Women of the Otherworld 10.5 - Counterfeit Magic (15 page)

“There’s no problem,” I said. “Sure, things are tough, but you and I are—”

He twisted to face me. “Paige, please. Don’t keep saying everything’s all right. Don’t keep acting like it is. We both know it’s not, but I can’t address the problem when you won’t admit there is one.”

“I—”

“You’re struggling. You’re feeling left behind and left out. But you don’t want to upset me, and you want to handle it on your own. You think if you keep working at it, the Cabal will realize you’re a valuable asset.”

Nailed it on the first try.

His voice softened. “That’s not going to happen, Paige. I thought it would. I hoped it would. But it’s not.”

“And it won’t. I’m a woman, I’m a witch and I’m married to the guy they don’t want leading their company.”

The demon had tried to seduce me by insisting Lucas was no longer the man I’d married. Part of me did grieve for the life we’d lost when his brothers died. I understood why Lucas needed to be part of the Cabal, but I still grieved.

Yet even when I’d wanted to hate Lucas, I’d recognized the demon’s lies for what they were. My life had changed; my husband hadn’t.

Our marriage
was
in trouble. Pretending it wasn’t would only make things worse.

“I’m leaving the Cabal,” Lucas said.

I shook my head. “We can handle Carlos. I have some ideas. He won’t try anything like this—”

“Carlos has nothing to do with it. It’s not working out. I need to make a choice. Maybe I’m being selfish, but I choose you.” He leaned over, lips brushing mine as he whispered, “I always choose you.”

Only, he couldn’t. As strong as Benicio was for his age, the stress of preparing a new heir to fight Carlos would be too much. In the meantime, his search would leave the Cabal vulnerable. The Nasts, sensing weakness, would strike.

The supernatural world needed the Cortez Cabal to balance the evil of the Nasts and St. Clouds. The Cortez Cabal needed Benicio. Benicio needed Lucas. Wishing it wasn’t so wouldn’t change that.

“You can’t,” I said.

He squared his shoulders. “Yes, I can, and I—”

“No, you can’t. The ball is in my court on this one. You’re right, I need to stop pretending nothing’s wrong. And stop pretending it’s going to change.”

“You shouldn’t—”

“But I will. Suck it up and deal. That’s what I have to do.” I looked over at him.
“When I was in Miami this week, after the meeting, one of the employees talked to me.
She’d just been promoted to management, and was having a problem. The other managers hold weekly meetings at a strip club, which means she’s missing out. She wanted my advice. I told her she had two choices. One, take it over their heads and insist they move the meetings. Two, go to the meetings anyway. I suggested the latter.”

Lucas chuckled. “They’d probably be so embarrassed that they’d change the venue.”

“Maybe.
But whether they did or not, the point is she wouldn’t miss the meetings. She agreed and thanked me. She said there wasn’t anyone else for her to talk to. I’ve been butting my head against their damned glass ceiling, determined to make a difference. But I
did
make a difference on that trip. I was just too focused on the big win to celebrate the small one. That’s where I can do some good. Helping anyone who feels like an outsider, wants to talk to someone who isn’t a Cortez, isn’t a sorcerer.”

“You’re right that the Cabal could use you as an ombudsman for employees who feel disenfranchised, but I don’t want you to feel you’re settling—”

“I never settle. I just lower my oversized expectations. I’ve always aimed too high, first with the Coven, then the council, now with this. I’ve only ever set my sights on the best once and gotten it.” I kissed him.
“Can’t expect to get that lucky ever again.”

He pulled me to him and we sank into the cushions. Then Adam and Savannah’s voices sounded in the hall.

“Better take a rain check,” I said. “They’re going to want to know what we plan to do about Carlos. Like I said, I have an idea…”

Maintaining the Charade

Lucas and I went to Miami. It had been months since we’d gone anywhere together. I’d told myself with recent cases that it made more sense for us to split our resources.
A lie.
Smarting from the Cabal’s rejection, my confidence had needed the boost of succeeding on my own.

I realized my mistake now. Working alone hadn’t bolstered my confidence; it only hammered a wedge between us. So we flew to Miami together, even if I didn’t need to be there.

While I stayed at the hotel, Lucas went in to the office
early,
taking our new spy camera so I could watch my plan unfold. He spoke to his father first. He didn’t tell him what happened. Lucas had never tattled on his half-brothers, even when they’d tormented him as a boy. He just said he’d come to do some work. And was Benicio free for lunch? He’d like to discuss that offer to buy him a condo in Miami.

Flying halfway across the country to “do some work?”
Wanting to discuss the condo, after refusing to consider it for years? It was odd. Very odd, and I’m sure Benicio wondered what was up… which was exactly the point.

