Witches for Hire (Odd Jobs #1)(73)
“I agree,” Jeremy said. “We don’t know the exact details of how Perry died, and honestly, Desmond has shown more patience than I would have.”
Simone’s eyebrow arched. “Did you just take my side on behalf of Desmond?”
“Savor this moment,” Jeremy said. “The werewolves are happy, and Perry is dead. We should leave the energy vamps to the Council since that is their job.” Clive opened his mouth to speak, but Jeremy held his hand up to interrupt him. “This isn’t your world, and we’re not knights. You don’t have the right to risk our lives so you can defeat the great evil.”
Jeremy sounded reasonable, but when he explained his point, Simone didn’t feel good about being practical. She felt more like a coward. “We came here for a job, but we didn’t sign a blood oath to die for it.”
Clive bowed his head in surrender. “All right. The energy vamps and Desmond are the Council’s problem. It’s my fault for asking too much of you.” He looked at his watch. “There’s a client coming in twenty minutes. I’ll go prepare.” He tipped his head at them and returned to his office.
When he was gone, Simone shook her head. “How much money do you want to bet he’s contacting Mia and seeing if she wants to help him bring down the energy vamps’ boss?”
“That’s a sucker’s bet if I ever heard one,” Jeremy said. “Mia’s people will probably back her too. I think she’s hired nothing but crusading idiots.”
Simone met Jeremy’s eyes. “Mia has the people who’ll support something this dumb, and we’re a bunch of cowardly quitters. Don’t you envy them maybe a little?”
“Are you asking because Desmond the Great is her target?”
“He’s pretty, but only my husband is worth risking my life for. No, I’m imagining if we were more like Mia’s people—dependable and self-righteous.”
Jeremy laughed. “If you ever see me displaying such suicidal qualities, you have my permission to bash me on the head.”
“It must be nice to be so sure of your apathy. The rest of us aren’t so lucky.”
“If you play hero with Clive, you might come closer to being me than you think.” Jeremy laid down the spell ingredients he had originally come to deliver.
“You sound like a man who did more than just carry Levi’s last message,” Simone whispered.
“I’ve been down the self-righteous route, and it only ends badly.”
Simone watched Jeremy walk away. You didn’t ask for my help and kept me in the dark until someone tried to kill me and my kids. Fuck the chico malo getting away. With Clive and Mia, we can win, and I won’t end up like you. Since they only had one client that day, Simone had a lot of time to contemplate if she was going through with her plan. She waited until Jeremy left because the knowing glances he sent her were annoying. He probably knows what I’m going to do, but it’s my fucking life anyway. Rudy is almost at full health, and with the kids out of town, I can be a little dumb. Simone slammed her day planner closed and marched to Clive’s office.
“Is there anything you need?” Clive asked when she knocked on his door.
“I’m not a knight or big on starting fights. I can defend myself, but I’m no Edarra.” Clive looked intently at her, so Simone pressed on, “But none of that means I can’t back whatever play you’re running. We’ve been acquaintances long enough for me to guess that you’re not happy with how this case ended. I’ll only ask once. Can you use my help?”
Clive smiled. “I need and want it.”
Simone let out a deep breath. “Bueno, tell me what I can do.”
Chapter 20
NOBODY. NOBODY. Nobody. Simone took a large gulp of her coffee. “At least we’re being paid overtime for this,” she said to Edarra, who was seated next to her in the front passenger seat as they surveilled the entrance to the theater. She looked at the amulet resting on her chest. “I kinda want the damn thing to glow, so I can go home.”
Edarra poked her with a granola bar. “At least you had candy the first time.”
“That’s because we’re on a night stakeout without Desmond’s permission.”
“Sneaking does put a damper on things. How are Rudy and the boys?”
“Rudy is scratching at his leg like a real dog—don’t tell Jeremy—and the boys have stayed at their grandmother’s long enough to miss me. She had them make me a ‘Thinking of you’ card.”
“It must be nice to feel wanted,” Edarra said wistfully. “Is the pack treating you any better?”
“They’ve agreed to use me as a paid consultant the next time they run into magical trouble.”
“The way you’re intermixed in so many worlds, I have a hard time understanding why you’re a secretary.”
“I need a holdover job where I can clock out at night and make plans for a more solid career on my free time.” The only bad thing about working with competent people was that they eventually wanted to know why she took menial jobs. Clive was deliberately na?ve for whatever his personal reasons were, so his disinterest might have caused her to drop her guard around Edarra. Jeremy had so many secrets that while he suspected her jobs had deeper motives, he mostly kept his thoughts to himself. One day Simone might not be so good at juggling, and she hoped by then that she knew whether she could trust Edarra with the truth or not. Having an Amazon by her side in the future would be valuable, but she also truly liked the woman. Her secretary jobs were the best way to gather intel on Georgia’s witches for the brujas, so she concentrated on her assignment. Still no one suspicious. Just delivery after delivery, and staff setting up a barricade for the long lines.