Chapter 22 #2
Trent stood and reached for Mia’s hand. “No, you stay here and help get dinner ready. Mia and I will go. If something happens, you and Dad can come for us. We’ll keep you apprised of where we are at all times. The Lodge first?”
“Might as well. Then I’ll know if I’m still employed and if I can go back to work tomorrow.
” Mia stood and looked around at the group.
“From what I’ve heard and learned these last few weeks, we’re on the side of the Goddess.
This might not be our last fight, but we need to know who is on our side and who’s not.
It’s time to go on the offense and unmask some of the players. ”
“Good analogy,” Levi said. “It’s kind of a mixed metaphor, but good all the same.” Levi hugged his brother as Christina hugged Mia.
“I should go with you,” Christina said.
Mia shook her head as she touched Christina’s belly.
“Not now that we know what’s happening. I don’t need three people to watch over.
You stay here and help Abigail with the cake.
I know I told Finn the dinner would be tomorrow, but let’s do it tonight.
I’ll use that as an excuse to go to the Lodge and invite James. ”
“I’m almost offended by your statement, but also, I understand your feelings. I don’t want to put the girls in unnecessary danger. If you think you’ll be okay.”
Trent kissed Christina on the cheek. “We’ll have a dragon nearby. What could go wrong?”
In turn, Christina was polite enough not to mention Trent’s house fire. Mia grabbed a coat from the closet and slipped the small spray bottle she’d gotten from Grans in her pocket.
At the Lodge, Mia and Trent stopped to invite James and a few other staff who could get away for dinner. One was a boy who had a twinkle in his eye whenever Finn’s name was mentioned. As they walked out of the kitchen, they ran into Blake.
“Oh, I thought you were home,” Blake said, looking nervously from Mia to Trent. “And I thought you were involved in hellhound training.”
“It’s completed. The advantage of having two go through it together rather than isolated in their cages is that they train faster. I’m going to write a letter suggesting the process for future training.” Trent leaned against a table in the hallway.
“Oh, well, Sonja is a good trainer.” Blake looked at her watch. “I have dinner plans so …”
“Sorry, that’s not what we came to talk about.” Mia pulled out her phone and showed Blake the letter of complaint sent to the coven with her signature. “Did you send this?”
Blake sat down and took the phone, reading the letter carefully.
She handed the phone back to Mia. “I didn’t send that.
You know that I don’t interact with the coven any more than I have to.
That’s the reason I was upset you were talking to Brandon.
He’d called to set up a meeting that morning, then he talked to you before coming to my office.
I don’t want to be involved in coven politics, and that’s what I told him that morning. ”
“Brandon set up a meeting? What did he ask you about? Me?” Mia knew standing over her boss looked intimidating, but she just couldn’t sit and act like the conversation was casual.
“You, a little. He wondered how you were doing with your level five label. Were you freaking out? Or handling it? I told him I wasn’t the best judge of how you were doing, and that I’d made mistakes in dealing with you.
He said he understood and he’d underestimated you as well.
” She leaned back into the chair, resting her head against the wall.
“This town was supposed to be easy. A small lodge to run where I could hide. You all make it hard to stay invisible.”
“You didn’t write a complaint about my testing level?” Mia asked, simplifying the question.
“No, I didn’t. And I wouldn’t.” Blake looked into Mia’s eyes. “I’m being truthful here.”
Mia studied her. The body language and the message from her eyes and words all said “trust me.” She looked over at Trent to see if he saw anything different. He shook his head.
“I think she’s being truthful,” Trent said as he broke eye contact.
“I am. I promise. And I wasn’t lying the other day. I need you here at the Lodge. Please stay. I’ll put your name in for a raise tomorrow morning,” Blake assured her, even though it wasn’t a normal raise period.
Mia thought the woman was being honest. “That’s what I needed to know. Thanks for being truthful with me.”
Blake blew out a breath. “It’s hard for me to let anyone in. I’m sorry I kept breaking your trust.”
After Blake left to go to dinner, Mia and Trent stayed in the deserted hallway for a few more minutes.
Mia broke the silence. “One down, one to go.”
“We could stop here. You have a job. You know she didn’t go to the coven. No one would have been able to lie after you put that truth potion on them. I didn’t see you touch her, though. How did you do it?”
“I put it on the phone.” Mia took out a bottle and sprayed the phone again. “Let’s go find Brandon.”
They didn’t have to go far. Brandon was in the lobby of the Lodge, sitting on a couch with a drink in his hand. When they approached, he waved over a waiter. “Please bring my guests a drink too.”
Mia and Trent ordered, then sat down. “You’ve been expecting us?”
“I figured I might as well come to you so you didn’t have to drive to my house.” He looked toward the windows. “I hear a storm’s coming. I have a room here. I’ve got to talk to a few more people tonight.”
“Like Nathan Boyle?” Mia guessed.
Brandon smiled and nodded. “Like Nathan Boyle. I’m afraid your renovations aren’t going to be completed as quickly as he promised because he’s going to jail after our conversation.”
Mia blinked several times, processing what he hadn’t said. “You’re the office holder.”
Brandon waited for their drinks to be delivered.
A glass of wine for Mia, a beer for Trent.
He told the waiter to put it on his bill and the guy left.
“I am tonight. Now that my cover is blown—thanks, Mia—I’m going to have to pass the office to someone else, which will be a relief.
I’m pretty sure Sabrina’s ready to break up with me. And I already bought her the ring.”
Mia didn’t want to get involved in his relationships. “I wouldn’t tell anyone, well, outside the academy society. You didn’t kill Suzanne Parker, did you?”
He shook his head. “But all signs pointed to me. I was supposed to be the fall guy. When I realized that, I knew it wasn’t you or any of your ‘society.’ You didn’t even know about the office holder until Thomas and Abigail let it slip.
I told you that there were some coven secrets I couldn’t tell you. ”
“Someone was framing you for her murder. Leaking the affair. Tying you to the mess that forced the retesting. Even getting Sonja to do a training at Trent’s house, keeping him away from me. They couldn’t blame me because I had too many people watching me, so you were the next patsy.”