Shadow of doubt the pote.., p.23
Shadow of Doubt (The Potentate of Atlanta Book 1), page 23
“She’s growing into her role,” he said at last, “a bit quicker than you, but that’s to be expected.”
Her magic was such that she had bonded with the city, which had no potentate, on her own. That connection, in fact, was what kept Savannah from burning to the ground during the siege. Even without being officially recognized by the Society, she was the Potentate of Savannah, though she had the same year of training left that I did.
The bond she shared with the city made her aware of its moods and whims. Savannah wasn’t alive, in so many words, but she was sentient, and she was nudging Grier ahead of the curve. Though I couldn’t complain when I was inheriting a crack team with resources I could never imagine, let alone fund, on my own. There was something to be said for inheriting a mantle versus stitching it yourself, piece by piece.
“Once you’ve bonded with Atlanta,” he continued, “you will grow in leaps and bounds as well.”
“You sound like it’s a done deal.” I scowled at Ambrose, who rubbed Linus’s ankles like a frakking cat. “We both know it’s not.”
“You’ve proven to me that you’re fit for this position.” High praise coming from him. “I will throw the full weight of my support behind you when the time comes.”
An ounce or two of the guilt weighing me down slid off my shoulders. “Thanks.”
“The loft will be available for occupancy within the next few weeks,” he said casually. “You’re welcome to stay here, or move in.”
The moisture left my mouth, and I couldn’t get my tongue to work. “Move? In? Move in?”
Soft laughter turned his navy eyes lighter. “Yes.”
Before I got too excited, I had to make sure of one thing. “Are you offering because of the break-in?”
“No.” He glanced around, soaking in the décor. “Consider it a vote of confidence that it will become your permanent residence within the year.”
The calculated interest he showed in our surroundings got me thinking about Midas, who I hadn’t seen since we closed the case a week ago. All the loose ends were tied, all debts paid. Including the gift card I sent Lyssa with my thanks.
“I’ll stick with my apartment.” I couldn’t look him in the eye, afraid of what he might see. “The loft will make a nice reward when I become official.”
“All right.”
From there, he walked me through the standard checklist to ensure Ambrose remained contained and cooperative. With that done, we set a date to have the ink on my ankle refreshed so the spillover from Ambrose was contained, eerie laughter and all.
The next time someone knocked on my door, it was Ford, and I found my smile again.
“Oh, hey.” He shook hands with Linus, who was on his way out. “I didn’t know you were in town.”
“I’m not,” he said. “I didn’t come to congratulate Hadley on a job well done. I’m still in Savannah.”
“Riiight.” Ford winked. “Still, it was nice not seeing you.”
Not until after Linus left did it occur to me he must have known I was expecting company. As plugged in as he was to the city, he likely knew who as well but hadn’t warned me off Ford or Midas or gwyllgi in general. He hadn’t said a word either way.
Huh.
Almost like he trusted me to make the decision for myself.
“What was that all about?” He shut the door behind him. “I saw movers in the lobby. Are they his? I spotted a portrait of a little girl who was a dead ringer for Grier, but I didn’t want to make assumptions.”
“He is stalker levels of obsessed with her,” I joked, but not really. “Good thing she’s obsessed right back.”
There was an instant of expectation where he might have wanted me to elaborate on how I knew, but I wasn’t about to tell him the truth, that I had witnessed their dark and winding courtship firsthand. Then it passed, and Ford shucked his enforcer obligations.
“I smell popcorn, but I don’t smell pizza.” He folded his arms over his chest. “The pizza was a cruel joke, wasn’t it? You were bribing me to help you with the case, and now that it’s over, so is my dream of free pizza.”
“Yes.” I took a single popped kernel and threw it at his forehead. “That’s exactly it. I lured you here with empty promises and plan to—” A third knock on the door set my stomach growling. “Hold that thought.”
I dug around in my wallet then opened the door and stalled out with a bill in my hand.
“I paid the tip,” Midas said, handing over the boxes. “Dough to Go made the mistake of sending Misha to deliver. He’s down in the lobby trying to get into Dan’s pants. I thought I would bring these up before they got cold.”
“Thanks.” I inhaled with a happy sigh. “Sure you don’t want to join us?”
“I’m on my way out.” A muscle twitched in his left cheek. “You’re not the only one with a date.”
“Here.” I forced him to take the money. “Buy yourself a drink stronger than water this time.”
Midas took the cash, careful not to touch me, and I got the message loud and clear.
I had eye-contact privileges, not skin privileges, proving Iliana had been right.
The miasma of charms she wore must have amplified Midas’s miniscule interest in me, and mine in him.
’Cause no way was he getting a free pass unless I got one too.
