“Not duplicate something that already existed.”
“The intricacies of conjuration aren’t my specialty,” Luc said. “There is, however, a library at your disposal. You should take full advantage.”
I nodded. “Good idea. When Paige gets back, I’ll stick her in the library and tag team with her. I’m hoping there’s a logical explanation.”
“As logical as a man asexually reproducing before your eyes.”
“Precisely.”
“And that’s enough for me,” Luc said, wheeling back to his desk.
As soon as he was gone, Lindsey leaned forward. “Where were you before the phone rang?”
My cheeks warmed. “I was just thinking.”
“You were not just thinking,” she whispered, frowning. “Do you want to talk? We can go outside.”
There wasn’t much point in trying to fool Lindsey. She was an empathic vampire and could read others’ emotions.
“Not right now. Maybe later.”
Lindsey straightened up again. “In that case, Sentinel, get back to work. We’ve got double trouble on the loose.”
And double trouble in the House, even if no one knew it yet.
A few minutes—and no substantive work—later, the door opened and Margot walked in with an assistant and a rolling cart of fragrant food.
“What’s this?” Luc asked, walking toward Margot.
“Your very thoughtful Sentinel ordered in dinner,” Margot said. “She asked for a home-cooked meal, but I cheated a little bit.”
Luc put a hand on my shoulder. “I knew you were worth keeping around.”
I rolled my eyes. “What did you bring?” I asked, but the answer became clear quickly enough, and I smiled for the first time in a while.
“You made a trip to Maxwell Street,” I said.
“It’s cold out. I thought ‘hearty’ would do you good.”
There were a number of foods in Chicago that were totally recognizable to tourists, like Chicago-style hot dogs and deep-dish pizza. But those of us who lived here knew some of the other secret delights: rainbow cones; Garrett’s popcorn; and Maxwell Street Polishes. The latter were Polish dogs with grilled onions and mustard. They were hot, spicy, and crazy delicious. And there weren’t just Polishes. She’d also provided cheese fries, ramekins of custard, and glasses of blood.
Cholesterol was no match for vampire immortality.
“This looks wonderful, Margot,” Luc said as Juliet and Lindsey grabbed plates and Polishes. Pity Kelley was out on patrol.
“You’re quite welcome.” Margot finished up, then wheeled out the squeaky cart and closed the door behind her.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Merit.”
“I didn’t know she’d actually make a run for Polishes. She went above and beyond for that.” I grabbed a Polish and took a bite, closing my eyes in sheer pleasure. I loved Chicago.
We ate quietly, four vampires with quick metabolisms and worry in our hearts, at least until Luc’s pager buzzed. He unclipped it and checked the screen. “You might as well head upstairs. Paige is here.”
I finished my dog and wiped my face with a napkin. “I’ll get her settled in the library.” The next words were out of my mouth before I thought better of it. “Could you tell Ethan about the conjuration spell?”
Luc and Lindsey exchanged a glance. “Why don’t you tell him?” Lindsey asked.
Because he’s being an ass, I silently thought, but played my cards diplomatically.
“I want to get Paige into the library, so I won’t have time to drop by his office, and my phone doesn’t work very well in the library. Because of the stairs. And such.”
It was a crappy excuse, and I could tell neither one of them bought it, but they let it go.
“We’ll tell him,” Luc said. “You get to work.”
I smiled with false cheer, then hightailed it to the door. Lindsey was going to have a field day with this one.
I found Paige in the first-floor foyer. She had shopping bags in hand, and she was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved White Sox T-shirt. She’d found some clothes of her own; pity she’d picked the wrong team. We did live on the South Side of the city, which made the White Sox a logical choice, but that didn’t diminish my love for the Cubs.
“Welcome back,” I said.
“Thanks. It’s been a long night.”
I guided her toward the stairs, and we headed to the second floor. “Where did you go?”
“Catcher gave me a lift to meet with Baumgartner. I talked to him. I talked to Simon.”
“What did Baumgartner have to say?”
“Not a lot.” She sounded saddened by the answer.
We rounded the second-floor landing. Paige paused and tapped her fingers against the banister. “I had this idea—that I was part of something good. Something important.”
“And you don’t think so now?”
She looked away. “I don’t know. I asked him