One of Carlos’s sycophants would be quick to tell him that Lucas was in the office, and had met with their father. Carlos would go straight to Benicio, find out what Lucas had said and then…

Lucas’s office door banged open, his secretary fluttering in behind Carlos, motioning that he’d barged past her. I watched the scene through the camera.

Carlos parked himself in front of Lucas’s desk. The first time I met Carlos, I had to admit he was the most attractive of the Cortez brothers. Over the years, his looks had faded—too many drugs, too much alcohol,
too
many other habits I preferred not to think about. Since his brothers’ deaths, he’d cleaned up the dope and booze, but those were really the least of his sins, and that dissolute look had hardened into something a lot more dangerous.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Carlos said.

“Working.”

Carlos peered at him. While Lucas looked perfectly presentable, he wasn’t his usual pressed and polished self. His chin bore shaving nicks. His hair looked unwashed. His clothing was rumpled.

Carlos smiled. “You’re not having lunch with Dad to talk about the condo. You only said that so he wouldn’t worry. You’re going to tell him you’re leaving.”

“Leaving?”

“The Cabal.
You’re here to clean out your desk.” He tried to look thoughtful. “It’s Paige, isn’t it? Something happened with Paige.”

Lucas blinked in feigned surprise,
then
shuffled papers. “I prefer not to discuss it.”

“Ah, so I’m right.
Problems at home, huh?
Not like we didn’t all see this coming. So you’re telling Dad that you’re leaving—”

“Staying.”

Now it was Carlos’s turn to blink.

Lucas straightened the papers. “I’m here to tell him that I’m staying. My marriage is over, so I see no reason to maintain this charade.”

After a moment, Carlos managed a strangled, “What?”

“The Cabal needs me. You can’t be expected to cover both Hector’s and William’s jobs. I’m fooling myself taking on minor assignments and thinking that helps. It doesn’t. I need to be here, and the only thing holding me back was Paige. She hated me working for the Cabal. Now that my marriage has ended…” His jaw tightened, eyes cooling. “It appears to be time for a fresh start. I’ll be accepting my role as heir.”

“
Wh
-what happened?”
A split-second pause.
“Did she find someone else? Because if she did, I’m sure it’s not what you think.
Just a one-time thing.
It happens. No need to—”

“Paige has not been unfaithful. Apparently, she thinks I have been. She kicked me out.”

I swore I could hear Carlos’s sigh of relief. His plan had gone awry, but this could be fixed.

“I’m sure it’s a misunderstand—”

“It’s an excuse,” Lucas cut in. “She’s been unhappy for months. I’ve tried to fix the problem, but obviously, she doesn’t want it fixed, so she’s concocted this wild story—”

“Are you sure it’s a story? What does she think happened?”

“I have no idea. The conversation never went that far.”

Carlos strode over to the coat rack and picked up Lucas’s jacket and bag. “Paige isn’t making up stories. Some gold-digger slut has set you up.
Happens to me all the time.”

“I don’t think—”

“Just go home.
Talk to her.
You’ll work this out. You don’t really want to be here.”

Lucas looked around, undecided, and in the silence that followed, I knew what Carlos was thinking. He’d made a fatal miscalculation. If Lucas lost me, he wouldn’t fall apart. He’d grieve in his own way, by throwing himself into work. Without me to remind him of his goals, he’d fulfill Benicio’s greatest dream and Carlos’s greatest nightmare. He’d become a true heir.

Bullshit, of course. Lucas didn’t need me to keep him straight. But as Lucas hesitated, it only confirmed Carlos’s fears.

“Go on,” Carlos said. “At least try. You owe your marriage that much. Hear her out. See if it can be saved. You still love her, right?”

Lucas hesitated so long I swore I could hear Carlos’s heart pound. Then he said, “All right,” and took his coat.

* * * *

After Carlos left, Lucas called me.

“Well played,” I said.

“It was your script,” he said. “Somehow, I don’t think we’ll need to worry about Carlos trying to break us up again.”

“I hope not. So the next step is to foil his plan with the
Gallantes
.”

“That will be a simple matter of exposing it. We’ll head to Santa Cruz later. In the meantime, I suspect I can’t wriggle out of lunch with my father.”

“You shouldn’t. And you might want to take his condo offer. I know we’ve discussed it. Go ahead and accept. That’ll keep Carlos on his toes, thinking you’re planning for a possible marriage failure.”

“Agreed.
Lunch, however, isn’t for a few hours. Any thoughts on how we might fill them?”

“Oh, I have a few ideas.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I smiled and hung up the phone. Things weren’t back to normal yet. That would take work. But we’d get through it. I’d make sure of that, starting with a little Hawaiian getaway for two.