Page 5 of Warwick

“Sure, I can bring cookies. Are you certain?”

“Yep. I’m going to ask you to bring cookies.” Grandpa Lev wrapped his arms around my shoulders and gave me a tight hug. “I’ll see you Sunday. Be careful until then, and don’t let your parents get to you.”

I nodded against his shoulder. Grandpa Lev took a step back, and then after he placed his hand on my cheek, he offered me a smile and then walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

I stood there a minute before I went to the kitchen and turned the microwave back on. After it beeped, signaling the end of the cycle, I opened it and pulled out my dinner. I absently carried it to the couch and set it down before going back for a drink and fork. Once I was settled on the couch, I turned on the television and picked up my meal. I would worry about the cookies and the significance of bringing them later. I’d also deal with my parents later as well. They were most likely getting ready to turn in for the night, so it did no good to return their calls or messages just yet.

They could wait because I really didn’t want to have my evening ruined because I made the mistake of calling them back. It never failed that I was in a funk after talking to them. Well, not tonight. Tonight, I was going to eat leftover Chinese food, have a pint of ice cream afterward, and spend a few hours binging movies with hot guys in them. Despite the fact that I worked next to the council building, staring at the actors in the movie was as close as I would get to being able to gawk at any hot guys. It just wasn’t in the cards for me otherwise.

I took my first bite of noodles as the movie started. So good. In fact, I thought it was better the second day, but that was me. Either way, I really hoped my evening turned out not terrible. I could really use one of those.

Chapter 3

Warwick

Venice was doing nothing for me. I’d been here two days and was already bored with the place. That was why I was standing outside of Dominic’s workplace. It wasn’t too difficult to track the warlock down. I had access to files and lists others didn’t, and after I did a quick check, I’d easily found the name of every coven member here in Venice. Unfortunately, there were a few Dominics listed, and since I didn’t have his last name, I had to go tracking down all of them. Of course, he would end up being the last one I’d located.

The building was unsuspecting until you entered. I knew it belonged to the coven, and I knew that it had top-notch security. Not ready to give them any information about me just yet, a little bit of magic had the cameras frozen to look as if nobody was about to enter their building. I used a bit more magic to push out and try to discover more about the building, but there was a push back, and I knew that it had to have come from more than one source. That was interesting, and I was definitely going to be in contact with Master Edison as soon as I had a bit more to report. First though, I needed to get that information. So I stepped into the lobby and tried my best to not look completely out of place. That was impossible, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Posso aiutarla?”

I sighed. There was that as well. I didn’t speak Italian. “I’m looking for Dominic De Luca,” I told the receptionist as I held out a piece of paper. She offered a smile, took the paper, and nodded before picking up the phone. Of course, I didn’t understand most of what she said. I caught two words out of everything, and those happened to be my name. She continued to speak faster than I could ever hope to catch anything she was saying before she hung up the phone and looked up at me.

“He’ll be right down. You may sit and wait.” She held out her hand and pointed to the tiny-ass chairs they had in their reception area. I offered her a glare because she spoke English, and despite the fact that Dominic did as well, she rambled off to him in Italian.

“I’ll stand. Thanks though,” I told her before I walked over to the waiting area and stood. Like I normally did, I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms in front of my chest. I had been told more times than I could recall that I always appeared standoffish, but I liked it that way. I didn’t really like people. I was all right with those associated with the council to an extent, but my pack was really the only people I could be around on a regular basis.

After what felt like forever, a familiar face exited the elevators to my right. He offered a smile as he held out a hand toward me as he approached.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ashwood. I completely forgot we were supposed to meet this afternoon,” he said. I simply raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what that was about. “Perhaps we could step out and grab something to drink in the café across the street?” Dominic said as he held his hand out toward the doors I’d entered not long ago.

“Sure.”

Dominic nodded and offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I was going to find out soon enough. We exited the building, and once we were half a block down the street, Dominic finally spoke up.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” he said.

“Why is that?” I asked, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Because I work for the coven. Everyone in there is associated with the coven in some way. Even Marianna there at the reception desk.”

“Tell me why that’s bad, then? I already knew you worked for the coven. Everyone seems to work for the coven in some manner. And I mean everyone. Why is that?”

Dominic sighed. He glanced left, then right, before grabbing my arm and pulling me toward another one of those tiny-ass alleyways. What I didn’t expect was for him to suddenly pop us away from there and plant us at a beach in what I was certain was a public restroom.

I simply raised both eyebrows at him this time.

“You said you are with the council. You found me. You have to have looked into the coven. Well, dive deeper. We need help, but we’re not able to get messages out. As it is, I’m already going to be punished for even talking to you because there is facial recognition software in the building, and it started searching for you immediately. They are going to be at my desk waiting for me when I return.”

“What does your coven do, Dominic? Why can’t you get messages out? And how is it that this is able to be covered up?”

“There’s no help here, Warwick. We’re on our own,” Dominic said as we walked out of the bathroom and into the bright sunlight. I pulled out a pair of sunglasses from the pocket of my khakis and slid them onto my face.

“Help for what? Tell me what you’re involved in.”

“Too much. Drugs, mostly. The building is a front for it. There are some legit business transactions that go on, but everyone knows that the coven is dirty.”

“What else? You said your coven master doesn’t like outsiders. Simply because he’s running drugs?”

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