He rubbed his knuckles over his chin. “And you’re a…witch?”
The way he asked that made me rethink my bravado. “Of course. What else would I be?” I asked, daring him to contradict me.
“Yes, what else indeed.” He took a step back, looking around the place again before turning back to me. “Well, if my friend passes through again, let him know I’m aware of the situation. He’ll understand.” He put his hat back on and nodded. “I’ll be off now. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
He headed to the door, stopping and giving me a last look that got stuck too long for comfort. It made me almost revert to my hiding ways. I stood my ground until he turned, but if he’d stayed any longer, I couldn’t have guaranteed my feet would’ve stuck it out.
The door clanged shut, and I got up to get a better view of him leaving. I watched as he made a right, and then disappeared completely.
Bibbi got out of her chair and came to stand beside me. “What in the hell was that?”
Zab came and stood on the other side of her. Musso walked over as well, rubbing his jaw. “You might want to say what in heaven was that, would be my guess.”
“That was not normal. I gotta call Hawk,” Zab said, walking to where a fresh stack of newsflash papers were sitting on his desk.
“What happened?” Hawk said as he walked in from the back room. “I felt something unusual cross my ward. Who was here?”
Hawk’s gaze met mine and our eyes locked. We hadn’t said a word to each other since I’d discovered what he’d done. Didn’t plan on doing it now, either, unless absolutely necessary. That wasn’t the case when I had Zab.
Was this place rigged with some magic surveillance system? Did it send Hawk some fairy ding, telling him to get back here? Not to mention, someone needed to put a bell on that back door. When he came from upstairs, at least the stairs creaked. Although maybe not for him. He had a sneaky way of being really quiet that was definitely not human.
As I mused on how to set up my own traps around this place, Zab didn’t hesitate to spell out all the details to Hawk, down to the extra attention Lou seemed to pay me.
Hawk walked to the front, as if tracing the man’s steps. He placed his hand on the doorknob and paused.
“What the hell,” he said softly before saying to Zab, “Send Mertie a newsflash. Tell her to get here immediately.”
“Will Mertie come here?” I asked Musso in a soft voice. After the meeting the other night, it had seemed quite apparent that she was avoiding any appearances of taking sides.
“Everyone comes if Hawk calls,” Musso said, not softly at all.
Had he not picked up on that fact I’d whispered? This was why I shouldn’t have asked.
Zab sent the newsflash, a nice, tame-looking little bird of a thing. If Hawk really wanted to make a point, he should’ve asked me to do it, not that I would’ve.
I’d taken two steps toward the back room to get a fresh tea when the door slammed open. I guess Musso was right. She’d come, and fast.
Her hooves hit the floor with a thudding noise as her hands parked themselves on her hips. “What is it now? You know even setting a foot in here makes me look bad, right? I’m trying to steer clear of the mess you people are making, if you haven’t figured that out.”
Hawk had commandeered Zab’s desk and kicked his feet up on it. “Why is Lou here?”
“You mean the butcher?” She began shaking her head. “You called me here to ask about the butcher?” She turned to leave. “These stupid humans think all I have is time to gossip or put in their meat order for them. It’s absolutely ridiculous that—”
“Not Lou the butcher. Lou who doesn’t live here or in Rest and likes to wear all white,” Hawk said, raising his voice so he was loud and clear.
Mertie stopped and spun around so fast that her hooves nearly squealed. “Why would that Lou be here? What did he say?” All the steam was gone and she fumbled in her jacket, pulling out a cigarette.
“He was inquiring after another visitor we had a couple of days ago by the name of Xazier.”
As much as I didn’t want to talk to him, was he really doing the right thing here? We had no idea who she was aligned with. You’d think he was the new witch to Xest. Yeah, she’d given me a heads-up about some dreams, but that might’ve been a setup. Maybe it was mental warfare?
I cleared my throat and then shot him a glare.
Mertie let out a small laugh, drawing my attention back to her. “This is just brilliant. Disco girl lights up the alley and now she’s worried about saying too much?”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t light up the alley.”
“Oh, this is just perfect. She doesn’t even know.”
I glanced around, hoping someone would explain.
“You were glowing a bit in the alley.” Bibbi gave me a half shrug.
Now they told me? I’d thought it was my hair that had freaked everyone out.
“We still love you, kid,” Musso said.
“It’s all right to be a little different,” Zab said.
Don’t look at Hawk. Not him.
I looked anyway.
He was smiling. “You knew I thought it was a bad idea.”
That was why I shouldn’t have looked.
Mertie started stomping around the place. “I’m not sure you people realize it, but we’re a hair away from an invasion if they’re both showing up. What is wrong with you people? Are you trying to wreck a good thing? We don’t want that kind here. Neither of them. One thinks they’re too good for everyone, and the other thinks we’re not good enough for anybody. Either way, they’re trouble.”
“So you know them both?” I asked, moving closer in case she tried to make a run for it. Most of the people I tried to question did. Hawk had already let it all out of the bag anyway. I might as well get the pertinent questions answered.
She stopped her pacing. “Of course I know them. What kind of demon loser do you think I am? One of the grubs who only did the dirty work? I might’ve quit, but I had some pull in my day.”
“Any idea why they’re both here?” Hawk asked.
“Yeah, because you guys really screwed this place up, obviously.” She started shaking her head again, taking long drags from her cigarette. “I don’t care what they say. I’ll go to that hellhole Rest before I take orders from any of them again.” She pointed at all of us, creating a stream of smoke as she did. “You people better fix this. I’m not paying for your sins.”
Mertie’s hands flew up. “No, no more questions. I don’t want any part of whatever craziness you have going on. You guys made this mess, and you guys need to clean it up.”
She nearly ran to the door before she stopped short. “And don’t newsflash me again. I won’t come.” She slammed the door shut and took off.
Why they’re both here. That was what Hawk had said. Didn’t we already know why one of them was here? Or did we?
11
There was a stack of slips sitting on my desk but a lean list of clients willing to do the work. Considering the traffic coming in and out of here lately, I wouldn’t come either. I dropped the slips back on my desk and walked past Musso, Bibbi, and Zab, who were playing a card game at Zab’s desk.