Morales jumped down. When he stepped up, he was too close for my comfort. I stepped back a little. I knew I was acting like a skittish colt, but that potion had left me all raw and on edge. I didn’t want to do something—well, more—that I’d regret the next day. When I backed up, he frowned. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded too enthusiastically but didn’t speak.
“Kate, listen—”
Mez’s black sports car pulled up, offering me the perfect escape. “Gotta go. See you tomorrow!” With a quick wave, I left my confused partner standing in the middle of the road with his hands at his sides.
“That was awkward as hell,” I breathed when Mez pulled away.
“No shit,” Mez said. “You two really need to just get it over with.”
I swung around. “What? No we don’t.”
“Please, Kate. The rest of us have a pool going.”
I slapped his arm. “Shut up. You do not!”
“Yep.” He smiled.
“Did you bet?”
“Of course,” he said without a trace of guilt. “My money’s on this month, too. So it’d be great if you’d get the show on the road. I got some new lab equipment I’m gonna buy if I win.”
“Sorry, Mez, but I’m not going to fuck Morales just so you can get a few new beakers.”
“You know you’re gonna fuck him eventually anyway. Why wait?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The sun was high by the time Mez dropped me off at home. My head hurt so bad my vision was blurred, and my skin was tight and itchy thanks to the brining I’d received courtesy of the tactical wizard’s saltwater-cannon. Every step was a painful reminder of the synthetic arousal that had gone unfulfilled. So the last thing I wanted when I walked in was to find Baba waiting for me at the kitchen table.
She had a steaming mug of something grasped between her gnarled fingers. “We need to talk.”
I dragged my ass across the threshold. “Not now, Baba.”
She pointed at the chair. “Sit.” The tone she used put my cop voice to shame.
I could have just ignored her, but she didn’t deserve that kind of disrespect. Not when she helped us out so much, and especially now that my fight with Pen meant I wasn’t pitching in on her care.
I plopped into the chair with a bone-deep sigh. “What are you drinking?”
“Hones-tea,” she said. “One of my mother’s recipes. You want some? It’s very cleansing.”
I grimaced. Even though Baba’s magic was more folk remedy than actual magic, I avoided consuming her brews as a rule. Besides, a tea designed to encourage honesty would be a mistake given my brittle mind-set.
“I need something with a little more kick.” With a grunt, I started to stand, but she held up a hand.
“Enough with the booze, Katie.”
I froze and raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“People drink heavily for one of two reasons: to hide or to forget.” She leaned forward. “Which is it?”
I sat back and crossed my arms. After the night I’d had the last thing I needed was a fucking intervention in my own goddamned kitchen. “You don’t like watching me drink, you’re welcome to leave.”
She crossed her arms to indicate she was staying put. Pursing my lips, I reached for the fridge handle. “The people I deal with day in, day out? They’d kill you for your last nickel.” I glanced up from the door. “Being around that shit takes a toll.” Returning my gaze to the fridge, I searched until I turned up one lone beer hidden behind a head of wilted lettuce. After popping the top and having a couple of long gulps, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“You’ve always dealt with those assholes, but the drinking is new. Ever since you joined that task force.”
“Jesus, not you, too.” I shook my head and took another pull from the beer.
She toyed with the spoon next to her mug. “What happened between you and Pen isn’t my business.” She paused to give me the opportunity to fill her in anyway. I raised a brow and watched her with an unblinking gaze. Finally, she cleared her throat. “Anyway, it’s not right, you two love each other too much to be acting this hateful.”
“You’re right,” I said. Her face cleared. “It’s not your business.”
Her expression soured and she sat silent, watching me. Judgment came off her pale, wrinkled skin in hot waves.
I took another drink. “I got hexed this morning.” I said it so suddenly it shocked us both. But I kept my gaze on the ground because I couldn’t handle watching her eyes see through me. Almost out of instinct, my hand went to the AA token, as if I expected her to revoke it after that admission.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
I nodded and picked at the label on the beer bottle.
“What kind of potion was it?”
“Lust,” I said, looking up. My face was hot with shame. “I threw myself at Morales. They had to hose me down with a saltwater-cannon.”
A shocked laugh escaped Baba’s lips. I frowned at her. “It’s not funny.”
“Like hell,” she snorted. “It’s hilarious!”
I bit my bottom lip. My mind chose that moment to flash up an image of Morale’s shock when I tackled him, followed by the consternation on his face after they’d doused us both with freezing water. My own laugh caught me off guard. But soon I was doubled over with it. On some level I was aware this wasn’t actual humor, but a hysterical reaction to the stress of the night. I fell into my chair with tears streaming down my face. Baba’s cheeks were red as beets, and her laughter whooped through the room like a large bird. We laughed until no noise escaped our mouths. And then the mirth subsided into watery chuckles.
“Woo,” Baba said, finally, wiping tears from her cheeks. “I needed that.”
I smiled, genuinely for the first time in what felt like weeks. “Me too.”
She swallowed some tea and leaned forward. The mood shifted immediately. “Were you wearing a protective amulet?”
I shook my head. “Of course not. A potion like that shouldn’t have affected me at all.”
“Then why did it?” Baba asked.
“The damned Blue Moon.” I raised my beer in a mocking toast.
“Ask me, the Blue Moon is a blessing, not a curse.” She took a delicate sip of her tea.
“How can you say that? They make magical energy go haywire and everyone’s emotions get all out of whack.”