“Except the four men you killed.”
“Yeah, well. They were in my way.”
“That was probably a little over the line, don’t you think?”
“What line?” I glanced over at him. He stared calmly ahead, maybe at the city, maybe at whatever else it was that man saw.
“The law’s line, to begin with. After that, justice. You didn’t know those people, Shame. They might not have been guilty of the crimes you accused them of, crimes you killed them for.”
“Cry me a river, Miller,” I said. “Everyone in that house was guilty of crimes, whether we know about them or not.”
“And you are now guilty of murder.”
I let that sit for a minute or two. “Those aren’t the first men I’ve killed in my life. I grew up in the Authority, remember? Ran with the Closers, was a star pupil of Death magic. There are casualties in any war.”
“Is that what this is? A war?”
“Not yet. Right now it’s just my life.”
“So pretty much the same thing?”
“Yeah, pretty much the same,” I agreed.
“How long have you been fighting the magic inside you?” he asked.
“None of your business, crazy guy.”
That got a smile out of him. “I think it is, but fine. We can talk about something else. When did you suddenly become Terric’s guardian angel?”
“Never, because I’m not.”
“You just killed four people for him.”
“I killed four guys to get them off my back. The Black Crane didn’t use to be anything but a couple of punk drug dealers, and now they think they can run this town? They came after me with a baseball bat. They jumped me with a Taser. They might even be behind the missing people cases the police can’t crack.”
“And yet you never brought any of that up,” he said. “You just told them to leave Terric alone.”
“I said more than that.”
“Not much more.”
I drove for a while, heading back toward his house. He was right.
“I know I am,” he said.
“What?”
“Right.”
“Lay off the mind-reading trick, mate. I’m not impressed.”
“Who says it’s a trick? It’s been a long time since you and I sat down and talked, Shame. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
“Let me guess: reading minds?”
“No. Hearts.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means I know you’ve tried to stay away from Terric. But you’re drawn to him. The magic in you and the magic in him can’t be separated. You hate it. And you want it. Want to use magic as it should be used—with someone who perfectly matches your power. So much so, you’ll kill people if they get in your way.”
“Not even close.”
He was totally close.
“Well, it’s good to see some things haven’t changed about you, Shame.”
“Oh?”
“You still lie like a rug.”
“I will also still pull over this car and make you walk your own ass home if you don’t shut up,” I said.
Cody grinned. “Just like old times.”
Chapter 23
I dropped Cody off at his place, then drove around the area, just to make sure no one had followed us and that he wasn’t in danger. Waited until sundown but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
Cody couldn’t use magic anymore, but I knew he could take care of himself.
Satisfied he would be okay, I headed home.
The inn was up and running full speed tonight. Plenty of diners and people at the bar. We’d started with live music a few months ago, and it looked like tonight the old piano was getting a workout.
It was, in some ways, a clash from my childhood growing up in the apartment above the other side of the inn. Back then it was home. And while it could have been very busy and alive with customers, there were late-night meetings of the Authority members, and, down in the basement around the well of magic hidden there, all sorts of tests and magic events had gone on.
Now the well was still hidden, but it didn’t matter. People could tap in to it and magic wouldn’t do anything dangerous. So the whole “here’s our happy home, which also happens to be sitting on a time bomb” atmosphere of the place was gone.
Honestly? I missed it.
I wove through tables, winked at the pretty blond waitress, who was definitely jailbait, and then headed up to the room I’d been in since Mum had kicked me out of the house proper.
Up a flight of stairs, dragged the bat behind me down the hall.
I paused outside my door. My Shamus senses were tingling.
Something was wrong with the door. For one thing, it was unlocked and wide open. Sure, I’d left the place drugged out of my brain, but someone would have shut it.
Interesting.
I tucked Eleanor’s statue under my arm and lifted the baseball bat, resting it above my shoulder.
Walked into the room.
Room looked like my room. Couch covered in clothes and a few books I hadn’t reshelved. Small kitchen area clean because who in their right mind would cook when they had an entire restaurant at their feet? Bedroom door cracked open.
That wasn’t right.
Eleanor whisked past me and through the door into the bedroom. She came out and shook her head. Mouthed a word I couldn’t quite make out.
What? I mouthed.
She said the word again. Rolled her eyes. Walked up to me and held out one finger. I took one hand off the bat and turned my palm up for her.
In icy strokes, she spelled out: D-E-S-S-A.
And if it was Dessa in there, she probably already knew I was in the room.
“I know you’re in the room,” she said. “Why don’t you come on in?”
“Do you have a weapon?”
“Oh, sure. But I promise to keep my hands off my guns this time. That is, if you play nice.”
I didn’t put down the bat. But I did leave the statue on the side table before pushing the bedroom door open the rest of the way.
Dessa was sitting on the edge of my bed. Fully clothed, which was, I’ll admit, a little disappointing. The bed was made, and after I pulled my gaze off her to the room, I noticed she had folded my clothes, set them on the two chairs in the room, and had thrown away all the food wrappers and beer bottles.
“I didn’t peg you as the domestic type,” I said.
“I didn’t think you were into sports.” She pointed at the bat.
I grinned, rested the bat next to the door. “So . . . you clean?”
She shrugged and looked down at her hands for a moment before looking back up at me. “I’ve thought about what I said today. When I told you I wanted to do this alone. I’ve changed my mind.”
“You’re making nice so I’ll let you in on finding your brother’s killer, aren’t you?”
“You already told me you’d do that. This is just me making nice.”
“A little pleasure before business?” I asked.
“A little pleasure.” She held my gaze. “Maybe we don’t need business right now.”
Huh. I nodded.
“Why did you drop me off at Terric’s last night?” I asked.
“He’s your friend, right?”
“Sometimes.”
“He’s more than that too. Life magic?”
“Yes.”
“Was I wrong to do it?”
“No. But I wish you would have stayed. I’ve spent half the day looking for you. Worrying.”
“And here I was, in your bedroom all along.”
“And here you are. So. What’s this really all about?” I waved my hand at my semiclean room.
“I told you. An apology.”
“Because . . . ?”
She quirked a smile and tipped her head to one side. “Can you seriously not just take me at face value? Must you question everything I do?”