced around the room and he wondered what she thought about the crowd. Not exactly the A-list she was probably used to despite the political company at the table.

  “Why were you so nice to him?” asked Sam.

  It took him a second to realize she was back to talking about the mayor. “Because he can fire me in a second?”

  “If they don’t want you, you can get another job. Find another way to help people.”

  “I like what I do. I’m good at it. If I have to kiss ass with a few politicians to keep my job, I’ll pucker up.”

  “So the mayor is your boss. This entire thing is to honor you, right? Take it as a chance to speak your mind for a change.”

  “We’re not here for me. We’re here because Reyes will never be able to walk again, and to assuage their guilt, the city is giving him a meaningless medal that he can carry with him while his life goes to shit.”

  “I get it. He is in a wheelchair. But that isn’t exactly a death sentence.”

  Derek pointed across the room to a pretty blonde wearing a blue dress that was even shorter than Sam’s. The woman giggled loudly at whatever the man she was leaning against said as she took another drink. “That’s Christine Reyes.”

  Sam nodded knowingly. “I’m guessing from your tone you don’t mean his slutty sister?”

  “As far as I know, they had a happy marriage before this. But while he was in the hospital, rumors started to go around.”

  A smirk curled Sam’s mouth. “Derek. Tell me you’re not the office gossip.”

  “I hear it, I don’t usually share it.” He smiled. “Rumor has it that she was screwing around with Kevin Carlson over there within the week.”

  “If she was, that means their marriage was never as happy as everyone was letting on.”

  “Either way, it’s safe to say his life has been going downhill fast.”

  Christine Reyes’s laugher got louder and Sam’s disgust was evident. “The both of them should be ashamed of themselves.”

  “I think the word shameless was made for situations like this.”

  “No wonder Reyes isn’t around.”

  Music started from behind them in the ballroom and some of the guests started to pick up their drinks and head back inside. “We should hit the bar,” said Sam. “Sometimes they close them once people start speaking.”

  “I’m not drinking.”

  “But I thought—”

  “I lied. I am willing to kiss Ramsey’s ass, but I don’t have to be honest. I’ll probably be working tonight and I need to be sharp.”

  “You need to sleep tonight.”

  “I need to do both. Can’t win ’em all. Besides, the real reason I have to be on eggshells around Ramsey is because he wants move
ment on the missing leg case and I have jack shit to give him after two days. The press is giving him grief about it and he’s made it very clear that if his office takes a hit, it’s my ass on the line.”

  Sam shook her head. “That guy’s a dick.”

  Derek leaned in closer. “You’re not going to do any of that mumbo jumbo on him, are you?”

  “You didn’t seriously just say mumbo jumbo....”

  “That’s evading the question. Promise me you’re not going to do any mind control tricks.”

  “I’m not that good at mind control.”

  “Promise me you’re not going to try.”

  Sam sighed as she shifted her weight. “Fine. I promise. I’m going to the bar to see if this goes off.” She held up the hand with the bracelet. “I’ll get you a water. That will give me time to put on my obedient face before we see dickhead again.”

  “Atta girl.” Derek could immediately tell Sam wasn’t amused by his choice of words.

  “Don’t get used to it. My obedient face never lasts long.”

  Sam laughed and complimented the older officer next to her at the bar, saying something about how she liked the pattern on his tie. It wasn’t a lie. Her mother had taught her early on that you could always find something nice to say to someone, and people responded well to honest compliments. It was an easy way to get close to people, and if she was talking to someone, it made it easier to accidently bump into other guests in line to see whether her bracelet gave her any warning.

  So far there was nothing, but at least she was eliminating people. No news was still something.

  Once she had her diet soda and Derek’s water, she said a quick good-bye and turned around. Derek was still leaning against the wall, watching her, but she was there for a reason. She took the long way around the hallway outside the ballroom, walking close to as many people as possible, but the bracelet still did nothing.

  This was a long shot. That she’d find anyone tainted by the darkness at this particular party wasn’t exactly likely, but she’d promised Claudia she’d look into it. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun with it.

  As Sam skirted the perimeter of the hallway, she gave her step a little wobble before she bumped her shoulder into Christina Reyes. Derek’s water sloshed out of the glass and onto Christina’s blue dress.