Missing Magic (22 page)

“And gay, so he wouldn’t be hitting on
her.”

“True, but his being Fae is most important.
I’m thinking Mick’s the one who led her the Fae. He had to conceive
the idea for stealing Fae magic, and therefore their souls.”

Dee crossed her arms. “Assuming that’s
correct, we’re still left with why? Why would Mick do such a
thing?”

Pondering, both fell silent. In the end,
neither could come up with a plausible motive.

Handing her the sandwich, he went back for
two cans of cola. They ate quickly and silently, both watching the
clock, each hoping this plan would work.

If it didn’t, he didn’t know what else they
could do.

When they’d finished eating, she searched a
bit longer on the internet, then powered off her computer and
stretched. “I’m going to go get ready.”

The clock read seven.

Cenrick nodded, watching her walk down the
hall towards her room. A moment later, she emerged and tossed him a
bag.

“Here. Get ready.”

Eyeing the bag dubiously, he waited until
she’d gone before see what she’d bought him.

Inside, he found fitted slacks made of some
stretchy material that looked like leather, and a silk shirt in a
bright colored paisley pattern.

He stared in disbelief. No way in Hades was
he wearing this. Instead, he snapped his fingers, muttered a quick
spell, and retrieved some of his own clothing from Rune.

Dressed, he sat on the edge of the couch to
wait.

“Hey, it fits perfectly. What do you
think?”

Cenrick looked up. His mouth went dry and he
had to remind his heart to keep beating.

“What the…” He couldn’t find words. The
shiny, black miniskirt, made of the same material as the slacks
she’d bought him, barely grazed the top of her thighs. Her legs,
appearing endlessly long, were encased in high, stiletto-heeled
boots made of the same material. Her blouse – if one could call it
that – also black, appeared to be made of several wispy strips of
silky material held together by silver chains.

Merely looking at her made his temperature
rise.

“You look…”

“I look like a hooker, don’t I?” Her grin
told him this was exactly what she wanted. “With this outfit and
the magic you put on me, those goons will be like putty in my
hands.”

“I was going to say you look fantastic.”

“Really?” Her eyes narrowed. “You look great,
but why aren’t you wearing the stuff I bought you?”

“Because,” he crossed his arms. “I’m not
gay.”

To his disbelief, she laughed. “Hey, it was
worth a shot. Since you insist on coming with me, I figured the
more you blended in, the better.”

“Sorry.”

“All right.” She lifted a shoulder then, back
to business, rubbed her hands together. “Let me get my car keys and
we’ll go.” About to walk off, she stopped. “I wish there was a way
I could get a wire.”

“A what?”

“A wire is like a hidden microphone, which
would capture what is said and relay it back to you. Cops use them
all the time in undercover work.”

“Can’t you get one?”

“No. Not a single guy in the IT department
would outfit me now. I’m on suspension, remember?” Bitterness
sharpened her voice. “But I’ve got something almost as good. Here,
catch.” She tossed something at him.

Out of reflex, he caught it. “What’s
this?”

“A cell phone, encased in vinyl so you can
carry it.” Coming closer, she brought with her the heady scent of
her musky perfume. “Look, you can even punch the keys through the
plastic.”

“Do you have one?”

“Sure. The one I’m giving you is one of those
prepaid phones. I bought it to give as a gift to someone once, and
didn’t. Since I have my regular cell, I’ve never used it. I turned
it on and it still works. I even programmed my cell number in it
for you.”

He turned the vibrant blue object over in his
hand. “Why do you want me to have this?”

Her gaze was unblinking. “So I can call you
if I need you, or vice-versa. It’s a way of us keeping track of
each other.”

“I see.” He dropped the phone in his pocket.
“We won’t lose track of each other. I have no plans to leave your
side. Are you ready?”

She stared at him for half a heartbeat before
finally nodding. “You promise me you won’t do anything rash, like
threaten some poor guy in there?”

“If you’re in danger—.”

“No. I’ll be fine.” She held up her own cell
phone. “I’ve got this. You’ve got to let them talk to me, remember?
Otherwise, this won’t work.”

“No matter what, you’re not leaving with
them, understand? We stay together.”

