"We don’t mind," Kate answered, her voice sounding a little too high. "We will be looking for admin and reception staff to cover all the bases. I think we might have slight problems with vampires, due to the opening hours; other than that, we will leave the choice of creatures up to you."
My palms were damp with sweat and I kept looking at Kelsie, trying to let her know that she should continue distracting him. An odd, cold chill coursed through the air. Fiorillo didn’t seem to notice anything unusual; he was too busy eye-fucking Kel, who seemed to have gotten the message. Fiorillo and I had met once briefly, years ago, before I ever considered going into recruitment. I didn’t want to mention this to the girls—I doubted very much that he remembered me.
"StaffSpell has a great reputation." Kel smiled, fluttering her long, black eyelashes. His expression changed slightly. He wasn't buying our pathetic story, and I didn’t like the way he was staring at us. He shifted in the chair and his crystal blue eyes focused on me. His gaze was penetrating and unnerving, like he knew what I was thinking.
“I'm sorry, I didn’t catch your name?" he asked.
"Lisa Watkins," I replied, my chest heaving.
“I'm terribly sorry, but you remind me of someone, Miss. Watkins." He eyed me closely. "May I ask; have you been in the recruitment business before?"
"What makes you say that, Mr. Fiorillo?" Kate asked, her pupils dilated. Kel tossed her hair behind her, clearly hoping to catch his attention.
"Strange, but Miss Watkins, here, reminds me of a woman I thought I once knew," he replied, smiling. I was slowly beginning to lose my temper, sweating way too much. This conversation wasn't going as I’d planned. Most trolls I met or knew smelled. They were short and stocky. He was just too good looking to be a pure troll. He wasn't terribly short but even the way he was talking didn't reveal that he could carry some stereotypical genes.
I laughed softly, enduring the warmth of the air and the ambiance of the magic. Fiorillo made a growling sound. Suddenly, Kate was waving her magic wand way too fast for me to figure out what she was doing. Bright blue light blinded me, lifting me slightly off the floor but only for a split second or so. A long silence fell over the office; I flinched and exhaled sharply, my blouse stuck to my back.
“C'mon we need to be sitting back in case the girls heard something," Kate ordered. A bead of sweat rolled down her face and her cheeks were flushed.
"Damn, girl, you know how to roll." Kelsie smirked, sitting back in the chair. I scanned around and looked back at Fiorillo; his eyes were closed. I had no idea what Kate had done to him, but we had to be quick with our interrogation. As Kate predicted, there was a loud knock and, within that moment, Fiorillo opened his eyes.
"Is everything all right? I heard an odd noise," the elf asked, peering through the door.
"Everything is fine, Marcia, leave us," he ordered.
She hesitated for a split second, looking around for something out of the ordinary before she closed the door behind her.
My pulse was skyrocketing. "What the hell happened, Kate?" I hissed.
"I used a grooming spell," she explained. "Our creepy friend here, is under our control. He will tell us everything we need to know, but we’ve only got a few minutes. He’s fighting it off, but I'm holding it for now."
"Great," I muttered.
"This guy doesn’t stink, he can’t be a real troll," Kel whispered, shaking her head.
"It doesn’t matter. We really haven’t got the time for this debate. Julia, start with your questions before I wipe his memory," Kate said, keeping her magic wand on alert. Fiorillo’s lids were half closed; his head cocked to the side.
"Bear in mind that this spell is illegal; if we’re caught, then that’s two years behind bars," Kate added nervously.
"So, why are you telling me this now?" I hissed, horrified. I could probably ruin my dad’s career with the police if I got caught. My life would be over.
She shrugged. "You didn’t ask before."
"Come on, Julia, just get on with it. We haven’t got all day," Kel complained, rolling her eyes.
They didn’t pay much attention to the fact that we could have gotten into a lot trouble over this. My father would go mental if he knew what I was doing right now. I sat directly in front of Fiorillo, hoping that he was still charmed.
