Page 59 of No Charm Done

“I’m keeping my options open.”

The food helped. They picked at fries and passed plates around, and gradually the conversation drifted back to logistics.

“So we need to find magicians who’ll help us,” Delilah said, ticking off points on her fingers. “We need to meet with Louise’s mysterious investor friend. We need to figure out exactly how to inflate CastR’s valuation⁠—”

“Leave that part to me,” Scarlett interrupted. “I know people. Well, I know people who know people. Tech reporters, influencers, that whole ecosystem. If we want to create hype, I can make it happen.”

“And we need to coordinate the actual sabotage,” Kelly added. “Make sure when Vex does his big demo, everything fails in exactly the right way. Spectacular enough to be devastating, but we need guardrails. Nothing dangerous enough to hurt anyone.”

“So, controlled chaos,” Nate said. “My favorite kind.”

Jerusha took a delicate sip of her Singapore Sling. “This all sounds marvelous in theory, but has anyone considered the timeline? These things take time to orchestrate.”

“We have time,” Scarlett said, but she didn’t sound entirely convinced. “I think.”

Still, the energy at the table was evolving; Luna could feel it. What had started as a desperate scramble was beginning to take shape. They had the skeleton of a plan. It was insane and probably doomed, but it was something.

Scarlett had picked up her phone again, but this time her scrolling had purpose. “Okay, so if we want to generate serious hype, we need to get Vex in front of the right people. TechCrunch, Wired, maybe Bloomberg? And we need him at industry events. Demo days, start-up showcases—” She stopped scrolling abruptly. “Oh. Oh no.”

The table went quiet.

“Scarlett?” Kelly’s voice was carefully calm. “What is it?”

“I was looking for upcoming tech events. You know, to see where we could potentially push Vex to present.” Scarlett’s face had gone pale. “But I found something else. Something . . . worse.”

She turned her phone around so everyone could see the screen. Luna squinted at the small text. It was a press release. Professional, polished, the kind of corporate announcement that sounded like it had been written by a committee of very expensive lawyers.

CASTR TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES REVOLUTIONARY PLATFORM DEMO

Silicon Valley start-up to unveil magical interface application in live demonstration, July Fourth

Luna felt her stomach drop down to her shoes.

“July Fourth,” Delilah’s voice was full of dread. “That’s⁠—”

“Ten days,” Jasper said.

“Ten days.” Scarlett read the release aloud. “CastR CEO Ashton Vex will demonstrate the platform’s capabilities in a live internet broadcast, calling it ‘Independence Day for Magic.’ The event is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of viewers globally and has already generated significant investor interest.”

“Fundamentally, this is good news, right?” Luna said. “He’s already streaming the demo online. Where everyone can see.”

But Elias had gone very still beside her. When he spoke, his voice was tight with barely controlled panic. “You’re asking me to set this up in ten days? Do you have any idea how long these things take to orchestrate? The Spanish Prisoner con takes weeks of setup, minimum. Wire scams need at least a month. Even a simple pigeon drop needs time for⁠—”

“What’s a Spanish Prisoner?” Scarlett asked.

“Doesn’t matter!” Elias’s voice rose. “The point is, I don’t have time to set up a Spanish Prisoner! I don’t have time to set up anything! Ten days is a joke!”

“He’s right,” Scarlett said sadly. “Major investments like the kind we’re talking about don’t materialize in ten days. People need to be pitched, and pitched again, and it’s just . . .” She sighed. “You know me, I never want to say impossible but . . .”

Luna’s mind was racing. Ten days.

And then she remembered. “The twins.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

“What twins?” Nate asked.

“They’re called Hector and Diego. I know them from a coven in New York. You met them, Elias.”