Death Match (A Magic Bullet Novel Book 2) (20 page)

"And you survived," I added. "That's the most important thing."

"I do agree with Alyse, though," he said. "We pushed you too hard, too fast. We need to dial it down a notch. Take a more methodical approach and make sure you're ready at each stage before progressing to the next level."

"Like an achievement chart?" she asked. "Mom used to have one for me when I was in school." Her expression soured. "It wasn't exactly riddled with stars."

"Pinky, you're not a typical girl," Oscar said. "Regular academics were never going to be where you excelled. I knew that the day I met you."

She inclined her head. "You did?"

"Of course I did. You think I let all the young mages teach Introduction to Cloaking?"

"No," Pinky said with a satisfied smile. "It's because I'm all kinds of awesome."

"You certainly are, Seraphina," her mother said, returning to the room with a tall glass of water. "Now I think that's enough excitement for today. The healer wants her to rest."

Pinky grunted. "I've been resting for ages. I want to go home."

"That can be arranged," her mother said, "
if
you rest."

"Text me later," I told Pinky and she gave me a thumbs up.

In the corridor, I pulled Oscar aside. "What will happen to Gina?"

The Enclave had strict rules and regulations designed to keep their magicians in line. I didn't know where jealousy and manipulation fell in the scheme of things.

"It's already happened," he replied. "She's been banished to the Mid-West Colony. Transport took her this morning."

"Even after she took Pinky's place in the games?" I'd assumed it was part of her plea agreement. The games and a hefty fine. Banishment was akin to a dishonorable discharge.

"You know what you need to do, right?" I asked.

He gave me a blank stare.

"Stop being so attractive to the females in the Enclave. Maybe grow a mustache or something."

I glimpsed his teeth for the first time in weeks. "Doesn't work," he said. "I used to have one. Just attracts a different type of woman."

Which kind? Women from the Seventies?

"Pinky will do anything for you," I told him. "That's a heavy responsibility, Oscar, especially when she's so young with so much potential. If she's trained properly, she could rule the Enclave one day. You need to tread carefully."

"I should say the same to you."

Would Pinky do anything for me? She was certainly proving herself loyal, that much was true.

"She doesn't consider herself just your mentee," he said. "She thinks of you as a friend."

"I've never had a mage friend before," I said. In fact, it had been years since I'd had real friends at all. Reuniting with Farah and Mix had been the best move I'd made in a long time. Okay, technically, I hadn't made the move. Someone else had made it for me, but now they served as a daily reminder of the importance of relationships. The addition of Pinky widened the circle, or at least turned the triangle into a square. And then there was Reed, whatever that was. Someday there might be enough for a circle, if I didn't find a way to mess it up first.

Oscar clapped me on the shoulder. "You're doing fine, Alyse." He whipped out his handkerchief and wiped off the hand that touched my shoulder. I tried not to take it personally.

"The next time I see you, I expect to see a hairy mole on your chin," I said. "If you can't drum up a good spell, I'm sure you know someone who can."

This time he laughed. The pleasant, rumbling sound continued until he disappeared into the stairwell at the end of the corridor.

I
t came
as no surprise when two Marida showed up at Farah's apartment in a black Mercedes SUV. At least this time they didn't take me against my will. Baby steps.

We arrived at the compound on the outskirts of the city. Prince Simdan was waiting for me in his office. I hadn't been in his office since I was young. It looked the same as I remembered it. Excessive and expensive. Maybe his influence on me was greater than I realized.

"Please sit, Alyse." He sat behind an enormous desk carved from Carrara marble.

I took a seat in one of the raspberry pink plush chairs.

"I have been wondering about the status of your investigation," Prince Simdan said, his dark eyes glittering with malice.

"I assume you're referring to the cuffs rather than the Ghul conspiracy." He was both offended and delighted that I was cuffed. It was tough to be the prince.

"Naturally. Both PAN and the PTF have launched a full-scale investigation into the assassination plot."

"How hard did you have to stomp your foot to get them involved?" I asked. Both organizations tried to stay out of politically motivated crimes, but this incident drew too much attention and left too many bodies in its wake to ignore.