"Mr. Fiorillo," I began, as his gaze fixated on the wall. I didn’t have to wait long for his response, because he immediately shifted his eyes and looked at me. "Tell me what you know about the disappearance of Rufus Humphries."
"I arranged a meeting with Rufus Humphries in London a few weeks ago."
Suddenly, the air left the room and I thought I’d lost the ability to breathe. I exchanged a nervous look with Kate and then continued with a cracking voice. "Tell us why you were supposed to meet Rufus."
"He didn’t want to meet me. He kept avoiding my phone calls, then finally answered after a few weeks and agreed to see me. My boss asked to investigate if La Caz would be willing to budge and switch agencies. Paranormal Personnel was making money and we were struggling."
"What happened then?" I asked, feeling that this was exactly what we were looking for; that I was right, the contract with Nathaniel was extremely valuable. It was obvious that StaffSpell was willing to do anything to take over.
"Rufus and I worked together previously. He knew me well, although he didn’t like me. A few years ago, I did something for him; I felt that it was time to return that favour."
My stomach flipped, and the awkward silence whipped around; for a long moment, I could only hear our shallow breaths. Kel was by the door in case someone thought it was too quiet inside. When we decided to interrogate Fiorillo, I didn’t expect to hear that Rufus was willing to sell information about La Caz Pharmaceutical to our rivals. He would never do anything like that; he loved working for Paranormal Personnel.
"What happened after that? Did you manage to see Rufus?" I whispered, afraid to hear the rest.
"We agreed to meet somewhere away from the city, in the country, close to one of the pubs in a village called, Condridge," he explained in the same low voice. I swallowed hard, remembering what my dad told me a few days ago.
"He’s telling you the truth. Dad said that Rufus’s car had been found in a ditch somewhere outside London," I whispered to my friends. "Dad also said that Rufus was in Manchester only for a few days and then he was back in London."
Kate took over. "What happened when you got there? Who else knew about this meeting?"
“I've been asked to keep this quiet," Fiorillo replied. "I parked my car by the pub between the trees, so I could see if Rufus was going to show up. I wanted to make sure we were going to be alone and no one followed him; I waited until he walked into the pub. He turned up half an hour later. I was just about to walk up to him when I saw two cars pulling up. A few trolls surrounded him; he didn’t stand a chance. He tried to fight, but there were too many of them."
I sank back into my chair, thinking about calling my dad, but I waved that thought away quickly. Rufus had been trapped. Someone must have known he was going to be there.
"Who were the people that took him?" I asked.
"I didn't know any of them. They were strangers."
"He didn't even help him. I can’t believe this," I said, looking from Kate to Kel.
"Tell us what happened after that," Kate demanded, looking a little disturbed by the news.
"They dragged him away and then someone took his car."
My brain was like a sponge, trying to process all that we heard. This bastard saw everything and chose to keep quiet. I couldn’t believe it.
"Holy macaroni, Julia! You were right about this," Kel said after a long moment of silence. We needed to know more, so I turned to face him again.
“What's the name of your boss? Are you talking about the giant who owns StaffSpell?" I asked, but Fiorillo looked like he was going to be sick. His face went pale and he tensed; his shoulders rising rapidly.
"Th
e spell is fading. You guys need to go now. If you wait for me outside, I’ll sort this out," Kate said, standing up with her magic wand.
"Can you keep him a bit longer, I need to know—"
"Julia, it’s too late. I can’t hold him any longer. Leave, otherwise we’ll be fucked," she hissed. Kelsie dragged me away. I wanted to help Kate, but she was right; we risked a lot already coming to the office. And from the stories I knew, I shouldn’t interfere when a witch was in a trance of magic. Besides, I didn’t fancy going to prison.
I told Marcia that our partner was completing the paperwork with Mr. Fiorillo. She bought my story but didn’t seem happy that she was ignored earlier on. Kate joined us five minutes later, looking slightly flushed. Kelsie left ahead of me, bringing her car around while I waited. Once we were all outside, safe and sound, I could breathe again.
"What did you do to him?" I asked, looking at Kate. Her purple hair was static, and her rosy cheeks only confirmed that she’d been creating spells only a moment ago.
