I break in before he can finish the question. “No. No way. He’s been so obviously worried about me… and if he was on board with getting rid of me, he had the perfect opportunity when I was laid up at home after the poisoning. No one would have suspected anything if I’d taken a sudden turn for the worse and passed away after all.”
Salvatore waves his hand through the air. “If these scalders are keeping tabs on that many people, it must be a big operation. Lots of balls in the air, lots of different interests. They’re basically a syndicate.” His forehead furrows. “One neither of my families has heard about, as far as I know.”
Byron is still studying the cards. “I’ve never seen writing like this.”
“Let me take a look.” Cole reaches for them and turns them over in his hands. His gaze goes distant, his features tensing as he must read the ephemera in them.
When he comes back to himself, he looks even more confused than Salvatore did. “There’s barely any energy attached to them at all. No traces to give an indication who wrote these or why. All I can sense are a few impressions that are obviously yours from when you found them. And I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this language in my studies either. Of course, I wasn’t focused on linguistics…”
“Could it be a code?” Asher asks. “Not any official language but one they made up to help keep their secrets?”
“That’s certainly possible.”
Salvatore focuses back on me. “You have to stay away from the Tadros family. Don’t even walk near Grady at school. Maybe your aunt was right, and youshouldstay out of school completely until we sort this out.”
My body balks at the idea as strongly as it ever did. “And let the four of you do all the work? No. I might not be any safer at home anyway if these people are this powerful. I’m pretty sure it’s the consultant my dad works with, Ms. Lupul, who’s roped him in—I saw her at Groove Garden before too. He’d invite her into the house without a second thought. How would I even explain why he shouldn’t?”
Asher clears his throat. “I might have something that would help us all feel better.”
He produces a bracelet from his pocket: a slim silverchain, modest but elegant enough that it wouldn’t look out of place with Other Elodie’s wardrobe.
His thumb runs over the links as he looks down at it. “I’ve been reading about and experimenting with a new avenue of defensive techniques… It’s actually a variation on strategies the void patrols use to alert them when a creature’s gone void. If the energy I imbued in the bracelet works the way I intended, a pulse should go off if anyone gets close to you with aggressive intent, like an alarm. It’ll throw out a shield of ephemera against any immediate attacks too—not a strong one, but enough to buy you a little time.”
Salvatore cocks his head skeptically. “If someone attacks Elodie, I think she’ll already know.”
“Yes, but—at least a little earlier than sensing outright pain through our match bond, it’ll alertusthat she’s been attacked. Well, just me at the moment, because I could only tie my own energies into it while I was working on it, but I can do the same thing for the rest of you.” Asher glances around at the other men.
Byron beckons Asher over without hesitation. “Let’s do it.”
As Asher holds the bracelet over Byron’s bond mark and sets his jaw with concentration, Salvatore and Cole come over to wait their turn. Their automatic commitment to my protection sends a pang through my chest.
Just this once, they’re acting in perfect allegiance with each other.
A deeper fear for more than just myself keeps gnawing at me. “I have to help my dad too. Whatever this group wants with him… if it’s anything criminal or harmful, I can’t believe he knows.”
Cole’s eyes narrow. “And as long as his ‘consultant’ has his trust, she’s a major threat to you.”
Salvatore rubs his jaw. “Send me those photos you took of his cards, mia amata, and whatever you know about her. Imight be able to make a little something happen soshecan’t make anything happen.”
My stomach twists as I reach for my phone. “Nothing that involves chopping her head off her body?”
He grins at me. “Only if necessary.”
As Asher turns to tie the bracelet’s imbued energy to Salvatore next, Cole folds his arms over his chest. “Remember that we need to keep our connection to Elodie under wraps. You can’t even hint at her involvement?—”
“I know, I know.” Salvatore pauses and shoots me a softer grin. “I’m not going to do anything that’ll put our match in danger.”
Cole doesn’t look satisfied. “It sounds like there’s a lot more potential evidence in the club’s basement. Let me handle that part—I can find an anonymous way to tip off the police and maybe expose the group’s whole operation.”
Asher is just dropping his hand from Salvatore’s when the mafia heir’s phone buzzes. Knitting his brow, Salvatore digs it out of his pocket.
“My fucking parents,” he mutters. “Can’t let a guy take care of his own business for five min?—”
His massive frame goes rigid. “Shit.” He whirls toward us. “You all have to get out of here, fast. I’ll clean the place up… Shit,shit.”
He’s so obviously rattled I can’t help staring at him even as I scramble to my feet. “What’s wrong?”
He’s already easing the mug from my grasp, shooing the other guys toward the door. “Get her out of here. I set up a magic alert of my own—someone working with one of the syndicates just got on the elevator. Simone warned me… My parents must be tracking my phone, and they’re trying to catch me at whatever I’m doing in secret.Go!Take the stairs the first few floors.”
