Page 44 of Cheater Slicks

Josie’s confusion made sense, if you hadn’t attended one of the pop-up auctions held across the city to move black market items. Vi was a regular attendee. She bought, sold, and traded minor artifacts too. Mostly, she was searching for relics that once belonged to her family. Heirlooms sold off in times of hardship. That kind of thing. But she also purchased items to help with her business, to aid specific clients, and as investment pieces.

“Jean-Claude.” I watched him stiffen at the sound of his name. “Did she mention anything to you?”

“Vi don’t involve me in her business.” He pushed out a sigh. “You know that.”

Between the two of them, they had an unspoken agreement not to mettle. But they both had keen eyes and sharp ears, and sometimes they overheard tidbits. I should know, seeing as how I had stumbled into a thing or two accidentally over the years.

“How are you so familiar with them,” Kierce rumbled beside me, “when the others aren’t?”

“I attended several as part of my training.” I couldn’t bear for him to think badly of Vi when it had been my idea. “I wanted to get a feel for how they work. There are auctions just like it across the southeast. There’s even one in Savannah.” As I said it, I wondered if I should have taken a wider view on this angle. “But Matty would never attend. He doesn’t have a reason to, and he wouldn’t know how to go about getting an invite anyway.”

The big reason I hit those auctions was I wanted options. I wasn’t above stealing to provide for my family. I had done it as a kid on the streets. But I had felt bad for taking from people who couldn’t afford it. The idea of snatching artifacts from those who could write off the loss while gaining a foothold in the trade in the process? That had appealed to me.

Until I witnessed, at an auction no less, what happened if you got caught selling stolen items. It had changed my mindquick. I hadn’t thought about them in years. Not since I left New Orleans for good. Now I was kicking myself for not considering them as a possible connection sooner.

“Maybe I should go home and dig into the Savannah auction scene, just to be sure that Leyna didn’t get our brother mixed up in anything dangerous.” Josie drummed her fingers on her arm. “Here, I’m stuck on the sidelines, and it’s driving me crazy. I could conduct interviews in person at home.” Her tone grew bleak. “But I guess Carter could do that without me.” She dropped her arms. “I just want to help more. Most of the city’s plants are isolated in containers, and that keeps them out of touch with the earth. That angle hasn’t given me a single lead, and I feel so useless dialing numbers and taking notes.”

“You got us the funeral link, which led us to the auction.” I tapped her hand. “That’s huge.”

“You would have found it eventually.”

“Right now, every second is precious. You got him more time. That matters.Youmatter.”

“Fine.” She ducked her head to hide her flushed cheeks. “I’ll stay.”

“Good.” I grinned at her. “I’m glad.” I glanced around. “Where did Pascal get to anyway?”

“In here,” he called from down the hall.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Jean-Claude explained. “He’s baking us a tres leches cake as a treat.”

“The mood doesn’t strike him often,” I said, patting my belly, “but he’s an incredible baker.”

When he heard about this, Paco would be kicking himself for missing out on his favorite dessert.

“Maybe by the time he’s finished icing it,” Rollo grumbled, “I’ll be released from house arrest.”

“That’s not a bad idea, crybaby. I’ll let you go, but you must stay in the building. That way, if your soul comes loose, the wards will contain it.” The enchantment had punched a hole through them to steal his soul and Vi’s, but now the only threat should be…well…leakage. “Can you keep an eye on him, Jean-Claude?”

“You think I’m leaving before I’ve had cake?” He eyed me like I was crazy, but I saw through his bluffing. “I’ll be right here.”

“Then while you play nurse, and Josie makes her calls, Kierce and I will see if we can get lucky.”

I knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words exited my mouth.

“Ooh.” Josie fluttered her lashes. “Do tell.”

Sadly, between the dying, the kidnapping, and the soul-snatching, Kierce and I hadn’t advanced much in that department. As often as gods got it on in mythology, their lives were either less chaotic than mine, or I was doing this demigoddess thing wrong. “Not that kind of lucky, pervert.”

With assignments passed out for the night, Kierce and I went to the crypt to check in with Pedro, whose absence from Bonaventure appeared to weigh on him more with each passing day.

“Pascal tells me there were side effects that first night that youmaybedidn’t share with me.”

“You’re under enough strain.” He shook his head. “You didn’t need me adding more to it.”

“You’re family, Pedro, and that means we don’t take unnecessary risks with your health.” I made a vague rolling gesture with my hand. “Or the spiritual equivalent.” I pegged him with a stern glare. “Give me the rundown.”

“There’s not much to tell,” he said sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure, at first, if it was the effort of spending so much time possessing Matty since he became afflicted or if it was because Pascal and I are now splitting twelve-hour shifts. Those things make me tired, yes, but I realized, after the fact, it was more than that.”

---