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“Not anymore. He respects it and lets me do my thing.”
“Is he cruel?”
She thought he was, but the memory of how he had sat at Pampei’s table and drank with the man was seared in her soul. So was the way he told off his brother when he finally found out the truth between Gunther and Emerald. It shouldn’t make her feel things, but it did—and she hated that she felt too much.
“No, he’s not cruel,” Pearl finally replied. “But that doesn’t matter. He’s a Lyra.”
“And we’re the Suttons,” Ruby pointed out. “Always lumped together without considering that we’re different people and not at all related to our brother.”
“Our brother did nothing wrong.”
“I know. But what he did or didn’t do wrong is still not related to us. Maybe it’s the same for the Lyras.”
Pearl eyed her sister as if the woman had grown multiple heads. “When did you become so…”
“Smart?” Ruby smiled. “I’ve always been smart. And there’s one thing I didn’t tell you guys.”
“What?”
“Henry and I worked together once, and he was as patient and professional as they come—and I wouldn’t have been able to complete the mission without his help. The guy’s pretty powerful.”
Pearl gaped. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because you guys hated the Lyras and I saw no point in bringing it up. But now that we’re talking about Henry…”
“We’re talking about Henry?” Moon interrupted, ducking back in. “I saw him a few nights ago. He was out with his family.”
Pearl nodded, still mulling over what her sister had shared. “Hmm. He’s always with his family.”
“There was a woman with him. I don’t remember her name but I remember her grandfather’s a judge. They seemed to be having a good time talking and—ouch. What? I saw it.”
Moon rubbed the arm that Ruby pinched. Again, Pearl barely noticed as her stomach plunged and her senses grew a bit hazy. Then they cleared and she was back to scowling.
“I changed my mind. He will contact me when he needs my help. Moon, let’s go to the bar.”
She dragged Moon with her, confident that Ruby and Maddox would follow. The bar was suitably crowded when they finally got there, and she strolled in with all the confidence of someone prepared to have a good time—until a familiar figure caught her attention. Pearl froze, taking in the fancy suit he had on and feeling the ache in her body intensifying. Then her focus shifted to the woman beside him: tall, blonde, and as cool as he was, both in beauty and general demeanor.
“That’s her,” Moon said, blissfully ignorant of the jealousy scratching her inside out. “That’s the woman I saw with him last time.”
They were absorbed in whatever conversation they were having, drinks in hand. Henry was so relaxed, he might as well be lying on the chair. Something strange grabbed her hard at the idea of the woman being the one to make him that relaxed before she pushed it back and lifted her chin. Then orange hair blocked her view.
“And it’s time for drinks,” Ruby sang out, steering Moon and Maddox away. “Pearl, are you getting your usual? Should I order it for you?”
“Later,” Pearl murmured. She looked around and paused, her resolve building like no other. “I see someone familiar over there.”
The other familiar figure was Justice Cross, who was once an engaged man before his fiancé left him and ran away with another warlock. Last she heard, Amanda Krisha was living cozily with her new husband and Justice was on the prowl, scoring chicks left and right. That was all the information she needed as she sidled up to him and offered her most seductive smile.
“Hey, Justice. I heard you were always in bars, but this is my first time seeing you in this bar.”
Justice took in her smile, then scanned her from head to foot. A gleam entered his features as he liked what he saw. His eyes turned sparkling when he smiled and she was pleasantly surprised at how it changed his features.
“I heard you were always in bars, too, but this is also my first time seeing you. Maybe it’s destiny.”
The playful return of her line amused her. She let him order her a drink and asked some questions, all of which he answered with the same playfulness and no actual answer—in short, he wasn’t interested in deep-seated conversations because he was only here for one thing.
“Tell me, have you always been this touchy or am I just a lucky guy?”
“You’re about to get luckier,” she promised. Normally, this was followed up with her inviting him somewhere private, but something inside her protested the idea. “Because I’m going to buy you your next drink.”
