His brow furrowed. “Do you know what laundering means?”
I rolled my eyes. I had thought so…
“Whatever. Suit yourself.” I patted my pouch. “Also, if I don’t die, I’d really appreciate you putting in the good word to Roger. Shifters follow me around about as much as that vampire does, and I’d rather neither of them did. It doesn’t do much for my appearance of neutrality, you know? So, anyway, I’d love it if he heard something good about me for once. You know, like I helped out your town.” I smiled at him hopefully and waggled my eyebrows. “But if you do talk to him, don’t mention the vampire.”
A grin slid up his face. “You’re cracked.”
“I know. But think about it, would you?”
“Get outta here.” The bartender flung up his hand and turned away to serve someone waiting down the bar.
A moment later, I was in the ladies’ room pulling out the money. The white of a bar napkin was nestled between the green bills. On it a lazy hand had scrawledtwo names. Nothing else, just the names.
“That’ll do, pig,” I muttered. Google would help me put faces to the names, no problem. But this time, I needed the dual mages on board. I knew what I was up against, and I knew I needed more power.
Chapter Twenty-One
Iexited the bathroom, planning to finish both whiskeys. Darius needed blood later, fine, but I didn’t need to be sober to give it. Actually, I didn’twantto be sober when giving it. I really didn’t want any part of the whole thing.
Stupid promises and watchful shifters.
The men at the pool table were no longer hunched over when I walked out of the hall leading to the restrooms. Both were standing up straight, looking in the vague direction of Callie and Dizzy’s table. I didn’t think much of it until I had to push my way past a group of people, all of them staring in that same direction. In a moment, I knew why.
Three people stood at Callie and Dizzy’s table, looking down on them. Darius was somewhat removed, standing against the wall, leaving them on their own. Judging by the stances of the people leaning over the table, the closed-down expression of Callie, and the worried expression of Dizzy, this wasn’t a friendly encounter.
Fire surged up my middle, my power finally making an appearance.
“Where were you when that mage was trying to drag me away?” I scolded my magic.
Sure, muttering to myself made me look crazy, but when dealing with bullies, that could only help.
“You have until sundown to get—”
“What’s up?” I asked, coming around the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the bartender shaking his head.
A man in his sixties straightened up and swung his gaze my way. Dark brown eyes squinted at me from above a thick beard. “Are you with them?”
I picked up the nearest glass of whiskey and sucked it down. The clink of the empty glass as it hit the table drew the eyes of the woman in the middle of the group of three, mid-fifties with curly hair reminiscent of eighties perms. Residual magic saturated the air around her. She squinted at me.
Squinting must’ve been their go-to for conveying:I hold the power here.
“Yes.” I lifted the second glass of whiskey.
“Are you a mage, too?” asked the far man, a pudgy guy with a serious gray mustache. It was like a mouse had crawled onto his face, lain down, and gotten stuck there.
“Well, aren’t you nosy?” I leaned a hand against thetop of the chair.
“These are members of the local chapter loosely affiliated with the Mages’ Guild,” Callie said with a tight jaw.
“They are more of a fan club than they are an actual part of the guild,” Dizzy added.
“It seems that we must get permission to do business in their town.” Callie put the emphasis ontheirwith a sharp, sarcastic bite.
“Oh.” I smiled. “Well that’s okay, then. You’re not doing business in their town. You’re visiting friends and seeing the sights. Crisis averted.”
“They are working with the MLE office,” Mustache said.
“You got a little something”—I waggled my finger over my upper lip—“just there…”
