Women of the Otherworld 10.5 - Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong Page B
Authors: Kelley Armstrong
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should begin the exorcism,” Lucas said. “Clearly, he isn’t going to reveal his employer’s identity.”
“Employer?” the demon said.
“My apologies. A poor choice of words, as you are not receiving financial compensation. Whoever holds the chit against you, I mean. Whomever you fear if you break this obligation.”
“I fear no one. And I answer to no one.”
As Lucas kept baiting him, I looked at the stain on his shirt. He’d come home early to surprise me. There was no way he’d even been in Los Angeles when I’d called Ava.
I cast a privacy spell so I could speak to him without being overheard. “How did you get back so fast? I talked to you less than an hour ago.”
I’m sure he wondered why I was interrupting to ask this, but I had a feeling the answers might help us get some from the demon.
He cast his own privacy spell. “My father was in L.A. for meetings with the Nasts so,” he gave a faint smile, “I borrowed the keys to his jet. I was almost here when you called.”
That explained the hollow sound—he’d been on a plane. It also explained the young woman talking in the background—the flight attendant.
Ava hadn’t sent those messages hoping I’d catch her in bed with Lucas. She’d known that wasn’t happening. She’d sent them so I’d catch her in bed with someone who could impersonate Lucas.
I turned to the demon. “It was Ava Cookson, wasn’t it? She wanted me to think Lucas had cheated, then you’d come over to console me.”
“She thought she could convince you that Lucas had screwed around?” Savannah snorted. “She’s even dumber than she looked.”
I felt Lucas’s gaze on me. He knew I’d fallen for it. Shame washed over me and I looked away.
“I don’t doubt Ava’s involved,” Lucas said. “But not as the mastermind. She’s simply a pawn. Like him.” A dismissive wave at the demon.
The demon’s eyes blazed yellow. “I’m nobody’s pawn.”
“No? Then if you don’t fear repercussions, tell me who summoned you.”
“You’re supposed to be a genius,” the demon said. “You figure it out.”
That’s what he wanted. Us to figure it out. Otherwise, he could have left Adam’s body the minute Savannah bound it. He wanted to negotiate, but the contract that bound him forbade him from revealing who’d made it.
“We know that Ava’s brother did die,” I said. “That was a matter of public record. And we know he was at the Gallantes ’ fight club, although I doubt they killed him.”
“They didn’t,” Lucas said. “As you suspected, he was killed by his human debtors. I verified that today and believe Ava knew it all along. However, her case did have potential supernatural overtones. It was an excuse to hire me, and put the plan in action.”
“So the plan was just to make Paige think Lucas had been unfaithful,” Savannah said. “Drive her into the arms of her sexy guy friend. But why?”
“Ava was chosen for a reason, wasn’t she?” I said to the demon. “Presumably, it would have been easier to convince me Lucas cheated if it was with someone older and smarter. But whoever hired the demon chose Ava because he wanted us investigating the Gallantes ’ fight club. He wanted us there the night a fighter died.”
“Seems the little woman is a better detective than you,” the demon said to Lucas.
“No,” I said. “I’m just better at thinking out loud.”
“Clearly, your assumption is correct, then,” Lucas said. “Someone wanted Adam to seduce you and wanted us investigating the Gallantes . I fail to see how the first part ties into the second, but if the Warners are orchestrating the deaths to put the Gallantes out of business, then they would be the obvious suspects.”
“Or someone who owes the Warners a whole lot of money,” Savannah said. “Who might do this for them in return for his debt.
“Employer?” the demon said.
“My apologies. A poor choice of words, as you are not receiving financial compensation. Whoever holds the chit against you, I mean. Whomever you fear if you break this obligation.”
“I fear no one. And I answer to no one.”
As Lucas kept baiting him, I looked at the stain on his shirt. He’d come home early to surprise me. There was no way he’d even been in Los Angeles when I’d called Ava.
I cast a privacy spell so I could speak to him without being overheard. “How did you get back so fast? I talked to you less than an hour ago.”
I’m sure he wondered why I was interrupting to ask this, but I had a feeling the answers might help us get some from the demon.
He cast his own privacy spell. “My father was in L.A. for meetings with the Nasts so,” he gave a faint smile, “I borrowed the keys to his jet. I was almost here when you called.”
That explained the hollow sound—he’d been on a plane. It also explained the young woman talking in the background—the flight attendant.
Ava hadn’t sent those messages hoping I’d catch her in bed with Lucas. She’d known that wasn’t happening. She’d sent them so I’d catch her in bed with someone who could impersonate Lucas.
I turned to the demon. “It was Ava Cookson, wasn’t it? She wanted me to think Lucas had cheated, then you’d come over to console me.”
“She thought she could convince you that Lucas had screwed around?” Savannah snorted. “She’s even dumber than she looked.”
I felt Lucas’s gaze on me. He knew I’d fallen for it. Shame washed over me and I looked away.
“I don’t doubt Ava’s involved,” Lucas said. “But not as the mastermind. She’s simply a pawn. Like him.” A dismissive wave at the demon.
The demon’s eyes blazed yellow. “I’m nobody’s pawn.”
“No? Then if you don’t fear repercussions, tell me who summoned you.”
“You’re supposed to be a genius,” the demon said. “You figure it out.”
That’s what he wanted. Us to figure it out. Otherwise, he could have left Adam’s body the minute Savannah bound it. He wanted to negotiate, but the contract that bound him forbade him from revealing who’d made it.
“We know that Ava’s brother did die,” I said. “That was a matter of public record. And we know he was at the Gallantes ’ fight club, although I doubt they killed him.”
“They didn’t,” Lucas said. “As you suspected, he was killed by his human debtors. I verified that today and believe Ava knew it all along. However, her case did have potential supernatural overtones. It was an excuse to hire me, and put the plan in action.”
“So the plan was just to make Paige think Lucas had been unfaithful,” Savannah said. “Drive her into the arms of her sexy guy friend. But why?”
“Ava was chosen for a reason, wasn’t she?” I said to the demon. “Presumably, it would have been easier to convince me Lucas cheated if it was with someone older and smarter. But whoever hired the demon chose Ava because he wanted us investigating the Gallantes ’ fight club. He wanted us there the night a fighter died.”
“Seems the little woman is a better detective than you,” the demon said to Lucas.
“No,” I said. “I’m just better at thinking out loud.”
“Clearly, your assumption is correct, then,” Lucas said. “Someone wanted Adam to seduce you and wanted us investigating the Gallantes . I fail to see how the first part ties into the second, but if the Warners are orchestrating the deaths to put the Gallantes out of business, then they would be the obvious suspects.”
“Or someone who owes the Warners a whole lot of money,” Savannah said. “Who might do this for them in return for his debt.
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