He forced himself not to look in the direction of the van across the street with IRENE’S FLOWERS splashed across the side. That’s where Rosito and his trusted task force members were. They’d only come out if he absolutely needed it. Bruno’s safety depended on following instructions, though Jacob doubted people who did this kind of thing valued sticking to their word.

  The bright lights of a sleek black BMW flashed to his left, and the vehicle came to a stop in one of the parking spots. Jacob sucked in a quick breath, and his hold on the briefcase tightened. The cash was inside, and so was a tracking device.

  He straightened his back and acknowledged the tall man wearing a full-face ski mask with holes for just the eyes and mouth area. When the mask’s material swirled and shimmered, he knew that these Watchers were carrying and using magically infused gear, just like him.

  The tall man stopped just a few feet across from Jacob and scanned the park. He seemed satisfied, then gestured toward the briefcase. “Open it. Show me the money.”

  “I want to see or hear from Bruno. I want to know he’s still alive.”

  “Open the damn briefcase, or I’ll have my men slit his throat this instant.”

  Jacob’s nostrils flared as he let out a frustrated breath. He opened the briefcase. “I notice that while you hate magic-users, you hypocritically like to use their tech and items.”

  The tall man grabbed a black bag from his jacket pocket and handed it to Jacob. “Just fighting fire with fire. Now, put the money in the bag.”

  Jacob began transferring the cash to the bag. Well, so much for the tracking device in the briefcase. “Where’s Bruno?”

  The tall man turned and raised his right hand, giving a signal to whoever was in the BMW. Another man, also in a ski mask, stepped out holding a gun in one hand and dragging a hooded and handcuffed man from the back seat. They slowly approached the fountain area. The tall guy scanned the area again.

  Jacob didn’t want him noticing the flower van and spoke up. “You said no cops, and I did as told. I just want to make sure I get my friend back safely.”

  “Friend?” The tall guy chuckled. “That pathetic traitor is your friend?”

  A few weeks ago Jacob would’ve laughed in contempt at the idea as well. He and Bruno were on opposite sides. However, after Jacob saved Margot’s life, the man had a change of heart. And though Bruno annoyed the hell out of him from time to time, he became one of Jacob’s strongest supporters.

  “At least Bruno actually cares about this city,” Jacob said, eyeing the men who approached and stopped next to the tall man. “What are you here for? Money? Power?”

  The tall guy nodded to the other ski-masked man, and he pulled the hood off the handcuffed man in the middle. It was Bruno, but he was hardly recognizable because they beat the shit out of him. Anger boiled inside of Jacob.

  “Are you okay?” Jacob asked in a level voice.

  Bruno nodded. “I’ve seen better days.”

  The shorter ski-mask guy punched Bruno in the gut. “Shut up!”

  “Enough!” Jacob shouted, pulling Bruno toward him and guiding him sit on the bench. “You got what you wanted. Enough.”

  The tall man drew a knife from his belt. The blade glowed orange-red, and Jacob tensed. He knew what that knife did. The tall guy gave a crooked grin. “Not everything I want. I want you both dead.”

  “Not gonna happen.” Jacob positioned himself in front of Bruno.

  “You think I didn’t account for cops still showing up?” He raised his knife in the air, and it lit up. He then made a jabbing motion toward the flower van, and a stream of fire shot out toward the vehicle.

  “No! You bastard!”

  Jacob nearly cracked his knees on the ground grabbing his deflection knife strapped to his ankle and imbuing it with his magical energy. He made a quick circular motion and deflected the stream of fire before it hit the van. It instead crashed into the gravel in the street and dissipated.

  Jacob launched himself toward the tall man and knocked him to the ground. He heard Bruno from behind pick up the briefcase and knock down the other ski-mask guy with it. The second man hit the ground with a loud thud. Jacob saw Rosito, and the task force officers emerge from the van and rush across the street toward him, but to his dismay, the Watchers also had their own reinforcements show up. Both sides clashed with ferocity.

