Witch on a Roll

by Evelyn Snow

  Then again, ignoring an irritated witch wasn’t likely to make her day any smoother. Or maybe that wasn’t the point.

  The receptionist had given no sign she recognized Holden. It wasn’t much of a clue, but it helped allay fears that had been building that suggested Holden was dealing in contraband again.

  What little patience I possessed snapped. “We have urgent business with your boss. It involves one of her clients. If you don’t tell her we’re here, things are going to get ugly.”

  “I’m sure Ms. Shade will be happy to meet with you as long as you make an appointment.” She consulted the computer monitor. “I have an opening the first week of September. If that’s too far off, let me see if I can find something else …” Her voice trailed off as she flipped to another screen, tapping the end of her pen against the desktop.

  With the receptionist’s attention on her monitor, Holden jerked his head toward the closed door to Mo’s office. Then he leaned forward, pushing aside a dish of Jolly Ranchers, and planted his hands, releasing a low, rumbling growl.

  The receptionist jumped and gasped. “Was that you?”

  Holden growled again.

  “Now that was uncalled for!”

  “You need to let Mo know we’re here,” he insisted. “Now.”

  “It’s Ms. Shade to you, and I will do nothing of the sort. Certainly not as long as you’re acting like you’re the big bad wolf.” At this point, I had to give the receptionist credit. There weren’t many who could go toe-to-toe with Holden when he went full primal.

  She shooed him away with a flash of pink nails. “Now back off or I’m calling security.”

  Now that I’d learned I was a jinx, it was time to figure out what that meant. For starters, it went a long way toward explaining why locked doors and magical wards didn’t stay sealed around me or even present much of a barrier. I’d always wondered why Ballard didn’t bother to disable the security spells on the turnstiles after I fried one of his soul readers. He probably thought I was breaking things on purpose to annoy him.

  Earlier, Holden and I had a brief chance to talk over brunch. I’d given him the short version of what I’d learned from my uncle. Like everyone else, he didn’t find the news surprising. Was there a law inscribed on a lost stone tablet that decreed I would always be the last to know?

  While Holden continued to threaten, and the receptionist alternated between squeaks of fear and mustered courage, I used the distraction to slip through the door into Mo’s office, taking care to close it softly behind me.

  Behind the wide desk dominating the large room, a panoramic view of Montemar’s high rises filled the wall of windows. Morrigan Shade sat behind the desk, intent on her laptop. She was ten years older than Kerri. With her dark hair, pale complexion and blue eyes, she looked like a taller version of her little sister. Where Kerri was bright and funny and quick, Mo was cool and sober and dull as a spreadsheet. She had a habit of speaking as if she gave every thought and each word due process and careful consideration. According to Kerri, she was more like a third parent than a sister.

  Without looking up, Mo said, “Did you append the Levin contract?”

  “No, but I skimmed through the terms and they’re lousy.”

  “Excuse me?” Mo raised her head, eyes wide, looking me up and down with an assessing gaze.

  Holden and I had cleaned up at my house before heading over here. The summer humidity wasn’t doing my curly hair any favors. Self-consciously, I shoved a stray lock behind my ear. In my defense, I had changed out of the clothes I’d worn last night. They had reeked of smoke and worse, the acrid stench of dark magic. After a shower, the clean jeans and a white cotton shirt with a tank underneath I wore now definitely weren’t fancy, but clean was an upgrade from dirty and smoky.

  Mo looked confused. “What are you doing here? Is Kerri with you? I thought she wasn’t coming to visit until next month—”

  “I’m here about Zen and the contract.”

  She folded her hands on her desk and regarded me with the expression of a professional predator. She might not be a vampire, but I could see how she and Zen might work well together. The realization was unsettling.

  “How may I help you?” she asked coolly.

  “Do you mind if I sit down?”

  “Be my guest.” She gestured at a pair of chairs sitting in front of her desk and leaned back. “I’m in the dark why you’re here.”

