“Okay, so I get why confusing Karim is a good idea. But if we’re heading to Darlington now, wouldn’t the people already after me know Desmon is involved?” Meera asked.
“Yup. And that’s why you’re going to give me your driver’s license and the keys to your place.” Eva held out her hand.
Meera frowned. “I don’t get it.”
“I’m going to pose as you and return your rental car,” Eva said. “Then I’m going to head to your apartment and get rid of the evidence.”
Meera wrinkled her nose. “You don’t look anything like me. You’re like super blonde.”
“Nothing a little magic can’t fix. And I don’t actually need to keep the license, I just have to see it long enough to make a copy.”
Meera looked even more confused, but she handed the items over. She watched in fascination as Eva held their driver’s licenses side by side, and slowly the information on them changed to match.
“Your chin is on the floor,” I said, amused. It was kind of adorable.
“I’ve never seen magic at work before. I mean, I’ve tried those one-time-use makeup spells. But it’s not the same.”
“It hasn’t really changed,” Eva explained. “It’s just an illusion.”
Their food arrived, and we all ate quickly. I’d used the canned look-away spell on the actual restaurant, so anyone looking for us would gloss it over. But the spell was meant to cover a much smaller area, and I didn’t think it would last long.
Meera barely touched her food, but I didn’t blame her. She’d had a stressful day. I ate what she didn’t. It took a lot of calories to keep my body running. And if she got hungry later, we’d find food again.
She and Eva chatted for a while, and I watched the tension in her shoulders finally ease. Now that the nerves were fading, the exhaustion in her face was impossible to miss. She could sleep in the car while I drove.
“Where did you leave the rental car?” Mateo asked as we walked out of the diner.
I sent him the location of the motel. And Meera did the same for her address, and we parted ways.
We’d just gotten back into the car when her phone started ringing. Meera stiffened up immediately.
I reached over and took the phone from her hand. Sure enough, it was her murder-happy ex calling. I don’t know what prompted me to do it, but I picked it up.
An angry male voice started yelling at her through the speaker, asking what the fuck she was doing and why she wasn’t picking up. The insults and demands came back-to-back, like he never even expected her to speak. He didn’t mention the egg or the office, leading me to believe he hadn’t checked or didn’t have access to the building’s cameras. He was trying not to give anything away if he didn’t have to.
When he finally stopped yelling, I spoke. “Are you done?”
The line went eerily quiet for a spell, and if it weren’t for the sounds in the background, I’d have wondered if he’d hung up. Curious as to what he’d say, I waited, turning the speakers up so Meera could hear as well.
“Who the fuck are you?” He didn’t give me time to answer. “Wait. You caught her. So you must have the egg.”
“What egg? What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, my gaze meeting Meera’s. “Meera, your ex is a weirdo. No wonder you left him for me.”
Meera’s jaw dropped, and she covered her mouth, mirth bubbling up her face into her eyes.
“Her ex?”
With one hand still covering her mouth, she put her hand out, reaching for her phone. I handed it to her.
“Yes, my ex! You two-timing, cheating bastard! You think I wouldn’t find out about you and Michelle? I’ve known for a while.” Her eyes sparkled as she spat out the words, her voice shaking in mock anger. Or was that nervousness? I didn’t think lying to murderers was something she had a habit of doing.
“Oh.” There was shock in that one simple sound. “This is about Michelle. But your gym bag…”
“I survived a whole damn week without it. You can keep it. We’re done, Karim. I don’t care how much my mom likes you. It’s over. I’m not staying with a freaking cheater. Don’t call me again.”
I took the phone back from her. “You heard her. Don’t call her again. And if I see you around her you’re answering to me.” I hung up. I looked up at Meera. “Do you think he bought it?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. He’s smart. But he’s also full of himself.” There was a dullness in her eyes that wasn’t there before, showing just how tired she was.
