Page 13 of Fool Me Twice

“Right,” Ez says, and she gratefully hands the unsigned contract back to Maggie. Bless the unionized Chain employees and their skills in collective bargaining. “Thanks, Mags. You’re a real one.”

“I try,” Maggie says. “For now, it’s just business as usual‍—try to keep closing the rifts whenever you find them, but don’tstress about chasing them halfway across town. If Public Safety gets overwhelmed and needs you to cover, I’ll call you directly.” She hesitates. “And Central Office is exploring the possibility of enlisting some human spellcasters, too. We’ve been lucky that hunters tend to be around to help us close the mega-rifts, but we’d rather train a few civilians than have to rely on lackeys any day.”

Ez briefly thinks of Roma and fights back a scowl. “Anything to get away from them,” she says flatly, and she steps away. “Thanks again, Maggie. See you‍?—‍”

“One more thing.”

Ez frowns. “Yeah?”

Maggie leans back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks uncomfortable. “I’ve been ordered by the Chain to inquire with you into the whereabouts of Cassius Chin.”

“No idea,” Ez says casually. “He keeps switching safe houses. You know how he is.”

Maggie looks thoroughly unconvinced, but she also doesn’t look like she’s going to press the point. Not for the first time, Ez is exceedingly grateful that Cass and Maggie have fought so many wars together. That level of battle-born trust is hard to betray, even for the bureaucrats who sign your paychecks. “Well, I’ve been ordered by the Chain to alert you to the fact that he’s considered a fugitive, and that any information about him should be brought to your most convenient Public Safety Outpost.”

Ez fights back a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Maggie.”

“Stay safe out there,” Maggie says, and she turns back to her paperwork.

Letting out a slow breath, Ez shoulders her way out of the office and squints against the afternoon sun, getting her bearings. It’s rare that she visits any Chain Outposts, much lessMaggie’s Public Safety Outpost across town, but it’s not a long walk back to her house.

Her original plan was to rift straight to Cass’s safe house for dinner, but she’s definitely not doing that within eyeshot of any Chain employees. Grimacing, Ez hangs a left on the cracked sidewalk and starts walking in the opposite direction, unease curling in her stomach. Even though Maggie clearly wouldn’t tell her superiors Cass’s location even if she knew it, Ez knows that Cass put himself firmly at odds with the Chain when he hid Desi from them‍—and even more so when he took in his stray hunter.

She’s really hoping all the drama settles down soon. Obie is taking the entire situation in stride, as he always does, and Cass is mostly ignoring the tension altogether, but she can tell that it rattles JJ.

And with good reason. After all, he’s currently a fugitive from both the Chainandthe Sanctum, and he’s entirely reliant on his former enemies to keep him from being kidnapped, tortured, and probably burned alive. Even though he trusts Cass implicitly and likes Ez and Obie well enough, too, she knows that this entire situation is difficult for him.

It’s honestly good that the Chain seems to suspect Ez and Obie of harboring Cass. Keeps them from snooping around any other locations, like the suburban safe house where he, JJ, and Desi areactuallystaying.

Even if the safe house in questionistechnically owned by Obie. But Obie owns approximately a third of Redwater’s real estate, so Ez doubts that information would help the Chain.

But, right now, that’s not Ez’s concern. Right now, she just has a leisurely walk back to her house, a quick rift over to Cass’s place, and a delicious dinner of dal makhani waiting for her.

She can worry about the rest later.

7

So how’s fame treating you?” Chester asks, making sure the prison door’s locks engage behind him and Roma.

Roma frowns back. “Fame?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Chester leads the way through the harshly lit labyrinth of hallways, holding cells to their right and interrogation rooms to their left. “You’re famous now, Gutierrez. Half of the Sanctum knows about our devious plot to get you into the demons’ good graces and bring JJ home. There are betting pools on how long it’s going to take. It’s a whole thing.”

Roma fights back a groan. She knew that Councilwoman Nasir recruited a handful of mixed-breed volunteers to help with the con‍—after all, if Roma were around for every mysterious rift-opening, it would look too suspicious‍—but she was under the impression that Nasir asked them to bediscreet.“Seriously?”

“Yep.” Chester hangs a left around a cluster of interrogation rooms, and Roma stifles a shudder at the muffled screams through the walls. She couldn’t avoid venturing into Chester’s workplace today‍—the restricted spellcasting library can only be accessed from within the prison itself‍—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. “Frankly, I’m hurt that Bryant and I haven’treached the same level of notoriety, but alas. You’re the face of the operation. We’re just the backbone of it.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Roma says lightly, and she shoots him a considering glance. “Seriously, though, you and Bryant are doing good work. Opening a rift solo is difficult, but tag-teaming a mega-rift while staying twenty feet away from your spellcasting partnerandmaintaining a cloaking spell is genuinely impressive. I’m going to try to talk you up to the Council.”

Chester’s eyes soften. “Thanks, Roma. You know I need it,” he says, and he swipes his key card outside a nondescript door. The locks disengage with a cheerfulwhirr,and he pushes the door open for her. “After you.”

Roma waits until they’re both safely inside the one-room specialty library, giving them a modicum of privacy, before speaking. “You wouldn’t need it so much if you kept your head down,” she says quietly, and Chester’s shoulders stiffen. “Listen, I understand that you had a different upbringing from us, okay? But you need to stop criticizing the Sanctum when other hunters are in earshot.”

“I’m notcriticizingthe Sanctum,” Chester says emphatically. “Roma, this place saved my life. They gave me a home and a purpose and‍—‍” He cuts himself off. “I care about the Sanctum, okay? I just feel like there are some ways we could improve. To be more fair and equal for everyone. It’s not wrong for me to want to change a place I love for the better.”

Roma shakes her head. “The Sanctum is built on millennia of tradition, Locke. One person can’t change any of that.”

Chester’s smile is mirthless. “Especially not a neophyte hunter, right?”

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