  As I took my seat, the office door blew open, banging against elegant maple paneling. The receptionist scampered inside with Holden on her heels. “I’m so sorry about this, Ms. Shade. Security is on their way up, but—”

  “Calm down,” Mo snapped.

  “But, Ms. Shade— “

  “Holden, stop scaring the girl. There’s no need for theatrics.”

  Holden didn’t move.

  “But they barged in with no appointment,” the receptionist said in a shrill tone. “I tried to stop them but—”

  “Call security back,” Mo ordered, “and tell them you made a mistake. We don’t require their help. This is a private matter. Shade & Shade places the privacy needs of our clients above all. Do you understand?”

  “But—”

  “If you say that word one more time, you’re fired.” A tense silence spooled out while the receptionist’s gaze flipped from Mo to Holden to me and back again.

  At length, Mo said quietly, “Was anything I said unclear? Do you have any questions?”

  “No, Ms. Shade, no questions. I’ll call security back right away.” On her way out, the receptionist shot Holden a poisonous look.

  “Well, that was fun,” I said to no one in particular.

  Holden took his seat in the chair next to mine. Mo’s sweeping gaze landed on him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m Evie’s backup,” he said casually.

  “Why does she need backup?”

  Without letting Holden answer, I plunged ahead. “It’s early, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Last night, a vampire tried to force me to sign a contract you wrote. It didn’t go well. I want to hear your side of the story.”

  Without missing a beat, Mo asked, “Was there a problem with the terms?”

  I remained silent in hopes the lack of a response might make her squirm. Wishful thinking.

  Mo added, “Because the terms were clear and straightforward. They’re pretty much the boilerplate standard for what we offer on the return of property. If you’re here to negotiate, I’d advise you to rethink that strategy.”

  Because I wasn’t convinced Mo hadn’t used coded language to signal the receptionist to call for help, I cut right to it. “How long have you been working for Ashmore and the Whitfield Clinic with their dealing in contraband magic?”

  Holden’s gaze on me was so intense it could have blistered my skin. I ignored him.

  “Whitfield?” Mo asked, shaking her head and frowning slightly, as if I’d asked her what the cool kids eat for lunch in Uzbekistan. “Why are you interested?”

  “Your pet vampire picked up Professor Ashmore on this side of the bridge last night,” I said. “Somehow, I doubt he makes extra cash driving for Paranormal Uber. It’s common knowledge the professor has been consulting at the clinic. Then Zen had us trapped last night because we refused to sign a contract you wrote. Put all that together, and yeah, you could say I’m interested.”

  “That was you … both of you?” Mo’s brows flew upward as her gaze darted from Holden to me. “I thought you were joking, Evie.”

  “About vampires? Zen is no joke.”

  Mo shuddered delicately. “Forgive me. I didn’t want to think about you involved with … Zen. He can be very dangerous.”

  “Really? Vampires are dangerous?” I deadpanned. “Thanks for the tip. I never would have guessed. Paranormal Uber, though, that should be a thing—if it’s not already. They might have to come up with a different logo. P.U.” I wrinkled my nose for effect. “Might give the wrong first impression. What w
ould you suggest as an alternative?”

  Primly shifting gears, Mo said, “It was wrong of Holden to involve you, Evie. You shouldn’t have been there. I can’t imagine what you were thinking.”

  “You’ve got it backwards. I’m the one who dragged Holden out of his beddy-bye.”

  Mo remained still for a long moment. “You involved him?”

  I thought next, she might ask Holden if I was telling the truth. Instead, she tilted her head and asked, “Does your uncle know what you’ve been doing?”

  Did she think I was still a kid who’d stayed out after curfew? And why would she mention Uncle Delano? I felt like the top of my head would blow off until her dismissive expression reminded me of what Kerri had said: As if I’m a traitor to the family because I asked a few inconvenient questions…

  If my dream was more than the product of too much stress and too little sleep, Professor Ashmore had been smuggling magic from the Nightingale Lands. Where had he obtained it in the first place? Fiona Storm kept a close watch on magic and how it was implemented.

