Page 23 of The Most Wanted Witch

Oscar had dropped onto the couch, groaning after my last comment.

“And if you die?” Hawk said. “Where does that leave everyone else? Or do you not care what that would mean to other people?” The rage was building in him, wiping out all traces of softness.

“And you do? This is about everyone else now? I think this is about you and keeping your situation afloat.” That was all he ever cared about. Him, his place, what he needed. “This is getting undone whether you want it to or not.”

He crossed his arms, making a point of looking down at me. “We’ve faced off before. Doesn’t tend to work out well for you.”

“Really? If I remember correctly, you didn’t want me in Xest, and I’m here.” I pointed to the floor I was standing on.

“Because I helped you by doing the exact thing you’re telling me to undo now. Thankfully, I’m not following your game plan.”

I took a few steps away from him, afraid I’d start swinging if I didn’t. “I knew I was better off hating you.”

“Another reason why you don’t really want me to undo it. You have another reason to add to your list of why you’re angry at me. This is good news for you.”

“Don’t try to turn this. Everything has to be your way.”

“When the other options are pure stupidity? Yes. I guess they do.”

I gave him my back, leaving the room before I tried to kill him.

“Well,I guessthe meeting is over. At least that takes care of that. No one will be taking her anywhere, it seems,” Oscar said as I left.

10

I was sipping tea, organizing some requests, and tossing ones that were already too old to fulfill, giving myself busywork and pretending Hawk wasn’t on the other side of the room, doing his own busywork. We hadn’t said one word in greeting, not that he was chatty anyway. But typically, there’d be a nod, a glance, some acknowledgment of another life form. Today? Nothing, and it was mutual.

I was doing my damnedest to pretend he wasn’t in the office, and that I didn’t hear everything he said, and that I didn’t know when he told Musso he was leaving, or that he nodded toward Bibbi and Zab as he left.

I was glad he’d left. It was much easier to concentrate on my busywork without him constantly moving about the place.

Hawk had been gone for twenty minutes when the door opened. A man in a white polo shirt and equally bright pants, a crisp pleat down the center of each leg, walked into the office. Nothing about him looked local. He might’ve been strolling in from a barbecue, instead of a snowfield that would give Antarctica a good run for its money.

Musso and Zab didn’t appear to recognize him either.

He took off his sunglasses, tucking them into his shirt pocket. His hat came off next as he looked around the place.

“Can I help you?” Musso asked, standing.

The man in white looked at Musso, as if he were startled he’d been addressed, even though he’d walked into our office.

“Yes, sir, you may. I was wondering if a friend of mine might’ve stopped by?” He raised his hand about level with his own height. “About this tall, dark hair, loves to wear all black. Horns just so.” He held his index fingers up near his head.

Friend? I doubted that. Oh yes, the man he was looking for had been here.

I leaned back in my chair so hard that I almost rocked myself right onto the floor. This had to be some sort of sick joke. We barely got one strange man out the door and now we had another?

Bibbi was at her table, leaning forward, her lips parted. Her eyes continued to take in this new guest from head to toe. Zab and Musso were speechless.

Musso cleared his throat, but didn’t say anything. I got it. You didn’t shoot the shit with angels every day. Or demons, for that matter. Must have been my lucky week.

“What was this friend’s name?” I asked, stalling as we tried to figure out what to do.

“Xazier.” He turned his full attention on me. “My name is Lou. Have you seen him?”

“I think someone fitting that description passed through here, but I haven’t seen him in a bit.”

Lou walked closer to my desk. “And you are?” His stare’s intensity reminded me of how his “friend” had also looked at me.

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