Page 57 of Magick and Lead
“My pleasure,” I said, and let him lead me out onto the dance floor.
26
CHARLIE
Did I want to knock Blaize’s teeth down his throat? Was I pissed off at Essa? Was I deathly afraid Blaize was going to realize who Essa was and get us into a shit ton of trouble? Did part of me want to whisper in Essa’s ear that Blaize was the one who really killed her mother? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
But my fighting Blaize would only draw more attention to us. And Essa slashing his throat in the middle of the dance floor would be worse still.
So, I stood there like an asshole and watched my rival whisk Essa out onto the dance floor, flashing me a dark grin as he did. I saw, as if with fresh eyes, how stunning Essa looked—her shapely legs bared in her short dress, her newly-short hair bouncing adorably, her bright eyes flashing in the colored lights. I drank her in until I couldn’t look anymore.
Then, I turned on my heel and stalked away toward the bar.
“Double whiskey, neat,” I barked to the bartender.
“Hiya, Charlie.” There it was. That familiar purr…
I turned to find Kitty standing next to me at the bar. Of course.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” she said. “I thought you hated coming to the dance halls.”
“Yeah, well…” I muttered, too annoyed to come up with a good lie.
“Unless you’re here to seeme,” she said, batting her eyelashes.
For a second, I thought of flirting back at her and seeing if I could make Essa jealous. But that was a dangerous game…
“I’m not here to see you, Kitty,” I said.
Kitty gave me her usual pout, but there was something ominous in it this time. Something… unsettling.
My drink arrived on the bar in front of me. I took a gulp, enjoying the pain as it scorched its way down my throat. Then I turned around, leaning my back against the bar. Essa was on the far side of the room now, at the hall’s other bar. Blaize had gotten a bottle of sparkling wine and was pouring her a glass. I had a joyful vision of smashing the bottle over his head.
“Is your friend here tonight?” I asked. “Suzie?” That was the person we were here to see, and I hadn’t spotted her yet among the milling crowd.
“Suzie? Who knows?” Kitty dismissed my question with a shrug, then followed my gaze across the room and spotted Essa. “Who’s that girl you came in with?” she asked.
I glanced at Kitty. There it was again, the strange glassiness I’d noticed in her eyes since I’d gotten back from Maethalia. It was like she was pretending to be jealous, but she actually felt nothing. Less than nothing. Like her heart wasn’t even beating. It gave me the creeps. Maybe she was taking some sort of drugs. Or…
“She’s no one,” I said, taking another gulp of my drink. Then I realized what a stupid response that was. I was a terrible liar. Which was probably why my short-lived career as a spy had ended so badly.
“She’s just a friend. I mean, a friend of my cousin Bo’s,” I said. Then, I got an idea. “Actually, she’s interested in workingat the state department. I thought I might introduce her to your friend Suzie.”
I looked around.
“Do you think she’ll be here tonight?”
Kitty’s brow crinkled. “You came here tonight with that beautiful girl looking forSuzie?”
I shrugged, not trusting my lying skills. The less I said, the better. Instead, I took another sip of my drink.
“What happened to her arm?” Kitty asked.
“Suzie’s?”
“The girl you came with,” Kitty said, exasperated.
“Oh. I don’t know,” I said.
