Morales drove us. By that point, he’d stopped trying to make small talk and had settled for casting me worried glances. I sat with my face turned toward the window, chewing my bottom lip raw while I endlessly replayed the lunch with Danny in my mind.
“Is this about Volos?” Morales asked quietly.
I kept my eyes on the road but shook my head. “Don’t be an idiot.”
“So what’s up?”
I had a brief moment of thinking I’d prefer to roll out the car door than to ask Drew Morales for advice. But then I thought, What the hell? It was not as if he was going to take Danny’s side anyway. “My brother wants to begin magic training.”
His eyes slammed down. “Back up. How old is this kid?”
I told him. “And, yeah, he’s an Adept.”
“So what’s the problem?” Morales shrugged.
I paused. “What do you mean? My little brother wants to learn magic, that’s what’s wrong.”
“Am I missing something?”
It hit me then that Morales didn’t know about my personal ban on magic. He knew I’d left the coven behind, sure, but not that I didn’t cook or use any magic. Something told me that, even though he was, according to Gardner, a Mundane, no one shunned all forms of magic in our world. Hell, Rufus was the most hard-line, antidirty-magic guy I knew, but even he thought I was crazy for spending more to buy produce from farms that didn’t use potions to fertilize their vegetables and fruits. I was saved from having to wade into that mess when my cell started dancing on the dashboard. I punched the button. “Prospero.”
“We need to talk.”
Electricity skittered up my spine. “John?”
Beside me Morales went tense and frowned. “Volos?” he mouthed.
I nodded distractedly. Into the phone, I said, “It’s not a good time right now—”
“Your brother’s here, Kate.”
Shock and worry made every muscle in my body go stiff. “Where?”
“My loft.”
“I swear to God if you hurt him—”
“Shut up and listen,” he snapped. “He came to me. Showed up ten minutes ago. Said he walked all the way here to ask me a favor. I gave him a soda and ducked away to call you.”
The idea of my brother’s spending time with John Volos made my fingers cramp on the cell. “I’ll be there in five. Do not let him leave before I arrive.”
I hit the End button and turned to Morales. “My brother is at Volos’s loft.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?” Given his qualms the day before after the meeting with Volos, I cursed the dumb luck of being with him when that call came in. I wanted to suggest he just drop me off, but I was pretty sure he’d refuse because he’d want to know the reason my kid brother was hanging with our lead suspect.
“That’s the million-dollar question.” I looked over, trying to quell the rising panic in my throat. “Step on it.”
He smirked at my bossy tone. “Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
Volos opened the door immediately, like he’d been staring through the peephole waiting for our arrival. I was shocked to find him at his house in the middle of the day. Even more surprised to find him wearing a simple black T-shirt and well-worn jeans. It was easier to stay at arm’s length when he was all buttoned up in a suit.
He didn’t say anything when he opened the door. Just stepped back and waved a hand down the hall, where it opened up into a large living area. I nodded and brushed past him, trying to ignore the dark, earthy, chypre scent of his cologne.
As I walked down the hall, I reminded myself that I had witnesses so I couldn’t lose my cool. Behind me, I heard Morales thank Volos for calling. The wizard murmured something I couldn’t hear, but the tension in the hallway was palpable.
I found Danny sitting on Volos’s couch with a can of soda in one hand and the remote control in the other. The TV on the facing wall was as large as a billboard on Interstate 71. The room was bigger than my entire house, with a sunken seating area filled with an expensive leather sectional and lots of tasteful artwork. To the right, a large counter separated the living area from a gourmet kitchen, gleaming with lots of granite and stainless steel. The entire front wall of the space was made of windows that looked out over the wide terrace. Beyond that, Lake Erie was a sheet of diamonds in the distance.
When Danny saw me appear, he froze with the drink halfway to his slack mouth.
“Do you have any idea—” I began and had to stop myself because I felt the words growing into a shout. I cleared my throat. “What are you doing here, Danny?”
Behind me, I felt Volos and Morales enter the room. They hung back, as if they were concerned I’d turn on them next. I wasn’t about to yell at Morales, but Volos was right to worry.
“How’d you find me?” Danny said. He didn’t sound afraid so much as disappointed.
“I called her.” This from Volos.
“You said you were ordering pizza,” the kid whined, sounding wounded.
Volos crossed his arms and shrugged. “I lied.”
Danny threw his hands up in disgust. “Well, that’s just great!”
“That’s all you have to say?” If he’d been smart he would have recognized the quiet chill in my tone. “The school called me right after John did. Danny, they’re frantic with worry. You never should have come here.”
“He said he wouldn’t call you until I told him why I was here.”
“Tell you what.” I crossed my arms. “Since I already came all this way, you can tell us both.”
Morales cleared his throat. “I, uh—think I’ll go call Gardner. Check in.”
“Thanks.” I nodded, grateful for his tact. Once he’d disappeared into the hall and out the door, I looked back at Danny. “Well?”
He slumped back into the plush couch. “I was going to ask him if I could be his apprentice.”
Even though I’d suspected his motivation, hearing the words come out of that young face made me want to punch something. “We discussed this earlier.”
Danny hopped up. “No, you didn’t listen to my side at all.”
“Why come to me?” Volos’s voice was calm despite the charged atmosphere.
“Because of what you said.”
My brows slammed down. “You’ve been talking to him?”
Volos shot me a bemused look and shook his head.