Page 82 of Cast in Shadow
It was also unreasonable to think she could bounce back in a matter of days, or to assume that she would be the same afterward. And it grated beyond measure that I still didn’t have the full story.
I was tempted to demand an incident report from Nguyen there and then. The full story. If nothing else, I could use it to add fuel to the fire that I would ultimately use to burn Megan Navali to ash. But the exit I needed snuck up on me, and I was lucky to keep all four wheels on the ground as I made the turn.
“What was the address?” I snapped, ignoring the way my fingers tingled from my death grip on the steering wheel. Or maybe it was from the way my magic was already surging inside me.
Nguyen recited the same address I’d heard, and I let my focus narrow to the road.
Less than a minute later, expensive cars lined the street in a sweeping curve, all leading to a boxy, white-washed mansion that was lit up like a Christmas tree. It was set back from the road, but there were enough fairy lights running along the front balconies and strung between the varied ornamental trees out front to make the thing visible from space.
There must have been hundreds of people at the party. Dozens lingered on the grass outside, laughing and smiling with drinks in their hands, but my gaze shifted upward to the flickering tiki torches running along the roof.
“Any sign of her?” I asked, scanning the rooftop again as the SUV rolled excruciatingly slowly through the front gate.
Nguyen let out a grunt that I took to mean no.
“Keep looking.”
I rolled up to the steps leading to the front door, pulled mypistol from my thigh holster, racked the slide, and then reconsidered. Gunshots would create panic. With that many people, panic would lead to a stampede from the house, lots of injuries, and potentially the death of one or more bystanders.
This was one of those situations where having the ability to throw my magic would have come in handy. I tried not to take my abilities for granted, but light anchored in touch was only so useful. No matter how many decades I’d spent working with it, honing it, that had always been one limitation I couldn’t overcome.
“Bring it,” Nguyen snarled, slamming the passenger door behind him.
“Yeah.” I shoved the gun back in its holster and climbed out of the SUV, leaving it running.
We bypassed the startled valet without a word, stalked up the concrete steps, and walked right through the arched front doors. For a party in such an affluent neighborhood, their security was woefully lax.
A few heads turned our way when we walked into the foyer. My temples throbbed with a toxic cocktail of anger and worry as I took in everyone and everything around me, searching for any sign of Shay.
Another unique thing about Shay’s magic was that it didn’t leave much of a trail compared to other types, and with so many people and so many layers of trace magic, nothing stood out. Not until I spotted a thick black stain cutting through the weaker trails.
The vice cranked tighter around my ribs as I angled toward the curved staircase leading up to the second floor.
I had to shove one guy out of my way at the bottom of the stairs. Then another halfway up. Were they really so oblivious to a furious woman dressed in black tactical gear stalking up the stairs?
When we reached the landing, Nguyen stepped around me, clearing the path ahead of us with his massive frame and patented scowl. That was fine by me.
The black trail took a sharp turn, and I tapped his shoulder. “Left.”
He swiveled on a dime, shouldering past anyone who didn’t move out of his way fast enough. A guy sporting a shaggy haircut and a ridiculous, crystal-embellished t-shirt, which probably cost more than the average house payment, threw his hands up like he was man enough to confront my second-in-command.
One low, beastly growl was all it took to shut him down.
The witch’s dark path led us up another staircase where three terrified young women stumbled down the steps beside us.
Not a good sign.
I laid a hand in the middle of Nguyen’s broad back. “Easy.”
He grumbled something unintelligible.
“We need to get the lay of the land first, just like any other mission,” I said quietly, reminding us both. Violence was a barely contained storm inside me, but there was a right way to do things. Going in hot was a good way to get people killed when we were dealing with a witch as powerful and as ruthless as Megan.
His shoulders heaved, and I felt his slow exhale through my palm.
“I’ll take point,” I added.
Nguyen shook his head, but I was already stepping around him. He’d gotten us through the crowd and where we needed to be. That was step one. Step two was protecting what mattered.
