Of Murders and Mages Page 10

  He still had a heavy dose of anger toward her and the whole situation.

  She wilted under his glare and turned to me. “Sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry, more like a five-year-old being forced to apologize.

  “You ever come at me like that again, you’ll regret it.” I slowly enunciated each word. Even the nicest boarding schools had bullies, and I had learned that if you didn’t stand up to them right off the bat, it would be a long school year.

  Patagonia hissed, mimicking my aggression. Standing up on her hind legs, she clawed at the air, hooking her talons, as a robber would wield a blade. Unlike in my youth, I was not alone.

  A tight smile briefly appeared on Vin’s face but disappeared in a moment. “Settle down, and wipe your face off.”

  I scurried over to a mirror at the far end of the store while Vin and Tiffany spoke in hushed tones. My face was dotted with white powder that only smeared when I dragged my hand across my face. My eyes were red, and they stung. Patagonia, and Aristotle at her side, were pristine, without even a single fleck of white blemish on their black coats.

  I reached over to pet Patagonia. Aristotle pressed himself into my other hand, so I scratched behind his ears. Both cats slammed into the back of my legs and purred loudly. Brian was on the store phone, talking to someone quietly.

  In the reflection of the mirror, I watched Vin and Tiffany exchange a kiss. She turned to leave, and he smacked her on the butt. Desire radiated from both of them. She threw a fake scowl over her shoulder as she sauntered away.

  I watched Vin watch her until he jerked his head in my direction and caught my eye in the mirror. “We need to go, Ella.”

  I leaned over to pet the cats to hide my burning cheeks. I hadn’t intended for him to catch me watching them, though why wouldn’t I? The woman had attacked me out of nowhere, and I had set my hands on fire. I had every right to watch my back.

  But that wasn’t why I had watched. I had wanted to see what they were to each other. Lovers, it appeared. Not that it was any of my business, and I certainly didn’t care. I could barely stand the man.

  I threw back my shoulders and went up to Vin. “What the—”

  “Not now.” He completely dismissed me and turned to Brian. “I’m not done with you. Shut the store, and walk away for the rest of the week. Next week, we’ll have an investigation into how long you have been running your magic well over the acceptable levels.”

  Brian rolled his eyes, but the slight hike in his shoulder level gave away the nervousness that sprang up at the word investigation. “Come on, Vin. We all push it a bit. I just got carried away today.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  He sighed. “At least let me clean up before everything gets ruined.”

  “Fine. Pull the blinds before you start cleaning up since you clearly can’t be discreet with your magic.” He caught my eye. “Let’s go. It might take magic to get you presentable.” He exited the door of the store, and I stormed through the store to try to catch up with him.

  He had the bag with the snow globe in it. It seemed like a lifetime since he bought it. Aristotle jogged next to him as Vin left the high-end store and pushed through the other store and out to the casino floor. Patagonia kept racing ahead then stopping in front of me, causing me to dance around her to avoid tripping.

  People stepped out of Vin’s way and stared at the large man and his cat storming through the casino, but when their eyes landed on me they were either startled or burst out laughing at my appearance.

  “Vin! Wait up. I have questions.” I ran hard to fall into step next to him. “Who was she?”

  He stared straight ahead but did slow down a little. “She’s the lead dancer in the casino’s show.”

  “You know that isn’t what I meant,” I hissed before tripping over Patagonia. I stumbled a few steps before catching my balance and catching up with him.

  He chuckled. “That’s all that matters.”

  “Bull honky. She attacked me, and I’d rather it not happen again. Though if I see her again, maybe I’ll get the drop on her.”

  Vin stopped in front of the same elevator we had used all day yesterday to investigate and pressed the button.

  “Aren’t there any other elevators in the whole casino? This one’s starting to freak me out.”

