Page 15 of Riot of Autumn

I drop the fork in my hand, and it clatters off the counter and falls onto the floor. “What?”

“We’re just sitting here waiting for those assholes to do something. Why aren’t we trying to figure out what they really want? Zara thinks she knows what’s going on, but she’s mainly guessing.”

I cock my head, taking in the wild glint in Ezra’s eyes. “What are you thinking?”

“I heard the Smithe house has a lot of new people staying there. Maybe we should go check it out.”

“You want to go spy on them?” I laugh. I can’t help it. Neither one of us has any fucking clue how to go incognito.

“Why not?” Ezra takes another drink of his gross soda. His tongue dashes out to lick the foam off his top lip. It should not stop me in my tracks.

“Um, because if they find us, they could curse buttholes onto our faces or something.”

Ezra cringes, shaking his head at me. “Why would you even think of that? Never mind. Don’t answer that.”

I cock my head, searching Ezra’s face like he’s playing a trick on me. “What happened to everyone being like, ‘oh, you can’t go anywhere alone, and we need to avoid the Fae until we figure out what’s going on?’”

“It occurred to me that we’re never going to figure out what they’re up to if we don’t hunt down answers. Lena thinks we’ll find everything in a book, but it’s not like these dicks are writing in their hope journals about their plans to take over the world. We aren’t going to find out what’s going on unless we get off our asses and do something.”

I’m nodding before he’s even done talking. “Agreed, but what exactly are we going to do? Put on catsuits and sneak in through an open window?”

Ezra’s eyes dip down my body and then bounce back up to my face so quickly I could have imagined it. “You can still wear the catsuit, but I was thinking Miri could make us a potion.”

“What kind of potion?” Now I’m really intrigued because that might actually work. My silverware lays forgotten as I lean toward him, my hands braced on the counter.

“I don’t know. Some kind of cloaking spell or shit. Who knows?”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Really? No other convincing needed?”

My grin grows until my cheeks hurt. “I’m ready to figure out what these dickheads are really after.”

Tecia waves me over to help deliver some plates to another table. I do a quick check on my other customers, leaving Ezra at the counter. He waits until everyone else is gone, messing around on his phone while I work.

“Don’t you have better things to do than sit here?” I stop by his seat after I deliver drinks.

“I’m waiting for you to get off work.” Ezra switched over to water a while ago. He finishes up his last sip and takes the glass to the kitchen. Jericho, Tecia’s husband, does all the cooking and is finishing cleaning up back there. I hear him and Ezra chatting, but I can’t hear what they’re saying.

The front door opens, and I don’t bother looking over. “We’re just closing. We open back up tomorrow at eleven,” I say on autopilot.

“I’m not hungry for food poisoning, thanks.”

I nearly throw my head back and groan up to the sky because, fuck me. I do not have the energy for this right now. Cadence Bunchen is standing just inside the door as if she’s afraid one more step in will cover her with filth. She’s a beautiful woman, with perfectly curled blonde hair, clear blue eyes that I suspect are enhanced by contacts, and big perky boobs that I’m certain are enhanced by an expensive bra. I scowl down at my own barely there B-cups. It doesn’t matter how much padding there is, cleavage is not happening.

“Well, aren’t you already in a constant state of sickness from swallowing back all that vitriol?”

Cadence is a year younger than me, and despite my goal in life to support other women and lift them up or whatever, I want to shove Cadence’s face in a pit of garbage. She’s always been an entitled, snobby brat. She’s never missed an opportunity to point out how beneath her I am.

Her purse is dangling off her wrist, and she smooths a hand over her perfect hair. She doesn’t look like she’s come in from the horrible heat. Meanwhile, I’m wilting like I’ve been spritzing myself with a bottle of sweat all evening.

“I see you’re still dressing like a homeless clown.” She bats her lashes, giving me a simpering smile. I return it with one of my own. Only my smile is sharp as daggers.

“Not all of us can dress like an uptight bitch with a stick shoved up our asses. Some of us have real jobs and need to be able to move around without looking like we need to take a dump.”

Cadence gasps. “You’re disgusting.”

I roll my eyes and ignore her, going back to my closing work.

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