Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,69

warning of it.”

The last thing I wanted or needed was to walk into the café one morning to find my father or husband waiting for me.

“That’s not likely to happen, given they definitely mean us harm.”

I waved my free hand around. “And do you really think these spells will stand up against the combined might of two of the strongest witches in Canberra?”

“If it was just our magic, no. But it’s not, is it?”

“True.” I finished the remnants of the whiskey and held out the glass for a top up. “As much as I know Monty will pass on any information he has, I seriously doubt he’ll be informed of either my father’s or Clayton’s movements.”

“No.” Belle pursed her lips. “You know, now might be an ideal time to come totally clean with Ashworth. He and Eli have a lot of contacts in Canberra that aren’t related to either of our families, and they could just be the eyes and ears we need up there.”

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “You’re right, but after so many damn years of hiding—”

“It’s nice to have people to confide in,” Belle said softly. “Nice to have people we can trust.”

It was. “I guess if the shit does hit the fan and we come out the other side okay, you can finally contact your mom again.”

“Yes.” She paused. “I do miss her.”

I knew, and felt guilty about that, even though I was well aware Belle had never regretted any of the choices she’d made. Not then, not now.

I finished the second glass of whiskey. “I’ll ring Ashworth and see if they’re available for a chat tonight.”

Belle squeezed my arm. “It’ll be all right. Really, it will.”

I smiled and nodded and didn’t believe a word of it. Ashworth answered on the fifth ring. “If you’re calling for an update, I’ve got squat. You need to talk to your ranger rather than me.”

A smile touched my lips. “That’s a statement I’ve heard before.”

“Monty?”

“Yes. And it may just be that there is no more information for Aiden to share.”

Ashworth grunted. It was not a happy sound. “To what do I owe this honor, then?”

I hesitated, and then said in a rush, “I was wondering if you and Eli were available after dinner. I need to talk to you both about something.”

“That sounds serious.”

“It is.”

“Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that stray tracer witch I saw Monty with, would it?”

“You don’t miss much, do you?”

“I may be getting old, lass, but there’s nothing wrong with either my eyes or my senses.”

I smiled. “I never said there was. I’ll bring the cake if you provide the coffee.”

“Done deal. Any time after eight will be fine—Eli should be finished teaching the kids by then.”

Eli had fully thrown himself into reservation life and was now helping to coach the local kids’ cricket and football teams. Apparently he’d been pretty good at both when he was younger and had only quit playing regional cricket in his forties after a rather nasty fight with two rogue witches had left him with a shattered right hip and a warning from the doctors that high-impact sports were now out of bounds.

“I’ll be there. Thanks, Ashworth.”

“I think it’s way time you started calling me Ira, lass.”

I smiled. “It just sounds… wrong.”

He snorted. “You’re a strange one sometimes.”

“Which is why you like me so much. See you soon.”

I hung up and met Belle’s gaze. “Are you coming?”

She hesitated. “I think it better one of us stays here. I don’t trust that witch one iota.”

I raised my eyebrow. “You think she’ll break in magically and snoop?”

“Yes, if only because she’s a Sarr, and we’re not exactly well known for following the rules.”

“True.” Although Sarrs not following the rules had been a major factor in our escape. “I wish there was some sort of spell to stop prying magic.”

“If there is, Monty would know it.”

My eyebrows rose again. “Are you actually volunteering to contact the man and ask for help?”

“I wasn’t volunteering to do any such thing.” Her voice was dry. “And he’ll need to teach us both, as it’ll take the two of us to weave it through the current connections.”

I nodded. “Of course, there’s no saying such a spell would keep my father or Clayton out.”

“Probably not. In fact, it might be better if it didn’t, simply because we’ve a chance of holding our ground within the café thanks to the multiple layers of spells and wild magic. I’m not sure that’ll