Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
She hauled me back outside, through the main door. The crowd in the front courtyard had thinned a little; most people had been drawn inside by Audrina’s stunning, otherworldly song.
We paused at the top of the steps. “I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this.” Juliette looked out towards the street, and her mouth thinned. “You’ve been scammed, Susan.”
My stomach twisted. What now?
From here, I could see down to street-level. A long, gleaming black limo slid to a halt right outside.
They were here.
Juliette slipped her hand around my waist, holding me to her side. “Your boyfriend isn’t what you think he is. He’s not an Italian prince. He’s been fucking with you.”
I felt like I was being split a million different ways. My earpiece cracked—high-pitched squeaks, low grunts. The sound of fighting. Curt orders, coordination, commands. Everyone was still alive, fighting a huge swarm of banwyn, but I couldn’t concentrate, it was all too much.
I reached up and slipped the tiny earpiece out.
Juliette was looking at me expectantly. Say something. “Has he?”
“Oh, yeah. He tried it on me, too, but with me, he was pretending to be an undercover Interpol agent. He was trying to scam me in the same way he was scamming you. This is what led to my epiphany, actually. Luckily, because I’m smart, I saw through it really quickly.
” She sighed. “And, because I have all this power, I realized I should do something about it. Something, y’know. Legal.”
The limo stopped right outside. The doors opened. Gordon Andresano got out first, stiff and formal in a tailored black suit and European tie. Delilah got out next, wearing a purple velvet gown with a sash and a soft mink draped over her shoulders. Her icy face looked pinched.
I felt the temperature drop suddenly.
Connor emerged from the limo like a thundercloud—smooth, sinister. He straightened up, adjusting his midnight black suit jacket almost fussily. He smoothed back his hair and moved towards the gate, swaggering forward with an air of someone who knew the whole world belonged to him.
“I have to give you credit for this part, Susan. You suspected that your in-laws were evil little bastards, and well, you were right about that. I used my newfound powers-for-good to do some digging into them, and I found out some crazy stuff.”
Suddenly, blue and red lights flashed outside. A voice shouted. Freeze!
Delilah, walking towards the guard at the gate, turned and glared.
Juliette let out a huff of laughter. “I found out that Gordon and Delilah Andresano built their fortune here in America on stolen art. Nazi art to be specific. Art that was looted by the Nazis in World War Two.”
My eyes bulged. I didn’t have to fake my shock. “What?”
“And before you ask, yes, they knew. They did it for decades, even after the stolen art became too hot. And they’ve been covering up their crimes their whole lives,” Juliette continued.
“I managed to untangle everything and send it off to the feds. Not only that, but they’re involved in some heavy-duty tax evasion, so the IRS will want their piece after the feds are done with them. ”
A uniformed officer stepped closer to Delilah and took her arm. She snatched it back, outraged. With an almost bored expression, he took it again and turned her around.
They were arresting her.
I craned my neck, trying to look beyond the wall. Gordon, too, was being handcuffed. Everyone was watching. People on the street outside stopped and stared.
“Oh. And all that bribery and conspiracy to get you locked away, that was real, too,” Juliette went on, her tone casual.
“And I threw your boyfriend to the cops as well. Turns out, impersonating an Interpol agent is a heck of a crime.” Her eyes narrowed for a second; she looked angry.
“I couldn’t find out his real name, so that’s all we’ve got on him, but I’m sure once they get him locked up and fingerprinted, all his other con-artist crimes will pop up on his record. ”
I barely heard her. My neck strained, trying to see more of the scene beyond the wall. Oh, no.
No. No no no.
They were arresting Connor as well. He stood still, eyes almost bulging, teeth clenched, surrounded by not only police, but human crowds. Three officers stood around him, one cuffed his hands behind him, two stood in front of him, barking orders at him. The fury in his eyes was unmistakable.
No. I needed them here. I needed to exchange this damn spark stone for Martina’s location. I had to get him to chase me to the portal. I’d only been here for fifteen minutes, and my whole plan was already in tatters.
Martina would die.
The second they put Connor in that cop car and drove away from the crowd, he would use his magic to break out. He might kill innocent people, and he would definitely kill Martina.
As if drawn by my panic, Connor turned his head and saw me standing next to Juliette on the steps. My breath became shallow.
His eyes narrowed. She’s dead, he mouthed.
Despair stole the strength out of my legs; I wobbled on my feet.
Juliette clutched me. “Oh, girl, watch yourself. Did you pregame too hard?”
“I’m okay,” I panted, looking back at Connor. A police officer was right in his face, snapping at him, reading his rights. But Connor was focused on me.
“Look at him.” Juliette giggled. “That little con artist bastard. He’s so mad.” She wiggled her fingers at him. “Now he knows he fucked with the wrong girl. Nobody messes with Juliette Forbes.”
He thought I’d already closed the fae spark stone. He thought I’d done all this. His lip curled; I could almost hear his thoughts.
As if this would stop him. As if these human police could hold him and make him tell them where Martina was.
He was going to kill them all.
I scrambled. My fingers numb, I unclasped my little black clutch and stuck my hand inside, rummaging around, and pulled at the stone. A bright green light shone from my clutch.
He saw. His glare shifted.
That’s right. It’s still here. Come and get it.
“You got glowsticks in there or something, Sue?”
“Yep.” I snapped my purse shut. I had to get out of here. I had to talk to the others. “Juliette, this is all awesome, but?—”
“Isn’t it?” She gloated, nudging me again as Connor was led away, out of sight. “Aren’t I the best?”
“You are.” I tugged my arm out of her grip roughly, too panicked to be subtle, too terrified to worry that people were watching. “I have to go, though. There’s something important I need to find.” I turned away.
“Oh, that thing that they stole from you?”
I froze. “What?”
“I heard them talking about it; my bugs picked up part of a conversation with the Andresanos. An insurance policy or something. They stole something valuable?—”
I grabbed her by the arms. “What did you hear?”
“Ease up, sister.” She wriggled. “If I tell you, will you have lunch with me on Monday?”
“What?”
“Will you have lunch with me?” She met my eyes. For a split second, I saw a glimpse of something genuine. A deep vulnerability.
Her chin wobbled; she pressed her lips together. “It’s all I ever wanted, you know. To have a good friend. One that actually gave a shit about something other than themselves.”
“Yes. Of course.” I’d never trust her, but I’d agree to anything right now. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my raging pulse. “If we can keep being honest with each other, I’d love to have you as a friend.”
She grinned. “Great! I’m thinking we’ll start at Cloud and maybe go for a mani-pedi at Clarice’s salon, then?—”
“Please, Juliette. Tell me what you know about the thing they stole from me.”
“Oh, right. Yeah. It’s at your place.”
“My place?”
“Bayview. They stashed it with Vincent and Seraphina.”
Holy shit. Of course. We’d searched all their properties for traces of Martina—the manor, the terrace house only a few blocks from here, their estate, all their storage facilities…
But not my own house. It never occurred to me for a second that they’d drag Vincent and Seraphina into this.
Heart pounding, overwhelmed, I pulled Juliette in and hugged her bony frame, almost choking on her perfume. “Thank you.”
She nuzzled my neck. “Oh, okay. I hadn’t realized we were going to go for that kind of friendship, but if you’re up for it?—”
I pulled back and managed a smile. “Let’s start with lunch. I’m sorry, Juliette, I appreciate all this, but I really have to run.”