boundary witch need to interfere with your wards to perform magic?”
She hesitated for a second, then admitted, “Not necessarily. The wards at Oakland, for example, are designed to keep humans away during Promenade. They wouldn’t prevent witch magic. But,” she added, holding up a manicured finger, “there would likely be signs of spellwork. Supplies, chalk lines”—her lips curled with disgust—“blood spatters from sacrifices.”
I blinked. “Not a fan of boundary magic, are you?”
I was baiting her, but Tallulah’s glossy lips pressed in a line, like she was working hard to restrain herself. “Go ahead,” I said in a bored voice. “I’ve heard it all before.”
To my surprise, she gave me a thin smile, showing teeth. “Bless your heart,” she said, her voice soft and dangerous. “You have no idea where you are, do you, child?”
I didn’t like that, but I made myself smile back at her. “Maybe you can explain it to me.”
Leisurely, Tallulah leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs—at the knee this time. “Honey, this is Atlanta. Capital of the new South, home of Georgia’s best in culture, economics, and aesthetics. And do you know what’s just outside this city?”
I just raised an eyebrow. “Anarchy,” she spat. “Trash magic. The South is old, older than you can imagine, and we’ve got more than enough perversions of magic to prove it. Voodoo, Witchery Way, rootwork, granny magic, even Santeria up from the Mexicans.” She flicked her fingers dismissively. “Nonsense built on superstition and dead religions rather than sympathetic or natural magics.”
Well, that was racist. “What’s your point?”
“My point,” she said, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward to stab her finger at me, “is that your little necromancy bit might impress Beau, or some out-of-touch vampire in some nowhere northern state, but I have bigger concerns. I have a dozen disparate magical traditions running around my backyard threatening my home, and my job—my real job—is to hold the line.”
“What does that have to do with Beau?”
She gave a self-satisfied snort, as though I’d just proven her point. “Nothing.” Her hand returned to her glass, lifting it to her lips. “I’ve got no horse in this race, girl. Solve Beau’s problem, or take his money and go home. I personally don’t give a damn.”
She took a long sip of her iced tea, eyes drifting away from me as though I were already gone.
I considered staying and pushing her just for fun, but I just didn’t have enough information to know what to ask, and if I seriously pissed off one of Beau’s allies for no reason, it would reflect poorly on Maven. So I stood up. I hadn’t touched the sweet tea.
“Thank you so much for your time, Tallulah,” I said in my sweetest tone. “It’s been most enlightening. I can’t wait to let Beau know how helpful you’ve been.”
Worry flickered on her face as I turned on my heel and did my best to sashay out of there.
Chapter 13
The restaurant Odessa had chosen turned out to be a small, trendy-looking cafe that reminded me of a lot of the nicer places on Pearl Street . . . only the menu didn’t have gluten-free options, and there were massive shutters that could be opened for an open-air dining experience.
It took me a second to spot Odessa, mostly because she blended in so well with the other patrons. Today she’d eschewed the riding clothes in favor of a demure blue dress with a cardigan and a lot of subtle makeup. Her hair was in loose ringlets at her shoulders, and she had layered on a number of silver rings to match the delicate silver hoops in her ears.
There was a woman in her early forties at the table with Odessa, though she stood up the moment I began to approach. The stranger was tall and striking, with a deep tan, strong nose, and a watchful expression. She wore jeans, a red floral blouse, and a well-tailored blazer, and I instantly thought cop. Or maybe ex-cop. As soon as I looked for it, I spotted the sidearm in a discreet hip holster. I lowered my eyes and saw a bulge at her ankle too. Backup weapon. This had to be the bodyguard.
She leaned over and murmured something to Odessa, who looked up from her phone and sprang to her feet. “Lex! I’m so glad you could make it!” she sang, coming around the table and giving me a hug.
I hadn’t realized we were on hugging terms, but I had a big family and