Page 56 of Bent Out of Shade
14
I wokeup on Thursday feeling dull and blurry thanks to my house pill hangover. I drank a ton of water, knowing from previous experience that I’d feel better within the hour, but as my back and neck were still a knotted-up, throbbing mess, I booked a chiropractor appointment for later today, snagging the last open slot.
Considering that I didn’t have any leads on Sabrina and that Vincenzo could already be here in town, I felt like I deserved a break. And thus, I corralled Eli into helping me with a very important task.
“Are you sure about this?” Eli said in hushed tones, skeptically holding the paint chips at an angle. One was royal purple, the other in sunflower yellow.
The employee stood by the mixing machine, which loudly rattled the cans.
“If the last few months have taught me anything, it’s that my greatest regret will be dying in a beige void.” I added another plastic liner to the pile of brushes, rollers, and other assorted painting supplies.
“And with Sadie grounded, now is the perfect time to force my child into hard labor.”
“I didn’t mean the colors so much as our child. Twenty bucks says she’ll get lost in her playlist and do half the ceiling as well.”
“Young grasshopper will learn from her mistakes.” I pursed my lips. “But we better get another can of white just in case.”
The employee removed one of the cans from the shaker machine and levered it open with a wooden stir stick. The rich purple winked in the light.
I clapped my hands together. “Perfect.”
Eli poked me. “Why are you so chipper?”
“I can stand mostly upright, and I’ve decided not to dwell on Zev having access to my home.”
Eli’s face darkened into a scowl, and I grasped at the air as if I could physically take the words back. “Why the newfound concern, Miriam?” His bland tone wasn’t fooling anyone.
Even the employee raised his eyebrows as he unveiled the yellow for my approval.
I flashed him a thumbs-up on the color. “Let’s just say I didn’t see Zev at his best and leave it at that. It has nothing to do with Sadie, I swear.”
My ex wasn’t thrilled about the explanation, but he didn’t push me, which was enormous in terms of trust on all things magical.
“You’re a good man, Eli Chu.” I pushed the cart to the cashier.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“You know the list of places you gave me? Was there anything you left off? Doesn’t matter how nebulous a connection.”
He thought about it. “I’ve got one more possibility, but it won’t be open yet.” He gave me the name of a pub located down by the docks on the east side.
After I’d paid, Eli lugged all the paint and supplies to my sedan.
“Buy you second breakfast in thanks?” I said.
He scratched his chin. “This is a coffee payout at best. What’s up?”
I’d hoped to do this over food, but Eli held my car keys hostage.
“Here’s the thing.”
“Nope.” He slammed my trunk closed. “Nothing good ever started with those words.”
“Right? But still. You need to disassociate yourself from the Lonestars on these murders.” I grabbed the keys from his hand and got into the car.
It took him a moment before he followed, and he slammed the door harder than necessary, so I gave both of us until we got back to the main street to continue.
“This goes no further,” I said. “Not to the deputy chief constable and especially not to Ryann.” I hit the horn and my brakes with equal force, avoiding a car jamming itself into my lane.
