bound to get some great stories. This time, though, no story, no matter how amusing, could distract me from what Benicio had said. After the first few sentences, Lucas stopped.
“Tell me what happened last night,” he said.
“Last—?” My mind slowly shifted gears. “Oh, the Coven thing. Well, I gave them my spiel, but it was pretty obvious they were more interested in not missing their dinner reservation.”
His gaze searched mine. “But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?”
I hesitated. “Your father came by earlier this morning.”
Lucas stopped, fingers tightening around his napkin. Again he searched my eyes, this time looking for some sign that I was making a very poor joke.
“He sent his guards in first,” I said. “Supposedly looking for you, but when I said you weren’t here, he wanted to talk to me. I…I decided it was best to let him. I wasn’t sure—we’d never discussed what I should do if—”
“Because it shouldn’t have happened. When he found I wasn’t here, he shouldn’t have insisted on speaking to you. I’m surprised he didn’t already know—” He stopped, eyes meeting mine. “He knew I wasn’t here, didn’t he?”
“Er, uh…I’m not sure really.”
Lucas’s mouth tightened. He shoved back his chair, strode into the front hall, and pulled his cell phone from his jacket. Before he could dial out, I leaned into the hall and lifted a hand to stop him.
“If you’re going to call him, I’d better tell you what he wanted or he’s going to think I refused to pass along the message.”
“Yes, of course.” Lucas tucked the cell phone into his pocket, then pinched the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses with the motion. “I’m sorry, Paige. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Had I thought he might come here, I would have forewarned you, but no one from my father’s organization was supposed to contact you or Savannah. He gave me his word—”
“It was fine,” I said, managing a smile. “Short and sweet. He just wanted me to tell you he’s got another of those cases that might interest us—well, you.”
Lucas frowned and I knew he’d caught my slip.
“He said it would interest both of us,” I said. “But he meant you. He was just throwing in the ‘us’ part to pique my curiosity. You know, get the new girlfriend intrigued and maybe she’ll pester you to give in.”
“What did he say?”
I told him Benicio’s story. When I finished, Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head.
“I can’t believe he’d—no, I can believe he’d do that. I should have warned you.”
Lucas paused, then steered me back into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “These last few months haven’t been easy for you, and I don’t want you affected by this part of my life any more than necessary. I know I’m the reason you can’t find any witches to join your Coven.”
“That’s got nothing to do with it. I’m young and I haven’t proven myself—well, not beyond proving that I can get kicked out of the Coven. But whatever their hang-ups, it’s got nothing to do with you.”
A small, wan smile. “Your lying hasn’t improved.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. If they don’t want—” I shook my head. “Why are we talking about me anyway? You have a call to make. Your father is already convinced I’m not going to relay his message, so I’m going to hound you until you do.”
Lucas took out his phone, but only stared at the keypad. After a moment, he looked over at me.
“Do you have any critical projects to complete this week?” he asked.
“Anything due this week would have been done last week. With Savannah around, I can’t let deadlines creep up on me, or an emergency could put me out of business.”
“Yes, of course. Well…” He cleared his throat. “I’m not due in court until tomorrow. If Savannah was able to stay at a friend’s tonight, would you be able—or should I say willing—to join me on an overnight trip to Miami?”
Before I could open my mouth, he hurried on, “I’ve postponed this long enough. For your own protection, it’s time to formally introduce you to the Cabal. I should have done this months ago, but…well, I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, that I could take my father at his word. Apparently not.”
I looked at him. It was a good excuse, but I knew the truth. He wanted to take me to Miami so I could hear the rest of Dana MacArthur’s story. If I didn’t, worry and curiosity would gnaw at