  The tall guy tried to stab Jacob with the glowing red knife, but the warded vest guarded his vitals. Jacob took advantage of the man’s momentary shock and grabbed the man’s knife hand, squeezing it hard. The tall man cried out in pain, and Jacob jabbed him straight in his masked face, knocking him unconscious. He pulled the mask off the man and sneered. He recognized him as Andy Nichols, a journalist who frequented City Hall. Asshole.

  Jacob stole Andy’s enchanted knife and used it to break the cuffs off Bruno. He then handed his own gun to the man. “Take this, you’ll need it.”

  “Thanks,” Bruno said.

  They both dove for cover behind the fountain when two Watchers shot at them. Bruno reciprocated by firing his gun and hit one of the men in the shoulder. A task force officer nearby gunned down the second Watcher. There were eight Watchers left out of the group of nearly twenty who had jumped into the battle. Four of them were pinned down by Detective Rosito and the task force, and the remaining four were trying to blast their way out of there and escape.

  Jacob jumped to his feet and ran after them, invoking a lightning spell and drawing from the extra juice he had circulating through his system. He hit two of the guys, and they fell to the ground. The other two Watchers halted and quickly made wide circular motions with their arms. Some odd wristbands they were wearing lit up a bright yellow, and suddenly Jacob was hit with a forceful wave that sent him flying backward.

  A task force officer approached and tried to get a shot at them, but the second Watcher directed his wave and knocked the officer unconscious. Or worse. Jacob couldn’t tell. Just as he climbed back to his feet, Bruno rushed toward him and tackled him to the ground.

  “Poison…” Bruno said, nodding up toward the open air, where a green cloud hovered, just where Jacob stood moments before. Those force waves were just a distraction.

  “Thanks for the lookout,” Jacob said.

  The two Watchers raised their hands, their wristbands glowing again.

  “I don’t like the look of that,” Bruno said. “We got shields or something?”

  “Even better,” Jacob said.

  He brushed the cloaking ring with his finger and held onto Bruno at the same time. They both disappeared, and he pulled Bruno to the side, out of the pathway of whatever spell those two Watchers were going to hurl at them. The two Watchers looked confused upon seeing their abrupt disappearance and lowered their hands. They looked at each other, then at the spot where Jacob and Bruno formerly stood.

  Jacob pulled Bruno along with him, making sure not to break contact so that he could still be covered by the cloaking spell. When they made it behind a tree, Jacob finally let go and then sent a bolt of lightning toward the Watchers. Bruno must’ve read his mind because he wasted no time in aiming the gun and firing.

  Both men were hit, one with Jacob’s lightning, the other with a bullet from the gun. They both dropped to the ground, dead.

  “How’s Rosito and the others doing?” Jacob asked.

  Bruno grinned. “Looks like they’re doing all right.”

  All four of the remaining Watchers who were resisting the task force had finally surrendered. They were on their knees being handcuffed. Several MFPD squad cars with sirens blaring pulled up and screeched to a halt. Captain Lewis and Amanda Lewis exited one of the vehicles. The police captain came straight over to Jacob.

  “Mayor Wolfe, want to explain to me why you didn’t include me on this? I could’ve helped.”

  Amanda placed a hand on her dad’s shoulder. “He knows you would’ve, but we needed this as hush as possible, and time was limited.”

  Captain Lewis nodded. “I got the officers who were working with the Guardians. They confessed everything and even gave up their headquarters. They won’t be a problem anymore.”

  Jacob let out a relieved sigh and watched as an unmarked car pulled up. It was Margot and Officer Tanaka. She hopped out of the car and ran straight toward her father. Bruno scooped her up and gave her the tightest hug.

  The police captain smiled at Jacob. “Not bad, Mr. Mayor. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ve got to move on the Guardians. We’re taking them down tonight as well. This is going to be one long night.”

  “Thanks, Captain.” Jacob held out his hand, and Lewis took it and shook it.

  When the captain left to go speak with Rosito and some of the task force members, Margo broke away from her father and pulled Jacob into a warm embrace.

