by A. Blythe
“A guy like Vito deserved a special sendoff,” I said. And a special place in hell.
The roof of the hospital caved in and light exploded in front of us. It burned so brightly that I was forced to close my eyes. When I opened them again, a black halo had formed around the hospital.
“It’s like a black hole,” Thompson murmured. And it was going to act like one too.
Slowly the hospital began to fold in on itself as the black hole destroyed whatever matter was within its range. It crumbled and dissolved until there was nothing left. Not Vito. Not a single Ghul. Not even a brick. In front of us stood an empty lot.
“Damn Herb,” Thompson said. “That’s some badass magic you have.”
Herb collapsed in a heap in the grass and I knelt beside him. “Herb?”
No response. I checked his pulse. It was slow but there.
“That magic packed a powerful punch,” Reed said. “We should take him to Lana.”
I remained by his side, waiting for him to recover. “He and Pinky should train together. They make a good match.”
“Pinky seems to get stronger every day,” Reed observed. “Oscar won’t be able to handle her soon.”
It occurred to me that her strength was one of the reasons I felt so attached to her. She was to Oscar what I was to Prince Simdan. Too powerful for the men who wanted to dominate us. The difference with Pinky, though, was that Oscar had genuine affection for her, whereas Prince Simdan had nothing but contempt for me.
Herb stirred. “Did I do it?”
“Above and beyond,” I said. “See for yourself.”
He sat up and stared at the empty space. “It’s gone?”
“Completely,” Thompson said. “The city should pay you for saving them the trouble of removing the debris.”
“I didn’t mean to do that,” Herb said, scratching behind his ear. “How did it disappear?”
“You created some kind of miniature black hole,” I said. “It sucked everything up.”
Herb smiled. “Wow. How about that?”
“You didn’t know that would happen?” Reed queried, and I heard the concern in his voice.
“I knew the spell would blow it up,” Herb said. “I wanted to make sure the Ghuls couldn’t survive the blast.”
“I think you managed it,” Thompson said. “And I personally thank you for that.”
“I doubt it was every Ghul in the city,” I said regretfully.
“Still,” Thompson said. “It was a hell of a lot.”
It sure was.
18
It wasn’t the brightest move to visit Rocco Paretti right before I attempted to remove his boss from power, but I felt like I owed him one. Word would have reached him about Vito’s demise as well, and I didn’t want him to worry. He and I shared a deep affection for Rose, his former mage who was killed during an attack at the zoo. She’d worked for Rocco for years and was a wonderful person. Sometimes a black sedan would drive past me and I was sure I glimpsed her cropped white hair in the driver’s seat.
I pushed open the pizzeria door and strode past the counter with my game face on. His nephew was the only one there and didn’t bat an eye as I headed for Rocco’s office. Smart kid.
Rocco was seated behind his desk, cutting a chicken parm cutlet into pieces. Condensation from a large soda formed a wet ring on the wooden top of the desk.
“I’m having a flashback,” I said, as I breezed into the room.
Rocco glanced up at me without the slightest hint of surprise. Poker was definitely his game.
“Not quite,” Rocco said. “The first time we met, I was eating a meatball sub.”
I was taken aback. “You remember?”
“Don’t be too flattered,” he said. “It was the first time I met Farah, remember? A man don’t forget what he was eating the first time he met the girl he wanted to marry.”
My heart sank. He was still devoted to her, even after she dumped him.
“She and Lucky are going strong, I hear,” he said in a casual tone.
I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but I knew it was necessary in this case. “They are. I have to be honest, Rocco, I think Luciano is a good choice for her. You’re a great guy and she definitely liked you, but I’ve never seen her like this before.”
He clutched his chest. “Ouch. Not even willing to humor an old guy like me, huh?”
“It wouldn’t do you any good to think you had a chance,” I said.
He sighed and stopped chewing. “She’s a wonderful girl. I want her to be happy.”
