His suspicion makes my heart thump. “She might have used magic to do it,” I reply in the smallest voice imaginable.
Ethan’s hand grips tightly onto my leg now, pulling me forward just a little. “You have been associating with the North siders?” He questions forcefully. Gulp. If only he knew the extent to which I have been associating with them. Oh God. Why didn’t I keep my stupid mouth shut?
“Not exactly. I have a witch friend, but she’s an outcast, she doesn’t live or communicate with the magical families. In fact, she’s sort of their enemy, so you’ve got a lot more in common with her than you think.” In my head I’m praying that he’ll accept this explanation.
Ethan visibly relaxes. “Was she rejected by her family for some reason? Which one does she belong to?”
“Um, I don’t know. She was sort of the result of a one night stand, so she doesn’t know who her father was.” Of course, I’m lying now, but no way am I going to tell Ethan that Theodore fathered a daughter whose magical talents might just surpass those of the magical families.
“Interesting. This wouldn’t happen to be the witch whose name I believe is Rita who banished Theodore into a hell dimension would it?” Ethan asks shrewdly. Damn, I’d forgotten that Ethan and Rita had met. All of the recent drama is turning my brain into mush.
“It might be.”
“And is this the unnamed friend you have been staying with? I had assumed it was the blond woman who you first came to the club with.”
“No, that’s Nicky, she’s living with her new girlfriend and I didn’t want to impose myself on them. So yeah, I’ve been staying with Rita.” Finn, Gabriel, Alvie and Noreen too.
“She is a very powerful witch. But you say she is an outcast, why is that?”
“As I said, she’s not an official member of the magical families. I don’t think they know just how powerful she is.”
“Do you think she would consider coming and working for me? I would pay her handsomely, and it would be a huge advantage to have a witch on my staff.”
I shift away from Ethan a little, not liking how he always seems to be plotting in his head. Figuring out ways to make himself more powerful in the politics of this city.
“I don’t think she would agree to that Ethan. Rita likes being her own woman.”
“Even so, mention it to her the next time you see her.”
“I’m not your messenger, and there’s no point because I know she wouldn’t agree. Besides, I thought you’d just about subdued the North side and that Pamphrock was going to accede defeat any day now?”
“That is true, but it would always be useful to have an ally with magical skills should the North try to take back what it has lost.” Ethan stops talking and gazes at me indulgently. “Wars are not as clean cut as you would like to think Tegan,” he traces a finger along my jaw. “Sometimes I forget just how young you are, and how little you know about our world. Yes there are winners and losers in wars, but there are always loose ends, and even when the victors emerge they cannot relax, they must continue to fight to keep what they have won.”
I shake off the tremble that his touch provokes. “I guess. Look I’ll mention it to Rita, but only if you help me look for my dad tonight, deal?”
Ethan grins victoriously. “Deal.”
We drive around the area of Freemont park in Ethan’s Cadillac, it’s mostly residential houses around here, very scenic and leafy, lots of tall trees line the long avenues. I have no clue how I’m going to figure out where exactly my dad is, as there are hundreds of similar houses. Perhaps I should be looking for a whited-out window with bars on the inside. But that window had been tiny, it would be far too difficult to spot. Furthermore, I have no idea where on the building the window is located. It could be in the basement or even in the attic, there’s just no telling.
Ethan reaches over and takes m
y hand into his, stroking my inner wrist with his thumb. I lean into him, resting my head on his solid shoulder. Some low, relaxing song is streaming from the radio.
“We can continue driving, if you’d like,” Ethan says soothingly, “but I’m afraid we won’t find many clues that way. Do you want to get out and walk around? Perhaps we might see someone or find something that will lead us to your father.”
I nod and straighten up, Ethan’s calming touch had almost sent me off to sleep. I need to focus on the mission at hand. Ethan parks the car and we get out, but he comes around to my side and takes my hand into his again. It’s quiet out, and dark. The soft yellow light of lamp shades glow from behind the curtains of the various living rooms we pass by.
Everything seems so normal. You would never guess that a man was being kept a prisoner against his will in one of these oh so pleasant homes. We continue our walk in silence, Ethan stops to glance about every couple of minutes, as though trying to sense what we’re looking for.
“I forgot to mention,” says Ethan, breaking the silence. “Jeremy has organised for his party to take place tomorrow night. I would come and pick you up myself, but since you are staying on the North side, perhaps you would like to come to my home and we can leave together from there.”
I’d been so consumed with thinking about my dad that I almost forgot about Whitfield’s party. I don’t have a clue what’s going to happen, especially since Pamphrock and his slayers are apparently planning a rescue mission as we speak. So maybe the party won’t happen at all. Or maybe I’ll get caught up in some fiasco should they happen to try and make their move while I’m there. I swallow painfully.
“Sure, I can do that. What’s the dress code?”
Ethan grins. “Formal, of course. I know you prefer to dress casually, but I can organise something for you if you don’t own anything suitable.”
“No that’s fine, I’m sure I have something decent.”