White Witch, Black Curse

My attention swung back to him, remembering the night we'd met. He was basically a runner—member of the coven of moral and ethical standards aside. Even if he couldn't tap a line, he could help. I didn't think Mia had arranged for this meeting to kill me, so it was likely Remus was going to be the biggest threat. Him I could handle, and I'd put my best undies online if Mia wasn't about to sacrifice him to remain out of jail and off the grid.

"Think you can do what I say?" I asked, and he grinned, tossing his hair from his eyes in a way that wasn't like Kisten's at all, but reminded me of him all the same.

"You're not alone," he said, eyes darting to Ford's table. "I'll help you settle your hash, and then we might talk."

His hand reached for mine, and Al shoved between us. "Two grande lattes, double espresso, Italian blend," he said to the clerk. "Light on the froth, extra cinnamon. Use whole milk. Not two percent or half-and-half. Put a shot of raspberry in one for my itchy witch here."

And put it in porcelain, I thought, wondering if this was the only way demons liked their coffee. Minias had ordered something similar, minus the raspberry.

"The runt will have a juice box." He turned to Pierce. "It will make you big and strong, won't it, little fella."

Pierce's jaw clenched and his blue eyes narrowed, but he swallowed the insult.

"Anything else?" the clerk asked, and I looked to find that it was Junior himself.

"Espresso," I said, remembering Jenks. Swinging my bag around, I dug out my wallet. The light caught the glitter on my dress, and I thought how stupid it all seemed. At least my toes had thawed.

"Hey," Junior said suddenly, backing up a step when he saw the gun in my bag. "I heard about you. You're shunned. Get out of my shop."

Shocked, I looked up, blinking. Could he have said it any louder, maybe? But my mood quickly turned to anger. "Look, Junior," I said bitterly, my bile finding an easy outlet. "I'd really like to. Going home and taking a bubble bath sounds really great right now." I leaned in close so only he, Pierce, Al, and probably Jenks could hear me. "But two of those good people sitting in the middle of your freaking shop are wanted for the assault of an FIB officer, a double murder, causing a riot at the mall, and are the number one suspects in that fire at Fountain Square tonight. Why don't you get everyone else out of here so I can take care of it?"

His eyes were wide, and he stared at me. "Do me a favor and forget that I've been shunned," I said, shaking inside. "Think for yourself and do something for the greater good? Huh? Can you do that?"

Our coffee was up, and after I dropped a twenty on the counter, I handed Pierce his juice box and Al one of the paper cups. There were three people behind the counter, and they were looking at us like we were…demons. "Thanks," I said, shaking as I picked up my drink with the big R for raspberry on it and Jenks's espresso. I hated it when my temper got loose like that. Al seemed to think it was funny.

The smell of coffee seemed to pull Jenks from the light fixture, and he dropped heavily onto my shoulder, catching his balance with a sudden tugging on my hair. "You okay?" I breathed, and he shivered his wings.

"Just cold," he said, and I nodded, agreeing. My coat wasn't doing much to cut the chill either. There was too much in-and-out traffic for my comfort, mostly in.

Halfway to the table, I realized there was no way we'd all fit, and in all truthfulness, I didn't want Pierce or Al near Mia or Remus. "Jenks, can you and Pierce get people out of here?" I asked, trying to get rid of two birds with one stone.

"I'm not babysitting ghost boy!" Jenks exclaimed from my shoulder.

Pierce added a quick "I suspect you think me less than likely, mistress witch."

Both of them were frowning when I stopped dead still in the store and turned, coat bumping my calves. Al was smiling. "Jenks, you're so cold you're not dusting," I said, trying not to sound worried. "I need to get people out of here quietly, and you can do that. By the time I need you, you'll be warm." I hope. "Until then, let me know if Mia touches my aura."

I handed Pierce Jenks's coffee and added, "I'm giving you my phone. Ivy will probably call when the FIB is here. Let me know, and tell them not to barge in here, okay?"

"Jenks can do that," he said grudgingly.

I put a hand to my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "If I'm right, ugly guy over there is going to have a hissy long before the FIB gets here. I'm going to need your help, and at that point, you can let your testosterone rip. Meantime, Jenks can brief you on what Remus has occupied his last twenty years with so you don't get smeared. 'Kay?"

I handed Pierce my phone, and when he looked at me wryly, Jenks's wings clattered to life. "Okay," the pixy conceded, laboriously making the flight to the wary man, eyeing him before landing on his shoulder and telling him to start at the front.