“Then know that she is.” I took the empty seat. “I’m not here to talk about Farah, though.”
“I figured. Your face is too serious.” He inclined his head. “You had something to do with what happened to Vito, didn’t you?”
I ignored the question. “Rocco, I’m here to give you inside information. What you do with it is up to you.”
He eyed me carefully as he wiped the sauce from his chin. “I’m listening.”
“There’s going to be a shakeup coming,” I said. “You guys will be the most affected.”
“The crime syndicate?”
I nodded. “If I were you, I’d get my ducks in a row and prepare for big changes. Maybe firm up your team. Squirrel away your assets. Maybe even consider a career change.”
He tapped his chubby fingers on the desk. “And Farah? Will she be involved in this…change?”
I needed to answer carefully. I couldn’t risk any details getting back to the Dragon.
“I’d like to keep friends as far from the blowback as possible.” I hesitated. “It’s one of the reasons I’m coming to you now. I like you, Rocco. I want you to steer clear and lay low until the dust settles.”
“How much time do I got?” he asked.
“Tomorrow night,” I said.
He exhaled. “You don’t give a guy much time.”
“I couldn’t afford to,” I said honestly. “I’m taking a huge risk talking to you now.”
“Why warn me?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you be better off without the crime syndicate? I mean, we’re all about committing crimes. It’s right there in the name.”
He had a point. The crime syndicate profited from fear and intimidation. That would have to change. One step at a time, though.
“Too much of a power vacuum,” I said. “Besides, you’re not all bad guys. There’s still hope.” In fact, I’d become fond of a number of them—Rocco, Luciano, Niko. These were good men making bad choices. If we could rearrange their priorities, the world would be a better place for it.
Rocco nodded. “I appreciate your candor.” He raised his bottle of soda. “Salut.”
I hesitated. “The fact that you still asked about Farah despite everything is why I decided to come to you with this information,” I admitted. “You have a good heart, Rocco. I want you to live long enough to meet someone who appreciates it.”
“I hope I survive whatever’s coming,” he said. “I got no interest in dying a bachelor.”
“It won’t come to that,” I said. “If you trust what I’m telling you, then you’ll be fine.”
At least I hoped so.
We had two advantages going into the Officers’ Gala. One was that Serena didn’t know that I’d shared her secret and the other was that she didn’t know I’d reclaimed my powers. We couldn’t afford to waste the element of surprise.
I fiddled with the faux copper cuffs. They clashed with my silver dress, but I didn’t care. I didn’t intend to wear them for very long. This was going to be better than any prom—a true night to remember.
“Remember,” I said to Farah. “Your job is to get Pinky to safety. I don’t want her to see what goes down.”
Farah studied my reflection in the mirror. “You’re going to have to stop protecting her at some point. She’s a big girl with a lot of magical potential.”
“And I’m not going to let her go off the rails when she discovers the monster her mother is. We need to hand
le it carefully.”
“Will she discover it, though?” Farah prodded. “It sounds to me like you hope she misses the whole thing. What’s your plan? To tell her after the fact?”
I adjusted my bodice. “To be honest, I don’t love that option either. I don’t want to spoil her positive memories of her mother. She’ll think everything has been a lie.”
Farah’s expression hardened. “Hasn’t it been though?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always believed Serena loves her daughter.” With the New Horizons plan, though, I wasn’t so sure.
“Why? She’s been willing to use her as a game piece. That’s not love.”
I gave myself a long, hard look in the mirror. “Just because we do things that are at odds with our feelings doesn’t mean we don’t have those feelings.”
Farah inclined her head. “You mean like rejecting Reed all that time?”
“Water under the bridge. He’s my date, remember?”
Farah’s brow furrowed. “What’s that face?”
I glanced quickly in the mirror. “What face?”
“You’re worried,” she said. “Is it about Reed?”
