Page 7 of Fool Me Twice

But Cass was usually the driving force behind those decisions, getting restless whenever there wasn’t a dictator to topple or a terrorist cell to demolish. Now that he’s retreated into domestic bliss with his ex-hunter boyfriend and theiradopted daughter, though, Ez is pretty sure warfare is the furthest thing from his mind. Part of her is happy for him‍—really, she is‍—but a much larger part of her is still struggling to adjust to their friend group’s new dynamic.

And to the absolute lack of action. Hell, the most excitement she’s had recently was that tense little standoff with Roma Gutierrez and her ilk a few days ago. But that’s an experience she’s definitelynotlooking to repeat.

“Are you listening to a word I’m saying?” Obie demands, exasperated.

“Nope,” Ez says, and she pops another mozzarella stick into her mouth. “Sorry, Smith. You’re not going to convert me to your religion. Have you tried JJ or Desi?”

“I’m waiting for JJ to not be a wanted fugitive first,” Obie says, and he eases himself down on the seat next to Ez. “Although I am planning to commandeer Desi for Bring Your Child Bowling Day in June.”

“That’s a thing?”

“It’s a thing,” Obie confirms. “In Redwater, at least. Not sure about the rest of the world. But I still want to get some more demons in the alley‍—it’s a very human-dominated sport in our town.”

“You convinced Maggie Khan to join your team.”

“And I’m exceedingly grateful for her,” Obie says. “But it’s partlyforMaggie that I want to bring in a few more demons. I mean, she likes the humans here well enough, and while Trevor and Sasha from our team adore her‍?—‍”

“As they should.”

“‍—‍I feel like she’d be more comfortable with people who’ve been around for a century or so,” he finishes. “The twins are only in their twenties, and Trevor in particular speaks mostly in memes. I don’t think Maggie understands half of what he says.”

A tendril of an idea snakes through Ez’s head. “How about Micah or Gregorio?” she asks carefully, and Obie goes still. “Micah is usually down for any social event that involves greasy food, and you and Gregorio swap heirloom tomato seedlings every year, right?”

“We do.” Obie doesn’t look happy. “Are you suggesting I invite them bowling for the express purpose of figuring out what their deal is?”

“You said it, not me.” Ez raises her eyebrows. “So?”

Obie purses his lips, considering. Personally, Ez doesn’t like the idea of misleading them any more than he clearly does, but‍?—

But at this point, she doesn’t see many other options.

Micah Devereux and Gregorio Ricci are a demon couple who live at the north end of Redwater, right near the highway leading out of the valley. They both work for the Chain‍—Micah in Recordkeeping, Gregorio in Personnel‍—and, until quite recently, Ez considered them both to be friends. Not besties, of course, but she would sometimes go out clubbing with Micah or complain about bad movies with Gregorio. She even gifted them a blender at their wedding a few years ago.

But all that was before the profoundly disconcerting revelation back in February that they’re involved in something shady‍—or, at the very least, involved in something connected to the Sanctum. Micah recognized JJ on sight and called him by his nickname, he and Gregorio both have a vested interest in Roma Gutierrez‍?—

So far, they’ve been loyal to Cass‍—and, by extension, the rest of their little group‍—but Ez doesn’t want to speculate how far that loyalty really stretches.

“Look, I really care about the humans in this alley,” Obie says eventually. “I mean, I’ve known Nack Bar George behind the counter since he was a teenager, and he’s in his seventies now.If Micah and Gregorio aren’t aboveboard, I don’t want to put anyone here in danger.”

Ez squints at him. “‘Nack Bar’ George? Don’t you mean‘SnackBar’ George?”

Obie points at the neon sign above the snack bar in question. “Do you see an ‘s’ anywhere in there?”

Ez follows his finger, intrigued. “Huh,” she says, and she turns back to frown at Obie. “I feel like there’s a story behind that.”

“There is,” Obie says, “but only dues-paying bowlers can unlock the full Nack Bar lore.”

“Rude!”

Obie cracks a smile. With a pang, Ez realizes that it’s been a while since she’s seen him smile like that. He might seem perfectly unruffled by all the tension and drama, but she has the sneaking suspicion that it affects him more than he wants to admit. “I’ll make you a deal. Finish this game with me, and we’ll see if George is willing to drop some hints about the sordid history of the Nack Bar.”

Ez heaves a theatric sigh. “If you insist,” she says, and she lets Obie haul her to her feet and drag her back for their next frame.

Somehow, she foresees a lot of bowling in her future if life doesn’t get interesting again soon.

4

The Council is willing to hook you up withKenneth Long?”Bryant sputters, incredulous. “Roma! That’sinsane!”

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