Page 33 of Sweetwater and the Witch

He surveyed the sparse furnishings and bare walls of his own home with a critical eye. Ravenna probably wouldn’t think much of his place. But maybe she would enjoy his little horticultural wonderland.

He checked his watch. Garrett Willis was still in the trash bin. A good night’s work. He could go to bed and think about the next date with the fire witch.

Chapter Fifteen

Taggert Spooner took out his phone and crossed the hotel suite to the wall of windows. He rezzed the familiar code and contemplated the bright lights of the casinos while he waited for Melody Palantine to answer. It would not take long. It never did.

Palantine was the most capable administrative assistant he had ever had. Available any time of the day or night, she was a magician on the rez-net. She could find anyone online. Even more useful was her knack for manipulating people. She had an intuitive ability to figure out what they wanted most and then offer to give it to them. If she ever decided to become a professional con artist, she would be brilliantly successful.

Unfortunately, she was also the most ambitious administrative assistant he’d ever had. He was not yet certain of her agenda—he suspected she was angling to get into upper management and closer to the Vortex project—but until he knew exactly what she wanted, he had to be careful. He was the only one who knew all of the secrets of Vortex.

“Good evening, sir,” she said. “How is the conference going?”

“The same way these things always go,” he said. “Boring but somewhat productive. I managed to corner Heston and Booth tonight at the opening reception. You were right about both of them, by the way. They want in on the Lodestar Project and they’re willing to pay to play. We can use them.”

“Congratulations, sir. That’s excellent news.”

“Credit where it’s due. It was your idea to bring them in on Lodestar.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“But we do not want another failure like the Illusion Town project a few weeks ago, do we?” he said, keeping his tone silky soft.

There was a beat of silence.

“No, sir,” Melody said.

He smiled, satisfied with the tension in her voice. There was noweinvolved and they both knew it. He had let her run with the Illusion Town project and it had collapsed, thanks to the new Guild boss, Gabriel Jones, and a low-rent weather channeler named Lucy Bell. Once in a while you had to remind people of their mistakes. It kept them sharp. It also made them think twice about plotting behind the boss’s back.

“Anything I need to know before I get some sleep?” he asked.

“No, sir. Everything is under control here.”

“In that case, I’ll say good night.”

“Yes, sir.”

He ended the call and stood looking out at the ruins while he considered the problem of Melody Palantine. True, she had her own as-yet-unknown agenda, but for now their interests were aligned. They were both one hundred percent invested in the same goal—to make sure Spooner Technologies remained a major player in the amber and quartz tech world.

When the time came, he would terminate Melody Palantine, but until then he was following the oldest rule of management:Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Palantine was a potential problem, one that could be dealt with in the future. He had a more immediate concern. He went to the small hotel safe and rezzed the code. He hadn’t wanted to leave the stone in his room while he was at the reception but there had been no choice. While it would have fit into the inside pocket of his jacket, he hadn’t dared take the risk of carrying it into a room full of psychically gifted engineers and techs.

He opened the door of the safe, reached inside, and picked up the small crystal. It was cut into the shape of a little pyramid. Just holding it in his hand rezzed his senses. The vibe of some unknown power whispered in the atmosphere. He didn’t know what the crystal could do or how to resonate with the frequency locked inside, but he knew it was incredibly valuable.

He tightened his grip on the pyramid and got a euphoric rush. After a moment he went back to the window and looked out at the night. He had lied to Palantine. He had no intention of going to bed yet. He did not need much sleep now. He was getting stronger by the day, mentally and physically preparing to fulfill his legacy.

He would succeed where his ancestors on Earth had failed. He would make Vortex a reality and he would control it utterly.

Chapter Sixteen

Melody Palantine resisted the urge to hurl her phone at the nearest wall.

“Bastard,” she whispered. “Fuckingbastard.”

Spooner was lying to her. That was not exactly news. She was well aware he did not trust her. She didn’t trust him, either. They worked well together because they needed each other.

The lack of mutual trust was not a problem as far as she was concerned, but lately Spooner appeared to be changing. That was worrisome. Spooner had become more secretive than ever in recent weeks. The wordparanoidcame to mind.

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