"I'd prefer you to answer my question."

"I have a few leads," I said. Okay, I had one lead—Greer Reed and he wasn't so much a lead as someone to vent to about his brother. I really looked forward to meeting him.

"Very good then."

"So I guess this is the part where you tear me a new one for disobeying Marida protocol," I said. It would be perfectly in keeping with his prickly personality to use this against me.

Prince Simdan surveyed me coolly. "It was not the right call," he said. "Perhaps you see that in hindsight, though, I seriously doubt it."

"I regret being played for a fool," I said, "but I don't regret wanting to help Pinky."

He inclined his head slightly. "And I am thankful for your efforts on my behalf."

Whoa. Hold the Lipizzan stallions. Prince Simdan was thanking me?

"So you owe me one now, for saving your life." I just wanted to be clear on that score, in case any witnesses were listening in.

"It seems I do."

I rubbed my hands together. "Fabulous. I'm glad we're on the same page for a change."

"Does it not concern you, Alyse, that you are on the Dragon's radar? That he knew enough about your history to use it against us both?"

It concerned me quite a bit, not that I would admit it to His Royal Jackass.

"I would think it would concern you that he tried to have you assassinated. What did you do to piss him off?"

Prince Simdan flicked an imaginary dust particle from his sleeve. "He wants complete control of the Mid-Atlantic Colony and, obviously, I refuse to allow it."

"So he used me to get to you."

"He knew perfectly well no Marid would be in attendance at the Colony Games. I had only my bodyguards to protect me."

"And an entire stadium of supernaturals."

He smiled and I was pretty sure it was genuine. "Yes, he was not expecting that show of support, I imagine. The Nephilim in particular are not known for protecting djinn lives."

"Only because we're the ones harassing their precious humans."

"Of which you are now one," Prince Simdan reminded me. "Perhaps that is the real reason Captain Reed seems to favor you. He sees the human vessel, not the djinni inside it. I wonder what his attitude toward you will be if you get your cuffs removed."

I ignored his commentary on Reed as well as his pointed use of the word 'if.' It wasn't
if
, it was most certainly
when
.

"So now we've both gotten under the Dragon's scaly skin," I said. "Who knew we had so much in common?"

"As difficult as you seem to find it, you would do well to keep a low profile. Come back to court and we can protect you."

Talk about déjà vu. "I think you've made this argument before." Like when I first arrived back in the city.

"And I take it you are giving me the same response."

"I am. I like my freedom." I was willing to take my chances with the Dragon. "You're the bigger fish to fry anyway, aren't you?"

"I think it benefits all of us to prevent the Dragon from taking control of this colony."

He wasn't wrong. I didn't fancy the crime syndicate in charge of a colony as significant as this one. We had ports, trade routes, and muscle. I could see why he wanted it.

"I just hope to steer clear of his mage. After the games, I'm guessing we're not going to be Facebook friends."

"She was a formidable opponent."

"Oscar says she went off the grid years ago. She registered in Beijing as a child, but disappeared after she turned eighteen. They have mages trying to track her." But I suspected she was an expert at covering her tracks or the Dragon wouldn't have chosen her.

"Your mage friend..."

"Pinky."

He cleared his throat. The name 'Pinky' was apparently too banal and pedestrian for him to pronounce.

"Yes, Miss Edwards. She has potential, does she not?"

So he'd sensed it, too. Prince Simdan was a jackass, but he wasn't an idiot. "I think so."

"Is that why you bother with her? A tactical advantage of some sort."

It shouldn't surprise me that Prince Simdan thought of relationships in tactical terms. Maybe I had, too, these last few years, but those days were over. Now that I was stuck in a human body, I needed all the friends I could get. Even more than that, I
liked
having friends for the sake of it. Being with Farah and Mix again reminded me how much I'd missed it. How much I needed them.

"And our friend, Captain Reed..."

I tried not to react. "What about him?"

"He is a useful ally," he said. "Let us not forget that."

"Are you asking me not to bang him?"

Prince Simdan cringed. "I know you are only crude to annoy me."