  For Ashmore, unlike the average scavenger, it must have been easy. All he had to do was rely on his credentials from the university. As a researcher in spectral disorder, he’d have open access to the dungeons where patients with the disease were kept. Some had been down there so long their relatives had forgotten about them. No one would think anything of the professor gathering samples of magic emitted during seizures. It was legitimate research.

  Anything Ashmore did with the magic from that point forward would be against the laws of both realms. He’d need help getting it across the bridge, which meant he had some kind of leverage over Ballard Kepler. Then he’d need help navigating the Greater World. Who better than a magical attorney familiar with both realms?

  Kerri said her parents had been meeting with Ashmore about the upcoming business conference. If he’d visited the Shade dungeon, it would explain Kerri’s inconvenient questions.

  “Your uncle, Evie, does he know?” Mo prompted.

  “Yes, he does. It’s hard to avoid involving family, am I right?”

  Instead of reacting honestly, Mo turned smug. “I can’t believe Delano let you get so far in over your head.”

  I let the personal dig pass. It was enough to know she was aiding and abetting a criminal enterprise.

  Holden slid me a slow gaze. Because he was good at playing along, he said, “You expected scavengers and sniffers to be all over the site last night. When Ashmore tipped you off, you sent Zen to do his dirty work.”

  Mo arched a brow. “The only smart thing the two of you have done is to come to me. Now that you’re here, I’ll be happy to answer your questions before we put this matter to bed.” She waited a beat before adding, “That’s why you’re here—to settle?”

  “We’re listening,” I countered.

  “Don’t let your imagination run away with you. My little sister has that problem. It causes nothing but trouble.”

  I wanted to smack her then. Hard. Kerri was a lot of things, but overly imaginative wasn’t one of them. Mo’s assertion about Kerri only confirmed she would do or say anything to keep her fingers in what must be a hugely profitable business, dealing in magic in the Greater World.

  “There’s no grand conspiracy, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Mo leaned forward and rested her arms on the desk. “When my client was informed his property was missing, he took steps. Let me assure you, they were reasonable steps any caring professional would have taken. Unfortunately, events turned tragic. Even then, professionals don’t walk away from their responsibilities. It’s well known in certain circles that we engage scavengers and their sniffers to find lost magic. Some of them are superb at it. It’s more efficient to allow professionals to locate property and better for everyone involved.”

  “Better for the people who died?” I said in a low voice. “I don’t think so, and by the way, magic isn’t considered property in either world. I didn’t have to go to law school to learn that.”

  “Technically, you’re correct, but only for the time being.” She gave a careless wave of one hand. “It’s a matter of time before the laws change. I help my clients position their interests for the inevitable.”

  “By hiring thieves?”

  “Trained and properly equipped professionals,” Mo corrected. “We don’t keep them on retainer. We pay a finder’s fee on a per job basis, which is only fair. Magic remains off the dark market. No sales transactions take place. Local law enforcement doesn’t have to divert their already strained resources. Everyone wins.”

  My uncle had quoted her on this exact point in the series he’d written last winter on ODiN’s feeble efforts at stopping the trade in magic.

  Interesting how she was sidestepping the origin of the magic. Either she didn’t know or didn’t want to know how Ashmore obtained it. My vote was for the latter. It offered her plausible deniability.

  “Two people died last night. Or is that not a crime in your opinion?”

  “It was a tragedy and one that would not have happened if you had not meddled. I can’t imagine why you were there last night or what you think you can accomplish here today.” Her tone had gone icy on the last.

  “So,” I improvised, “by sending Zen you were simply doing your job.”

  Mo smiled as some tension left her shoulders. “Exactly.”

  While Mo and I had been talking, I’d become aware of a growing anger flowing from Holden in waves. “I’m not a scavenger,” he ground out.

  “No,” Mo said, “you’re a sniffer, and according to my information, a talented one. Certain parties will be glad to learn you’re working again.”