“You worry too much. We’re just dangling the
bait in front of them. They can come get me later, on my
terms.”

He sighed. “Then let’s go.” Slipping on his
gloves, he let her lead the way to the car.

The drive seemed to take forever. He greatly
preferred the Fae method of travel. A quick spell and you were
there.

Finally, they exited the freeway. Driving
down a four lane road packed with cars, Dee located an empty spot
and parallel parked.

“Show time.” Inhaling sharply, she checked
her watch one final time. “You ready?”

He nodded.

Sliding out of the car, she smoothed down her
shirt, allowing him to take her arm. “Remember, you promised.”

“I know.” He nodded. “You look beautiful,” he
said, and meant it.

“Fae?”

“Very Fae.” And very Dee. He wondered why his
chest felt so tight. Stupid. Really stupid.

“Good.” She smiled up at him. “You look
fantastic too. But then, you always do.”

They strolled up the sidewalk, joining the
crowd of fancy-dressed people laughing and talking.

Turning into a closed off, brick-paved
street, Dee pointed several doors down. “That’s where we’ll try
first.”

Music boomed from inside each doorway they
passed. Cigarette and cigar smoke mingled with the odor of alcohol
and various scents of both male and female cologne.

The beginnings of a headache pounded behind
his temple.

A burly bouncer guarded the doorway. Dee paid
the cover fee and held out her hand to have the back stamped.
Mimicking her, Cenrick did the same.

Inside, the noise and smell was even
worse.

“Hey,” Dee leaned close, having to shout to
make him hear her. “I’m going to go work the room. You do the
same.

“No.” He grabbed her arm. “We work
together.”

“You’re going to blow the entire thing.” She
yanked her arm free. “Now, go on.”

He didn’t bother to answer.

A tall, slender man stepped into their path.
“Hey there, handsome.” He had eyes only for Cenrick. “You must be
new here.”

Studying the man’s aura, Cenrick realized he
was Fae.

From the behind the man, Dee mouthed
something that looked like “Talk to him.”

Cenrick fumed as she sauntered away, looking
gorgeous and confident and oh so very Fae in her short skirt and
high heels.

Still smiling expectantly, the slender Faerie
waited for Cenrick to speak. He made small talk, trying to appear
interested in case this guy was one of Mick and Natasha’s henchmen,
and trying to keep an eye out for Dee.

But he lost sight of her in the crush of
people.

The Fae who’d intercepted him continued to
chatter, oblivious to Cenrick’s discomfort.

“Excuse me,” he finally said, pushing past
the guy and ignoring the stunned look on the other Fae’s face.
Shouldering the crowd, he searched for Dee.

It seemed an eternity before he located her,
standing at the bar with a tall, good-looking man on each side. She
had two drinks in front of her, a gift from each of her
suitors.

Though he hated to break this up, enough time
had passed for the enemy to make their move.

Strolling up behind her, he slipped his arm
around her shoulder and kissed her neck. “Sorry I’m late, honey,”
he drawled, giving both men a warning look. “Want to introduce me
to your new friends?”

She glared at him. “I—.”

Both men instantly moved off.

“Let’s go.” Dee tucked her arm in his. “Even
though you broke your promise, I think we got what we came
for.”

He started to speak and abandoned the idea as
they skirted the dance floor.

Once outside, the noise level dropped
dramatically. “What’d you get?” he asked.

“Later.” She gripped his hand hard. “Wait
until we get to the car.”

Silently, they hurried through the crowd. She
pressed the remote, unlocking the doors.

“Bingo.” Sliding into the driver’s seat, she
flashed him a triumphant grin. “They bit.”

He watched as she turned the key in the
ignition, backing out of the spot. “When? We weren’t separated that
long?”

“While you talked to your admirer.” The
corners of her mouth curved in a smile. “As soon as I got away from
you, they surrounded me. This Fae magical stuff really works.”

About to tell her the truth – her appeal was
due more to her own beauty than the spell, he hesitated.

“Guess what else?” she asked. “I saw one of
those goons from Mick’s house were there, scouting the crowd.”

“Natasha’s bodyguards?”

“Yep. And even better, they were with
Natasha. I saw her holding court up near the stage.”

