City of Magic: The Complete Series by Helen Harper (book club recommendations TXT) 📕

‘You know that Anna will be royally pissed with you,’ Lizzy said. ‘She wanted the Travotel to be kept secret for now.’

‘I know. But Fab is already aware of the hotel’s existence. There’s no point in keeping him away from it when he knows it’s there.’

‘How does he know it’s there?’ she enquired, munching valiantly on an apple that was clearly too bitter for consumption. Every time she took a bite, her face contorted.

I wrinkled my nose. ‘Apparently I told him.’

Even Julie looked surprised at that. ‘You? But you’re good at keeping secrets, darling.’

‘It’s why I don’t entirely trust him.’ One of the reasons, anyway. I hadn’t told either of them about last night’s perilous misadventure with the chimney stack. I glanced at them both. There was no need to cause a panic just yet. ‘But I trust you guys with my life. No matter what you may think of Fabian Barrett, you know we can’t be too careful. All I want to do is get a sneak peek into that tent to find out more about him and why he’s here.’

‘But won’t you contaminate his tent if you go inside?’ Lizzy asked, chewing at her bottom lip.

I looked at her. ‘Contaminate it with magic, you mean? With the one thing that has made us all more powerful? It’s not hurt any of us.’

‘We don’t know about the long-term side effects though,’ she said.

‘Now you sound like him.’ I drew in a breath. ‘I’ll be in there for no more than a minute or two. I doubt I can do much damage in that time. But if you think that I’m being unfair on Fabian Barrett and risking his health or his life unnecessarily, then feel free to speak up. You know I’ll listen.’

Julie shrugged. ‘Hey, I’m all for sneaking around behind Fabian Barrett’s back, darling. The long-term side-effects might do him some good. Maybe he’ll grow horns like Lizzy.’ She smiled. There was an edge of nasty glee to her voice. Whatever had gone on between her and Fab in the past, she certainly didn’t think very much of him. ‘That’d be fun to see.’

Lizzy frowned at her. ‘I’m not here for your entertainment,’ she said. She shrugged at me. ‘But you know me, Charley. I’ve got your back no matter what. I don’t see how your plan is going to work but I’m with you all the way.’

I exhaled, surprisingly relieved. I knew that Julie wouldn’t hesitate because I knew she didn’t like the billionaire; the fact that Lizzy still trusted my judgment, even when it came to our potential saviour, was heart-warming. ‘Sleight of hand,’ I said, ‘It’ll work. Let’s do this.’

I hoisted Julie onto the rooftop beside me where we had a perfect view of the tent below – and the two guards posted outside it. As far as I could tell, neither of them had moved a muscle for quite some time. Frankly, it was a wonder they hadn’t been given jobs outside Buckingham Palace, or as those mime artists dressed as statues in busy shopping precincts. I supposed that Fabian Barrett paid better.

‘Did I ever tell you,’ Julie hissed in my ear, ‘that I hate heights?’

I grinned at her and waved to remind her to keep her head down.

A moment later Lizzy appeared, waltzing down the street as only she could. ‘Hey, boys!’ she trilled. ‘How’s it hanging?’

Both guards’ heads whipped towards her. She held up her hands. ‘Whoa. No need to look so fierce. I’m only here to say hello. I’m no shadow beast.’

‘Move along,’ Boyce growled.

She gave him a sympathetic glance. ‘You must be hot in that outfit. You know, the magic isn’t really all that bad. You might like it.’ She tilted her head and let a shot loose from her fingertips. It burst into the sky in a shimmer of magical stars. ‘See?’ she beamed. ‘Ready-made fireworks.’

‘We’re not here to chat,’ the second guard said. ‘We’re on duty.’

‘Yes.’ She nodded vigorously. ‘I hear you did a great job of keeping a look out for Lucy last night. Goodness only knows how she got free. She was locked up in her cage. She’s a canny wee thing.’

‘A dangerous monster like that shouldn’t be allowed to roam the streets,’ Boyce said. I couldn’t see his face from my position but I could well imagine his glowering expression.

Lizzy simply gave him her most disarming smile. ‘Haven’t you heard?’ she asked. ‘We’re all monsters. Even you. That’s what Charley says.’

Uh-oh. That hadn’t come out quite how I was hoping. I grimaced.

‘She said I was a monster?’ Boyce asked, his tone icy cool.

‘She says we’re all monsters. We all have the potential for evil inside us and all of us are someone’s enemy.’ She shrugged. ‘She’s pretty smart.’

‘You seem to hold her in very high regard.’

Lizzy suddenly looked serious. ‘Oh, I do. Probably in the same regard that you hold Mr Barrett.’

There was a beat of silence. ‘You’re right,’ Boyce said shortly. ‘We are all monsters in our own ways.’

‘But,’ she replied, ‘at least we can all live in peace and support each other.’

Boyce seemed to watch her for a long time. ‘Is that what you do here?’

‘Of course.’ She sounded surprised. ‘Isn’t it obvious? We protect each other. We look out for each other. That’s what communities do.’ She offered him another smile. ‘We even welcome strangers wearing odd clothes into our midst.’

‘We thank you for your welcome.’ Boyce waved at her. ‘You should go now.’

Deflated, Lizzy’s shoulders sagged. ‘Okay. I suppose you do have to take care. Especially with all those nasties around.’ She glanced about her and dropped her voice. ‘The rats are the worst.’

The second guard stiffened visibly. ‘Rats?’

Lizzy’s eyes went wide. ‘Oh, yes. They’re big bastards as well. And they carry all sorts of diseases. I’m not sure those suits would protect you. If one of them bit you, their teeth would easily break through