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

Under other circumstances I might have taken his words as a threat. There was something about the look in his eyes, however, which made me think that he was being nothing other than genuine. ‘Be careful,’ he said. ‘Especially at night time.’

That sounded very much like a warning. I reached out for his arm before realising that Fab’s clever eyes were on us. I dropped my hand and Boyce turned away. I swallowed. Well, I’d certainly not expected that from the surly bodyguard. Maybe he wasn’t quite as beholden to his employer as I’d believed. Maybe he’d also been keeping more of an open mind than I could have given him credit for.

‘I’ll be back in two days,’ Fab called out, stepping away from Felicity towards the door to the outside world. ‘I’ll bring you your supplies. You can count on me.’ He flashed us all a brilliant-white, crocodile smile. ‘Until then, take care!’ He waved before opening the door as if he were heading out for a stroll. The guards, Boyce included, followed.

I waited for a moment, half expecting to hear delighted screams from the other side of the wall at his safe return but there was nothing. Silence reigned. I shrugged. That was anti-climactic.

‘I hope he comes back,’ Cath said. ‘And that the government doesn’t toss him into quarantine or anything daft like that.’

‘He was smart to have that protective suit,’ Jodie told her. ‘He’ll be fine. He’s Fab Barrett, after all.’

I tilted my head at them. ‘Do you think he’s too good to be true?’

Felicity frowned. ‘Why do you say that?’ She exchanged glances with the other two. Their faces froze and I felt a trickle of unease.

I shrugged awkwardly. ‘Maybe Monroe is rubbing off on me. It’s just that Fab has an answer for everything. Everyone seems to like him.’

Cath dropped her head and picked at a hangnail. ‘You shouldn’t be so mean about him.’

I stared. ‘I wasn’t being mean.’

‘He knows you don’t like him,’ Felicity said. ‘He came to me last night when I was on duty at the barricade and we had a long chat. He thought I didn’t like him at first either.’

‘He should have realised that you’re gruff with everyone,’ Cath said.

Felicity smiled slightly. ‘That’s what I said. He’s a good guy really.’ There was an odd, fawning edge to her words.

I folded my arms. ‘Can we backtrack a little here? When did I say I didn’t like him?’

‘You didn’t,’ Jodie said. ‘But Fab can tell. You shouldn’t be jealous of him.’

I took a step back. ‘Why,’ I asked carefully, ‘would I be jealous of him?’

All three of them shuffled and twitched. My eyes narrowed.

‘You’re the enchantress,’ Cath said finally. ‘You’ve kept us safe up till now. You helped bring our communities together. We all get on now because of you.’

Jodie nodded. ‘We get it. You feel responsible for us. You always have. That’s why you used to get so stressed back when we were living in the south.’

‘Fab says that stress is often a sign of serious illness. That it can get worse and worse if it’s not treated properly.’

My stomach tightened. ‘You told him I was stressed?’

Her mouth twisted slightly. ‘I might have mentioned it. In passing.’

‘I was stressed,’ I said. ‘But that was months ago. I don’t feel like that any more. I’m not in charge now. I don’t have to feel that way.’

‘People often hide their worst anxieties,’ Felicity told me. ‘They bottle things up until they explode. It’s not healthy.’

‘Let me guess,’ I said. ‘Fab said that as well?’

She looked away. ‘Yeah.’

‘What else did he say about me?’

Jodie coughed. ‘Maybe we should head home. It’ll be dark soon.’

I growled, ‘What else did he say?’

She twisted her fingers together nervously.

Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not afraid to tell you,’ she said. ‘It’s not your fault you are who you are. You’ve done amazing things for us. You can’t help feeling a bit put out that he’s swooping in like Superman, with unlimited money and resources. You’ve done the best that you can with what you had, and we love you for it.’

‘So,’ I said slowly, ‘Fab Barrett is Superman and I’m the disgruntled bitch in the corner who’s annoyed because he’s helping us?’

‘Yep.’

‘And I’m so stressed that I might explode with fury at any moment?’

‘Yep.’

‘And I’m jealous because he’s a billionaire?’

‘Yep.’

I pursed my lips. ‘I suppose the last one might be true.’ Not that I could think of what I might need that much money for.

Cath scratched her head. ‘You know, when you say it like that, it does seem rather unlikely.’

I looked at her. ‘You think?’

‘Yeah,’ Jodie said, ‘but when Fab said it, he put it differently. The way he said it, it made sense. I mean, he did point out that you were just a cleaner…’ She realised what she’d said and her cheeks turned red.

‘Just a cleaner?’ I asked, my voice hard.

‘He said you were probably still traumatised by what happened to your little brother,’ Cath added in a hushed voice.

Incandescent fury lit inside me. ‘You told him about Joshua?’ I spat.

‘No, no, I wouldn’t have done that.’ She shook her head, suddenly alarmed.

I turned to Jodie. ‘You?’

‘No.’ For the first time since I’d known her, she actually looked scared.

Felicity stared at all of us. ‘Who’s Joshua?’

I put my hands on my hips. ‘How does Fabian Barrett know about my little brother? Felicity doesn’t.’

Cath swallowed. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Why would Fabian Barrett persuade you that I don’t like him? Or that I’m traumatised? Or that I’m too stressed to string a coherent thought together?’

‘You’re very powerful,’ Jodie hedged.

I nodded. ‘Go on.’

‘We all look up to you,’ Cath added. She exhaled.

‘Uh huh.’ I tapped my foot and waited.

The three of them looked at each other. Surprisingly, it was Felicity who broke the silence with a deep, rumbling snarl. ‘He manipulated us.’ She bared her teeth. ‘He screwed with our heads.’ She jabbed a finger in the air, pointing at nothing. ‘You