"I wiped his memory and created a strong impression that the meeting with us went really well," she said. "But this is messed up, Julia. Why on earth would Rufus talk to our rivals?"
“I've got no idea. This bastard saw Rufus kidnapped and he chose not to say anything. But it seems pretty simple—he set up the meeting with Rufus, someone found out, so they had the perfect opportunity to snatch him away," I said, chewing my lower lip.
"I don’t want to sound like a bitch," Kelsie said, "But I think your boss was trying to make a deal on the side; meeting the enemy to discuss a precious contract in the middle of the night. This just doesn't add up."
Rufus was a great boss and had never shown that he could do something like that, but I couldn’t disagree with her over what we’d just heard. "We need to dig deeper and find out who Fiorillo’s boss is," I said, feeling deflated. I respected Rufus, so I couldn’t quite believe he would do something like that.
"We need to be careful from now on. We don’t want any trouble with the police," Kate said, polishing her wand. "I don’t want to sound shallow, but my memory spell is excellent."
I couldn’t help but agree with her; the effects of the grooming spell could have been dangerous, but we were lucky that Kate was such a skilled witch. We planned to discuss what we heard today at work. Kelsie gave me a lift home, after she dropped Kate off.
"Kel, listen, I appreciate you helping us and I’ll understand if you want to keep away from all this."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, wrinkling her forehead.
"I shouldn’t have dragged you into this."
"I had fun, so don’t worry about it." She waved her hand. "That’s what friends do."
Chapter 8
Dinner and sourness.
"Thank you, again. I don’t think we could’ve pulled this off without you," I said, thinking about Rufus and Nathaniel. We were outside my apartment.
"I always get myself into trouble," she said. "Stop me if you think that I’m talking some sentimental crap, but I got the impression that we have a connection."
She was right; although we’d just met, we got on really well.
“It's not sentimental crap; I would love to have a friend like you," I said, smiling. Kelsie looked moved, even if she was trying really hard to hide it. We decided to see each other again, and exchanged numbers. Kelsie was a shifter; she probably had a completely different lifestyle but that didn’t mean we couldn’t be friends. I promised to be in touch soon.
Once I got to my apartment I made a quick dinner, thinking about Rufus. I tried to ease the thoughts about what happened today, but I was still shaking once I finished eating. Rufus never struck me as the kind of guy who was dishonest. I refused to believe that he could sell information about La Caz Pharmaceutical to StaffSpell. Caleb McGregor was the key to everything that had been going on—I just knew it—but Dad didn’t back up my theory. For some reason, McGregor hated Nathaniel, and if it wasn't for me, he would’ve had a prospective business still hunting down fairies and elves for their blood. I couldn’t switch my mind off, even when I went to bed an hour later.
The next few days passed in a blur. After another sleepless night, I was exhausted. Kate tried to avoid conversation about StaffSpell in front of Sara. After what went on with Jennifer, we weren't sure who we could trust. I’d never had a strong relationship with Kate, but Rufus’s disappearance brought us closer. The day ahead of me was going to be hectic, so I was glad to relax once all the clients were taken care of. My phone rang just after I filled my stomach; it was a private number, but I answered anyway, hoping that maybe it was important.
"Julia."
Nathaniel’s smooth voice sent an inescapable shiver down my spine. I hadn't had time to think about him in the past few days. Hearing his voice reminded me that he’d invited me for a dinner party. I had enough problems already and I didn’t need another one.
"Hi, Nathaniel," I breathed. "What can I do for you?"
I knew why he was calling, but I wanted to tease him for a little while. The dinner with powerful business clients could only give me more connections, but I didn’t think I was ready to expand our base of clients while Rufus was missing. Nathaniel had no idea what was going on.
“I'm calling to remind you about our little dinner. You’ll be happy with the people that I invited."
"Yes, right. Where are you hosting it?" I asked, keeping my voice indifferent.
"My apartment, this Saturday. I only invited a few people, nothing fancy."
