Page 36 of Fool Me Twice

The question takes Roma off guard. “Um, yeah. Allegedly made with love by Andrew himself.”

“Hm.” Ez nods slowly. “Are they good?”

Ez doesn’t usually strike up a conversation unless it’s about the mega-rifts‍—or their corruption investigation. With a start, Roma realizes that this might be Ez’s version of extending an olive branch after Sunday’s scuffle, indirectly checking if Roma is okay without alluding to their shared history in public.

Warily, she accepts the peace offering. “That’s sort of a given. Did you miss the part where I said Andrew made them?”

Ez’s lips twitch. “I’ll have to try them the next time we get lunch there.”

A pang twists through Roma. Ez didn’t even seem to notice that she said “we” instead of “I,” but‍?—

But Roma is pretty sure that “we” includes JJ. And she has the same intermingled pangs of betrayal and guilt at the thought of him as she always does.

Especially now. Especially with the corruption that’s apparently permeating the Sanctum and the Chain.

Especially since Roma isn’t entirely certain whose goals she’s going to be serving by bringing JJ home.

Determinedly, she forces the thoughts away. Right now, she has a mission to think about‍—a mission that specifically relied on Eznotbeing in the Courtyard today. She needs to do damage control to make sure Ez doesn’t get suspicious. “So whendidyou get here? I specifically looked for you before I ordered my food, but I didn’t see you anywhere.”

Ez looks torn between surprised and smug. “You were looking for me?”

“Well, yeah,” Roma says bluntly. “I figured I’d finally be able to finish my lunch without you around. Those mega-rifts follow you like a bad penny.”

Ez’s smirk drops into a scowl. Unexpectedly, Roma feels a twinge of remorse. Ez was actively trying to be civil‍—almostfriendly‍—for once, and Roma just went out of her way to ruin it.

But, for the purposes of her mission, she just needs Ez to trust her. She doesn’t need Ez to like her.

Even though part of her kind of wants Ez to like her, too.

“I told you, lackey,” Ez bites out. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

There’s no way Roma didn’t notice Ez. Much as she hates to admit it, she has a sixth sense for the demon by now, and she’s pretty sure she could pick Ez out of a darkened club, to say nothing of a brightly lit space like the Courtyard at lunchtime.

Regardless, she just rolls her eyes. “If you say so, but‍?—‍”

And Roma doesn’t know what draws her gaze to the table. Maybe she subconsciously noticed Ez jog over from that direction, or maybe she’s particularly attuned to the presence of demons, or maybe she just registered a little girl’s tinkling laughter from there, but‍?—

But whatever the case, when Roma’s eyes come to a rest on the table, it’s to see a girl not more than four years old playing with a stuffed wyvern while three grown men sit on the seats around her. None of them look familiar, but one man in particular is watching Roma and Ez with an unreadable expression that Roma would recognize anywhere‍—even with that glamour.

“JJ,”Roma breathes, and without thinking, she takes a step forward.

In a flash, Ez blocks her path, teeth bared in a snarl. “Back off, Gutierrez.”

Roma jerks away on instinct, automatically summoning her ax into her hand. Ez tenses, clearly braced for a fight, but doesn’t move to attack first.

Just over Ez’s shoulder, Roma sees the glamoured man in the corner seat‍—Obie, she thinks‍—calmly stand up, snap open a rift, and motion his companions through. JJ picks up Desi and steps through first, avoiding Roma’s gaze, and the final man‍—Cass, no doubt‍—shoots Roma a hard glare before following him.

So much for a peace offering. Cursing herself, Roma drops her ax back into its gap in spacetime. “I wasn’t going to do anythingbad,Laguerre. He’s my friend, remember? He’s‍?—‍”

“No, hewasyour friend,” Ez snaps. The last dregs of good humor in her expression are gone like they were never there in the first place. “But that was before you betrayed him, tried to kidnap him,succeededin kidnapping his boyfriend, and almost got both of them killed. He doesn’t want anything to do with you, Gutierrez. Withanyof you.”

And Julian Jackson is a traitor. He’s adissident.He threw in his lot with the demons, turned his back on Roma and their friends, and abandoned the very Sanctum that saved him.

He’s a bad guy. Anenemy.

So hearing that he doesn’t want anything to do with Roma shouldn’t twist into her like a knife. “I‍?—‍”

Ez takes a precise step away. “Doesn’t matter now, anyway,” she says, her voice clipped. “He’s been mostly avoiding the outside world ever since these mega-rifts started opening. Doesn’t want to deal with the drama.” She lifts her chin, a sharp gleam in her eyes. “And neither do I, honestly. Later, Gutierrez.”

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