  “Sorry, it’s the closest.” The doors opened, and we stepped inside, the cats racing in ahead to sniff the floor. He ran an employee card through a slot and pressed the basement two floor button. After the door slid closed, he turned to me. “Investigating murder is creepy. And don’t jump Tiffany. You’ll see her again because you’re going to be a VIP server during her show.”

  I reached over and slammed my palm on the emergency stop button. Our descent halted, but an incessant alarm started blaring.

  Vin glared at me then waved a hand over the control panel, and the noise stopped. I was momentarily distracted by the small burst of magic I felt as he silenced the alarm, but I wouldn’t be stopped.

  “Why don’t you warn me about these things ahead of time?”

  “It wasn’t necessary; just do what I tell you.”

  Patagonia stretched up to dig her claws into my thigh as her tail whipped back and forth nervously. The anger was building in me and crawling up my throat. “Do what you tell me? I’m not a dog.”

  “You’re an employee.”

  “Fine. Then I quit!” I started pressing buttons, willing the elevator back to the main floor. There were reasons I had taken the job, but none mattered right now.

  “Stop. Stop.” He swallowed hard and struggled to form the next sentence. “I’m… sorry. Okay. I should have warned you more carefully about the magic in the store.”

  My hand paused, hovering over the buttons. “Oh?”

  “It might have… helped you… be more prepared.” He groaned slightly as if the admission caused him physical pain. “Though I had no way of knowing that you would be so susceptible or that he was running so much juice through the store.”

  “Don’t!” My voice screeched in the enclosed space. Patagonia yowled and stood on her back legs to dig her front claws into my stomach. I took a second to compose myself. “If you had warned me that the store had that kind of magic, the compulsion to buy, I could have told you that it was hitting me hard. If you had warned your little girlfriend about what I was doing, she might not have attacked me.”

  “I already apologized about the store. I won’t say it again.”

  It had been a weak apology at best, but there was no use belaboring the point. “And Tiffany?”

  “Unavoidable. She could be a suspect.”

  I gasped. “You think your girlfriend could be a killer, and yet you are still dating her?”

  He shrugged. “She’s not exactly safe. We all agreed not to tell anyone what we were doing.”

  “Except Tiffany and Brian from the store both know I am in magic training. And Isadora from the restaurant knows I’m investigating, though she thinks it’s financial. And doesn’t everyone know that I am trying out a bunch of different jobs today? This is the worst-kept secret in town.” I crossed my arms and stomped a foot.

  Vin burst out laughing. “Good point. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, and you’ll be fine.” He reached out and pressed the down button.

  The elevator started to descend. I clenched my jaw and reached over to press the button again, but Vin grabbed my wrist.

  His hot hand held my wrist firmly but painlessly. “Don’t. It’s not good for the elevator.”

  I jerked my hand back but couldn’t move an inch until he deliberately released it. “Fine, but I’m not doing another thing until you answer some questions.”

  The door to the elevator opened to the second basement floor, one below the stables. It was an employee-only level used to change into uniforms, store their things in lockers, or clock into work. I had been here a few days ago to check in before they sent me to investigate the finances of the casino. So much had happened since tha
t it felt like an eternity ago.

  Vin rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He marched over to an office and leaned in through the open door. “Hey Greg, I’m here with the new girl, but I need your office.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Greg exited the office and gave me a smile. He had helped me with paperwork on my first day of work. “Hey, Ella, didn’t realize they were taking you from accounting to waitressing. Odd, but not my business. I’ll be back in a bit to get you all set up. Do you want me to bring you back coffee?”

  “Thank you. Yes, I take it with cream.” Greg had been fun and put me at ease my first day. This time I picked up the cozy, warm vibration of magic around him. I went into the office and took the chair behind the desk, the power seat.

  Vin closed the door behind him and sat. “I forgot that you already met Greg.”

  “And yet another person that is suspicious of this whole setup. You might as well buy me a bungling investigation T-shirt. In fact, you get one as well.”

  “Is that what you wanted to talk about?” Vin sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “No. Well… yes, a little. What is the goal here? I mean, we are trying to hide the investigation, but everyone and their mom knows that something is going on.”

