Page 50 of Fool Me Twice

Micah’s shoulders are tight. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Ez,” he says quietly.

“Then I’m not wasting my time,” Ez says bluntly, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Roma start with surprise. “It could take weeks for JJ to build up the requisite power demands for a varsity-level spell, if he can manage it at all. Don’t get mewrong‍—JJ is a hard worker and a great fighter, but spellcasting of this magnitude is a whole different ball game. Roma comes out of the box several levels higher than him, and again, we’ve been working together for weeks. It just makes sense.”

“Am I an action figure to you or something?” Roma complains.

“More like a trading card,” Ez says, and she turns back to Micah’s and Gregorio’s twin scowls. “Well?”

This is a risky game. Ez knows it is. Yes, “trust” is a word that she would use to describe her relationship with Roma at this point, but only under certain circumstances‍—with spellcasting, with the mega-rift epidemic, with their corruption investigation.

Trusting Roma enough to bring her to someone’s house is very different from trusting her in public places, and trusting her with Ez’s friends‍—particularly JJ‍—isverydifferent from trusting her when they’re alone together.

If Ez is wrong about Roma‍—if Roma really is the loyal Sanctum lackey that everyone else believes she is‍—then the results of this gamble could be catastrophic. Locations compromised, people compromised.

Everything they say reported back to the Council and used against them.

But if Ez is right‍—if Roma’s loyalty to the Sanctum has been wavering as she sees a different side of demonkind through Ez‍—then this could be a huge step forward in not only ending the epidemic, but maybe even solidifying Roma as a permanent ally.

For that possibility, Ez is willing to roll the dice.

Slowly, Micah shakes his head. “Truth be told, this isn’t just about the spell. There are… certain other aspects of this situation that we need to discuss with you and your crew. Certain other aspects that have to do with‍—with‍?—‍”

“With the conspiracy we mentioned last month,” Gregorio finishes flatly. Micah winces. “It’s time for us to get other peopleinvolved, and you’re lucky enough to be one of the few demons we trust.” He waggles his fingers unenthusiastically. “Hooray.”

Ez doesn’t budge. “Roma is the one who told me about the corruption in the Chain, not you two. You’re not the only ones with a stake in this.”

Roma stiffens. “You’re talking about the neophytes? The ones who ended up in the Sanctum’s prison?”

“Mm-hm,” Ez says, and she gestures at Micah and Gregorio. “Oh, where are my manners? Roma, this is Micah Devereux and his husband, Gregorio Ricci himself. Your mystery hunter allegedly forged his signature.”

Roma’s fingers clench and relax. Suddenly, Ez realizes that Roma is resisting the urge to pull out her ax again‍—or fire up a magic offensive.

Probably only resisting because Ez is standing right there. She swallows down the fluttering in her chest at the thought. “So those are your options,” she says, giving Gregorio and Micah her best smile. “I’m either bringing Roma with me to end this mess quickly, or I’m going to head home and enjoy a nice evening of streaming the newWater Warsmovie. Your choice.”

For a long moment, Micah and Gregorio stare her down.

And then, with a defeated sigh, Micah pulls out his cell phone. “Give me a minute,” he says, and he taps a few quick buttons before pressing it to his ear. “Hey. Ez Laguerre insists that she wants Roma Gutierrez for dual spellcasting purposes. Opinions?”

Ez blinks at him, confused. There’s someone else involved in this trainwreck, too? Micah and Gregorio mentioned their “sources” the last time she spoke with them, but she thought they were just informants, not active participants.

Apparently, though, they’re involved enough to warrant getting their approval for an updated guest list. Ez can’t hear the other side of the conversation‍—probably a soundproofing spellover the phone itself‍—but Micah only listens for a few seconds before glancing back at Ez. “And this is the same Roma Gutierrez who double-crossed you all and almost got Cass and JJ killed a few months ago?”

Roma flinches. A little bit of that old anger stirs behind Ez’s sternum, but she decisively squashes it down. “The very same. But she’s not claiming to be on our side this time‍—just Redwater’s side. I think we can trust her enough to get our town back to status quo.”

Roma’s wide eyes snap to Ez, honest surprise written all over her face. Like she wasn’t quite expecting Ez to use the word “trust.”

Conditional trust, but trust nonetheless.

Micah’s jaw works. “You heard it straight from Ez,” he tells the person on the phone. “Yea or nay?”

Nearly a minute trickles by in silence before he lets out his breath in a hiss. “Sounds like a plan. See you soon,” he says, and he disconnects the call. “All right. We’re moving this little get-together to a more neutral location, but yeah. Yeah, Gutierrez the Younger can come.”

Roma scowls at the nickname, but she stays silent. Looking resigned, Gregorio pulls out his own cell phone and starts typing out a text message. “I’ll see if Obie has any spare properties we can use. He owns a full third of Redwater; he must have at leastonevacancy.”

Ez nods, unreasonably satisfied by Micah’s and Gregorio’s glowers. “Excellent. We’ll have this entire nightmare dealt with by tomorrow at noon.”

“Yeah, I doubt that,” Gregorio says ominously. His phone buzzes in his hand, and he squints down at the message before snapping open a rift. “Got an address from Obie. Let’s get moving.”

He strides through without a backwards glance, Micah following close behind. Ez casts a quick spell to track the rift’s destination, nodding when she recognizes one of Obie’s apartment buildings. “You good, Gutierrez?”

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