by Jaye Wells
She paused and looked at me. “We good?”
I thought about it for a moment. About fighting the fight and taking what I wanted instead of denying myself all the time. I nodded slowly. “Yeah, we’re good.” She smiled and turned to go. “But, sir?”
She looked back with her brows raised.
“I can’t promise I won’t stop being a pain in your ass.”
She laughed. “I’d be disappointed if you did, Prospero.”
“Good night, sir.”
Once she shuffled off to bed, I rose from the table. I took the mugs and put them in the sink. Dried my hands on a dish towel and carefully hung it from the handle of the oven.
Under the sink, I found a pair of the rubber gloves Baba always wore when she washed dishes. I stuck them in my back pocket along with a zip-top bag. The backpack I’d dropped when I’d helped Mez into the house was still there.
The hallway outside my bedroom was dark. No light came from under the door, which indicated Gardner had indeed kept her promise to go to sleep. I carefully opened the linen closet door. Kneeling down, I pulled out the old comforter that usually sat in the floor of the closet. I removed the pin light from the carabiner on the outside of my backpack. I fumbled a couple of times for the latch, but once my fingers found it the trapdoor opened easily. Inside the hole, I shone the light on the keypad for the safe and entered my code. The door popped open.
I pulled on the rubber gloves before I opened the lid the rest of the way. Inside, there was a small wad of bills, Danny’s and my birth certificates, and a couple of items that had belonged to my mother—things I didn’t want found if our house ever got robbed.
I hesitated before removing a small velvet box. I hadn’t looked at its content in years. But after the night’s revelations, I couldn’t resist. The lid cracked open to reveal a necklace that had belonged to my mother. The pendant was shaped like a star and set with rubies. According to my mom, a favorite client had given it to her. She’d worn that necklace every day I knew her. I should have buried her wearing it, but I couldn’t. She left so little of herself behind when she died, I’d refused to bury the necklace, too.
I let out a shuddering breath and closed the box. I started to put it back in the safe, but something stopped me. Maybe it was that I’d hidden it away for so many years because it was a reminder of my guilt. But now that I knew I was not responsible for her death, I found myself wanting to keep it near me as a reminder—a totem of my new purpose. I had spent too many years avoiding reminders of her because they were too painful, but now I wanted to keep her close to my heart, where she belonged.
I tucked the box into my right hand. Using my left, I reached into the backpack and removed what was about to become the most precious item in my safe.
Before I’d left the ship, I’d told Gardner I’d dispose of the gun that killed Hector Souza. At the time, I’d intended to throw it in Lake Erie before leaving the docks. But when I left the boat, I’d been so pissed off it had slipped my mind.
I pointed the light at the black metal. If Volos ever found out I still had this gun, my life expectancy would diminish rapidly.
You don’t like the game, change the rules.
I looked down at my hands. In my right, I held a symbol of my past, and in my left, the key to my future. There was an odd sort of equilibrium to the moment, as if the scales were already beginning to balance.
I slid the gun into the plastic bag and zipped it up tight. Then I buried it under the documents and cash to wait for the day John Volos learned the hard way that no one fucked over a Prospero.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Three days later Danny and I exited Sybil and began the walk up to the doors of Meadowlake Prep. The temperature still required a jacket, but winter’s harsh bite had softened into spring’s warm kiss. I looked up at the blue sky and inhaled the dewy air. Along the base of the school’s flagpole, a handful of yellow crocuses were struggling to raise their faces to the sun.
We were almost at the door when my phone rang. Duffy’s number. I held up a finger to Danny to give me a sec and answered it. “What’s up, Detective?”
“Prospero.” His tone wasn’t friendly. Uh-oh. “You got a minute?”
Danny crossed his arms and shot me an impatient look, but I ignored it. Something in Duffy’s tone had started a warning signal flashing behind my eyes. “Yeah. What’s wrong?”
His sigh carried over the line. “I’ve been closing up the paperwork on the Pantera Souza murders.”