  “How so?” He quirked an eyebrow in question.

  “Isadora knows I am doing some investigation, though you said it was financial. Brian from the store and Tiffany both know I am a mage or witch or whatever you call it. And they both heard you say that you were there when I got Patagonia. What was Tiffany’s question about a bond all about?” At the mention of Patagonia’s name, she leapt onto my lap. Aristotle came to my side and started grooming her face.

  “Tiffany can see how people are connected.” He sat and stared at me, saying no more.

  I sucked in a breath through my teeth as agitation rose in my chest. “I swear! If you don’t start answering my questions, I will leave.”

  “I answered.”

  “Then use more words. Lots of words. Tell me something useful, you big lump of muscle.”

  The corners of his mouth subtly lifted. “Okay, I’ll try.”

  I blew out a breath and started over. “What is the bond that she was talking about, and I guess she could see it because of magic?”

  “Yes.” He nodded and put an ankle on the knee of the other leg and leaned back. “She specializes in seeing how people are connected and can affect some of those connections. Her show is billed as ‘for lovers,’ so it makes sense. She could see a connection between us.” He avoided my eyes at the end, broadcasting his unease.

  “What bond is that? She thought we were… a thing.” I twisted up my mouth in disgust at having to say it out loud.

  “I was one of the three witnesses when the familiar bond between you and Patagonia was forged. Normally, that is done by family members and mentors, people that have a significant relationship. I didn’t want to get mixed up in it, but there was no one else present. Mom said I could stay out of it, but apparently the magic felt differently. Now we are working together, and it is getting stronger.”

  I gasped and looked between us, half expecting to see a physical rope between us. “No, eww, I don’t want to be tied to you.”

  “Neither do I! But magic doesn’t care. Once we catch the mage behind the murders, we can stop working together, and the bond will fade. That’s how these things work.”

  “Couldn’t she see that it wasn’t romantic then?”

  “No, bonds aren’t really color coded by activity. She probably could tell it was positive but not the exact nature, and when combined with me holding you, she just jumped to conclusions.”

  “Why did you hold me like that?”

  “To help ground you and break the magic. I thought you were stronger than that, though I didn’t realize how much power he was pumping into that store.” He checked his watch.

  “Don’t even think about it. I’m not done.”

  “Then what do you want to know?” He flexed his head side to side then grabbed the top of his head and his chin and, with a violent jerk, popped his neck. It sounded like a symphony of walnuts being busted open.

  I cringed. “Two questions. First, isn’t my cover totally blown? Shouldn’t we cancel?”

  “And do what instead? Just let someone else die? That is why I am shadowing you today. Tiffany loves to gossip. The news is probably already getting around that we’re sponsoring your training. It’s not uncommon for a sponsoring family to find a job for the apprentice. Plus, Olivia owns the casino. She gets to do what she wants.”

  I tapped my front teeth. “What am I doing for the rest of the day? And please warn me ahead of time about any potential problems.”

  “You are going to be a waitress in three different locations: the high-end gambling tables, Isadora’s Ristorante, and the show that Tiffany does. The same group of waitresses float between these locations, so it isn’t that weird that you would appear in each place throughout the day. Mostly, girls stick to one area, but trying out different places isn’t unusual when you start.”

  “How am I supposed to get a reading on the place while running around working?”

  “You only get drinks and maybe some light food. But like I said, the waitresses stand around and look pretty. You’ll need to shower first, but I think you can handle that.” He broke into a big smile.

  I tipped my head to the side then looked down. I had forgotten that I was covered head to toe in the fire extinguisher foam. I chuckled and kicked a foot to spin the chair. “Stand around and look pretty. Got it. What else? Won’t other mages think it is weird that I’m a waitress? I mean if they can tell?”

  “Everyone that’s a mage here probably already knows. That’s gossip for you. But they won’t think it’s weird. All the high-end waitresses are mages.”