No wonder Ford was in such a good mood. Midas’s mark must have finally worn off me.
“I should go.” He folded the bill and tucked it into his pocket. “Enjoy your night.”
“You too,” I said, even though we both knew he wouldn’t.
After crossing to the futon, I dropped the stack of boxes heavy with pizza and wings on the floor beside Ford.
Slapping his hand when he reached for the wings, I warned, “Do not eat all this before I get back.”
“Back?” He stretched out his legs. “Where are you going?”
“Just give me a second, okay?” I barreled into the hall. “Midas.”
The elevator doors were closing, and I was too late, and it shouldn’t matter, and Ford was waiting…
Midas’s scarred arm shot through the gap, and my heart did this stupid little flip.
“Hadley?” Midas held the door. “What’s wrong?”
I jogged the rest of the way, stumbling at his expression, what I thought I saw there. “I just wanted to say you have my number if you need a rescue.”
“You’re on a date,” he reminded me, “with Ford.”
“A friend date, not a date-date.”
“Mine is a date-date.”
“I know, I just…” I dug the toe of my sneaker into the carpet. “I wanted to tell you that.”
Mortification was slow in coming, but it got there, and I flushed, embarrassed to have run after him.
I walked back down the hall, toward my apartment, as fast as I could and shut the door behind me.
“I started without you,” Ford said, his mouth full of pizza. “Hope that’s okay.”
Grateful when he didn’t bring up the topic of my mad dash, though I was certain he overheard it all thanks to the door I hadn’t bothered closing, I sank beside him and got comfy.
“A gwyllgi with no self-control around food? Whodathunkit?” I palmed the remote with reverence for the ridiculously expensive TV it controlled for my viewing pleasure. “Now, on to matters more important than how many slices you left me. Do you want to watch Robot Groundhog Saves the Earth from His Alien Shadow or The Thing That Came from the Basement?”
“Gee.” He took a wing, gnawing on the bone before sucking out the marrow. “That’s a tough one.”
“I’m feeding you, don’t disrespect me.”
“Robot Groundhog.”
“Excellent choice.”
I flipped off the lights, and we settled in to watch a man wearing a silver groundhog suit do battle with a woman whose left leg kept coming out of her shadow costume.
We ate tons of food, talked and laughed, and generally had a good time. If he asked a few questions that toed the line of professional curiosity, I decided I preferred that to more personal ones.
When the night came to an end, I fit a hug into the space where he hoped for more, if the look in his eyes was any indication. He took rejection well, kissing me on the cheek before he left. All in all, it was a very nice night with a very nice guy, and I ought to feel very good about it.
I did feel good about it.
Sure I did.
Of course I did.
A metallic rattle drew my attention to the window, my preferred exit, and my heart stopped when a dark shadow—not Ambrose—flickered on the other side of the glass. Summoning my darker half, I palmed my swords and advanced slowly.
There I found a gwyllgi curled up on my fire escape, right outside my window, like he was guarding me.
Or like he was lonely.
That last thought had me throwing open the window and meeting his crimson stare.
“Rough night?”
The fact Midas came to me on four legs instead of two, in a form that couldn’t speak, wasn’t lost on me.
The gwyllgi huffed, not bothering to lift his head off his front paws.
“I have leftover pizza and wings.”
Glancing past me, he gazed into my apartment.
“You can come in, or I can come out.”
He patted the metal with his paw, and I took the hint.
“Do you want your food warmed up?”
A man after my own heart, he shook his head.
“You can’t go wrong with cold pizza.” I ducked back in the apartment. “Be right back.”
I got down my largest mixing bowl and filled it to the brim with water then stacked half of the leftover pizza and wings on a baking sheet to carry out with me. Loaded down with treats, I climbed out onto the fire escape and placed the offerings within easy reach of him before settling in with my back against the building.
Midas ate while I watched the sunrise, both of us content with the silence.
I must have dozed off after I shut my eyes to hide from the light spreading across the horizon.
I woke alone, Midas’s visit a dreamlike memory, except for the two words written in the reddish pepperoni grease on the baking sheet.
Thank you.
Him coming to me after what I was certain had been a disaster of a date meant nothing.
Me going to him after I set Ford firmly back in the friend zone meant nothing.
Just like the marking thing meant absolutely nothing at all.
But for a whole lot of nothing, it sure felt like…something.
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About the Author
USA Today best-selling author Hailey Edwards writes about questionable applications of otherwise perfectly good magic, the transformative power of love, the family you choose for yourself, and blowing stuff up. Not necessarily all at once. That could get messy.
www.HaileyEdwards.net
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Hailey Edwards, Shadow of Doubt (The Potentate of Atlanta Book 1)
