“And it’s sinking in,” I say with a flustered laugh.
She smirks. “Finally.”
I sigh and get back on track. “Okay, so what’s all the party stuff for, I’m sure you’re wondering…”
I look around at the café. “We turned this place into an impenetrable fortress, and it’s amazing. I love it. But Lei knows. He won’t meet me here, and he’s threatened serious harm against my parents if I don’t meet him tomorrow at noon.
“So, I need to bring an arsenalwithme.”
This is just crazy enough to work, but too crazy to tell Rhazan. He’ll only worry, and there’s nothing he can do—his magic can’t leave the café.
Worse, he might try to stop me.
No, this is something I have to take care of myself. Rhazan has been a lighthouse in a storm, but even though I’ve found my way, it’s still me who must navigate the choppy waters. Lei is my monster to face, and I won’t let him beat me. His father, either. The whole Zhao dynasty is coming down, brick by brick if that’s the only way.
“How do you plan on doing that?” Jamie asks, her voice smoother than silk.
I grin and remove the lids covering the feast beside us. The air is filled with savory and sweet scents immediately. There’srice, steamed buns, slices of marinated meat, cookies, soup, and more. I found it was much harder to put my magical energy into soup than cookies, so it’s really just a palate cleanser more than anything.
“Everything is enchanted with my magic, so every stroke of your brush tonight will be magical. We can craft the protections—and the weapons—I’ll need to detain Lei long enough for us to get him back here.”
“Us?” Ace asks with excitement.
“Yeah, buddy, you get to put that driver’s permit to use,” I say with a smile.
Jamie stands. The curiosity in her face has gone cold and her voice moves to a deeper tone that sounds familiar as she says, “Let me make sure I understand correctly. You want to kidnap the man threatening your parents, bring him back here, detain him, and do what, exactly?”
“Flip the situation on Zhao Shang. Let my parents go free, or I’ll keep his son in my meat freezer.”
Jamie’s eyebrows hike up to her hairline, and Lacey’s mouth pops open in shock. That did sound a little more menacing than I wanted it to.
“The meat freezer is broken; it’s just a storage closet right now,” I quickly say. “But it has a door that locks from the outside.”
“Uh-huh,” Jamie says, schooling her face back to cold stoicism. “And you think that some”—she flicks her fingers at the baobuns—“magically enhancedfood is going to let us help you do that?”
I nod. “Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“You’re asking us to help you commit serious crimes,” she says flatly.
“My love,” Lacey murmurs.
Jamie looks at her and they share a silent conversation with their eyes. Jamie seems to win, because she looks back at me with a, “Well?”
“They’re not good guys and they don’t play by the rules. I’m not, either. I’m a cheat, and a liar, and a thief. So I will cheat, lie, and steal my parents’ way back home if I have to.”
Jamie tuts. “What happens when the police come looking for Lei and find him tied up in the freezer?”
“I’ll move him,” I say.
Jamie stands up straight and pinches the bridge of her nose as she closes her eyes. Her lips move like she’s muttering something to herself. She huffs after a moment and opens her eyes.
“I can’t help,” she says and then looks at Lacey. “Don’t do this.”
Lacey clenches her teeth together tightly and I feel the anticipatory sting of abandonment.
She shakes her head. “Friends don’t desert each other.”
It’s like the floor’s been swept out from under my feet. Is this woman I hardly know actually going to stand beside me in this batshit, morally gray plan of action when her own wife asked her not to?
