Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
Moira arrived right at nine p.m., dressed like a sexy cat burglar. Her long, dark hair was tucked into a beanie, and she wore little makeup. Black leather pants, a black turtleneck, and black lace-up boots completed her look, but she carried a black puffer jacket and a pair of leather gloves.
She sniffed the air as soon as I opened the door. “Is that Bolognese?”
“I kept it warm for you.”
She pecked me on the cheek and dropped her stuff on the bench by the door before hurrying to the kitchen. Moira didn’t say another word until she was half finished with her dinner. “I want this recipe.”
I blinked. “I’m not sure if I should be happy you want to cook or upset that you won’t be coming over to steal my food.”
She waved her fork at me. “I shall always endeavor to steal dinner from your house, but you have Caelan now, and it might be awkward if you two are otherwise…engaged.”
Moira wiggled her eyebrows and shoved another bite into her mouth.
I ignored that. “Who are we starting with?”
“I figured we could pay Thorvin back first. There are three potions inside my backpack. They’ll last two hours until we’re forced back here.”
My brows lifted. I wasn’t surprised she’d finagled two teleporting potions, but they must have cost her an arm and a leg. “How—”
She held up her hand. “Don’t ask. Just enjoy the moment. We need to leave our cell phones behind for plausible deniability, but I brought two burners.”
“Of course you did.”
Moira winked. “You ready to go?”
I glanced down at my dark clothing. My attire was less form-fitting but would do the trick for staying hidden. “Just waiting on Tess and the coffee. Snacks are in the bag by the door.”
“Awesome.”
A thought occurred to me. “I don’t think Tess needs a potion, does she?”
Moira shrugged. “Don’t want to assume. We can ask when she gets here.”
The doorbell rang a few seconds later, but before I could get to the door, a semi-transparent head poked in.
“I’ll never get used to that,” Moira shuddered.
“Come on in,” I called.
Tess started to enter but jerked abruptly as something hard clunked against the other side of the door. She tried again, only to clunk once more.
“Stupid thermos,” she muttered. With a sigh, she disappeared and rang the doorbell.
Moira cackled.
Shaking my head, I opened the door. “Still haven’t figured out how to take items with you?”
“Stainless steel continues to elude me. I can take flowers and animals, and I once was able to transport a roll of toilet paper, but steel is proving tricky.”
“You nailed toilet paper,” Moira said dryly, “what else is left? It’s the hottest commodity during an apocalypse, so you’d be fine.”
“Just not hydrated,” I added. “Which might make the point of toilet paper moot.”
Tess stared at us. “I don’t have to pee in my other form.”
“Also making the toilet paper a moot point,” Moira said.
I snorted. “Want some dinner?”
I peeked at the pan to make sure Moira left some. Not much, but enough to scrape up a small serving.
“No thanks. I had a date tonight.”
Moira’s mouth dropped open. “You did? Who? Where?”
Tess sank onto my couch and shook her head. “I want to keep it private for now.”
Moira blinked. “What? You tell us everything! Now you’re gatekeeping your date?”
I lay a hand on Moira’s arm.
“I don’t tell you everything,” Tess said quietly. “You just talk enough for everyone.”
I put a hand over my mouth to hide my smile.
“Tess!” Moira shoved a bite in her mouth and chewed furiously.
“Don’t feel like you have to tell us anything.” I shot Moira a quelling look. “Everything is still brand new.” I gave her a hopeful smile. “But I hope if things progress, we’ll have the opportunity to meet him.”
Tess nodded. “If things progress.”
Moira’s nostrils flared, but she stayed silent, shoving food in her mouth as if to keep herself from saying something she shouldn’t.
“Also,” Tess said. “There’s someone in the driveway. I saw him when I popped into the back.”
My lips thinned. “I need to extend the wards again.” Doing so would be a pain in the ass for deliveries, but random strangers dropping by unannounced these days might be worse.
“Could you tell who it was?”
She shook her head. “Male. That’s all.”
“Was he doing anything suspicious?”
“Nope.” Tess yawned. “Leaning against your vehicle.”
Moira scraped up the last of her Bolognese and washed her plate. “Ready when you are. Since someone is out there, using the potions would be suspicious. Let’s go out and greet him first.”
“Potions?” Tess yawned again and stood.
“You alright?” Moira asked. “Yawning does not signal an exciting start to a nighttime heist.”
Tess blushed.
“Oooh,” Moira said. “Maybe more went down than just dinner.” She made a production of checking the time on her phone. “All before 9:30?”
Tess’s blush deepened. “This is why I don’t tell you anything,” she grumbled.
Moira laughed and slung an arm across Tess’s shoulders. “Good for you, banshee.”
I grabbed the bag of snacks on the way out. As soon as I got halfway across the yard, I knew who was leaning against my car.
“Shit,” I said under my breath. “It’s Garrett.”
Moira cursed softly. “We’re going foraging.”
“I don’t have my basket.”
“You’re carrying a bag.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “but it’s not my basket.”
Moira let out an annoyed huff. “Can we pretend just this once that you aren’t a neurotic weirdo and maybe pretend the bag is where we’ll stick the imaginary mushrooms?”
“But it’s not my basket,” I whispered.
“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered.
Garrett pushed away from the car as we got closer. “Going somewhere?” he drawled.
Caelan’s Second and I didn’t get along too well, though things had thawed somewhat once he’d been put in charge of Thalia, a young and slightly odd Seer.
Thawed, as in I didn’t grow irrationally angry every time I saw him these days, and only because Thalia drove him batshit insane, which was fun to watch.
“Foraging,” Moira said before I could say something stupid.
“Takes three of you, does it?” His eyes flicked to my canvas bag and back up to my face. “Where’s your basket?”