  I slammed my feet on the floor mid spin to stare at him. “What? Why?”

  “One of the best-paying jobs in the place. The tips alone are more than you would have made as a freelance employee. Plus they are part of what makes this place so successful. They are part of every aspect of the hotel and can influence our guests to have the best experience possible. Other casinos are starting to copy us, but our casinos are so far ahead.” He sat back with a smug smile.

  “Casinos? Plural?”

  He nodded. “The family has a variety of investments; between our family and Olivia, we own a good chunk of Rambler.”

  “Wow.” I would need to do some online searching to confirm the statement since I was not one to believe someone just because they said so. But I could also sense his confidence in the statement. He believed himself—that much was true. “You must have an advantage being able to use magic and running casinos.”

  His eyebrows knitted. “What do you mean? Everyone powerful in Rambler’s a mage.”

  My eyebrows flew up in response. “Seriously?”

  He laughed and put both feet on the floor. “Of course. The mob ran Vegas. The mages run Rambler. But enough of a history lesson.” He stood up.

  Patagonia leapt off my lap. “Wait, what about the cats?”

  He opened the door as the cats bounded out and shrugged at me. “You can ask them to go home, but if they want to come, there is nothing we can do. Let’s find Greg and get you ready for work.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I turned around in front of the mirror, inspecting my waitress uniform. “No, no, no, no.”

  Greg leaned against the table in the small fitting room. “What’s wrong? It fits perfectly. Normally we have a gal that helps you get fitted, but I think I did a pretty good job.”

  I turned my back to the mirror and looked over my shoulder. “My butt’s hanging out.”

  “How else would people see the adorable gold panties? All the elite waitresses wear this. What size shoe are you?” He turned to a wall of high-heeled shoes.

  “Eight. This can’t be the way it is supposed to fit.” The uniform consisted of a white dress with gold trim. It reminded
me of what I had seen in hieroglyphs in college textbooks. It had a square neckline that showed all the cleavage I had and was formfitting down to the gold-trimmed hem that landed several inches shy of hiding the shiny gold panties. I had left all my jewelry at home, and there was nowhere on my outfit for my channeling stone. I felt magically naked along with physically.

  “Put these on.” Greg handed me the kitten heels with tiny gold buckles and threw open the door to the room.

  I sat in a chair to put on the shoes and was thankful that I had carefully shaved my legs last night. Toe hair would not have completed the look.

  Vin leaned in the door. “You ready? Whoa.” He pulled his head back. “That is a lot of hair.”

  I had to wash my hair after the fire extinguisher, and thankfully the nice locker room had a set of showers with soap, shampoo, and conditioner. They even had hairdryers. My hair was loose around me. It fell in waves to my butt and was a natural red that others paid for. It was my pride and joy.

  I pushed it out of my eye. “Yes.” I smiled at him. Men loved my hair loose, but I kept it back in a bun most times. He was probably going to compliment it, and I loved the compliments. Men and women would stop me to comment on it when it was down, comparing it to flames or even The Little Mermaid. It was my personal vanity.

  “It looks like… uh…” He stuttered to find the right word. “You know, one of those polygamists! A sister wife.”

  I groaned. “Seriously?” It was rude and dismissive of him after a long morning of being a pain in the butt. Though he had finally answered a few questions, that didn’t change the fact that talking to him was difficult and getting him to be forthright was like pulling teeth from a cranky tiger. His mouth was still moving.

  “I prefer short hair, but I guess if you had a hair fetish, it would be cool.” His voiced faded out as I glared. You’d think he’d know how to at least pretend to be polite. Clearly his overdeveloped muscles left no blood to circulate to his pea brain. It took me a second to recognize he was asking a question. “You ready or what?”

  I glared at him. “Where do I put my stuff?” I gestured to an oversized purse I had brought with makeup and hair supplies. I dug out a clip and flipped my head over to twist my hair into a bun that I secured with the clip.