“Natasha?” He hadn’t seen her at all. “Did
she see you?”

“I made sure she didn’t. I also looked for
Mick, but he wasn’t there.”

“I’m worried about him even more now,” she
continued.

He was too, but saw no point in making her
worry more. “You said they took the bait. When?”

“You know those guys you interrupted at the
bar? One of them started reciting Shakespeare, if you can believe
it. I had to pretend to find it fascinating. He quoted from
Midsummer Night’s Dream, I believe.” She chuckled.

“A Fae favorite.” Cenrick shook his head.
“And a good move on his part. Any real Fae would find such a
recital fascinating.” He paused, considering his next words. “But
he wasn’t Fae, Dee. The only way he could know such a thing is if
someone Fae told them.” He didn’t say the rest, though he knew she
had to realize it.
Someone like Mick
.

“Yeah, well. He gave me this.” She handed him
a card. “Fae Frolic. It’s advertising a big party.”

While she drove, he read the rest of the card
out loud. “More than a party, a place where Fae living among
mortals can get together and cut loose,” he said, quoting directly
from the card. He felt the spell woven into the paper, a beguiling
spell, strong enough to enchant a weaker Faerie. When he told her
about this, Dee nodded.

“Good thing I’m not Fae. Another thing to my
advantage.”

Once more, he studied the card. “There’s no
location.”

“I caught that too. When I asked, the guy
said it changed every week. He said he’d call me.”

“You gave him your number?”

“Of course.” Smiling smugly, she took back
the card. “We got them, hook, line and sinker. All we’ve got to do
now is wait for the call and we can start reeling them in.”

IN THE morning, the ringing phone dragged Dee
out of a sound sleep. Beside her, Cenrick sat up. Heart pounding,
she reached for the receiver. Caller I.D. showed it another unknown
call.

“Hello?” She couldn’t clear the sleep from
her voice.

“Turn on the television.” She didn’t
recognize the young, male voice. “Channel eight.”

“Who is this?” she asked. But the click told
her the caller had already hung up.

Dropping the phone in the cradle, she grabbed
the remote and turned on the TV.

Instantly, a full-screen picture of her
filled the screen.

“… suspected in the disappearance and
possible murder of her partner, Mick Morsi. The body, which has not
yet been officially identified, was clad in a South Worth Police
Department uniform and is believed to be that of Officer Morsi. A
formal police investigation is underway.”

Body?

They cut to a commercial. The jingle for a
laundry detergent began playing merrily.

Stunned, she fumbled with the remote, finally
succeeding in turning the television off.

She and Cenrick stared at each other.

“What the—-?”

“That body better not be Mick,” she cried,
throwing back the covers. “So help me, if they’ve murdered Mick,
I’ll—.” She choked on the rest of her words.

Cenrick grabbed her, pulling her close.
“Listen to me. That body is not Mick.”

“How do you know?” She attempted to push him
away, though only half-heartedly. “They’re setting me up for his
murder.”

“No, they’re not. Dee, it can’t be Mick. If
they’re setting you up for a murder, they’re using someone else’s
body.”

Swiping at her eyes, she gaped at him. “What
do you mean?”

“Even if they succeeded in killing a Fae,
which is not an easy task, they’d never leave a Fae body for the
authorities to autopsy. The anomalies in our blood and bone
structure would set off too many alarms.”

“Then where is Mick? You know what they’re
trying to do. How can he stand back and let this happen?”

“I’m afraid I believe Mick’s already been
taken.”

She stared. “Taken? As in Soulless?”

He nodded. “That would explain his
conspicuous absence.”

“Can’t you ask the Oracle?”

“I would think she would tell us.”

“Maybe not. She might believe if I knew, the
knowledge would impair my judgment.”

“So you don’t know this for certain.” Dee
lifted her chin.

“Of course not. Either way, he appears to be
out of the picture. Maybe he has other, more pressing
concerns.”

She shot him a sideways glance to let him
know she didn’t buy that any more than he did. “He’s out of the
picture because they’re trying to make it look like I’ve killed
him,” she said, her voice grim. Staring at the card she’d placed on
the dresser, she shook her head. “All we can do now is hope they
call. And soon.”Cenrick glanced from her to the phone. “I—.”