The Whimsy Witch Who Wasn't - Donna Augustine Page 0,74

shook his head. “I never should’ve left. Now I can’t go back without being ready to grovel for a decade. I’m not that desperate—yet.”

Zab nodded. “Yeah, man. I get it. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

The blond took a deep breath, as if preparing himself. He stood slowly, like leaving empty-handed was too heavy a burden to bear.

“Make sure you call me if anything comes in, okay?” he asked.

“You know I will. You’re my bro,” Zab said.

The blond nodded, gave a weak smile, and headed out.

“Hang in there and keep on witchin’,” Zab said, watching the blond’s slow exit.

I rolled my chair closer to Zab, who was still looking at the door. The best and worst part of sitting so close to him was watching negotiations play out, and sometimes fail.

“What’s his skill set? Maybe there’s something in the stack.”

“He came from…” He hooked a thumb toward the ceiling. “He can make certain appearances here and there, but man, the contract they sign when they leave is ironclad. They lock them up tight. They don’t like defectors. Sometimes they forgo anything extra altogether and move to Rest. It’s a tough situation either way when you’re born into something that doesn’t quite fit.”

I rocked back in my chair. Boy did I know how that felt.

Zab jumped up from his seat and went to the coin box on the shelf behind him. He looked over at me with a big smile. “You game?”

“When do I ever turn down a cocoa?” I asked. I’d been two-a-daying it for a while. In the short time I’d been here, I’d quickly come to crave the Sweet Shop cocoa like a junky craved crack.

“Anyone want a cocoa?” Zab asked, gathering up coins.

Musso looked up from the client at his desk. “Yeah, I’ll take one.” He said it like he wasn’t as into them as we were. That was bullshit. Sometimes he was a two-a-day-er too. Zab and I had spied him stopping over for a second hit on his way home several nights in a row.

Belinda looked up, her gaze getting stuck on me long enough to remind me she still hated me. Then she turned to Zab.

“No. Thank you,” she said.

The woman was incapable of being normal, not even for the two minutes it took to answer a question about something as generic as cocoa. If there was no Hawk, we still would’ve been doomed to not get along. She was way too much work, and that kind of maintenance was tiring to sustain for the long haul.

“Where’s Rabbit?” Zab asked.

“I’m here,” Rabbit said, walking out of the back room. “I think I’m good. I’m going to head upstairs soon.” She leaned by the stairwell door, looking like she’d barely make the climb.

“Yeah, you should go up.”

She nodded and disappeared.

I stepped closer to Zab, hoping Belinda would mind her own business. “I thought she’d get better after she left the factory. How long do you think it’ll take?”

Zab was still looking at the door.

“Zab?”

He hesitated and then said, “Maybe you should talk to her? There could be more going on.”

So he didn’t think it was normal either. I’d been hoping for some excuse about her needing more time. I really needed that second cocoa today.

The door opened and a swell of people walked in. There had been a lot of calls going out today. It was definitely going to be a late night.

Zab cursed under his breath before saying, “I called half of these people five hours ago. Now they show up? This is going to be a bit. I’ll go as soon as I finish here.”

“You always go. I’ll go. I’m not exactly essential personnel.”

Belinda laughed the loudest. She made it hard to even crack a joke.

“You sure?” Zab asked, looking out the window at the darkening sky.

“Zab, it’s practically across the street.”

“She’ll be fine,” Musso said.

Zab had the coins in his hand, except his fingers were still wrapped tight around them.

“Zab. Seriously, it’s two seconds away.”

He dropped the coins into my hand as the mob began descending upon his desk, all asking almost simultaneously if he had work for them.

“I’ll tell them to make yours extra chocolaty,” I whispered before I left.

I made my way to Sweet Shop, noticing that the streets were emptier tonight. Might’ve been that anyone with half a brain was hunkered down. Even for Xest, this was bad.

The Sweet Shop was empty too, except for the owner, Gilli, who knew our order and was quick to greet me