  “Thanks, Jacob. God, I was scared I’d never see my dad again.”

  Jacob ran a hand through her pixie cut. “Well, who else is going to burst into my office in the morning, telling me that my approval rating’s in the toilet and I’d be better off collecting unemployment?”

  Margot chuckled. “Officer Tanaka and I will take him to get checked out at the hospital. You’ll be okay?”

  He nodded. “Just keep me updated. Everything will be fine.”

  Bruno gave Jacob a thumbs up as Margot wrapped an arm around his waist and walked with him toward Tanaka’s vehicle. Amanda approached and stood next to him, scanning the area and surveying the aftermath.

  “Do you need anything?” she asked.

  “A vacation,” he answered, a grin forming on his face.

  The evening cold settled in, and she shivered. He removed his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Thanks, Jacob.”

  “You’re welcome.” He wondered if he was giving her a goofy smile or a charming one, but either way, she made him feel good. “We all make a pretty badass team, don’t we?”

  She nodded. “We do. Well, I don’t think you can go on vacation just yet, but if you want…let’s go get coffee?”

  His cheeks warmed. “I’d like that.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “Oh, I rode here in the IRENE’S FLOWERS van. You don’t mind, do you?”

  She play-punched him in the gut and laughed. “Stop it, I’m trying to be serious.”

  “You’ve always been serious, ever since I’ve known you. And…smart…funny…”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Uh huh.”

  He cleared his throat. “Anyway, my car’s down the street.”

  “Well, let’s go. Hopefully this time we won’t get ambushed by vengeful wizards.”

  He smiled, and walked with her down the street, all the while wondering why he didn’t quite have this same fiery connection with Aria even though he would have loved to. But then when he’d seen the way she interacted with Harry Storm, that bastard, he couldn’t deny the chemistry those two had. He’d have to call Aria at some point and let her know how he felt, he didn’t want to lead her on. Which reminded him…

  “Amanda, did Harry or Aria call regarding that case they had in L.A.?”

  She shook her head. “Were they supposed to? Are they okay?”

  “I don’t know.” And that alone worried him. Neither of them had checked in with him; he at least wanted to be kept in the loop. Well, he still had the traveling amulet. He could pop in quickly just to make sure they were all right. “Uh, do you mind if I…”

  “Go. Take care of your friends. Just give me your car keys, and I’ll meet you at Bravo’s Coffee. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his key, handing it to her. “I won’t be making that mistake.”

  The way she smiled at him, told him he’d be sorry if he did.

  14

  Aria

  Aria arranged the candles on the coffee table with a trembling hand. She was back at the hotel room with Clare trying to recreate another tracking spell. She watched as her mother paced back and forth, speaking on the phone with Vernon.

  “Agent Storm, if and when my daughter and I get a location, you will be the first person I call. I promise. We will find Harry.”

  Hearing his name caused a stabbing sensation in her chest. She felt like a failure for having let him be taken. She should’ve been stronger, fought harder to make it to Cedric’s room. If she had arrived a minute sooner, she could’ve been there to help Harry.

  Clare ended her call and eyed Aria with concern. “I know you’re worried, but the fact that Mira didn’t kill him on the spot is a good thing.”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s comforting.”

  Her mother approached and sat on the couch next to her. “Yes, I know she’s using him as bait, but, better to be bait than dead. Right?”

  Aria nodded. “Sometimes I wonder if she has even a shred of humanity left. Does she ever stop to think of the people she hurts?”

  “It’s tough to see at times because she has so much anger and sadness within her. I think there’s something there inside her. I wish I had been a better mother, I wish I could’ve nurtured it. This is all my fault.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Clare was faced with the impossible choice of destroying her young daughter or keeping her hidden and monitored. She chose the latter, though it ended up having consequences.

  Clare squeezed Aria’s hand. “Don’t worry. We will find Harry. You’ll get him back.”