I decided to come clean. “What if he decides he wants to be with the Alyse he’s gotten to know? The human version.” I held up my fake cuffs. “That girl is gone now. There’s no putting the djinni back in the bottle.”
“Bullshit,” Farah said. “That girl is right here. Same as always.”
I hesitated. “He deserves someone better, Farah. He’s good from the inside out. I’m not like him.”
Farah squeezed my arm. “If we’ve learned one thing from your burn notice, it’s that you are like him. You just didn’t know it until now.”
The doorbell rang downstairs and Farah whirled around.
“Take your time,” I said. “I have to do my makeup.”
Farah smiled. “You’re a djinni again, Alyse. That takes two seconds.”
A minute later, she returned with Reed in tow. My breath hitched when I saw him framed in the doorway. In his perfectly tailored tuxedo, he was undeniably handsome.
“Wow,” he said, taking in my appearance. “I’m allowed to say ‘wow,’ right?”
“I don’t do censorship,” I said.
He grinned. “Wow.”
“You know I can change my appearance to look like anyone I want?” I said. “I don’t need to keep this body if I don’t want to.”
“I would be disappointed,” Reed admitted. “I like this body.”
Farah cleared her throat. “I’m just going to freshen my lipstick before we go.” She retreated into the bathroom and closed the door, giving us privacy.
“We’ve attended a number of events together now,” Reed said, edging closer to me.
“We have,” I said. “We make a good team. I’ve never denied that.”
“An ideal partnership, in fact,” he said.
I bit my lip. “Let’s hope it works in our favor tonight.”
His expression turned serious. “Are you worried?”
“Of course I’m worried. A room full of human cops. Pinky. The potential for collateral damage is sky high.”
His thumb slid across my cheek. “We’ll keep everyone safe. That’s what friends are for.”
“That’s what supernatural friends are for,” I corrected him.
He chuckled. “Speaking of which—are we waiting for anyone else?”
“I decided to leave Flynn out of this.” My wedding gift to Tessa. “Mix and Luciano will be here any second.” I didn’t love the idea of including Luciano, given that he was a human, but he insisted on taking part. He didn’t care what the repercussions were in the crime syndicate. Never in my wildest dreams would I have pegged Luciano as altruistic.
“Greer is meeting us there,” Reed said.
The doorbell rang again, signaling the arrival of Mix and Luciano.
Farah raced out of the bathroom. “I’ll get it.”
“This is my cue,” Reed said.
I peered up at him. “Cue for what?”
“I may not get another chance.” He leaned down and kissed me firmly on the mouth. “Just in case.”
“In case of what?” I queried. “You just jinxed this whole operation, o ye of little faith.”
“Or maybe I only wanted an excuse to kiss you.” He winked.
“I didn’t realize you needed an excuse.”
Two dapper gentlemen appeared in the doorway. Mix wore a traditional black tux whereas Luciano wore a trendier navy blue tux. He had his arm slung over Farah’s shoulder and they were both grinning like fools. Ah, young love.
“Are we ready to rock this?” Luciano asked.
“If by ‘rock this,’ you mean take down the Dragon without any loss of life or irreparably damaging Pinky’s teenaged psyche, then no,” I said. “I am definitely not ready to rock this.”
Luciano patted the concealed weapon beneath his jacket. “No worries, A. We got this.”
I was glad one of us was convinced.
“Where’s your buddy?” Luciano asked. I knew he meant Thompson.
“She’s meeting us there, too,” I said.
“Are we ready?” Mix asked. He looked as anxious as I felt. I gave a crisp nod.
“Then let’s motor,” Luciano whooped.
19
The Dragon’s estate was teeming with police vehicles. To an uninformed passerby, it looked like a horrific crime had occurred, one that required every officer in the city to descend upon the Edwards’ house. I hoped to prevent that from coming true tonight.
“Where are you meeting Thompson?” Mix asked.
“Outside the library,” I replied. “She’s supposed to keep tabs on Pinky without anyone noticing.” Including Pinky.