“Okay,” I said slowly.
“Why was Grace Cho investigating you?”
My stomach dropped. “I told you, she wanted to interview me because I’m an Adept cop.”
The sound of his chair squeaking carried through the phone. “The cops who searched her house for evidence linking Souza to Cho found her notes on you. Are you aware she was working on a theory that you’ve illegally used dirty magic to solve cases for the MEA?”
“No.”
“Maybe it’s nothing.”
“Of course it’s nothing. She was desperate for any sort of angle to use on me.”
“I just find it peculiar, is all. But that’s not the only thing that has me scratching my head. Did you know that Puck Simmons has an alibi for the night Pantera Souza was murdered?”
I started to curse, but remembered Danny’s presence. “Are you telling me you’re releasing him?”
“He said he was at his girlfriend’s house, but she denied it.”
I frowned. “Really? That’s odd.”
“Not really. One of our undercovers is reporting that Puck’s girlfriend is now running the Votary Coven.”
“You’re joking.”
“It’s peculiar, don’t you think? Makes me wonder if maybe we got the wrong guy for that murder.”
“It’s your case, Duffy. Why don’t you investigate it?”
He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Once Puck’s in the can, the cartel will have him eating a shiv within a day. If I was a conspiracy nut, I might think that Puck’s a sacrificial lamb.”
“Listen, I—”
“And thinking about that got me remembering how you assaulted your uncle in prison.”
I paused, trying to keep up with his mercurial switches in topics. “What’s your point, Duffy?”
“No particular point, I suppose. Just been pondering things.” He paused. “Tell me, why weren’t you, Gardner, or Kichiri Ren with the rest of your team the night Pantera Souza died?”
Danny sighed and pointed at his watch. I thrust a finger in the air.
“I’m in the middle of something, Duffy. Family stuff. Maybe you should take this up with Gardner.”
“I assure you she’s the next call I’m making. I just wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself.”
“I don’t need to explain myself to you.”
“You’re mighty defensive.”
I huffed out a breath. “And you’re mighty presumptuous calling me with accusations.”
“Didn’t accuse you of a thing. Just letting you know I’ve noticed some troubling patterns. And that I’ll be watching.”
“Thanks for the heads-up,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ve got to go now.” I punched the End button and stared at the phone for a moment.
“Who was that?” Danny’s eyes were wide with concern. I cleared my throat and pushed the anxiety down before dragging my gaze from the cell to look at him.
“Just a guy.”
“Are you in trouble, Kate?”
I looked over at my brother. “I don’t think so.” Duffy didn’t have shit. He wouldn’t have called me if he had evidence that I’d broken the law. He just wanted to fish a little and see if he could get me to bite on one of his theories. Still, I shot a quick text to Gardner telling her Duffy might be calling with questions about the Souza murder and promised I’d call her later to discuss what he said.
That done, I blew out a long, slow breath. It eased some of the tightness in my
chest, but not all of it. I wondered if it ever would totally go away.
“Kate?” Danny’s tone was impatient. “Come on.”
I couldn’t blame him his eagerness to get inside. When Principal Anderson’s secretary had called, she’d refused to tell me what the meeting was about. I had a feeling I knew, but I didn’t mention it to Danny because I didn’t want him to get his hopes up. “Listen, play it cool in there, okay? Let me do the talking.”
He tilted his head and shot me a look full of teenage scorn. “I’m not a toddler, Katie.”
Despite his petulant tone, he was right. The kid stood taller than me now, and his body had somehow morphed from that of a gawky teen into that of a young man seemingly overnight. But it wasn’t the broadening and lengthening of his body that concerned me. Instead, it was his eyes. The events of the last couple of weeks had removed some of the light from those baby blues.
I hated that. I had hoped to protect him as long as possible from some of the harsher realities of the world. That’s why I’d fought against him learning magic. Even though it would have been tempting to say I’d been right after he used a potion against Pierce Rebis, I didn’t feel smug. Something told me that even if Danny hadn’t had access to magic, he would have found some other way to punish Pierce for hurting Luna.
