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“You had to buy me a coat rack. Do you think I have thekind of money that pays for a new heating system? This is an old house. A new system means new duct work.”
“I see your point.” He opened the cabinet. “Do you have any decaf? I’m not sure I should be caffeinated at this hour.”
I pushed past him to reach the cabinet and removed a bag of coffee. “Decaf is an abomination. I can make tea.”
“No, coffee is better.” He glanced at the bag. “Next time could you get a medium roast? The dark roast upsets my stomach.” He offered a cheeky smile. “Happy to see it’s organic, though.”
“You’re this close to getting booted.” I held my index finger a hair from my thumb.
“Listen, I’m the one spitting nails at the moment.”
“Are we talking literally or figuratively?” When it came to the mage assassin, one couldn’t be too sure.
He let loose a dramatic sigh. “You haven’t even asked me why I walked here.”
“I wasn’t aware that you did.”
“Somebody stole my car,” Gun complained. “Who steals a car from an assassin?”
“I’d say somebody who didn’t know the owner of the vehicle.”
“Fair, but my street is protected. It shouldn’t have been able to happen.”
“What do you mean by protected?”
Gun’s eyelashes fluttered in dismay. “I mean we have a protection ward on the street that prevents property crimes. Nobody should’ve been able to bypass it with my car while it didn’t contain me.”
“Why not use a ward like that for the whole town? It would save Chief Garcia a lot of work.”
Gun gave me a long look. “I’m a mage, not a miracle worker. And the real salt in the wound is I saw a snake disappear into the sewer.”
“How is that related?”
“It isn’t. It just made my day that much worse.” He shuddered. “I’m like the Indiana Jones of the mage world. I hate snakes.”
“Don’t let your enemies know. They might use it against you.”
“I have too many cards up my sleeve to worry.”
“This time you do mean literally, right?”
He unbuttoned his cuff and rolled up a sleeve to reveal a stack of tarot cards fastened to his arm. “Always be prepared. Assassin’s motto.”
“And the Boy Scouts. I bet you both know how to start a fire, too. Who knew you had so much in common?”
“My fire is harder to put out. I usually add a little something extra to give it some staying power.”
I held my hands over my ears. “I don’t want to know any more.” My blossoming friendship with Gun meant ignoring some of the more distasteful aspects of his profession.
“I don’t kill without good cause, remember?” He adjusted his sleeve. “Or a good paycheck.”
“You need to afford those designer shirts somehow.”
His head bobbed with enthusiasm. “See? You get me, Lorelei. That’s why I like you.”
“Did you file a police report about the car?”
“No, I was thinking I’d go through private channels. More efficient.”
