Levi didn’t speak until we were back in the Jeep. “Did you have fun?” he said, a tenseness at the corners of his eyes.
“I loved it.”
He tossed his head smugly. “I knew you would.”
“Uh-huh.” I buckled up my seat belt. “What’s next?”
“You’ll have to wait and find out.”
Our next stop was one of Vancouver’s most popular pizza joints. It didn’t take reservations and people waited for hours outside to get in. That wasn’t Levi’s way. Instead he knocked on the back door, which was opened by the famed pizza chef herself. After more kisses on both cheeks accompanied by a soft “Piacere,” to me from the chef in a heavy Italian accent, she led us through the kitchen to a private back room where we feasted on amazing thin crust pizza that she made specially for us.
We talked about things that mattered not a whit in the scheme of good and evil but meant everything in terms of two people wanting to learn everything about the other. Then we laughed, reliving old memories of camp and who had hated who more.
The night ended at Levi’s house, the two of us in bed. The curtains were thrown open to the stars, and the ocean lulled me into a relaxing trance as much as Levi cradling me in his arms and playing with my hair.
For a day that had started in shadows, it had ended in light. Moonlight, but the darkness made the glow that much more precious.
We were woken by Levi’s phone buzzing.
“Take it,” I said, with a yawn. “I should get dressed.” I was fastening my jeans when Levi showed me the text with the red heart and crown emoji.
“Whoa,” I said. “Richard Frieden was laundering money through Hedon? This is almost as good as finding out who in Chariot went after you and the Queen. I mean, it’s not as cool as my all-access pass, but we both know she likes me more.” I yelped as Levi threw a pillow at me, hitting me in the chest.
“That’s only because she hasn’t known me as long. I have it on very good authority that women adore me.”
“Your mom doesn’t count.”
Levi tackled me and I shrieked as he buried his face in my neck and blew a raspberry. He rolled off me, a smug smile on his face. “Frieden did it in the same business venture connected to Jackson Wu.”
“The allegations alone will rock the party.”
“Jackson will be forced to step down and it’ll send that damned legislation into limbo.” Levi punched the air in victory.
“My mother’s legislation.” I sat down on the bed, my shoulders slumped. The legislation had to be stopped, but she and I were in the best relationship we’d had in years. Not for much longer.
Levi sighed. “Yeah.”
I kissed him. “It’s okay. I don’t want it passing any more than you do. We’ll get through it. Together.”
He laced his fingers through mine. “We will.”
It was my turn for a text from the Queen. Or Moran in her name. Hard to tell when the contact was an emoji.
Found the necromancer. An address in Vancouver’s Marpole neighborhood appeared.
Levi sagged against me. “Thank God.”
Me: On it. Thanks.
“I’ll tell Miles,” Levi said, his phone already to his ear.
“Hang on. Tell him to put his people in place outside the house, but I’m going in to cuff Jonah on my own. It’s the only way,” I said over Levi’s protest. “If he tries to put a Repha’im in me, I’ll take his magic. I’m the only one with a clear shot at him.”
Levi nodded and made the call.
Miles’ security team took up position along the sides of Jonah’s place. Levi had not been allowed to come, but I swore I’d phone the second Jonah was safely apprehended. The house was a Vancouver Special, a style of architecture popular in the 1960s and 70s, characterized by its boxy structure, low-pitched roof, balcony across the front, and a brick or stone finish on the ground floor.
This was the first time I’d seen Arkady since Inferno. While Miles conferred with one of his team members, I thanked my friend.
“I really appreciate you flying all over the place for me,” I said.
“Was it him?” Arkady yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry. Too much travel in too short a time. Montreal sucks this time of year.”
“Ottawa.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you go see your parents?”
“Yeah, but they were in Montreal with my grandmother. So? Your dad?”
He’d have convinced anyone else, but I’d spent years unearthing other people’s lies and there was an almost palpable tug when I caught hold of one. My fingers twitched and I imagined his words infused with a deep rot.
“You’re lying. Why?”
“Pickle, what would I have to lie about?”
“I don’t know. But ever since we met I’ve been convinced that you moving in wasn’t a coincidence. At first I thought Levi had put you there to keep tabs on me, but he didn’t.”
“You’re being paranoid.”
“Don’t patronize me. I’ll find out what you’re hiding and I swear, if it impacts me or anyone I care about, I will fuck you up.”
The genial expression that he usually wore fell away, leaving a shrewd calculation. “You’ve changed in the past couple days.”
“I’m giving less of a shit,” I said.
“Or more.”
“It’s a fine line. Well?”
“I’m not lying to you. Do with that what you will.” He jogged over to Miles.
I’d been suspicious of him from the get go, and while I could pretend I’d become friends with him to appease Priya, the truth was, I’d wanted to be his friend. He was funny and he’d been there for me. I rubbed my breastbone. The Ash of two months ago would have beat herself up for it.
Even if he had betrayed me, I didn’t completely regret befriending him. But how could I keep Arkady on the team if he was potentially working against me? That said, he’d done his job finding Avi, and I couldn’t be everywhere at once. Nor did anyone else have his particular