“No, you’re not a toddler.” I wanted to go to him and smooth down the lock of hair dancing in the spring breeze, but I knew he’d reject it. “But you’re also not an adult. So let me do the talking. Okay?”
He nodded reluctantly. “Let’s go.”
A few moments later we walked into Principal Anderson’s office. To my relief, Brad Hart wasn’t in the room, but Pen was. She smiled tightly when we entered. When I raised my brows to ask for some hint of what was coming, she shook her head.
My stomach dipped, but I turned to greet Anderson with a smile.
He didn’t shake my proffered hand. He simply nodded toward the two empty chairs. “Please sit.”
Once we were settled, I shot a reassuring look to Danny. I knew he was hoping he’d be reinstated at the school, but I didn’t want him getting his hopes up.
“Thank you for coming today,” Anderson said. “I know some harsh words were said the other day, but I’m hoping we can put that behind us and move forward.”
“I’m not sure I understand how it’s possible to move forward when Danny has already been expelled.”
A pained expression passed over Anderson’s face. “You have to understand, Detective, my hands were tied. If I didn’t expel Danny, Anton Rebis would have pressed charges against him.”
I raised a brow. “And he would have withdrawn his generous donations, right?”
“Worse.” Anderson shook his head. “He would have sued us. Even if we’d been able to win the suit, our reputation would have been destroyed.”
“Nice to know your reputation is more important than the kids you teach. You threw Danny under the bus instead of standing up to a bully.”
Anderson’s face paled and he cleared his throat. “As I said, mistakes were made. I’d like a chance to rectify that, if you’ll agree.”
I crossed my arms. “Agree to what, exactly?”
Anderson shot a quick look toward Pen before returning his gaze to me. “Rebis has changed his mind. If we reinstate Danny, he won’t sue us or press charges against any of the parties involved.”
“Yes!” Danny pumped a fist.
“Hold on,” I said to the kid. To Anderson, I said, “What changed?” But I knew. I knew what—or rather, who—had orchestrated Rebis’s change of heart.
Anderson shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “It would seem you have friends in higher places than Anton Rebis, Detective.”
He glanced down at the newspaper on the desk. I leaned forward and saw John Volos’s face smoldering at me from the front page. The headline read “Babylon Celebrates Heroic Mayor.” A story to the side of the main one showed a picture of Puck being led into the precinct in cuffs.
My lip curled. “John Volos is not my friend.”
The principal’s mouth curled down in confusion. “Regardless, he considers you one. He called me this morning and assured me that he’d consider it a personal favor if we allowed Danny to rejoin the Meadowlake family.”
My gaze swerved toward Pen. Her expression was grim. She didn’t know what had gone down in the ship, but she knew my feelings about Volos wedging himself into my life.
Oblivious to Pen’s expression or the tension coiling my body for a fight, Danny smiled widely at the principal. “That’s awesome!”
Danny had always idolized Volos. When we’d dated, the kid had always treated John like the dad he’d never had, and, later, after Volos steamrolled back into our life, he’d saved Danny’s life and encouraged him to learn magic. And now this.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“Aw, c’mon, Kate,” Danny said. “John just fixed everything. Now I don’t have to go to a new school.” I was pretty sure his enthusiasm had more to do with being able to stay near Luna than excitement over Meadowlake’s excellent academics.
I gripped my fists in my lap. Volos hadn’t just managed to fix everything for Danny, he’d also put me in an impossible bind—again. If I refused to let the kid back into that school, I’d take the fall as the bad guy. But if I accepted the favor, I’d be in Volos’s debt.
“Danny, it’s not that simple.” I glanced at Anderson. “I’m not sure this is the sort of environment I want influencing you anymore. Besides, how long will it be until Pierce Rebis decides he wants revenge?”
