Cold Burn of Magic
Page 14
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Because heartache and suffering and misery were all you got in return.
Felix had finally come to and tried to sit up, although one of his shoulders was propped up against a rack of comic books, while the rest of him was still slumped on the floor. The left side of his jaw had already started to swell and bruise from where the mystery man had hit him, and his brown eyes were unfocused. He probably had a concussion, but he’d be okay. He was lucky that the mystery man hadn’t killed him outright. Then again Devon had seemed to be the target of the attack—
A hand touched my shoulder. I whipped around and raised my sword, thinking the mystery man had come back into the shop.
“Whoa! Whoa, Lila!” Mo held up his hands and backed out of range. “It’s just me.”
I hissed out a breath between my clenched teeth and lowered the sword. Once again, the shop was quiet, except for the rustle of Devon’s clothes as he rocked back and forth with Ashley. Every once in a while, Felix would let out a low moan, as though he were chiming in to Devon’s raspy chorus of grief.
“I’m in the back, talking on the phone, and I hear all these yells and screams. What happened?” Mo asked, his gaze going from the dead men to Felix to Devon holding Ashley’s body before finally coming back to me.
I drew him away from Devon and quietly told him everything.
Mo stood there, thinking. “Did you get a good look at the man who was leading the attack?”
I shook my head. “He was just a guy. Brown hair, brown eyes, plain features. I didn’t see any crests on his clothes, wrist, or sword, so I don’t know which Family he might work for.”
Mo nodded. For a moment, he was perfectly still, then he burst into action, like someone had lit a fire under his feet. He grabbed the sword out of my hand and laid it on one of the counters before hustling over and grabbing my backpack. Then he whirled around and stormed right back toward me, his Hawaiian shirt fluttering around his body and his flip-flops snap-snap-snapping against the floor. He shoved my backpack into my chest and slapped a fat wad of cash into my bloody hand.
“You need to get out of here, Lila,” Mo said. “Right now.”
“What? Why? Why are you freaking out?”
“You don’t know who these kids are? You didn’t recognize him?” He stabbed his finger toward Devon.
I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to tell him that Devon had looked familiar but that I hadn’t been able to place him.
Mo snorted like he didn’t believe me. “Well, it doesn’t matter. What does is that you killed a couple of guys.”
Sad to say, nothing I hadn’t done before. Although I bit my lip to keep from telling him that. He knew it anyway, and he wouldn’t appreciate my sarcasm.
“Not only that, but you put yourself smack-dab in the middle of some Family feud or assassination or whatever you want to call it. You know what that means.”
I shivered. It was bad enough when a member of a Family killed someone working for another Family, even if it was in self-defense. But when someone like me, a nobody who didn’t belong to one of the Families, took out a couple of their guys . . . Well, there could be consequences. Some very serious, nasty, and unpleasant consequences—for me.
“You need to leave,” Mo snapped. “Now, Lila. Please, please leave.”
I frowned. Mo never, ever said please. Even if he was facing down a lochness that was about to rip him limb from limb, he was still more likely to try to wheedle, cajole, and con the creature out of one of its tentacles rather than plead for his life.
Mo started muttering under his breath. “Can’t believe this happened . . . just trying to make a few bucks . . . didn’t think he’d actually come here . . . Serena would kill me for this . . .”
He paced back and forth, but I seized on to the last thing he’d said.
“Why would Mom be upset about this?”
Mo stopped pacing, and his head snapped up. “What are you still doing here? Go. Go!”
He grabbed my shoulders, spun me around, and marched me toward the front entrance. Mo didn’t have a Talent for strength, but he was no lightweight, either. All I could do was go where he pushed me.
We reached the front doors, and Mo yanked one of them open. He would have shoved me right on outside if I hadn’t reached out and latched on to the door frame, smearing blood as I did. Even then, he still gave me a nudge, but I wasn’t budging. Not until I got some answers.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll give you the rest of your money later, if that’s what you’re worried about. I promise. I’ll even pay you double. Triple, if you want. Think of it as a bonus. For leaving. Right now.”
I blinked. Mo never, ever gave me a bonus, much less tripled anything. That was even more shocking than him asking me nicely to do something. What had him so rattled that he’d be willing to part with so much cash just to get rid of me? Yeah, a couple of Family members getting attacked in his shop wasn’t exactly good for business, but it wasn’t all that uncommon, either. People got mugged, robbed, and beaten on the streets practically every day in Cloudburst Falls, thanks to all of the mob feuds. Not to mention everyone out to fleece the tourists, and how riled up and out of control the tourists themselves could get when they’d had a few too many mimosas with their never-ending stacks of pancakes.
“But—”
“Just go, okay?” Mo said. “Give me a chance to fix this. I’ll text you later. Just go home and then go to school in the morning like everything’s normal, okay? Can you do that for me, Lila? Please?”
