Page 9 of Hex and the City
Regular humans were welcome to spend their money on Silk’s cocktails and overpriced appetizers, of course, as long as they didn’t cause trouble. And anyone who knew anything about the arcane underground also knew not to tussle with the guards and bouncers protecting establishments that catered to magical people. A troublemaker would be lucky to get away with a punch to the kidney.
In our world, the consequence was more likely to be a fireball delivered straight to the face. Straight to the smug, grinning face. The boy with the dragon waggled his eyebrows at me, smirking. I lifted my drink to my lips, cutting my eyes away as I took a swig. Under the table, my hand clenched into a fist.
“So,” he said, leaning closer to Vera. “About that velveteen bag? We need to talk.”
“Save it,” I said, draining the rest of my drink. “She already knows.”
“Oh.” He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. “Cool, cool. So Vera already knows how you royally messed up the heist.”
“The job.” My lips curled back. “That wasn’t a heist, genius. It wasn’t exactly the Hope Diamond.”
“Boys,” Vera muttered. She rolled her eyes and sighed, continuing in a much chirpier tone. “Have you met? Maximilian Drake, this is Leonardo Alcantara. I’ve come to affectionately call this one Witch Boy. Perhaps you’ve seen why for yourself.”
I glowered and said nothing, knowing this Leon kid would fill the silence soon enough. Witch Boy. That explained a few things. If there was one thing witches were known for, it was their versatility.
A competent witch could pull all sorts of tricks with any combination of hexes, charms, and depending on their traditions, possibly even potions and other concoctions. Few would turn to a witch for raw magical might, but only fools would underestimate their abilities.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Leon said, his eyes dripping with nothing but displeasure. “It’s nice getting to put a name to the face that royally messed up the heist.”
“Stop saying heist,” I growled. “It was a job, plain and simple, and your antics made it so that someone else got away with the bag instead.”
Vera shrugged. “You’re the only ones I have registered under this job. Unfortunate. I’m not looking forward to making the call to my very disappointed client.”
“You hear that, Max? Shame it had to end that way.” Leon sucked on his teeth and winked. I kept my features frozen, but why did it almost make my stomach flutter? “Maybe we could’ve worked together, you and I. Split the reward by working on the same — ”
My fist landed on the table. “Call it a heist one more time. I dare you.”
Vera flinched. My glass clinked. Leon grinned. I’d walked right into his trap.
“Was gonna say job,” he said, his dimples so attractive, infuriating. “Since you’re such a fan of the word. Do you enjoy jobs, Max? I like all sorts of jobs, myself. Been told I’m very good at them.”
The heat flushed up my chest, my neck. Little jerk knew exactly what he was saying, what he was doing. He reached for my glass, tipping some of the ice chips past his lips. The lump in his throat bobbed as he swallowed, the pink of his tongue sweeping between his lips as he licked away the moisture.
That wasn’t supposed to be sexy. Why did I find that so sexy?
“Is there a problem here?”
We looked up into the gaunt, terrifying face of Sasha the bouncer. She was skinny as a reed, her hair pulled back into a severe, silver bun, but appearances meant little in the arcane underground. The woman could probably knock us both flat with a whispered spell.
Not that I would ever try anything. The steely look in her eyes, the thin lines around her mouth? Sasha had seen and done some very serious shit.
Leon shook his head. “No trouble. I mean problem.”
I lowered my head, looking into my empty glass, horrified by the awareness that everyone in the bar was staring. “We were just -- resolving a dispute. We were just talking.”
“Wonderful,” Sasha said, looking somehow even more intimidating when she smiled. “The staff and management of Silk would appreciate it if you would continue ‘just talking’ somewhere else.”
The air quotes Sasha made hurt as much as if she’d scraped her fingernails right into my flesh. God, when was the last time I’d been thrown out of any place? Not even for anything cool like being too rowdy, or punching someone who deserved it in the face.
My ears burned as I scowled at Leon, embarrassed by the twin barrels of Sasha and Vera’s gazes. He slunk out of the booth, his shoulders drooping. I slid out after him, resisting the urge to put him in a headlock. Before either of us could reach the exit, Vera called out again.
“Oh, boys? I’ll let you know if I hear anything about the velveteen bag. In the meantime, you might want to think about what you’ve done.”
I couldn’t tell if she meant us making a spectacle of ourselves in the bar or fucking up the heist. Job. Fuck. Now I was saying it, too.
Leon scratched the back of his head and kicked at the floor, his sneaker making a scuff in the grain of the carpet. “Sorry, Vera.”
Smiling with teeth that seemed to glow a venomous green, the Jade Spider pretended she didn’t hear him.