Anderson met my gaze steadily. “According to Mayor Volos, Pierce is being sent to a military boarding school out of state.”
My brows rose. It seemed Volos had thought of everything. Military school wasn’t as bad as prison, but since rape was incredibly hard to prove this far after the fact, the chances of Pierce getting time even if Luna had pressed charges were slim. At least this way, he was getting some sort of punishment rather than being able to resume his old life.
“The fact remains that your treatment of Danny was unfair and prejudicial. I’m not comfortable allowing him to spend more time here.”
Two red spots appeared on his cheeks. “Now, wait just a—”
I held up a hand. “No, you wait. You’ve said your piece. It’s now time for me to say mine.” I took a breath. “I know where Danny and I come from seems like it’s beneath you. I know that because you are not an Adept you find it hard to understand the challenges we face. But as an educator your job is to help all students—not just the privileged few—achieve their potential. Yet time and again all I have seen here is an interest in maintaining the status quo between the haves and the have-nots. You let a few disadvantaged kids in for appearance’s sake, and then you leave them to navigate social strata designed to punish the unprivileged.”
“That’s preposterous!” he sputtered.
“I bet if a rich girl had been raped you would have done something.” The words came from Danny’s mouth and were spoken with damning calm. I gaped at him. This was the first time he’d indicated he knew exactly what had happened to Luna.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Anderson blustered.
Pen crossed her arms. “You know exactly what he’s talking about.”
Anderson’s face was red, and a trickle of sweat rolled down his temple. “When you told me there might be an issue you didn’t tell me who the victim was, so don’t try to paint me as some sort of evil bigot here.”
Pen’s expression tightened into a disgusted slant. “With all due respect, sir, you can shove that up your ass. I told you who was accused and you told me to keep it quiet unless the girl decided to press charges.” She rose from her chair and faced her boss. “It’s up to Kate and Danny what they decide to do, but I am tendering my resignation.”
Anderson looked like a pressure cooker about to blow. “Get the hell out of my office.”
“Gladly,” Pen said. She wen
t to Danny, who looked shell-shocked. “Let’s go have a chat while they finish.”
He rose blindly, but before she could lead him out the door, he stopped and turned back. “Principal Anderson?”
The older man stopped and looked at Danny. “What is it?”
“My answer is no. I wouldn’t come back to this school if you paid me.” He looked at Pen. “Let’s go.”
As I watched my kid brother walk out with his head held high, pride blossomed in my chest. I’d thought I’d have a fight on my hands to convince the kid, but he’d gone and made the right decision for himself.
“But what am I going to tell the mayor?” Anderson sputtered.
I rose from my chair to follow Pen and Danny out, but before I did, I looked the principal in his eyes. “That’s not my problem.”
The principal’s mouth curled. “It’s for the best. We don’t need your sort of trash in this school.”
I laughed bitterly. “We may be trash, but at least we aren’t whores. I hope you have fun being under Volos’s thumb. I promise you won’t enjoy it when he fucks you over.”
None of us spoke until we were outside. The wind had picked up, and the American flag’s hooks rattled against the pole with a spastic dingdingding.
“Are you okay?” I asked Danny.
Before he could answer, the door to the school burst open and Luna ran out. “Danny!”
He turned and the frown on his face morphed into a radiant smile. “Luna?”
I grabbed Pen’s arm and pulled her away. “Let’s give them a minute.”
We walked toward the end of the walkway, leaving the teens near the flagpole. I glanced over Pen’s shoulder in time to see Luna throw herself into Danny’s arms. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head beneath his chin.
Emotion made my chest feel overly full. Pride, for sure, but also sadness. Like it or not, Danny wasn’t the little boy who needed his boo-boos kissed anymore. Now he was becoming a man who would be someone else’s soft place to land.
“They’re cute together,” Pen said.
I nodded. “I just hope he doesn’t get hurt. She’s got a lot of heavy shit going on.”