Felix had finally come to and tried to sit up, although one of his shoulders was propped up against a rack of comic books, while the rest of him was still slumped on the floor. The left side of his jaw had already started to swell and bruise from where the mystery man had hit him, and his brown eyes were unfocused. He probably had a concussion, but he’d be okay. He was lucky that the mystery man hadn’t killed him outright. Then again Devon had seemed to be the target of the attack—
A hand touched my shoulder. I whipped around and raised my sword, thinking the mystery man had come back into the shop.
“Whoa! Whoa, Lila!” Mo held up his hands and backed out of range. “It’s just me.”
I hissed out a breath between my clenched teeth and lowered the sword. Once again, the shop was quiet, except for the rustle of Devon’s clothes as he rocked back and forth with Ashley. Every once in a while, Felix would let out a low moan, as though he were chiming in to Devon’s raspy chorus of grief.
“I’m in the back, talking on the phone, and I hear all these yells and screams. What happened?” Mo asked, his gaze going from the dead men to Felix to Devon holding Ashley’s body before finally coming back to me.
I drew him away from Devon and quietly told him everything.
Mo stood there, thinking. “Did you get a good look at the man who was leading the attack?”
I shook my head. “He was just a guy. Brown hair, brown eyes, plain features. I didn’t see any crests on his clothes, wrist, or sword, so I don’t know which Family he might work for.”
Mo nodded. For a moment, he was perfectly still, then he burst into action, like someone had lit a fire under his feet. He grabbed the sword out of my hand and laid it on one of the counters before hustling over and grabbing my backpack. Then he whirled around and stormed right back toward me, his Hawaiian shirt fluttering around his body and his flip-flops snap-snap-snapping against the floor. He shoved my backpack into my chest and slapped a fat wad of cash into my bloody hand.
“You need to get out of here, Lila,” Mo said. “Right now.”
“What? Why? Why are you freaking out?”
“You don’t know who these kids are? You didn’t recognize him?” He stabbed his finger toward Devon.
I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to tell him that Devon had looked familiar but that I hadn’t been able to place him.
Mo snorted like he didn’t believe me. “Well, it doesn’t matter. What does is that you killed a couple of guys.”
Sad to say, nothing I hadn’t done before. Although I bit my lip to keep from telling him that. He knew it anyway, and he wouldn’t appreciate my sarcasm.
“Not only that, but you put yourself smack-dab in the middle of some Family feud or assassination or whatever you want to call it. You know what that means.”
I shivered. It was bad enough when a member of a Family killed someone working for another Family, even if it was in self-defense. But when someone like me, a nobody who didn’t belong to one of the Families, took out a couple of their guys . . . Well, there could be consequences. Some very serious, nasty, and unpleasant consequences—for me.
“You need to leave,” Mo snapped. “Now, Lila. Please, please leave.”
I frowned. Mo never, ever said please. Even if he was facing down a lochness that was about to rip him limb from limb, he was still more likely to try to wheedle, cajole, and con the creature out of one of its tentacles rather than plead for his life.
Mo started muttering under his breath. “Can’t believe this happened . . . just trying to make a few bucks . . . didn’t think he’d actually come here . . . Serena would kill me for this . . .”
He paced back and forth, but I seized on to the last thing he’d said.
“Why would Mom be upset about this?”
Mo stopped pacing, and his head snapped up. “What are you still doing here? Go. Go!”
He grabbed my shoulders, spun me around, and marched me toward the front entrance. Mo didn’t have a Talent for strength, but he was no lightweight, either. All I could do was go where he pushed me.
We reached the front doors, and Mo yanked one of them open. He would have shoved me right on outside if I hadn’t reached out and latched on to the door frame, smearing blood as I did. Even then, he still gave me a nudge, but I wasn’t budging. Not until I got some answers.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll give you the rest of your money later, if that’s what you’re worried about. I promise. I’ll even pay you double. Triple, if you want. Think of it as a bonus. For leaving. Right now.”
I blinked. Mo never, ever gave me a bonus, much less tripled anything. That was even more shocking than him asking me nicely to do something. What had him so rattled that he’d be willing to part with so much cash just to get rid of me? Yeah, a couple of Family members getting attacked in his shop wasn’t exactly good for business, but it wasn’t all that uncommon, either. People got mugged, robbed, and beaten on the streets practically every day in Cloudburst Falls, thanks to all of the mob feuds. Not to mention everyone out to fleece the tourists, and how riled up and out of control the tourists themselves could get when they’d had a few too many mimosas with their never-ending stacks of pancakes.
“But—”
“Just go, okay?” Mo said. “Give me a chance to fix this. I’ll text you later. Just go home and then go to school in the morning like everything’s normal, okay? Can you do that for me, Lila? Please?”
