Page 20 of Veiled Justice
‘You and Ava are with Mum?’ I asked, surprised. I’d assumed they’d go back to Ava’s pad. Our childhood home was decent and in a nice area, but it certainly wasn’t the luxury that Ava Grey was used to.
‘Yeah. Jules and the G-man are in the house too.’ Jules was my middle brother, Julian, and the G-man was Rupert’s terrible nickname for Grant, Jules’ husband.
I bit my lip. Jules and Rupe didn’t always see eye to eye, so the fact that Jules was there on a Saturday told me he was worried about Rupert. Maybe I should be worried, too.
‘So, you did tell Mum about the murder over breakfast!’ I challenged him.
‘No!’ he objected instantly. ‘I waited until lunch like a fucking gentleman.’
I snorted.
Krieg tapped my knee lightly and I turned my gaze on him. ‘You want to go see your family?’ he murmured softly so that Rupe wouldn’t hear. I licked my lips and, on an impulse, I nodded. The ME wouldn’t see us without adequate notice and I had a sudden urge to check on my baby brother. Besides, Rupert was a witness – kind of. It was worth seeing if he recalled anything more. That was my excuse, and I was sticking to it.
‘Are you still having lunch?’ I asked Rupert casually.
‘Yeah. Are you hungry?’
‘Ravenous,’ I admitted. My lonely banana hadn’t exactly set me up for the day.
‘I’ll get Mum to plate up some for you.’
I slid my eyes to Krieg and he nodded. ‘Make that two. See you in fifteen.’ I hung up.
Without me having to tell him, Krieg turned the car towards Hoole. The town, often likened to London’s Notting Hill, was packed with indie businesses and cool cafés, and had a great community feel. My flat was in the centre of Chester, just opposite the cathedral and close to Chester town hall police station, but I’d always have a soft spot for the area where I’d grown up, colloquially calledNotting Hoole.
I huffed. ‘You know my mum’s address?’
Krieg kept his eyes on the road. ‘I’m a thorough man.’
‘Meaning you did a deep dive on me.’
His lips turned up at the corners and he sent me a hot look. ‘I’d love to do a deep dive on you.’
Bloody hell: when he flirted, he really went for it. ‘I set you up for that one, so I’ll let it slide,’ I said, clearing my throat awkwardly. All the same, my cheeks reddened even though I fought the blush with all my might. His light flirtation was the most action I’d seen in years, a thought that was moderately depressing.
‘You did a deep dive into my background,’ I corrected brusquely. It probably wasn’trealflirtation; he was just joking around, the way people do. I’d given him an opening and he couldn’t resisttaking it. It didn’t mean he actuallyfanciedme. It didn’t mean anything.
‘I did,’ Krieg confirmed, his tone businesslike now.
‘And what did you find?’
‘You’re a level-five wizard with high command of the IR. The notes say you don’t even need to use a release word.’ He sounded mildly impressed.
The IR is the Intention and the Release and it’s how a wizard’s magic works. If you want something to happen, you gather your magic within you whilst you imagine the effect you want then you release the magic, usually with a word or gesture.
I shrugged. ‘The Academy trains you not to use release words. Lots of Inspectors can do it.’
‘Level five is rare.’
I had no comeback for that because level fivewasrare. Unlike a lot of other wizards, I had a deep well of powerful magic within me. One recharge a month in the Common realm was all I needed – even less if I hadn’t gone nuts in any given week. I tried where possible not to use my magic at home, preferring to save it for emergencies.
‘That it?’ I asked stridently.
He slid me an assessing glance before he said, ‘Your dad was an Inspector too. Died in the line.’
I was braced for it so I kept my face neutral and nodded blandly. ‘Yeah. What else?’
‘You like Dr Pepper.’
