Uncle Abe laughed. “The day I need a crippled Mundane cop to protect me is the day they put me in the grave.”
I didn’t bother to correct Abe’s presumption about Morales. He didn’t deserve to know my partner had been born an Adept but had chosen to live life as a Mundane. Time to put Operation Turn the Tables into motion. “Do you know someone named Dr. Flamel?”
His eyes flared. “Who?”
“According to Dionysus, that was the name of his doctor in the psychiatric prison. He hinted this Flamel was something of a mentor.”
Abe leaned back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I wouldn’t know.”
Lies. I made a mental note to follow up with Shadi on her research into Flamel when I got back to the office. But for the time being, we had more important ground to cover.
“I’ve been thinking. See, Dionysus lived in a shitty apartment in Babylon, but when the big showdown occurred he had a large boat, expensive materials, and lots of help with logistics. He also mentioned this Flamel suggested Babylon as a target. Maybe the good doctor was orchestrating from the shadows.”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t know,” Abe said.
“Really?” Morales said. “From what Kate tells me you know a lot about orchestrating plots. I wonder if Ramses Bane would concur with that assessment.”
Abe’s gaze flicked toward me. I smiled.
“That’s a serious accusation, Special Agent,” Abe said in a hard tone, “especially without proof.”
Morales pursed his lips and shrugged. “Not an accusation, just an observation.”
“Why did you warn me about Dionysus coming to town?” I asked.
He licked his lips and wove his fingers together on the tabletop. Anticipation lit his eyes from the inside. This was the moment he’d be waiting for. The moment when he’d finally reveal his plan. He leaned forward and looked me directly in the eyes. “This city needed to be reminded who runs the Cauldron.”
Morales snorted. “If you run the Cauldron, why did you need the MEA’s help to stop Dionysus?”
The corner of his mouth quirked. “I didn’t need you to stop him. I needed you to understand you couldn’t have stopped him without my help.”
“The same day I met with you that asshole sent a letter to Owens,” I said. “Without your vague intel we still would have figured out who he was.”
“You’re grasping, old man,” Morales said.
Abe ignored him and zeroed in on me. “And you’re forgetting where you come from, girl.” He moved his arm to expose the image of a snake eating its own tail that circled his left wrist. Then he shot a pointed look at my own exposed left wrist, which bore an exact copy of the Ouroboros symbol that marked me as a made member of the Votary Coven. I self-consciously covered it with my right hand.
Abe smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe you’ve convinced the brass you’re a hero, but I know that in your heart you will always be a wizard.” He glanced again at my left hand. “You can try to deny it all you want, but I know better. Just like I know you’ve been doing magic.” He leaned forward and sniffed. “You stink of ozone and guilt.”
I didn’t rise to the bait. No doubt he’d read the newspapers’ breathless accounts of how I’d used magic to defeat Dionysus. Besides, he was wrong. I was done with guilt.
“But as it stands,” he continued, “I can’t blame you for questioning my intentions. After all, we’ve covered that I was indeed the catalyst for Ramses Bane’s crimes against this city.” He glanced at Morales, as if he expected my partner to leap up and charge him with the crime. Instead, my partner stifled a yawn.
Abe didn’t let the lack of shock faze him. “But despite every horrible thing you believe about me, you know I vowed to you that I would never harm your brother.”
I snorted. “Why would I believe that when promises drip like venom from your forked tongue?”
“Because while your betrayals are well documented, Danny remains innocent. There is still hope for him and his magic.”
I leaned forward and forced him to look into my eyes as I made a vow of my own. “I will kill you with my bare hands before I let you get within ten feet of that boy.”
An eyebrow quirked. “Are you going to let her threaten me like that, Agent Morales?”
Morales crossed his arms, flexing his muscles. “If she doesn’t manage it, I’ll finish you myself.”
“That is a battle I look forward to with relish,” Abe said. “But the fact remains that Bane acted without my permission or knowledge when he hexed the boy.” He looked at me. “Whatever else lies between us, I need you to understand that is the truth.”
I crossed my arms. “Why do you care what I think?”
“I don’t. I care about balancing the accounts. Bane acted without permission and he used my own family in his machinations. This shall not stand.”
My phone buzzed at my hip. I ignored it, but noticed out of the corner of my eye that Morales shifted as if his had buzzed, as well.
“Tell me, how is it that John Volos managed to create the antipotion for Gray Wolf on his own?” Abe continued.
My jaw clenched. His tone and self-satisfied expression told me he already knew the answer. “He didn’t. But you already know that.”
He smiled. “I could see the magic in you the moment you walked in here two weeks ago. How did it feel to use your powers again, Katie Girl?”
I didn’t respond.
“I find it curious that you and your partner have both accused me of involvement, yet I have yet to be charged. Why is that?”
I looked him in the eye. “Because I don’t trust the justice system to deliver the punishment you deserve.”
“And who do you trust? Surely not John Volos?”
I raised my brows. “I don’t need John Volos to fight my battles for me.”
He threw back his head and guffawed. “I taught you well, Kate, but surely you don’t think I taught you everything I know.”
The phones buzzed again.
“You might want to answer that.” The snake smile was back. My pulse picked up.
Morales did the honors. “Sir, we’re kind of in the middle—”
He cut off as if she’d interrupted him. As he listened, his brows slammed down and his gaze jerked toward me. “Goddamn it! How?”
My heart leaped to my throat and then slid slowly back to my chest, leaving an icy trail behind. Across the table, Uncle Abe held my gaze.