"Great, I’ll be there with a date." I was playing a dangerous game; the fire between us was still alive but I wasn't prepared to forget how he left my apartment just over a month ago.
"I was hoping you were joking when you said you were going to bring someone," he said coldly.
"I don’t see any problem mixing business with pleasure."
"Of course, I remember well how we liked mixing those two things together," he whispered and the lust in his words curled my toes.
"If you expect me to come, then you need to accept that I’m bringing a date."
"Fine, whatever, Julia, but you’ll never find anyone who can replace me. The dinner starts tomorrow at eight o’clock."
I was just about to ask him about the dress code, but I realised the line had been disconnected. I tossed the phone on my desk, chewing my bottom lip. I pissed him off a little and I should’ve been happy, but I was worried. Nathaniel didn’t just give up—he was stubborn and determined. If I showed up at his apartment with Loony, I knew I would be looking for trouble.
Besides, I had no idea if Loony would be willing to go out with me again. I never called him back after our terrible date. Feeling a little guilty for giving him mixed signals earlier on, I dialled his number.
"Loony Crocker speaking."
"Hi, Loony, it’s Julia Taylor," I said cheerfully.
"Julia, wow! I'm glad you called. How are you?"
The tiny voice in my head was telling me I was becoming one of those women that used a man to piss off another one; it was sad. "Fantastic. Listen, I was just wondering what you’re doing tomorrow evening?"
"I don’t have plans, why? Do you have something in mind?"
"Well, I need to go to this really boring business dinner and I was wondering if you would like to come with me?"
"That sounds good."
"Really? It will be dull, though."
"It won’t be boring as long as you’ll be there," he said, and I blushed a little, even though he couldn’t see it. So, his obvious crush on me didn’t magically fade.
"Great, thank you, Loony. It starts at eight."
“I'll pick you up at seven, then."
I was smiling again when I put my phone down. Last time I saw Nathaniel, he’d kissed me senseless, and I loved it, but this time I’d have Loony with me; I thought it was better to be safe than sorry.
* * *
Dressing for a date was easy, but dressing for a posh dinner at my ex-boyfriend
’s apartment was a struggle. He had to see what he was missing out on. After careful consideration, I opted for a sleeveless, red knit bandage dress with matching stilettos. I looked hot and the dress showcased all my curves. Loony had no idea that Nathaniel La Caz, the famous business tycoon, used to date me, and I wanted to keep it that way.
My elf was waiting for me outside my apartment just after seven. When I got into his car he gave me a quick kiss on a cheek. He looked good wearing a grey shirt and trousers; I had to admit I liked his aftershave.
"You look stunning, Julia," he whispered in my ear.
"Thank you."
"So, what kind of dinner is it?".
"A friend of mine is hosting it. He’s going to introduce me to a few very important potential clients," I replied, feeling a little breathless.
"Right, interesting. May I ask why you wanted to bring me?" he asked, staring at me intensely.
He threw me off guard asking about our previous disastrous dinner date. I was terrible; I hadn’t even called him and let Nicky deal with it.
"Loony, listen, I’m sorry I didn't call. I didn’t think that it could work out between us." I had to be honest with him.
“Don't worry about it. I'm glad you called last night. We can start again," he said. "Where are we going?"
"Canary Wharf."
Loony pulled an impressed face, but he didn’t comment. My stomach was churning, and magic crawled around my skin, slowly waking up.
Half an hour later, we managed to get through the gate. I remembered Nathaniel’s apartment well enough; he’d rescued me from the Christmas party after someone slipped something into my wine and I ended up falling asleep. Sticky, warm lust embraced me when I thought about our first night together. I’d never felt so connected to anyone. Too bad we exploded when we were too close to each other.
Soon, contractions in my stomach turned into butterflies as the door opened. One of the caterers stood beside the door. Loony looked surprised at the setting, but recovered quickly when he picked up two glasses of champagne, handing one to me. Nathaniel’s apartment was crowded. The setting—the art, and everything else—was exactly as I remembered, luxurious and rich. I was planning to leave Loony and start pitching as soon as I could, so we could leave early.
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