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“I don’t know,” Kyler said. “I think what’s important is what Rose decides she wants.”
I bit back a grimace. “I think what Rose wants is not to have to worry about any assholes trying to steal control over her magic.” My gaze caught on a stout figure hurrying past the shops around the edge of the square. “Speaking of assholes…”
The other guys followed my glance. The barrel-chested man with the egg-shaped head and thinning white hair I’d indicated wasn’t anyone we’d have paid much attention to a month ago. He’d have just been Mr. Cortland, that old dude who lived on the outskirts of town. But he was one of Rose’s witching people. He’d been helping her stepmother figure out how to bend the consorting spell into a vicious trap. We’d broken into his house to get proof while he was out of town. Apparently he was back.
Kyler’s gaze twitched away. “Rose said he’d know we were digging into his things.”
More than digging in. When we’d tried to run off with the notebook he’d been recording his awful research in, the damned thing had burst into flames on the doorstep.
“Not us specifically,” Seth said, but he’d pulled his eyes away too. “Justsomeone.”
“I hope he’s scared,” I muttered. Mr. Cortland ducked into the fruit market. I cocked my head, considering. “I wonder what he knows about Rose’s dad and how much he was calling the shots?”
“We didn’t find anything about that in his house,” Seth said.
“So maybe we need to mess withhim.”
Seth stopped in his tracks. “Are you crazy?”
I glared at him. “No. I’m just saying—what’s he going to do? From what Rose said, he doesn’t have any magic. Scare him a little more, maybe he’ll cough something up.”
“Rosealsosaid that she needs to keep pretending everything is normal, or she could be in even more trouble. If her dad is in on it and he finds out she’s onto him before she has a way to turn him in—”
“Calm down,” I said, holding up my hands. “I’m not going to tell him anything. I was only thinking about what he could tell us.”
“I agree with Seth,” Kyler put in. “Unless Rose says she thinks it’s a good idea, we should leave him alone.”
I rolled my eyes, but I should have known better than to think these dopes were going to appreciate my suggestion. Great for them that they’d had a life where they’d always been able to play it safe. Sometimes to get things done, to save yourself or the people you cared about, you had to get your hands dirty.
“Damon?” Seth said, a warning in his voice.
I waved him off. “I heard you, I heard you. Forget I said anything.”
He still looked concerned, but he started walking again.
After a couple blocks, we had to go different ways. Kyler raised his hand to me, and I shrugged back. “Don’t do anything stupid,” Seth said. I didn’t bother responding to that at all.
I ambled on another block, just in case they came back after me for some reason. Then I veered down a side street and jogged back to the square.
Maybe the other guys were too afraid to play hardball on Rose’s behalf, but that was fine. That was why she had me.
My determination wavered when I reached the fruit market and couldn’t see Cortland anywhere. Where the hell had that asshole gotten to? I meandered across the square like I was just stretching my legs.
There he was. Coming out of the cheese shop, heading for the bakery. He must be stocking up his kitchen after that holiday.
Time for me to do a little stocking up too. Seth and his patronizing worries. I wasn’t even going to talk to the guy. How could he ever connect a random bit of theft to Rose?
I didn’t follow him into the bakery. Too small a space, too likely he’d notice me. But after the bakery, I trailed after him to the general grocery store, where I’d figured he’d head next. The supermarket was small-town-sized but still had a few aisles to disappear around and usually at least a handful of shoppers any time of day.
The old light panels buzzed overhead as I stepped in. The freezers along the one wall were old too—you could smell the Freon leaking. It made my nose itch.
I sidled past Cortland when he stopped to contemplate the cereal boxes. My hand darted out and eased his phone from his back pocket in one quick, practiced movement. 17-year-old me had gotten me and Mom through more than one financial squeeze with that trick. I shoved it up my sleeve and ambled right back out, grinning with my victory.
Chapter Four
Rose
Ihesitated outside the door to Dad’s office a little longer than would have looked normal to anyone who happened to come by. Thankfully, the only person who appeared was Philomena, with a fan she twitched by her face.
