rather unusual favor. Then he’d gone to prison. He’d been out for a few years now and supposedly on the straight and narrow. He still owed me, though. Even helping out the EHJ at my insistence hadn’t been payment in full. It had been a big favor, one neither of us liked to discuss. In my circle, the less you discuss things, the better.
“Same difference,” he said. “How else would I have this?” He held up a gold security card and let the elevator scan it. The penthouse placard instantly lit up, and the car began rising.
“You probably hacked into the system and stole it.”
“Those days are behind me, Fantazia. I only hack for the Old One and his cronies now. So it’s legal.” All magic-users call my father the Old One. It was his name among us before he took up the mantle of the Reincarnist and crime-fighting back during World War II.
“Criminals. Do they ever really go legit?” I mused.
“Don’t talk about my shady past in front of the kid,” the techno mage mock whispered. “Besides, you’re one to talk.” He smiled and his voice softened. “Hey, Em. How’d you get stuck with the old lady for the afternoon?”
She grinned back at him. “It’s Fay’s birthday!”
“Emily!” I chided. “That was supposed to be our little secret, remember? Fay said not to tell anyone.” My tone betrayed my annoyance that she’d to let this spill in front of Cyrus of all people, and her exuberance faded a bit and she looked down at the floor. Which just proves that I’m not good at being maternal.
Cyrus chuckled. “All these years and you’ve never learned not to tell a toddler secrets?”
“Well, as a general rule I don’t spend a lot of time with toddlers,” I growled. “I didn’t know you were such an expert.”
I noticed the corners of his mouth twist down. “I guess I’m just full of useless information. So what is this, Fantazia—the big one-zero-zero-zero?”
“Something like that,” I muttered, regretting even more the weakness that had dragged me back into the real world.
“Don’t know how you manage to be out and about, what with your advanced age,” he joked.
“Look, don’t say anything to the others,” I growled.
He grinned. “What’s it worth to you?”
Ugh. I went on the offensive, my fallback approach that always distracts men when I need to get them off topic. Angling my body in a seductive pose, I looked up at him from under long black eyelashes, flaunting my ageless beauty, the one gift of my long life. “What do you want?”
Cyrus must be the only man on earth immune to my distraction-by-flirting skills. Instead of rising to the bait and then being disappointed later when I didn’t follow through, he just frowned. “Definitely not that. And don’t do that in front of Emily.” He shook his head as if disturbed. “Too bad you were gone for the feminist movement, Fantazia. You might have learned a few things.”
I dropped all pretense of interest. “Well, what do you want?”
That irksome grin returned. “I’ll let you know. I like the thought of you owing me for a change.”
The elevator doors opened and he stepped out carrying my bags.
“Keeping this secret won’t make us even,” I warned, scooping up Emily and following.
“Don’t I know it,” he said. “You like keeping me on an invisible leash too much to ever let me free.”
Wesley must have a sixth sense that lets him know his daughter is in the building. Not me. “You’re back!” he said, hurrying over.
“Daddy!” Emily squealed, reaching out chubby arms to him. How soon I am replaced.
“Did you have fun with Fantazia?” Lainey asked, kissing her daughter still protectively encircled by Wesley’s arms. I tried not to feel the slightest twinge of jealousy. It would be mean-spirited to remind myself that one day he would forget her existence, too.
Emily’s blonde head bobbed up and down. “Ice cream!”
“Great. You’re on a sugar high then,” Lainey said.
I smiled.
“What’s all of this?” Wesley asked, motioning to the bags Cyrus set down.
“Ask Fantazia.”
I prayed silently that Emily wouldn’t say anything.
“Burfday presents!”
As if I needed another reminder that God and I aren’t on good terms.
Wesley frowned. “It’s not your birthday, Emily.”
“Not my burfday, Daddy,” she agreed.
“They’re just presents,” I said.
“Did you buy the whole toy store?” Lainey asked.
“There’s some clothes in there, too,” I said, gesturing to the bags. “Emily had to get that EHJ T-shirt. Couldn’t pass that piece of commercialism up.” I laughed.