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Authors: Kimberly Frost
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said.
We’d gotten into trouble with WAM pretty often. They’d sent operatives to train me for a magical challenge, and those guys had ended up dead. But they’d been bad guys. Then the Association had sent more representatives, including the president and his superspy bodyguard. Three out of the four people they’d sent on that trip—including the superspy, who turned out to be my great-aunt—had wound up getting killed.
A lot of what had happened had been their own doing, meaning sometimes they’d killed one another. Assassin-spies, go figure! But Bryn and I had played a role in the demise of every WAM entourage that came to Duvall. We’d been acting in self-defense and in the defense of others, but even though we’d given proof of criminal conspiracies and wrongdoing, I didn’t think the Association was particularly pleased with us. Their operatives had been trying to secure Duvall and its magical tor for WAM; Bryn and I had prevented it. We just kept rebelling against everything the powers that be wanted us to do.
“How does the Association know we’re in London?” I asked, glancing around. I still hadn’t seen anyone who looked like a magical assassin. And Andre certainly wouldn’t have told his bosses about our plans.
“I don’t know,” Bryn said; then he leaned close. His voice in my ear was low. “Remember which things to keep secret.”
“I’ll remember!” I whispered fiercely. “Listen,” I said, grabbing his arm. “We’re in the airport. They won’t try to take us from here by force. There are too many people and cameras. We can just get on our plane to Ireland.”
“Getting to Ireland wouldn’t do us any good.”
“Why not?”
“Because Andre’s given us the message. If we don’t comply, they’ll have operatives waiting to take us by force in Ireland the minute we step out of the airport in Dublin.”
I frowned. “That’s not fair.”
“I know. Take a minute. Remember the practice interviews we did to prepare for the interrogations last time? Go through those in your mind.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. I sat on top of my suitcase and closed my eyes to concentrate. I ran through the practice question-and-answer sessions I’d had with Bryn until I heard him say, “Christ. You’ve got to be kidding.”
My lids popped up, and then my mouth fell open.
Dressed in a fur-cuffed coat in dusty rose and a short burgundy beaded dress and matching booties, Edie strode toward us. Next to her, on a leash that was attached to a jeweled collar, came Mercutio. And bringing up the rear in a cowboy hat, jeans, a dark sweater, and boots was my buff ex-husband, Zach. He had a coat under his arm and a duffel in his hand. People turned to stare at the trio. It’s not every day that you see an heiress in flapper wear with an ocelot and a cowboy in tow. In fact, I’m pretty sure no one had seen that combination before. Ever.
Mercutio darted forward and, rather than being pulled by the leash, Edie let it go. The leash slapped the ground and slithered behind him.
I put my arms out and hugged him when he got to me.
“Thank goodness you’re here, Merc! We’ve just landed, and we’re already in trouble!”
“Hello, biscuit,” Edie said to me.
“Edie, how—”
“First of all,” she said, leaning forward to whisper, “let’s remember that we are in the land of tea and treachery. My name is Evangeline Rhodes. My friends call me Evie, which is short for Evangeline, of course.”
“Oh. Right. That’s good thinking.
Evie.
I’ll try to remember that.”
“Luckily Edie and Evie are very close. If you slip, it may go unnoticed.”
Zach nodded briefly at Bryn and then joined Edie and me.
“But I don’t understand how you got Mercutio here.”
“It’s called money,” Edie said.
“Edie,” I hissed.
Evie
, I corrected in my mind.
Think of her as Evie.
“I chartered a plane, paid some fees, and arranged for some powerful people to smooth the way. One exotic
We’d gotten into trouble with WAM pretty often. They’d sent operatives to train me for a magical challenge, and those guys had ended up dead. But they’d been bad guys. Then the Association had sent more representatives, including the president and his superspy bodyguard. Three out of the four people they’d sent on that trip—including the superspy, who turned out to be my great-aunt—had wound up getting killed.
A lot of what had happened had been their own doing, meaning sometimes they’d killed one another. Assassin-spies, go figure! But Bryn and I had played a role in the demise of every WAM entourage that came to Duvall. We’d been acting in self-defense and in the defense of others, but even though we’d given proof of criminal conspiracies and wrongdoing, I didn’t think the Association was particularly pleased with us. Their operatives had been trying to secure Duvall and its magical tor for WAM; Bryn and I had prevented it. We just kept rebelling against everything the powers that be wanted us to do.
“How does the Association know we’re in London?” I asked, glancing around. I still hadn’t seen anyone who looked like a magical assassin. And Andre certainly wouldn’t have told his bosses about our plans.
“I don’t know,” Bryn said; then he leaned close. His voice in my ear was low. “Remember which things to keep secret.”
“I’ll remember!” I whispered fiercely. “Listen,” I said, grabbing his arm. “We’re in the airport. They won’t try to take us from here by force. There are too many people and cameras. We can just get on our plane to Ireland.”
“Getting to Ireland wouldn’t do us any good.”
“Why not?”
“Because Andre’s given us the message. If we don’t comply, they’ll have operatives waiting to take us by force in Ireland the minute we step out of the airport in Dublin.”
I frowned. “That’s not fair.”
“I know. Take a minute. Remember the practice interviews we did to prepare for the interrogations last time? Go through those in your mind.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. I sat on top of my suitcase and closed my eyes to concentrate. I ran through the practice question-and-answer sessions I’d had with Bryn until I heard him say, “Christ. You’ve got to be kidding.”
My lids popped up, and then my mouth fell open.
Dressed in a fur-cuffed coat in dusty rose and a short burgundy beaded dress and matching booties, Edie strode toward us. Next to her, on a leash that was attached to a jeweled collar, came Mercutio. And bringing up the rear in a cowboy hat, jeans, a dark sweater, and boots was my buff ex-husband, Zach. He had a coat under his arm and a duffel in his hand. People turned to stare at the trio. It’s not every day that you see an heiress in flapper wear with an ocelot and a cowboy in tow. In fact, I’m pretty sure no one had seen that combination before. Ever.
Mercutio darted forward and, rather than being pulled by the leash, Edie let it go. The leash slapped the ground and slithered behind him.
I put my arms out and hugged him when he got to me.
“Thank goodness you’re here, Merc! We’ve just landed, and we’re already in trouble!”
“Hello, biscuit,” Edie said to me.
“Edie, how—”
“First of all,” she said, leaning forward to whisper, “let’s remember that we are in the land of tea and treachery. My name is Evangeline Rhodes. My friends call me Evie, which is short for Evangeline, of course.”
“Oh. Right. That’s good thinking.
Evie.
I’ll try to remember that.”
“Luckily Edie and Evie are very close. If you slip, it may go unnoticed.”
Zach nodded briefly at Bryn and then joined Edie and me.
“But I don’t understand how you got Mercutio here.”
“It’s called money,” Edie said.
“Edie,” I hissed.
Evie
, I corrected in my mind.
Think of her as Evie.
“I chartered a plane, paid some fees, and arranged for some powerful people to smooth the way. One exotic
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