And I know you're only an asshole to annoy me
.

I shrugged. "Old habits."

"How is your financial situation?" he asked.

"I'm getting by." And I wouldn't take a dime from him so I hope he didn't offer. Those coins came with too many purse strings attached.

"Should you need assistance...?"

"I'm good, thanks."

He nodded. "My aides will guide you out. Please let us know of your progress."

"I'll be happy to let you know when I'm leaving town." The second I got these cuffs off. "Feel free to throw a party."

He didn't respond. Instead, he simply said, "Take care, Alyse. These are dangerous times we live in."

I thought of the Dragon and what he'd nearly accomplished at the games. Dangerous times, indeed.

A
fter my chat
with the prince, I spent the rest of the day being lazy with Farah in Tops and Bottoms. I figured I'd earned a few hours of nonsense.

"So can we talk about the elephant balls in the room?" Farah asked.

"Nice one," I replied. I had a cheesesteak in one hand and a fashion magazine in the other.

"Don't deflect the question with a compliment." She adopted her serious pose. Hands on hips, feet a shoulder width apart, intense expression.

I sighed and pushed aside the magazine. It was hard to care about designer clothes when I could no longer summon them or afford them.

"You want to know how I'm going to avenge Jamie."

"No, I want to know about the shade of lipstick you wore in the fighting pits." She gave me a playful punch in the arm. "Of course I want to know your plan. He'd want you to bring his killer to justice."

No, he probably wouldn't, but I planned to do it anyway. I owed that much and more to Jamie, especially if his murder was connected to my burn notice.

"I'm following up a lead," I told her. "A Hail Mary, if you will."

As if on cue, the door of the shop opened and a deliveryman walked in holding an oversized padded envelope. "Packages for Alyse Winters."

I looked at him, perplexed. "That's me."

He handed over a brown envelope and a smaller white one. "No signature required." He tipped his cap and left.

Farah wasted no time pestering me to open them. "Is there a return address? Maybe it's from an anonymous suitor."

"Or maybe it's from an enemy who wants me dead."

Farah slowly backed away. "Can't you just have secret admirers like normal people?"

I studied the brown envelope first. The handwriting was sloppy and it smelled like stale beer. I tore open the back.

"Alyse," Farah cried. "Are you nuts? What if it's anthrax?"

I removed the contents of the envelope. "It isn't anthrax." I showed her the DVD. "Have you ever seen 48 Hrs.? Luciano Bendetti seems to think it's relevant to my life."

She scanned the blurb. "A hard-nosed cop and a wise-cracking criminal, huh? Which one are you supposed to be?"

"I do enjoy cracking wise."

"No argument here."

"But I'm not a criminal." Though the cuffs suggested otherwise.

Farah opened the DVD case. "So you mentioned Luciano's a blond surfer type."

"I did."

"If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you rather have with you—Flynn, Captain Angel, or Luciano?"

I hadn't told her about locking lips with Reed and I didn't intend to. It was likely just stress relief after all the fighting anyway. I doubted he'd bring it up the next time we saw each other, whenever that would be.

"Flynn," I replied.

Farah's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I thought for sure you'd say Reed."

"Flynn could kill me the fastest and I would definitely want to be dead. Reed wouldn't have the stomach for it and Luciano would be too drunk to aim straight."

Farah nodded approvingly. "Well reasoned. Flynn it is."

Now the white envelope. It clearly came from a different sender. The name and address were typed.

I opened the envelope and my eyes widened.

"What is it?" Farah asked. "Is it anthrax?"

It wasn't anthrax. It was the birthday card from my old apartment, the one Jamie gave me before I left for Monaco. I wasn't sure how he'd managed it, but Greer had come through for me. I guess he wasn't as rule-abiding as his big brother. I liked him already.

I smiled. "It's my Hail Mary." Praise the gods.

I opened the card and scanned the words. I didn't recognize a single one. In fact, I didn't recognize the language.

"What does it say?" Farah asked, peering over my shoulder.

"I have no idea," I said. But it was a clue, I knew it in my gut. And I would make it my mission to figure it out.

* * *