“There’s no known connection right now,” Quinn said. “This isn’t your fault. More likely, this is something Ubhan has done.”
Carrow opened her mouth to protest, but Mac cut her off. “I agree. You’re going to fix this. It’s not your fault.”
Eve leaned forward. “Tomorrow, we’ll find the answers in Ubhan’s office. There’s got to be something there that tells us how to finish breaking the curse.”
Carrow nodded, worry still in her eyes. I reached out to touch her but pulled my hand back at the last second. We needed to keep our distance. Now, especially.
15
Carrow
The next morning after a night in my own bed—alone—I waited at a café table tucked behind a vine-covered trellis. My coffee sat before me, untouched, and the newspaper I held went unread. The morning sun beat down brightly, and I watched Black Church for any sign of movement.
The massive building sat on the other side of the square, and I’d chosen a table at one of the many cafés that lined the open space. It was perfect for watching the front doors of the church.
Council members had gone inside regularly since I’d arrived, but I’d yet to see Ubhan walk in. Considering he was a night owl, he might not have left last night.
Quinn strolled up, looking casual and perfect for a day out. He grinned when he saw me and sat down. “So glad you could join me for our date.”
I gave him a cheeky smile. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Quinn, Grey, and I were planning to break into Ubhan’s office this morning while Eve stayed behind to care for Mac and Seraphia. Since Grey wasn’t the type to enjoy a morning coffee on the square—it would draw attention if he sat around like a normal person—Quinn and I were pretending to be on a date.
Not that anyone was looking that closely at us. But Grey could hear us through our comms charms, and I had a feeling that Quinn would flirt with me just to annoy him. He didn’t realize the truth of our dire situation, and I wasn’t about to tell him.
“The coffee is excellent,” I said to him as the waitress approached. “My cappuccino is the best I’ve had in town.”
It was a lie, but the waitress smiled, as I’d hoped she would. Better to have her on our side. Quinn placed his order for the same. After she’d left, I gave him a quick update of what I’d seen.
As soon as the visitor from Glasgow arrived—in a kilt, according to Miranda’s sources—we were going to make our move.
The waitress returned with Quinn’s coffee, and he thanked her before she left. Instead of drinking it
, however, he pressed his fingertips to his comms charm to turn it off and nodded for me to do the same.
I frowned at him, knowing that Grey wouldn’t be able to hear us, but did as he asked. “What is it?”
“Are you sure about this thing with the Devil you have going?” His voice was pitched low enough that no one else could hear.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and Carrow—he’s dangerous. Too dangerous.”
“I know he is. But he’s not a threat to me.” To himself, maybe, because I had a feeling that he would walk right into hell to spare me, but he was not dangerous to me.
Quinn frowned. “I don’t like it.”
I scowled at him.
He raised his hands in apology. “But it’s not my place to have an opinion on it, I get it. I like you, Carrow, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
A bit of warmth pushed aside most of the annoyance. “I get it, Quinn. And thank you for caring. I understand that Grey has a certain…reputation around town. But I’m fine.”
He nodded and turned to the church. “Let’s keep a lookout.”
“Great.” I uncovered my comms charm.
Grey’s voice drifted out, quiet yet concerned. “Is everything all right? The line died.”