Page 38 of Secrets of the Forgotten Heir

‘You’re okay,’ I panted in relief. She nudged at me pointedly. ‘I’m okay, too,’ I reassured her as I stood up again and brushed myself down. Fucking hell. The back of my head and neck hurt like hell.

As my vision cleared, I stared at the house. So much for thinking the old man was a weak witch; that ward would throw out a hundred witches, never mind just me and Eva. That was some serious freaking magic.

The good news was that with power like that, maybe Mr Jacobson did know something about the Flame or had something that could help us.

The bad news? He didn’t seem willing to share.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I felt like I’d been hurtled twenty feet through the air and landed on a bush – which, of course, I had been. Walking back home would be slow going. There used to be a taxi firm in the village, and I was sure there still was, but I didn’t have its number. Besides, I wasn’t convinced a driver would be okay allowing a dog and a woman covered in leaves and twigs in their car.

I swallowed my pride and rang Maddie. When she promised to come straight over, something in me eased. It was nice having someone to call on. I’d missed that, in London.

Her car rocked up with my bestie behind the wheel dressed in her pyjamas. I opened the rear door for Eva then hopped into the passenger seat. ‘This is a change for you,’ I said gesturing at her attire. ‘What happened to the girl who didn’t like to go out until nine o’clock at night?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Just feeling shattered, that’s all,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be up for going out on Friday. Ezra told me he’d spoken to you.’

I slid her an accusing look. ‘Of course he did because you totally told him to go and get me a coffee.’

‘Maybe.’ She smirked. ‘So?’

‘So what?’

‘He looks good, doesn’t he?’ She waggled her eyebrows.

A half-laugh, half-huff escaped me. ‘He’s grown up,’ I admitted. ‘But I’m not going there, Maddie.’

‘Why not? He’s a really good guy – he’s funny and you two always got on really well.’

‘When we wereseventeen. But people change. He’s not my type now.’

‘No? So what is your type?’

A picture flashed into my mind: someone in a smart shirt, sleeves rolled up over bulging muscles, brooding eyes that I could lose myself in for hours. I pushed the unwanted image away forcefully. Nope. I wasnotgoing there, either.

‘Regardless of my taste in men, at the minute I don’t have time for one,’ I said primly. ‘I’ve got enough to sort out. I think Mr Jacobson might be the one we need to speak to.’

‘That’s great!’ Her excitement and relief were palpable and I hated to quash it, but I needed to tell her the truth.

‘Yeah … but it’s complicated. I think perhaps you were right in thinking he’s an ogre.’

Her face crinkled with confusion. ‘But I thought he was a witch?’

‘I mean he really doesn’t like people. He didn’t like me, anyway. I’m not sure how we’ll get him to talk to us. I think he might have a screw loose.’

‘Screw loose, or screw missing entirely and held together with hope and duct tape?’

I grimaced. ‘The latter.’

‘You’ll think of something. You have to.Wehave to,’ she said grimly. Her words didn’t make me feel great.

With effort, she dredged up a smile and tried to dispel the grim atmosphere that had descended. ‘So how was the first day on the job?’ she asked. ‘Did you have time to dig up stuff on Banks?’

‘Actually, it was pretty manic.’ I told her everything that had happened.

‘Shutup!’ she said finally. ‘I can’t believe someone killed Warren. That’s insane. I’ve seen Toby in passing and met him a couple of times socially but I could never imagine he’d do something like that. But the stepmum…?’ She paused. ‘Well, Yanni’s not her biggest fan.’

‘Is she not?’ I hadn’t got that impression from Yanni at all, then I realised that was the whole point: she had one heck of a poker face. I knew that from that wash of loneliness I would never have guessed at.

---