Page 74 of Villains Never Die

“You’re not. You're shaking, and you scared the hell out of me. What was that?” He helped me sit up, and as I did, the image of that flaming gray cloth singed itself behind my eyes. I turned to Rook.

“I don’t know.”

But the cold inside me refused to let go, throttling me in an icy grip that felt right at home in this warehouse filled with Death.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Two days passed, and I was still no closer to understanding the splitting headache I’d experienced in the warehouse, but I couldfeelsomething—magic, but not. Not mine in the same way the power of death wasn’t mine. The chill hadn’t vanished. There was a cold foreboding lodged permanently in my bones.

I sat in Wesley Lake’s office across from the politician who looked like he could sell you a car, barter for your soul instead, and then receive thanks for the opportunity.

“Graves’s counter legislation is due Friday,” he said. “Were you able to review the documents I sent out?”

I pulled my attention away from the chill inside me and focused it on Lake. “Bold ideas,” I noted.

“I cannot lose this election,” he said. “If Emmett passes his naive ideas about everyone hugging and helping each other, it could be another ten years—until the next election—before magicians hold a place of power again. These murders have destabilized our position in the city. The others know we haven’t caught him. It looks weak.”

“Level with me, then,” I said. “You and I both know the murders aren’t about the election.”

“What makes you say that? So far all of the victims work for the Council.”

There—one tiny, rapid blink. I wondered how his own lie tasted in his mouth.

“Clayton Pope didn’t.” And he didn’t mention what had happened at my building Sunday night, which meant he didn’t know about it or was sitting on the information to use later.

“That is an anomaly.” He slid effortlessly into his next argument, slimy as a worm. “Perhaps he opposed Emmett and needed to be removed from the picture.”

“Are you suggesting Emmett killed him?”

His hand flattened on the desktop and he examined his fingernails. “Or a supporter. I’m the last person to suggest a Council member would stoop so low, but people will surprise you—not always in a good way.”

“What will you do if Emmett wins?” I asked.

“He won’t. They’ll see my side before the election.”

“So confident. If Emmett or a supporter means to eliminate the competition, perhaps you are also on the killer’s list.”

He flashed me a dazzling, but heartless smile and said, “I’ve been in politics since I was nineteen. If you think this is the first time my life has been at risk, you are mistaken. I’m not worried.”

“Do you think Emmett faked his attack?” I asked. There was a truth underneath Wesley’s lies. I just needed to suss it out and carry it home to examine it further.

“I think the world is full of possibilities,” he said. “I never rule anything out until I have evidence to prove otherwise.”

I leaned back, draping one arm over the arm of the chair and nodded, pretending to contemplate as I pictured Wesley with an owl mask covering his face. This would be easier if anyone otherthan the dead and Emmett Graves had seen the masked man. I had no clues to go on, no idea of his build or movements.

Nothing to give him away.

“What is it you want from me?” I asked.

“Your continued support, of course, and perhaps you could use some of your connections to make the more influential people in this city sympathetic to my cause. You have another full moon gala coming up, right? I’d love an invitation.”

I breathed slowly, leaving a moment for him to think his request had landed firmly on my good side.

“Mr. Lake, I deal in exchanges, not devotion. If you wish me to further your political cause, you may want to try offering something of mutual benefit.”

Wesley paused, mulling it over, and lowered his voice to a whisper as he leaned over the desk.

“I recently learned you have become close to a new friend,” he said, and the cold in my bones seemed to drop ten degrees. “Rook, is it? I don’t really care about the fights he hosts at his club, but you two—a fascinating match. What’s so appealing about him? You’d think you’d hate him for leeching away even a little bit of your control over Ashbruck.”