finish the whole meal. When Georgio cleared my plate, I thought he was going to cry. Even the lazy grandson seemed pleased when he finally brought me out my coffee.
And what a cup of coffee it was.
It was so strong and rich I felt like I’d slept for a week. You would never dare tarnish it with milk or sugar. Every sip brought a caramelized sweetness to the back of my tongue and I kept closing my eyes to savor it. It was the most incredible coffee I’d ever tasted. I sat back for a moment and wondered if that little cup could be the best thing that ever happened in my sorry little life. It was warm and it was bitter and it was good.
When I tried to tip them, Georgio wouldn’t hear of it. He felt he owed me for the two previous meals. I conceded and asked for another cup to go.
I climbed those rotten old stairs and aired out the waiting room and opened the windows to my office. I placed the manuscript alone on the mantel and told myself that I would find it some friends. I washed out the glasses from around the room and left them on the sill to dry. I wiped the dust off my desk, sat back in my chair and waited.
Then I thought about the girl. The Siren kid with the forbidden voice who put too much trust in her teacher.
I thought about Amari, and what she was hoping for when she asked me to stay. Surely, it wasn’t this.
So, I opened up the Angel door. The one that led out to nothing but a patch of empty air. It had been useful when there was magic in the world and folks took to the skies like it was nothing. Now it was only handy if you wanted to kiss the cobblestones at fifty miles an hour.
I sat myself on the doorstep and looked down at Main Street between by boots. I never did go to that cobbler. I didn’t do a lot of things.
But I did keep Amari up in her mansion. Stuck to the floor and waiting.
For what?
For whatever can happen if Trolls are moving, I suppose. And if a Vampire can find a way to put some magic back in his bones, then what else might be possible? Maybe a Man for Hire is just the right kind of fool to find out.
I’ve got nothing left to lose. No friends. No money. Nobody to disappoint. All I have is the perfect cup of coffee.
So, for now, I’ll drink the coffee.
The story continues in…
BOOK TWO OF THE FETCH PHILLIPS ARCHIVES
Keep reading for a sneak peek!
Acknowledgements
Thank you.
First, to Mum and Dad who made a world where it never felt ridiculous to try something ridiculous, and are both endlessly supportive and brutally honest at the same time.
To Jenni Hill who made all this happen and has been the perfect partner in editing this story, and to everyone else at Orbit and Hachette, especially Nivia Evans and Joanna Kramer.
To my agent Alexander Cochran and all at C+W, Joe Veltre and the gang at Gersh.
To Steven and Simone Lochran, and Lani Diane Rich, who were the first voices in the publishing world to tell me I might have something special and, more importantly, to tell others that too.
To all my generous friends and family who were willing to read my book before it was a book. Daphne Olive, especially, who has been an invaluable bouncing board through this whole process, and to Ashley, George, Jin, Abs, Bracks, Tobes, Josh, Estefania, SKC, JPK, Jira, Lauren and Keran, because if you weren’t willing to read this along the way, I would have forgotten why I was writing it.
To anybody who ever bought or lent me a book, most importantly Simon Tate and Sarah Kanake.
And finally, to all the fans who were introduced to me as an actor and have been kind enough to follow me here, thank you for your support and I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey so far.
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meet the author
LUKE ARNOLD was born in Australia and has spent the last decade acting his way around the world, playing iconic roles such as Long John Silver in the Emmy-winning Black Sails and his award-winning turn as Michael Hutchence in the INXS mini-series Never Tear Us Apart. When he isn’t performing, Luke is a screenwriter,