going to start screaming. And keep screaming until they put her in a nice, quiet, padded room somewhere. Hey, straightjackets probably weren’t as uncomfortable as they looked, right?
“Don’t get snippy with me. I’m trying to help you.”
Megan stared at him, trying to keep her anger from overflowing and leading her to do something she would regret. “I appreciate that, Roc,” she said, enunciating each word carefully. “But I’ve asked you to tell me what’s going on and you haven’t. So do you think I have a right to be angry?”
Now Malleus’s phone rang. Megan closed her eyes. She could refuse to answer her own phone but she couldn’t stop Malleus from answering his. He didn’t work for her. He worked for Greyson, and if he ignored Greyson’s call she had no doubt he would be punished.
With a look that was half guilty, half defiant, Malleus picked up his phone and flipped it open. “Yeh,” he said. “Yeh. Sorry, I—She’s safe, she’s right ’ere. We had a little trouble—the lady found the car, y’know, the one them witches—she wanted to—she said she’d go wifout me if I—Mr. Dante, please don’t—” He cringed and held the phone out to Megan. “He wants to talk to you.”
God damn it. How dare he call her up to yell at her, how dare he order her to the phone like she was his goddamned slave. She snatched the phone from Malleus. “Hello?”
“What’s going on, Megan?”
That was a bad sign. He never called her Megan.
“Nothing,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. She could practically feel his anger through the satellite connection. “Malleus told you, I found the car. Brian and I—”
“Brian?”
Deep breath. “Yes, Brian. He can read inanimate objects and you know I can’t. So we went to see if we could get anything from the car.”
He was quiet for so long she wondered if he’d hung up. Then he said, “Let me get this straight. Someone shot at us the other night. You saw the car you thought they were driving, so you grabbed the choirboy and ran over there to see if you could figure out who they were, after I asked you not to get involved, is that right?”
“Well—”
“And you thought that was a good idea.”
She gritted her teeth. “No, I thought it was an incredibly stupid idea, that’s why I did it. After all, that’s what I do all the time, right? Stupid shit?”
“No, you don’t,” he snapped, echoing her own nasty tone, “which is why I can’t figure out why the fuck you’d do something so reckless when you know how dangerous—”
“I don’t know anything, because you haven’t told me anything!”
“Jesus, I didn’t think you would—”
“You lied to me, Greyson.”
“What?”
“You lied to me. In the restaurant. I told you about—I told you that name and you lied and pretended it was nothing to worry about, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t pretend anything. I told you what I knew.”
“You’re lying! Again!”
“Why didn’t you say the name just now?”
“Don’t try to change the subject.”
“I’m not trying to change anything. I say I didn’t lie, you say I did; we’re at an impasse. But I would like you to answer my question, please. Why didn’t you say the name? You said it in the restaurant, why not now?”
“What difference does it make?”
“For fuck’s sake, Megan. You saw her, didn’t you? She showed up while you were broadcasting your presence to every sensitive in a ten-mile radius, right?”
“So what if she did?”
“Are you serious?”
“We got away, we’re fine, I don’t see why you’re so mad at me!” She glanced to her right. Brian was making every pretence of reading her battered copy of The Caine Mutiny, but the speed with which Malleus and Roc looked away told her they’d been hanging on her every word.
Now she looked like some dumb little girl in front of them. “You don’t own me, Greyson,” she snapped. “It’s not up to you what I do or don’t
“Don’t get snippy with me. I’m trying to help you.”
Megan stared at him, trying to keep her anger from overflowing and leading her to do something she would regret. “I appreciate that, Roc,” she said, enunciating each word carefully. “But I’ve asked you to tell me what’s going on and you haven’t. So do you think I have a right to be angry?”
Now Malleus’s phone rang. Megan closed her eyes. She could refuse to answer her own phone but she couldn’t stop Malleus from answering his. He didn’t work for her. He worked for Greyson, and if he ignored Greyson’s call she had no doubt he would be punished.
With a look that was half guilty, half defiant, Malleus picked up his phone and flipped it open. “Yeh,” he said. “Yeh. Sorry, I—She’s safe, she’s right ’ere. We had a little trouble—the lady found the car, y’know, the one them witches—she wanted to—she said she’d go wifout me if I—Mr. Dante, please don’t—” He cringed and held the phone out to Megan. “He wants to talk to you.”
God damn it. How dare he call her up to yell at her, how dare he order her to the phone like she was his goddamned slave. She snatched the phone from Malleus. “Hello?”
“What’s going on, Megan?”
That was a bad sign. He never called her Megan.
“Nothing,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. She could practically feel his anger through the satellite connection. “Malleus told you, I found the car. Brian and I—”
“Brian?”
Deep breath. “Yes, Brian. He can read inanimate objects and you know I can’t. So we went to see if we could get anything from the car.”
He was quiet for so long she wondered if he’d hung up. Then he said, “Let me get this straight. Someone shot at us the other night. You saw the car you thought they were driving, so you grabbed the choirboy and ran over there to see if you could figure out who they were, after I asked you not to get involved, is that right?”
“Well—”
“And you thought that was a good idea.”
She gritted her teeth. “No, I thought it was an incredibly stupid idea, that’s why I did it. After all, that’s what I do all the time, right? Stupid shit?”
“No, you don’t,” he snapped, echoing her own nasty tone, “which is why I can’t figure out why the fuck you’d do something so reckless when you know how dangerous—”
“I don’t know anything, because you haven’t told me anything!”
“Jesus, I didn’t think you would—”
“You lied to me, Greyson.”
“What?”
“You lied to me. In the restaurant. I told you about—I told you that name and you lied and pretended it was nothing to worry about, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t pretend anything. I told you what I knew.”
“You’re lying! Again!”
“Why didn’t you say the name just now?”
“Don’t try to change the subject.”
“I’m not trying to change anything. I say I didn’t lie, you say I did; we’re at an impasse. But I would like you to answer my question, please. Why didn’t you say the name? You said it in the restaurant, why not now?”
“What difference does it make?”
“For fuck’s sake, Megan. You saw her, didn’t you? She showed up while you were broadcasting your presence to every sensitive in a ten-mile radius, right?”
“So what if she did?”
“Are you serious?”
“We got away, we’re fine, I don’t see why you’re so mad at me!” She glanced to her right. Brian was making every pretence of reading her battered copy of The Caine Mutiny, but the speed with which Malleus and Roc looked away told her they’d been hanging on her every word.
Now she looked like some dumb little girl in front of them. “You don’t own me, Greyson,” she snapped. “It’s not up to you what I do or don’t
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