Page 68 of Bombshell

All of this fatherly love was starting to give me a headache and I rubbed at my temples as I finally gave in. “Fine, but no moreexplosions and remember that there is an actual business being run downstairs. Dallan nearly messed up a script tattoo on a leprechaun, the word luck very nearly turned into something much more profane.”

Alexander’s smile was easy as he laughed. “I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded. Never in all my years have I met a species with such a high propensity for cursing than leprechauns.”

I gaped at him and realized that I needed to get the hell out of here before I lost my damned mind just like Alexander seemed to have.

“No more explosions,” I told him, pointing two fingers at him before pointing them at my own eyes, a silent gesture to tell him I was watching him.

Alexander held up his hands in surrender. “No more explosions, cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Don’t do that either,” I said, yanking the door to the apartment open and heading down the stairs to the lobby.

“I swear,” I said to Daphne, looking at the tablet in my hand as I approached. “Our schedule is so full today that if that man makes one more explosion I’m going to take Dallan up on his offer to throw him into the ocean.”

“Effie…” Daphne said, but I was barely listening as I continued my tirade about my father.

“You’d think he’d be more careful since, y’know, we’re paying him, and even if his salary is complete shit compared to what Arsenio was paying him it’s not like he actually needs the money the man has been squirreling it away forcenturies—”

“Effie!” Daphne cut me off.

I glanced up at her with a frown. “What Daph? Can’t you see that I’m venting about the overly cheerful man dressed in a Hawaiian shirt upstairs?”

Daphne just rolled her eyes at me. “And I would let you continue if it weren’t for our guest.”

“Guest? What guest? A client?”

Had one of our clients come early? Because I swear that was going to be my last straw for the day.

Sourcie materialized on my shoulder. “Effie, maybe if you looked with your eyes instead of filling the air with your incessant talking you would know what Daphne was talking about.”

She pointed her tiny hand and I followed it until my eyes landed on a very thin, very tired looking Odette sitting in one of the lobby chairs.

“She said she wouldn’t talk to anyone but you,” Daphne whispered. “I didn’t think faeries were capable of looking that run down.”

Neither did I. Odette looked, in a word, rough. Dark smudges sat heavy underneath blue eyes that suddenly shifted over to me and brightened.

“Effie!” Odette hopped up from her seat and abandoned the large suitcase next to her in favor of throwing her arms around me.

“Hey…” I said, wrapping her in a hug. “I’ve been worried about you, what are you doing here?”

Iglanced around, half-expecting Arsenio to be peeking in through the windows of the shop.

Arsenio can’t come within a mile of the Wharf,Sourcie whispered in my mind.I made sure of that.

Have you been using my magic when I’m sleeping again?I asked dryly.I wondered why I’ve been feeling so tired lately.

Sourcie had a nasty habit of using my magic without permission. At this point I wasn’t sure who was the witch and who was the familiar.

I was just fixing a hole in the barrier and the idea came to me… and isn’t it better that he can’t come near us?

We’re going to have a serious discussion about this later,I told her before turning my attention back to Odette.

Okay, but only after I finish season one of The OC tonight, I have to find out what happens with Ryan and his maybe-baby,Sourcie sang before disappearing in a green poof of smoke. The tiny woman had become addicted to early 2000s TV shows and spent most of her time hogging the TV downstairs and making it hard for Dallan to watch his football.

There had been many arguments over the past few weeks as the pre-season kicked off and if I heard any more of their squabbling I was about to throw the entire flatscreen out into the ocean.

“I ran away,” Odette said proudly as she pulled away from me.

“You ran away?” I asked, dumbfounded by her words.

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