  Aria gazed into her mother’s eyes and then grinned. The way she said that made it seem as if Harry was the love of her life. “Mom, Harry’s my friend.”

  “Oh, really?” Her eyebrows shot up.

  Aria heaved a sigh, thinking of all the reasons why she liked him. “It’s just that he treats me like an equal, and never asks for anything. Everyone always requires something of me, judging me, taking from me, but Harry…I can just jump in his Maverick and go on a case with him and come out a hero to someone. I know sometimes it seems he dislikes people, but deep down he has an amazing heart, and seeing that makes me want to be better.”

  Clare smiled at her. “God, you two are cute.”

  Aria’s cheeks burned. She hadn’t been in a relationship in a very long time. She wasn’t quite sure if she was ready for another one. “Well, who knows what’ll happen? But first, let’s just try to get Harry back in one piece.”

  There was a firm knock on the door.

  Clare sighed and went to answer. “I swear, if that’s Agent Storm coming over here to hound us about the tracking spell, I’m going to tell him to…”

  “Mom? What is it?” She turned to look over her shoulder and saw her mother standing with a shocked expression. Clare took a few steps backward.

  Edwin Kovar, the elderly sin eater, stepped across the threshold. He had six other sin eaters with him, a mix of men and women who ranged from their twenties to forties. Edwin looked older and more worn down from the last time Aria had seen him. His hair was whiter and skin wrinklier than ever, but his bright eyes were still alert. He inclined his head toward Clare.

  “I believe you have been looking for me?”

  Clare stuttered. “Edwin. Edwin…we can find Mira. We can end this.”

  Edwin reached out and caressed Clare’s cheek. It bespoke of a familiarity that Aria was certain, predated her. “That’s why we’re here. We’re going to help.”

  Aria stood, a mix of emotions flooding her heart. She was glad to have finally found him, and they did need as much help as possible, but at the same time, Edwin wasn’t necessarily humanity’s biggest fan. At one time, he would have welcomed the destruction of men, whom he saw as a corrupt stain on the earth.

  “Edwin,” Aria said, motioning for the other sin eaters to come in and shut the door behind them. “Why help us now? According to your philosophy, Mira is ridding the world of humans. She’s like a black hole, she’ll keep feeding and eating souls.”

  He nodded. “You know why I lost most of my love for humanity, but because of you, I’ve remembered that not all of humanity is deserving of damnation. It’s also true that it’s in our best interest to stop Mira because all sin eaters are at the top of her list. However, in the end, Mira in her blind hunger won’t discriminate.”

  Aria knew all too well the truth of that statement. When Mira was a girl, she devoured their father’s soul, knowing full well what she was doing. Despite Edwin’s flaws, the one redeeming quality Edwin had was that he would turn the world upside down to help children and the defenseless. Mira would devour them as she would anyone else, without sympathy or mercy.

  Aria nodded. “We were just about to enact another tracking spell. We found her earlier, we can do it again.”

  Edwin shook his head. “It won’t work a second time, she would’ve wisened up by now and warded herself from a water-based tracking spell.”

  Clare’s expression fell. “So, then how do we find her? She’s kidnapped our friend.”

  Edwin motioned toward two male sin eaters who then approached the coffee table and emptied the ceramic bowl of water.

  Aria’s eyes widened. “Hey…”

  The two male sin eaters set the bowl back down, extended their hands, and let their S-shaped birthmarks light up with a soft glow.

  Edwin walked over to Aria, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Now, I’ll need a drop of blood from you and Clare—the two living relatives of Mira.”

  “Why?” Aria asked.

  “Ever hear that blood is thicker than water?”

  “Of course,” Clare said, approaching. “Blood magic is among the most powerful, and Mira shares our blood. It’ll form the basis of a new tracking spell.”

  “Okay,” Aria said with a hint of doubt. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  One of the two male sin eaters at the bowl gently grabbed Aria’s hand and held it over the bowl. He turned her hand palm upward, and he traced her birthmark. She smiled a little, thinking of how long it had been since she’s been in the company of other sin eaters.