“Has anyone considered the Dragon Mage?” Farah asked. “She has to be here tonight, right?”
I had no doubt. The vicious Chinese albino mage was Serena’s extreme right hand. We’d tangled more than once now and, as a result, had developed a healthy respect for each other. Unfortunately, it didn’t change the fact that if I had to kill her tonight, I would.
“If she’s here, please let me handle her,” I said.
“With pleasure,” Farah replied. “I like a fight as much as the next Hinn, but that chick’s a whole different level of crazy.”
As expected, armed guards stood at the entrance. There were four of them and they had the weathered appearance of private contractors. One of them even sported an eye patch. I struggled not to incorporate ‘shiver me timbers’ into my greeting.
“We need you to step up here for a weapons check,” Eye Patch said. “Ladies, we’ll also need to check your purses.”
I stepped up without hesitation, confident that our glamours would hold up. Although I hated not to use Pinky’s prowess in this situation, Oscar was an exceptional mage.
Everyone made it through security without incident.
“How did you know she wouldn’t use mages as security?” Farah whispered.
“Because she’s only expecting humans,” I said. And she certainly wasn’t expecting trouble.
The foyer of the house was as grand as I remembered, except this time there was a fountain in the middle with a scantily clad dancing woman above the spouting water. This was Serena’s idea of entertaining the troops? It was only when I passed the fountain that I realized the woman was a Shaitan. She winked at me and I wondered if she was part of the Dragon’s plan or simply part of the entertainment. Either way, I worried for her safety.
The music was not what I expected. Instead of a boring string quartet or a six-piece orchestra, Serena had hired a rock band. They were loud and obnoxious and the officers were loving every chord of it.
“Action stations,” I said.
“Time for a perimeter sweep,” Mix said, and disappeared into the crowd.
Reed slipped his hand in mine and we maneuvered through the attendees to the back balcony. Outside there was a bar and several tall tables des
igned for a cocktail hour. Thanks to the nice weather, there were plenty of guests still enjoying the great outdoors.
“Great view, huh?” Reed asked.
“Why don’t you stop and smell the roses while you’re at it?” I said.
He pulled me closer. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Don’t you two make a handsome couple?” The sound of Serena’s cool voice chilled me to the bone. She stood by the bar in a white floor-length gown, sipping a glass of champagne. “I didn’t realize you’d decided to make a go of it.” She laughed and sipped her drink. “In fact, I didn’t even realize you two were on the guest list.”
“Pinky invited us,” I said. “I thought it would upset her to say no.” A complete lie, but one I knew Serena wouldn’t bother to check.
“It is the social event of the season,” Serena said. “I should have known she’d want to include her friends. I just wished she’d told me.”
“Warned you, you mean.”
Her gaze shifted from me to Reed. “She’s very saucy to me, isn’t she? You’d almost think she didn’t like me.” She tilted her head back and laughed. “But let’s be honest, is there anyone in this city who doesn’t like me? Not with everything I do to keep the coffers overflowing.”
“Everything, indeed,” I said through gritted teeth.
Serena polished off her champagne and set the empty flute on the bar. “Watch your step tonight, Alyse. You wouldn’t want to step on the wrong toes.”
“Same to you,” I said.
Serena snapped her fingers. “Anton, bring two glasses of champagne for my friends. No one should be empty-handed at a gala.”
Anton hustled from the bar with two flutes, fizzing with champagne. He handed a glass to each of us.
“I suppose Jeremy is here,” Serena said, with a gentle roll of her eyes. “He never seems too far from your heels. I’m surprised your boyfriend doesn’t mind.”
“Of course. I want to make sure I have a selection of dance partners throughout the evening.”
Her expression clouded over. “Is that so? Anyone else I should know about?”
I shrugged. “No one of consequence.”
She didn’t seem convinced. “Have you seen my daughter yet? She’s a vision this evening.”
