“You don’t seriously think I’d be so devious to kill a coworker and then try to pull of this fantastic ruse, do you?”
She pursed her lips. “I can believe just about anything after all these years of dealing with some whacked cases. If you have the means and a motive—”
“Neither,” I cut her off and stood. “I was playing video games with Diego and Sebastian after my shift last night.” Wait, why was I defending myself? I didn’t do anything wrong.
She wrote something down on a yellow note pad.
“Stop that.” I stepped back toward the door.
“Stop what?”
Coming here might have been a bad idea. Not only did Zoe think I was useless at helping in this case, but she looked on me with suspicion. This sad attempt to woo her while I tried to do some good was failing fast. And I was going down like a dragon in flight weighed down with iron wings.
“You’re treating me like a suspect. I came in here with info to help, and I don’t have any ability to work with dark magic.” I stood. “Pandora seemed to appreciate my offer. Maybe I’ll be better off working with her. She might thank me rather than thinking the worst.”
Zoe chewed her bottom lip. “You’re right. I’m sorry. She wouldn’t have agreed to you helping if she suspected you could be involved. Thank you for coming down.” She motioned to the chair. “Please.”
I sat. “I know you think this whole thing is sketchy. But maybe us coming together like this is fate.” I meant to suggest it lightly, but once the words escaped my lips, nothing about them seemed light. More like serious and monumental.
She put down her pad. “I don’t believe in fate. Do you?”
I grunted. “Of course not. We decide our own futures.”
My dragon murmured inside.Mate.
Enough of that,I countered.Why was he so mouthy lately? I might not have believed in the hogwash about mates or soulmates or any kind of mate beyond a playmate for the night, but I had come here on my own free will to volunteer on this crazy mission partly because of him never shutting up about Zoe. Nothing about this connection made sense to me, including this insane idea I had of parading into the Salem Supernatural Network to offer my assistance to help. All I knew is that I couldn’t shake Zoe from my head and yearned to be around her. It was one of the many questions drumming through my head since the night she stepped into my club.
Of all the gin joints in all the world, she had to walk into mine.
Whatever that quote was from Casablanca. I’d only seen it once but had been distracted. That line I’d botched up in my head was one that stood out.
“Do you really want to help us?” Zoe asked.
“Yes.” It was beyond a want, but a need. Ihadto look out for her.
Why was another one of those mysteries in the universe. She was trained to take care of herself far better than I could, so who did I think I was to think she needed me around? Besides, I’d spent my life looking out for number one. She put her life on the line every day to solve crimes, possibly facing some bad dudes.
What did I do? I groomed myself to look good semi-naked for an audience. I picked out outfits and coordinated routines to get the biggest applause. I shook my ass for strangers who’d stuff dollar bills in places where the sun didn’t shine.
The idea that I could help her in any way was ludicrous. I was the least equipped of anyone to help her.
Zoe studied me. “I don’t know what your motivation is, Lucas, but I have bigger mysteries to solve.” She stood and walked to the door. “If you want to help, help.”
I followed her, my smile stretching as wide as the walls. I might not know what the hell I was doing or why, but I knew I was damn happy about doing it with Zoe.
Once we stepped outside, I looped my arm through hers. “You got it—partner.”
She pulled her arm away. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”
Lucas
Zoe and I exited the old dark green Victorian house with black shingles where the office was housed, one of the many buildings for the Network. Snow flurries drifted down, settling with a fine dusting on the sidewalk. The sun’s glow was muted by the clouds.
She turned in a semi-circle. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The snow. It’s not going to help us find anything. It will make it harder to detect dark magic.” She power-walked into a parking lot with swinging arms.
