Devils & Thieves (Devils & Thieves #1)(35)

“Ahhh…” Flynn snapped his fingers. “That boy, the son of the bartender at the Schoolhouse?”

“Dara’s son, Stephen?” I said.

“That’s the one.” Flynn flicked ash into an empty tuna fish can. “He seems harmless enough.”

“Yeah, but Alex would never leave the festival with him,” I said. She had always been kind to him, but he was gangly and awkward, his face covered in acne. Dara hooked up with one of the Devils seventeen years ago and got pregnant. When Stephen started showing signs of having inherited his father’s power, Stoneking terra magic, he’d been taken under the wing of the Devils’ League. He wasn’t a member and wouldn’t be eligible for years, but people looked out for him. He was harmless.

I glanced at Crowe. “This is all wrong.”

Crowe nodded and hung his head.

“What’s wrong?” Flynn asked.

“Brooke said she saw Alex leave with her mom,” I said.

“And you saw her leave with Stephen around the same time,” Crowe said.

Flynn took another drag from his cigarette. “Well, that’s not good. Think it was an illusion?”

“Alex couldn’t cast, even using a cut,” I said. “Her magic is bound.” I remembered the look on her face when she’d told me it was still gone, and guilt sat heavy in my gut.

“Someone else could have cast it,” said Crowe.

“I didn’t do it,” Flynn said, like he needed to defend himself. “I swear it.” He was serious now.

“I believe you.” Crowe stood up and fished out his cell phone. He dialed someone’s number, and when they picked up on the other end, he said, “Meet me at the Schoolhouse in fifteen minutes.” He hung up without a good-bye.

“Get dressed,” he told Flynn. “You’re coming, too.”

Flynn nodded and disappeared down a hallway.

“And me?” I said.

“You too. I’m going to need you.”





Mom texted me as I pulled into the Schoolhouse parking lot. Where are you?

Nothing to do but tell the truth. With Crowe. I have the car. Alex took off and we’re looking for her.

Should I be worried?

No. I’m fine. She’s probably fine, too. At least, I hoped so.

And Crowe?

I glanced up as Flynn and Crowe arrived on their bikes. Worried about Alex, I texted.

Working the lunch shift today. Will I see you later?

I let her know I’d check in with her when I knew about Alex, and she seemed fine with that. I got out and walked across the lot to meet Flynn and Crowe, noting from the cars and bikes around me that Lori Medici and most of the Devils’ League must already be inside. Crowe took the steps up two at a time and held the door for me so I could enter ahead of him. Lori met us in the hallway.

“No one has any news,” she told Crowe.

Crowe squeezed her shoulder as he walked past. I followed them down the hall to the bar area.

Boone and Jackson sat in one of the booths along the wall. Flynn went over and joined them. Hardy sat, propped on a barstool, looking like he might still be slightly drunk from the night before.

Crowe went behind the bar, poured himself a shot of whiskey, and slung it back. When he was finished, he slammed the glass on the bar top. Dark circles ringed his eyes. It was now nearly seven and he hadn’t been to bed yet.

In a terse voice, he relayed the news that Alex was missing, and that someone had cast an illusion to conceal who she left with.

“Was Stephen even at the festival?” Boone asked.

“Yeah,” Hardy said. “Saw him not long after Jemmie left.”

“Was Dara there, too?”

Only a few drecks were allowed at the festival. Only those who knew the world, and Dara knew a lot about it. She would have been invited, since her son was still a minor.

“I saw her,” Jackson said. “She was playing tag with the kids in the field near the parking lot.”

“Then I need to talk to her,” said Crowe.

“What’s Dara got to do with it?” I asked. “We already agreed Stephen didn’t actually leave with Alex.”

Crowe dug his cell phone from his pocket. “Think. Why did people see Alex leave with two different people?”

Flynn said, “A complete illusion will be seen and felt by all. An unstable one will produce varied results.”

Lori clutched a coffee cup in both hands. “Not enough power to cast a complete illusion. The caster would have to be selective about who it would affect.”

“Exactly.” Crowe scrolled through his contacts. “The illusion was probably only for the people likely to stop Alex from leaving—the Devils. Whoever it was would have been interested in only one thing: getting Alex out. Dara isn’t a Devil, and we know she was by the lot. She could have seen the real guy.”

Once he’d found Dara in his phone, he made the call and put it on speaker. She answered with a sleepy voice.

“Did you see Alex leave the festival last night?” Crowe asked, skipping a greeting altogether.

“Yeah. Just after ten, I think.”

Crowe spread his arms out, hands propped on the bar top as he hunched closer to the phone. “On her own—or with somebody?”