Necromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 6)

Cain caught Maya’s eye in the mirror and nodded. For the next thirty minutes, they drove in silence until they reached the back of The Ritz.

When Alice made to get out, Cain held her back. “Josselin, go with her.”

Joss nodded and slipped a revolver into his waistband. “After you, Miss Jones.”

Thankful her father didn’t insist on making the trip upstairs with her, Alice accepted. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, she took the stairs. On the landing, she stopped. Loud music came from behind Ivan’s door. Both relieved that he was home and stressed about confronting him with more facts he’d kept from her, she rang the bell.

A pretty brunette, skimpily dressed in a low-cut T-shirt and denim miniskirt, opened the door. She looked between Alice and Joss. “Can I help you?”

Alice peered into the room. Four more girls were draped over the sofas.

“Who are you?” Alice asked, almost too baffled to find her voice.

“I’m Crimson. You can call me Crim. Nice to meet you. Are you friends of Iv?”

Alice shook her head. “I meant what are you doing in Ivan’s suite?”

Crim cocked her hip. “We’re his groupies.”

“Groupie?” The word came out as a shriek.

“Yeah.” Crim glared at her. “Want to join?”

Alice turned on her heel and walked back down the hallway. She didn’t stop to see if Joss was following, but his footsteps sounded behind her.

“Can I give him a message?” Crim called after them.

“I can’t believe he did this,” Alice gritted out more to herself than to Joss as she took the stairs.

Joss grabbed her arm and held her back. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

She jerked free from his grip. “Not that it matters.”

Joss narrowed his eyes. “Looks to me like it matters.”

“Stay out of it. It’s bad enough that my father is involved.”

Joss let her into the car and shut the door. Without questioning her hasty return, Cain gave Maya another non-verbal signal at which she drove them home.

When they parked in front of her duplex, Donald and Lann were outside, apparently in an argument.

“Alice, wait,” Cain said when the car came to a stop, but she was already out of the vehicle and on her way to the bickering men.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Donald and Lann fell quiet when they saw her.

“Suit yourselves.” She propped her hands on her hips. “Donald, I’m looking for Ivan.”

“You don’t have to look far. He’s inside.”

“In my house?” The damn audacity.

By then, Cain, Maya, and Joss had caught up with them.

“I’m home safely,” Alice said to Cain. “You can all go back to wherever you stay.”

“I don’t think—” Maya started but Alice cut her short.

“I need space, if you don’t mind.”

Cain gave her a flat look. “I’m leaving Sean and Lann. Be ready at seven tomorrow morning. We have a flight to catch.”

The team bundled back into the SUV, and Lann took up position by the black Mercedes.

Donald crossed his arms. “I’m staying. Ivan’s orders.”

Inside, Sean stood wide-legged in the entrance while Ivan paced the floor, his phone pressed to his ear.

Ivan spun around when she closed the door. “Hold on, Johnny. No, it’s fine. She’s just walked in.” He listened to a reply, his eyes glued to hers. “Yes, I’ll tell her.”

He ended the call and dumped the phone on the table. “Where the hell have you been?”

“He refused to leave,” Sean said. “Do you want me to throw him out, Miss Jones?”

Holding Ivan’s gaze, she said, “Please give us a minute.”

Sean nodded. He took his jacket from the stand and closed the door behind him.

Ivan crossed the distance in two big steps. He grabbed her shoulders. “I was worried sick. Why is your phone off?”

“It’s dead. I had an accident.”

He brushed his hands over her arms. “Are you hurt?”

“Not that kind of accident. I dropped it in the toilet.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “Fuck, Alice. You had me going out of my mind. Cain said you were at the office. I went there, but Peter said you’d already gone.” He checked his watch. “I’ve been searching for more than an hour. Where were you?”

“I told you I had plans.”

He shook her softly. “With who?”

“I had dinner with Henry.” She gave a wry smile. “At least, I was trying to have dinner with Henry.”

His nostrils flared. “The editor?” His smile was cold and calculated. “Business or pleasure?”

“Pleasure, actually, not that it’s any of your business.”

His eyes grew large, and his fingers dug into her flesh. “Not my business? Alice…” He pinched his eyes shut for a second. “You’re pushing me too far.”

“Why didn’t you tell me Godfrey threatened me to get you to do what he wants?”

His arms dropped to his side. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

She used the opportunity to move to the staircase, as far away from him as possible. “It’s always the same story. Anything else you’d like to come clean with while we’re at it?”