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“Johnny Duke, it’s a pleasure,” Vincent said as he offered his hand.
I took it, giving a firm shake. “Thank you for inviting me here.”
“My nephew told me you have a proposition.” Vincent nodded to Lex. “Something related to Kane’s abandonment of the pack?”
You wish. “Yes, unfortunately, Kane felt he needed to leave.”
“Which surprises me,” Vincent said. “Considering he just laid down a small fortune for Charlotte Larsen.”
“Well, you’ve heard, I’m sure, about her…abnormalities.” It killed me to say those words, but I knew the end justified the means.
Vincent looked at me over the top of his sunglasses. “Indeed, I have. I believe Sal warned Kane about her particular deformity.”
“About that…” I leaned forward, elbows on the table. “I’d like to see the contract. The original.”
Vincent’s eyes widened. “You have a copy. Surely Kane showed you.”
“He did, yes, but my brother Levi, he detected a trace of witch text—”
“Whoa there, wait one minute!” Vince pushed his chair back. “It sounds like you’re gearing up for an accusation.”
“I’m just trying to find out what Kane kept from us.” Another lie, another inner cringe. “We need to know what he signed us up for. Charlie… She’s…a lot.”
Vince slapped the table so it shook my drink and Lex grabbed his bottle in time before it tipped over. “Oh fuck yeah, I bet.” He laughed again. “Now I understand. No refunds, boys. That was in the contract, I assure you.”
“I’m not looking for a refund.” I took a long haul from my drink, loving the tang that soaked my throat. “I’m looking for the loophole. Levi says there’s more to the contract than what we have on ours. He suspects that Sal wrote something in there that might help us out.” Vincent had no idea what Levi was capable of with his magic detecting ability. “Levi thinks Sal ultimately wants Charlie back. We’re thinking we might be able to make that happen in a more mutually advantageous way.”
Vincent leaned back in his chair to study me. “I’ve heard about your brother’s ability to sense magic. He got all that from the top copy of your contract?”
That was confirmation that Levi had been right about a multi-layered document.
“He’s got some special skills.” I drained my drink. “So you think I can take a look? See what my useless older brother tied us to?”
“I might be able to help you.” Vince rubbed his chin. “Sure, yeah, I could let you take a peek…for a favor.”
I nodded and waved my hand. “Consider it done.”
Vince smacked his knee as he stood. “You’re my kind of man, Johnny, just like Lex said.” He circled his finger around our drinks. “I’ll get Mani to bring another round.” He paused, his face turning serious. “No funny business, though. You so much as twitch like you’re going to take the contract, and my dogs will rip you apart.”
Three security guards stepped forward. His wolves were big, probably bad, but they were no match for Charlie.
“Vince, I just want to see what my brother agreed to so I can clean up his mess.” I sighed, putting everything I had into the act.
Vince nodded. “The sins of our brothers rest heavy on our lives. I got you, Johnny.”
He left, and I released the tension I was carrying. We were almost there.
When Vince came back, he was carrying a satchel that reeked of bad things. I didn’t need Levi’s ability to read magic to know that what was inside the bag was dangerous.
He tossed the leather case in front of me. “I’ve unlocked it so you can read the witch text.” He raised his hands. “But don’t shoot the messenger, eh? I had nothing to do with what’s written there.”
I didn’t blame Kane for not detecting the magic text because even unlocked, it was barely a blip on my senses. Something felt off, yes, but not enough to make me want to investigate, just enough to make my hackles rise.
I held the contract, which was only one page, just like the one we had. This one, though, had iridescent script along the outside border of the paper. I turned the document to read all the way around.
First is the bite, three times three.
Next will ignite the power of she.
