Page 111 of Bright Dark Curses

Doyle had called me the next day, commending me on being a team player and not trying to do things on my own.

Boy, was I happy that hadn’t been a video call, or she’d have seen the copious amount of sweat running down my temples as she went on a rant about witches who thought they could fix anything on their own and were too scared to ask the Council for help.

She had then told me that McKee had admitted to disrupting the set with magic, but denied having anything to do with Lee’s death.

Until the witches had made it very clear he’d be sent to the bounty hunters for questioning unless he made a full confession.

“He changed his tune fast,” Doyle had confided with a low chuckle.

Nothing like bounty hunters to put the fear of everything holy into paranormal criminals.

“What will happen to him?” I’d asked. Murder was, after all, a serious matter.

“I’m sorry, I’m not at liberty to say. But don’t worry, he’ll spend a long time in jail for these crimes.”

And that would have to suffice. It wasn’t my job to deal justice, after all. My job was keeping the local paranormal community happy and healthy, and judging by the crowd gathered in the kitchen, I was slowly succeeding.

“Eat some pizza, boss,” Shane said, pulling one of the boxes toward us. He grabbed a slice and began munching on it with gusto. Pepperoni and extra cheese—my favorite.

I copied his example and took a big bite of a slice. Yum. Best way to celebrate. Even Brimstone had picked up a slice and was trying hard to not dirty his expensive suit jacket.

Brett should’ve been here, as we were celebrating his paranormal case closed almost as much as Dru’s shop, but he was busy on set. They had stopped the filming for a couple of days to mourn the loss of Lydia Lee, but then had resumed making the movie, making it clear it would be dedicated to her memory.

Ethan, who had gotten a promotion out of all of this and was as happy as a clam, had told us that there had been so much interest with the death that the books had gone viral and interest in the movie had skyrocketed. The sequel had been announced earlier today.

That was Hollywood for you.

Key had been disappointed that she’d missed the big showdown, but having successfully closed her first case as a bounty hunter to-be had given her a new confident bounce to her steps and the way she carried herself.

My phone dinged, and I wiped my hands on a paper towel before checking who it was. A text from Natalia:

Potion worked wonders. Thanks.

A link followed.

I clicked it, of course.

It brought me to a video of a group of young teens, thirteen or fourteen tops, dancing in unison inside a dance studio. They did a series of moves under a fast beat of music, then one had a free-style solo in the middle, then they all finished with different poses. Cool, but also absolutely adorable.

The one on the right caught my attention. So young and serious-looking and already staring into the camera with a familiar intensity.

My heart melted. Oh, my goodness.

“Ah,” Brimstone said over my shoulder, and I jolted, startled. “The Pyro Boys.”

“The…Pyro Boys?” I repeated, trying to suppress a giggle. It was too much!

Brimstone straightened and tugged at his waistcoat. “I would appreciate it if you do not share this video,” he intoned. “The follies of youth should not—witch!

I had already slipped my phone to Key, and she had pressed play. Her face filled with wonder as she watched in awe.

“Uncle Jeremy, this is so cool!”

Brimstone coughed and pink tinted his high cheeks. “As I was saying, I would?—”

“Lemme see,” Dru said with her mouth full of pizza.

Key hesitated and glanced at Brimstone, but Dru was faster and snatched the phone from her hands.

---