“See?” I hissed.
Garrett’s eyes glowed with amusement.
Moira’s teeth clenched. “Goddammit, Evie. Can you be normal just once?”
“No,” Garrett said solemnly. “She cannot. Your Floromancer always takes her basket when she forages because, and I quote, ‘it’s wide and flat on the bottom and has these little pegs built into the wicker so I can add a little shelf on for a double decker carry home.’”
“Okay, Rain Man,” Moira muttered. “I’m ashamed as your BFF that I didn’t notice quite how fucking weird you are.”
I sniffed. “Then I trust you can see how this is on you. Double decker baskets are extremely hard to come by.”
Moira shook her head. “What do you want, Garrett?”
“Who’s the target?”
Silence fell.
Garrett sighed. “I know you’re going after the Lords. Who’s first?”
Moira’s eyes narrowed. “Shouldn’t you be more interested in plausible deniability?”
He scoffed. “I’m trying to keep you idiots from getting caught or killed.”
“How’d you know?” she asked.
“Thalia,” I said with a groan. “She’s really getting in the way of our shenanigans.”
Garrett nodded, his smile holding an edge of malice. “She foresaw tonight going one of two ways.”
I gave my bag a mournful look. “Damn. I packed awesome snacks, too.”
Tess shook her thermos. “And I brought Mexican coffee. It’s caffeinated and sweet enough to put hair on our chest.”
Moira snorted. “If we’re going to get caught, why do you need to know who our target is?”
Garrett let out a resigned sigh. “Because Thalia saw if I went with you, things would go differently.”
“And if we stayed home?” I asked.
His eyes flickered. “All I can say is don’t stay home tonight.”
I stilled. “Is something going to happen?”
Garrett grimaced. “I’m sworn to secrecy. It’s nothing bad, just annoying, and Caelan will react…poorly.”
I shook my head. “You’d rather we antagonize a Lord rather than let Caelan get annoyed?”
Garrett lifted a shoulder. “I like the other Lords about as much as you do. And,” he said, his focus turning to Moira, “a little birdie told me you’ve managed to secure three extremely rare potions, and I want to know how you did it.”
Moira’s eyes narrowed. “You agree to help us escape notice, no matter what we want to do, and I’ll tell you how I acquired said potions.”
Garrett’s nostrils flared. “Do you plan on killing anyone?”
I scoffed. “I am not a murderer!”
Lots of raised eyebrows.
“Fair enough,” I grumbled. “I don’t murder anyone who isn’t actively trying to murder me first.”
“No murders on the agenda,” Moira said. “I can’t make a firm promise because the night is still young, but I subscribe to Evie’s philosophy. If no one tries to murder us, we won’t try to murder them.”
Garrett shook his head. “I’ve never in my life met such a chaotic bunch of goblins.”
Tess let out a warbling sigh. “You get used to it.”
“You’re one to talk,” Moira said. “Didn’t you possess someone not too long ago and tear them apart from the inside out?”
Tess fidgeted nervously. “They deserved it.”
“Exactly,” Moira and I said at the same time.
Garrett scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fine. We try our absolute best not to murder anyone, and you tell me how you got the potions. Deal?”
Moira stuck out a pale hand. “Deal.”
“Thorvin is first.”
Garrett’s brows drew together. “Seriously? I thought it’d be Ethan.”
I glanced at Moira, willing her with my eyes not to reveal what we’d discovered about Ethan and Donovan. “He’s right. Why aren’t we hitting him first?”
“You have a lot to learn about the art of anticipation,” Moira said. “We hit Thorvin first and Ethan will get antsy. People do hilarious things when they’re nervous.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Then we hit Soren.”
“Should we hit Soren?” I asked. “Rowan is not on the list, and Soren has been decent. So far.”
“She’s right,” Garrett said. “Soren is as much of an ally as he can be.”
“What about that Dario guy?” I asked.
Garrett’s attention sharpened. “What do you know about Dario?”
“He stopped by for a visit.”
Garrett swore. “Caelan will be furious. Does he know?”
“I haven’t talked to him since I got home.” We all left our cells in the house. Tess was the only one without one, but she could pop in and out wherever she wanted, so it was less important she carried a phone.
“Who’s this Dario?” Moira asked. “Is he hot?”
“They’re all hot,” I said with an eyeroll. “He seemed alright, though he was nosy as all get out.”
“What did he want?” Garrett gestured for my bag.
I frowned but handed it over. The shifter pawed through it and pulled out a fresh chocolate chip cookie.
“Info about Donovan’s former territory.”
His chewing paused. “He knows you claimed the area.”
I nodded.
“Someone’s talking when they shouldn’t be.” He took another bite. “These are good. I’d like to add a dozen of these to our deal.”
I rolled my eyes. “I make them for Caelan all the time. He just doesn’t know how to share.”
“My own dozen,” Garrett emphasized. “One I don’t have to share with my boss.”
“Can we go?” Tess said. “I’m tired.”
“One does not attend a heist tired,” Moira lectured. “You attend one hopped up on substances and ready for vengeance.”
Tess gave her a dark look and stayed silent.
Moira grinned and reached into her backpack. She handed me a glass bottle filled with a shimmering blue liquid.
“Do you need one?” she asked Tess.
“No, but I’ll pop into the place where Thorvin is, so if he’s not home, I’ll need his address so I can make sure I’m in the right place.”
“Banshees have an inner GPS,” Garrett mused. “Cool.”
Moira rattled off Thorvin’s home address. “Got it?”
Tess nodded. “See you there.”
A second later she was gone.
Moira handed the third bottle to Garrett. “Bottoms up.”
She uncapped hers and downed it in one go.
Shrugging, I did the same. When in Rome, right?