Page 1043 of One More Kiss

Chapter7

“What took you so long?”Jett glanced up from the laptop he was working on. He and Clara were both sitting at the conference table in the room we’d been in earlier. The kitchen part had been tidied up, which I assumed was Clara’s handiwork while I’d been busy breaking into the safe.

“I got lost.” I slumped into a seat, resting my head on my arms. “Wouldn’t have hurt you to wait for me.”

Jett grinned. “Remind me to give you the guided tour later.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

He tapped a few more keys and the television screen on the wall lit up. “We were able to get the security footage from the area. The cameras are focussed at street level, but there was one that shows a guy, whom we’re pretty sure is the shooter, as he approached the back of the building across the street from the cafe. Watch.”

A still shot of an alley that could have been anywhere in the city came up on the screen. He waited until I sat up properly then hit play, fast forwarding the footage until a man appeared.

“How exactly did you get this security footage? And so fast?” I poured myself a glass of water, trying to appear nonchalant. I was anything but. The resources at Jett’s disposal were scarily impressive.

He smiled, a twitch of his lips that I’d have missed if I hadn’t glanced up at the exact right time. “We have our ways.”

I’d examine why I was watching his mouth so closely later on.

He slowed the video down again so we could watch the man move closer to the camera.

The man was tall and blond, his movements lithe and graceful. He moved swiftly up the street to the base of a fire escape. Most people wouldn’t be able to jump high enough to reach the lower part of the ladder at all. He made it look easy, then climbed upwards with a fluidity that wasn’t natural. I narrowed my eyes. I was pretty sure we were looking at a Fae. He glanced over his shoulder and the camera got a perfect shot of his face. Jett paused the video and zoomed in.

Clara gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth.

It was definitely a Fae. His face was perfection, if you liked icy blonds with high cheekbones and pointed ears. He hadn’t even bothered to glamor them, unless the camera stripped the glamor away. I pursed my lips. That was something I hadn’t considered before. I’d have to find out if I could be seen on camera when I was using my shadow magic. It was a type of glamor that hid me from sight, at least in person. I’d never thought to check if it worked on camera as well.

I had another thought. Jett could see straight through my shadow magic. But did he know that? Did he realize that was what he was doing, or was he unaware of what I was? That I was a magic-using half breed? There was a chance that he didn’t know the magic was there at all, and that he was seeing through it. There was a chance that he thought I was human.

“Do you know him?” Jett’s voice brought me back to the room.

I glanced over at Clara. Her face had gone pale, and it was a different kind of pale than before when she’d been bleeding.

She nodded. “That’s Fin. And if he’s here…” She turned towards me, fear in her eyes. “That means that Arun is looking for me.”

“Who’s Arun?” I poured another glass of water and slid it across the table towards her. Her hand closed around it automatically and she raised it to her mouth. The glass shook so much she nearly missed her mouth completely.

“Arundir. My daughters father.”

“Didn’t you say your daughter is fifteen? Why would he be coming after you now?” I twirled my water glass in a circle, thinking. “And why would he want you dead? It doesn’t make sense.”

Clara laughed, a bitter sound. “He doesn’t have to make sense. He’s the Midnight Prince. He’s probably found out about Darcy and my punishment for not telling him is death. I think I need another mug cake.”

Jett’s eyes flicked between me and Clara. “Mug cake?”

I sighed and got to my feet. “I think we all need a mug cake.”

As I pulled the ingredients from the pantry Jett didn’t take his eyes off me. I don’t think he liked me being in his kitchen.

I turned to Clara. “So you’re telling us that not only is your baby daddy a Fae prince, but he doesn’t know he has a daughter?” I grabbed three mugs and placed them on the counter. “How did that happen?”

“I told you it was a long story.”

Jett broke in. “Cliff notes version.”

Clara saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

I grinned to myself. Jett might be wishing he’d left both of us at the cafe right about now. Jett’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t respond. Smart man.

“I rescued Fin, and Arun showed up to thank me. Darcy was the result.” She took a sip of water.

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