Absolutely. I dragged it out a little longer, then came out with the news.
“Gen talked Gordon into ending our contracts immediately.”
Bene looked delighted. Henrik, indifferent. Marius, suspicious.
“How?”
I shrugged. “She’s just that brilliant.”
“I am — sometimes,” she agreed. Then she turned to Mina. “Oh. I told Gordon you’d help draw up an addendum to that effect. You know, since he lost his assistant,” she added snidely.
“Fucking Celeste…” Marius muttered.
Gen gave him a sharp look. “Don’t speak ill of the dead.”
“Well, rest in peace and all that,” Bene muttered, not too sincerely. “Now, back to our contracts… How did you convince Gordon?”
“Gen could convince the Pope to convert,” Mina assured him.
Gen laughed. “I don’t know about that. And as for Gordon… He wasn’t too pleased to get Dad’s painting back without the frame, though he wouldn’t admit what he was really after. SoI called itmission accomplishedand reminded him about that bonus he offered. I even argued that everyone deserved ten thousand each…”
“Idefinitely did.” Bene patted his chest.
Marius snorted. “Do you mean the moment you got zapped by the magic spell or the time you got hauled away in the back seat of a car?”
Bene frowned. “Okay, not my best moment. But that magichurt,man.”
Gen patted his shoulder. “I’m sure it did.”
“Couldn’t you have negotiated to split €10,000 between us?” Bene persisted.
Marius shook his head. “No way would Gordon pay up.”
Gen nodded. “That’s what I figured. This way, you get a clean break without him dragging things out indefinitely.”
Mina walked over to where she’d left her laptop. “I’ll send him the addendum right now.”
Gen joined her, making suggestions. After typing away for a few minutes, Mina showed the results to Marius, then me. We both nodded.
“What about me?” Bene complained.
She started turning the screen around, but he waved a hand. “Nah, all good. I trust you.”
“Henrik?” Gen asked.
The vampire locked eyes with her, then nodded. “I trust you.”
High praise from a vampire, indeed.
Mina sent off the addendum, and everyone picked quietly at the remaining food. Minutes later, my phone pinged with an incoming message, echoed by more pings around the room. We all grabbed our phones.
“Wow. That was fast,” Marius observed.
“I guess Gordon is that desperate to get rid of us,” I said dryly.
“The feeling is mutual,” Henrik chimed in.
Everyone checked the fine print — even Bene — then signed and returned their contracts before Gordon changed his mind. The moment I did, a weight lifted from my shoulders.
