“Last night?” she asked, her eyebrows raised. “You two screwed, didn’t you? I knew it.”
“No. I mean, yes, but that’s not…”
“No? Yes? Which is it?”
“Joanna!”
“Jago?”
Jago shook his head. “Careful, Alex. You’re drowning a lot faster than Si-Man right now.”
“Okay,thatwas not called for.”
“Alex!” Joanna barked, shutting them both up as she took Alex’s hand and turned to Jago. “Will you please give us a moment?”
Jago took his now surely cold coffee to a table near the far wall.
“I don’t care what you two got up to or what drama it’s now caused,” Joanna hissed once he was out of earshot. “All I know is that man brings out something in me that I need, something greater than anything I’ve ever felt on stage in my life.”
Alex gave a cold nod. “Then perhaps he should direct you?”
“Hey, none of that.” She gave his hand a firm squeeze. “This is your vision, your show, your direction. I know Jago buttered me up last night, but you were there. You saw how much work it still needs. That means I need both of you, and I need Vis. You as my director, Vis as stage manager and Jago just…there. Alex, try to understand. Please?”
Alex recognised the mania that had crept into her eye. He’d seen it in dozens of acquaintances, whose minds and passions had begun to work overtime with the precious energy of an idea they could all but see—or in this case, a muse they couldn’t let go. “You don’t fancy him, do you?”
“Bitch, I will hit you again. Besides, when have Vicente or I ever muscled in on one of your paramours? And as Pam Grier might say, ‘damn, he fine!’”
That made Alex laugh, which triggered a warm smile from Jago. As their eyes met, however, every anxiety and doubtreturned to him. Jago was a witch. Not some charlatan messing around with tarot cards and props or claiming to commune with the dark ones. They’d floated above the floor while having sex. Then had come the awful play, where he’d watched his dearest friends commit acts of terrible violence. Then Si-Man’s death. He didn’t know where to begin explaining any of it to Joanna.
“He…” Alex paused, not wanting to seem foolish or paranoid, nor dismissive of his own doubts. “Would you believe it if I said he frightens me?”
“You?” She laughed. “Perhaps you’re more nervous than I realised. Admittedly, when we sawAlien,I was too busy comforting Vis to give your nerves a thought.”
“I’m serious, Joanna. You don’t find him weird? Eccentric?”
She lowered her head, though her eyes remained full with mischief. “Find me one person worth our time who’s not.”
The door swung open, admitting Victoria and ending their conversation.
Joanna withdrew with a smile as Jago joined her, blowing Alex a kiss as he went. “We’ll take care of Maria, darling. You just keep being brilliant.”
Alex watched them go, absentmindedly scooping up the money Red Jacket had left on the counter and putting it in the register.
Victoria dropped a packet of fresh sausage in front of him. “Keep being brilliant, won’t you, with that slicer?”
He rolled his eyes, unable to resist a smile.
CHAPTER NINE
“I’d feel better if we had a run before showing Maria.”
“I know that.” Vicente’s voice was a font of patience. “I’m with you, only Maria’s not going to wait around until seven. We do this now, or we lose the space again.”
“Seriously?” Alex asked. “The guy only died last night. She can’t have replacements lined up already, surely?”
“All I know, is if we want to be at the front of that queue, Joanna’s got to knock Maria flat on her vermouth-soaked arse.”
“And us too, apparently.”
