the trouble I went looking for.
I left, giving Colton and Mrs. Rothchild curious looks as we headed for the portal. They clearly didn’t want to talk about it in the castle, but were brimming with… Something.
I doubted that could be good. Call me a pessimist, but it normally wasn’t.
“What’s up?” I blurted when we were through the portal.
“McGrath flipped,” Colton answered. “There’s chaos all over the place.”
My mind hadn’t remotely thought that direction, so it took me a moment to catch up, but then I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard, I honestly had to lean against the wall of the hallway from the garage to the kitchen. Oh fuck, this was good.
And I did it all over again when I saw Mel and how amused she was.
“Snakes are always slithering,” she purred. “The council left him to suck it up on his own. He kept trying to contact them in front of the humans like they were his attorneys, and they finally sent word on Thursday that they wouldn’t be representing him, basically saying they were cutting ties and letting him fry.”
“Oh, I could see that going over well,” I drawled.
“He flipped. Completely and totally flipped,” she confirmed. “And has made it clear that it was all done to get you and he must have been framed for trying to help you stay safe from them.”
Clever snake. I chuckled darkly. “He thinks if he tries to turn this around, burn those who would hurt me, I’ll make this go away and help him. He’s that desperate that he’s got no other choice.”
“Basically,” Mel chuckled, several people in my packed kitchen amused as well.
I hadn’t even had a chance to catch a glimpse of them all when my phone rang, but I figured it was the usual everyone, and trustworthy, if they were called in for this. I smiled when I saw who it was, answering with hope in my voice. “You’ve got good news of me?”
“Always, chica,” Marisol Gonzalez greeted. She was a human hacker and tech genius Mel and I had always used, and still did, even if we were in the supe world. No one was better. “What have I done that you would doubt me? My feelings are almost hurt.”
“Nothing. I shouldn’t have made it a question, but assuming is rude. You can always call me just to talk or if you need something.”
“True, true, I do that too. Fine, you are forgiven,” she teased. “And yes, I have much good to tell you. They sprang all the traps you requested. I am getting so much information, it is more than my systems can handle.”
I snorted even as I pumped my fist. “I doubt that. You have a killer setup that I can’t understand in the slightest.”
“That is true. I should not tease my babies. They work so hard for me and do so much. But it is a lot, much more than you even hoped for. These are very, very bad men, chica. Who are you going after this time?”
“They’re coming for Mel and I. This time, it’s fighting those who found us and aren’t going away.”
She cursed an impressive assortment in Spanish. “I will find it all. You two must be protected, with all the good you do. The world needs fighters like you. We will do this extra securely then. I will put the first group of what I got on a secured drive and at the second drop box. And I will not notice how you always pick them up faster than is actually possible.”
I winced. So we’d been slacking in that area. “We have a few not far from you, now and again. We have one about an hour away working on someone.”
“Hmmm, good, good. Glad you have people to help you now. Stay safe, chica and we will talk soon.”
We said goodbye and hung up. I couldn’t even try to curb the huge grin as I turned to Mel… Except it faltered when I got an array of unhappy expressions pointed at me.
“What have you been up to with Marisol without even telling me?” Mel demanded.
“I would have,” I hedged.
“But?” she pushed.
I sighed. There was no getting out of this now. “But, it would have meant telling you that I’d dropped by the warlock elders’ secret meeting and estate after McGrath was arrested to have a chat and rile them all up.”
“You did what?” Lucca bellowed, getting through my ramble first. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, and it worked. Marisol