  The confirmation didn’t come out of the blue. It still landed like a punch in the gut.

  Holden waited until I finally met his gaze to say, “Things aren’t always what they seem. She’s using me to distract you from the truth.”

  “Which is?”

  “She already knew about the dark magic before we got there last night. That’s why she had the contract prepared ahead of time. Zen didn’t pull it out of thin air.” He turned to Mo again. “The bridge was closed. That’s why you expected no one to be there except sniffers or scavengers.”

  He was right. Mo hadn’t mentioned the MBI. She didn’t appear to know I’d joined their ranks. She might be dismissive about ODiN, but she couldn’t afford to make an enemy of Devi Talbot or Sullivan Shield.

  I began to re-frame a few things. If Ballard was working as Ashmore’s accomplice, why reach out to me? Wolfgang hadn’t been activated in sixteen years.

  Why now?

  I didn’t like the most logical answer: Because I was too new and inexperienced with the MBI to know how they operated. If that was true, then Ballard might be trying to get out from under Ashmore’s thumb. In that case, I wasn’t on an official assignment. I was on shaky ground.

  “You knew the explosion of all that dark magic would draw scavengers,” Holden continued. “That’s why you sent Zen. Scavengers are greedy, but they’re not stupid. They wouldn’t try to take on a powerful vampire.”

  If Holden had lied about dealing in contraband—or if he was still working as a sniffer as Mo said—then he would have expected the vampire. That theory wouldn’t fly. Holden had been as surprised as I had been when Zen appeared. He hadn’t faked his reaction to the vampire. I would have known.

  “Smart boy,” Mo said. “Allow me to explain where you’re being shortsighted. Scavengers would have taken Zen’s offer gladly and handed everything over on the spot. It’s what you should have done if you were smart.” She steepled her fingers and regarded both of us. “I hope you’re ready to sign now, because that’s the only way this situation turns out well.”

  “Is that a threat?” I asked, my voice incredulous. “You’re an officer of the court in the Greater World and in the Nightingale Lands.”

  “And as an officer of the court, I’m doing my duty to return lost magic to the rightful owner. You’re a little g
irl sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Go home, Evie, before you get hurt.” With a sister like this, no wonder Kerri was in trouble with the family for asking inconvenient questions.

  I was so done being called a little girl.

  “You’re wrong, Ms. Shade.” I pulled my badge from my pocket.

  Chapter 26

  At the sight of the MBI badge, surprise lifted Morrigan Shade’s features.

  Only then did I notice the faint blue shadows under her eyes. Her white button-down was wrinkled, as if she’d slept in it and coffee stains blotted the cuffs.

  “Congratulations,” she said faintly. “Now I remember Kerri said you were applying. I didn’t realize you’d passed your test. While that’s fine, it still doesn’t change the fact you’re in over your head.”

  “Holden didn’t involve me. I’m on an official assignment—”

  “No, you aren’t,” she interjected before falling silent while she studied me, frowning.

  I’d wanted confirmation. What I got was information hinting at Mo’s connections with law enforcement on both sides of the Pale. If that was true, it made sense. I also didn’t care. Even if I was on my own, there was nothing to be gained by letting Mo assume my status mattered. If what was off balance for others turned out to be my comfort zone as a jinx, I might as well embrace it.

  “I may be new to the MBI, but I didn’t end up at the Mulberry Street house by accident. Regardless of what Holden has allegedly done in the past, last night he was assisting me in the proper management of a crime scene—because that’s what it was—a crime scene that included a lost soul.” I let it sink in for a moment. “I’m going to assume you didn’t know about the soul because including the retrieval of a sentient being along with the remnant magic in a so-called sales contract will—”

  “If you’d read the document,” Mo insisted, “you’d understand it wasn’t a sales contract.”

  “No, you included a finder’s fee,” Holden said, “and tied it to clauses requiring non-disclosure—typical legal games.”