Cold Burn of Magic(50)

So I nosed around the Sinclair mansion, casually chatting up the guards, pixies, and visitors to see if anyone had a beef with Devon. The mystery man had to have some way of tracking Devon’s movements; otherwise, the attack at the Razzle Dazzle never would have happened. And what better way to get that info than to have an inside man spying on Devon?

But everyone I spoke to admired and respected Devon, and nobody had anything bad to say about him. I even used my soulsight to make sure folks were telling me the truth, but they really meant all the good things they said. If the mystery man did have a spy in the Sinclair Family, I couldn’t find the informer.

I didn’t do much actual bodyguarding, though. Mostly what I did was stand out of the way in a corner, my hand on my sword, as Devon met with other guards, business owners in the Midway, or whoever else he needed to see. He also had some more fake dates with Poppy, trying to smooth things over between the Sinclairs and the Itos, before the night of that big dinner when all the Families would get together. Felix and I tagged along on those, too. I didn’t mind, though. I liked Poppy. She was smart, funny, and loved action movies, just like me.

I also used those opportunities to ask people outside the Sinclair Family about Devon, but I got the same answers and admiration as before. So far, the mystery man had covered his tracks well, and I was no closer to figuring out his identity than when I’d started.

Devon and Felix wanted to have some cheesy monster movie marathon at the mansion, which meant I got an afternoon off. So I decided to visit Mo. He’d texted me, and we’d chatted on the phone several times, but it wasn’t the same as seeing him in person. Besides, I wanted to know if he’d found out anything about the attack on Devon, since I’d hit nothing but dead ends so far.

Grant had some business at one of the Sinclair banks, and he volunteered to drive me to the Razzle Dazzle. The sun and heat weren’t as intense today, so Grant buzzed down the windows. I leaned my head back against the seat and enjoyed the steady breeze on my face. The wind whipped at my ponytail, but I didn’t mind. At least, not until I realized that Grant didn’t have a hair out of place. Seriously. His golden mane looked as sleek and smooth as when he’d first gotten into the car. I wondered how he did that. Or perhaps that’s what his Talent was—always looking perfect. Heh. A faint chill of magic emanated from him, indicating he was using his magic in some small way, although it wasn’t enough to trigger my own transference power.

Grant drove over the lochness bridge, showing no signs of slowing down to pay the toll. But I was ready for that. I palmed some coins from one of my pockets, then dangled my hand out the window and flicked open my fingers.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

The three quarters skipped across the top of the bridge before tumbling down into the river below. That should satisfy the lochness.

“What are you doing?” Grant asked.

I pulled my hand back into the car. “Nothing.”

I didn’t care to be made fun of again, just because he didn’t believe in things like lochness tolls.

“So,” he said, “how are you liking the Family so far?”

“It’s okay.”

“Well, the guards have been quite impressed with you. I’ve heard reports that you’ve beaten all of them in one-on-one combat. What’s your secret?”

“Bacon,” I deadpanned. “And lots of it.”

He laughed, but his chuckles sounded a little forced. He opened his mouth to ask me another question, but I cut in before he could get started. I had zero desire to talk about myself. Besides, this was the first chance I’d had to pump Grant for information about the attack at the pawnshop.

“Have you learned anything else about the attack at the Razzle Dazzle? Who the mystery man was, and why he wanted Devon dead?”

Grant shrugged. “I’m investigating, but nothing concrete has come up yet. If the Itos or another Family were behind the attack, they’ve kept it quiet so far.”

“What about the dead guys? Who were they?”

He shrugged again. “Just some guys who hired themselves out as muscle. Low-level thugs. Nobody important.”

I frowned. The guys were important enough to have provided protection to the accountant I’d robbed, the one that had some Family connections. I’d have to ask Mo which Family the accountant worked for. That might provide some sort of clue about the attack, or at least narrow it down to which Family was really behind it.

“Why are you suddenly so interested in the attempt on Devon’s life?” Grant asked.

“I just want to know what I’m up against.”

“Are you sure it doesn’t have something to do with Devon?”

I couldn’t keep myself from stiffening a tiny bit. “Why would you say that?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Lila,” Grant said. “But I’ve seen this before. It happened with Ashley and another girl before her who was assigned to guard Devon. He treated them as friends, the way he does everyone, but they both got a little too . . . close to him.”

His meaning was clear. The girls had fallen for Devon, and their devotion had cost them—their lives.

“There’s just something about Devon,” Grant mused. “Everyone loves him . . . for some reason.”

He stared through the windshield instead of at me, but the longer I looked at him, the more his blue eyes seemed to darken, like they had at breakfast the other morning. He shook his head, and the illusion vanished.