Women of the Otherworld 10.5 - Counterfeit Magic Read Free Page A

offered with words, and even those sounding stilted and formal. Polite and sympathetic, but distant. Which only made her try all the harder.
     
    “Sounds like someone is hoping to pay her bill with an exchange of services,” Adam said.
     
    Savannah snorted. “Her ego will take a beating if she tries.”
     
    They laughed. I didn’t. It was insulting, having a woman throw herself at my husband when she knew I was in the next room.
     
    “So it seems we have two avenues of investigation,” Adam said. “The gambling debt and the fight club. I’ll take the fight club and—”
     
    “Excuse me?” Savannah strode over. “No offense, fire-boy, but you’re a one-trick pony. I’m a dual-purpose, ultra-charged spellcaster.”
     
    “And an attractive young woman, which they like,” Adam said. “That’s why I was about to suggest you come with me.”
     
    “Sorry.” She lifted his legs from the divan, sat down and let them fall across her lap.
     
    As they bantered, I kept my gaze on my notes. Savannah has had a crush on Adam from the day they met, which wouldn’t be so bad, if she hadn’t been twelve at the time and he’d been twenty-three. If Adam had noticed, he’d given no sign of it, treating her like a little sister. I’d figured she’d grow out of it, and if she was going to have a teenage crush, Adam was as safe a bet as I could want—someone who’d treat her well, and leave her with a good impression of guys in general.
     
    Except, well, maybe the impression Adam left was too good, one no boy her own age could live up to. At twenty-one, her infatuation has mellowed into a solid friendship, but I know she hopes more will come of it. As for Adam, if you’d asked me his feelings a year ago, I’d have said it was strictly friendship. Lately, though, I’ve caught hints that maybe something’s changed, something he isn’t quite aware of himself.
     
    I don’t have a problem with the age difference. Maturity-wise, Adam has always been on a slow curve. There’s a part of me that wants to give things a push. But I know better. They’ll have to figure this out for themselves, and it may take a while.
     
    * * * *
     
    Once Lucas had everything he needed, he extricated himself from the meeting. Savannah was chomping at the bit to rescue him, but that would only make things worse, letting Ava think Lucas hadn’t ended their meeting of his own free will.
     
    It didn’t help that he refused to commit to take her case. Eventually, he got her out of the building and joined us in our office, where I met him with a double-shot of espresso.
     
    “Thank you,” he said.
     
    “We still need toner,” Savannah said. “Unless that meeting wore you out.”
     
    A faint smile. “No, but I think Ava Cookson was enough work for everyone today. I declare the work day officially over.”
     
    “Is that a hint?” Savannah said.
     
    “It is.”
     
    “Grab your coat, Adam.” She stopped beside me. “We’re going for drinks, then a movie, so I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.”
     
    “You buying?” Adam said.
     
    “We’ll expense it.”
     
    They left. Lucas sipped his espresso until the stairwell door alarm clicked on, then he downed the rest and crossed to my chair.

Divvying up Duties
     
    By the time we actually left the office, it was past six. We grabbed takeout and headed back to the house. Normally, I’d cook dinner, but after three days away, I couldn’t trust there’d be anything left in the fridge.
     
    We hadn’t discussed Ava’s case yet. It could wait, and we were enjoying some quiet time together. It didn’t take long before conversation turned to another aspect of work. My Cabal visit. I gave him a rundown, focusing on the reason for his abrupt summons to Miami: a diplomatic situation.
     
    A French Cabal—the Moreaus —had accused the Cortezes of poaching a shaman employee. Not true. The shaman had come to the Cortezes for a job and failed to disclose the fact he was