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

would it be necessary to lie?’ Monroe cracked his knuckles. ‘Let’s not forget that he tried to kill Charlotte.’

‘We have no proof of that. We don’t have proof that he’s responsible for the fire. I agree that the man is untrustworthy and unlikeable but,’ Julian shrugged, ‘I don’t think we have any choice but to go along with him.’

My eyes met Monroe’s. Julian was right: for now we didn’t have any choice. That didn’t mean things would stay that way. I ran my hands through my hair. ‘I’m going to find Julie,’ I said, ‘and see what she says.’

‘No prizes for guessing where she’ll be,’ Cath said.

I gave her a sad smile.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Carter was stocking the shelves when I entered the Blood and Bones. It was interesting that Barrett had brought in things such as booze and chocolate, which we didn’t actually need, instead of focusing on basic supplies. He was offering luxuries instead of staples. The man had a keen grasp of what would cause the biggest impact and what would win over hearts and minds – at least temporarily.

Clearly everyone was off enjoying their new bounty. As expected, the only customer in the bar was Julie. I settled onto the bar stool next to her. She raised her glass. ‘The enchantress has arrived.’

‘Hey.’ I saw the faintly glazed look in her eyes and bit back an admonishment. It wouldn’t do any good – especially when I was about to down several shots of strong alcohol myself.

‘I’m glad to see that you’ve not been taken in by the grand speech, darling,’ Julie said. ‘He does have an incredibly slick tongue.’ She toyed with her glass. ‘It depresses me to think that I once considered him as a potential partner.’ She tutted. ‘I used to have higher standards.’

‘You said you were going to get your own back on him. Have you come up with any plans?’

She laughed, although there was a sour edge to it. ‘What can I do? I can’t hurt him. We need him to bring in food or, frankly, we’re all fucked.’

It was a rare occasion when Julie swore. I gave her a concerned look, which she brushed away with a shrug. ‘Don’t worry about me, darling. Maybe I’ll think of something worthwhile that won’t upset the proverbial apple cart so much that he’ll refuse to bring in any more supplies.’

‘I don’t think that’ll happen,’ I told her.

Manchester was a fairly large city with an incredibly reduced population. There had already been people in here without our knowledge. If Fab Barrett had wanted to enter the city, he could have done so without involving us. The fact that he’d made a big song and dance and gone to the trouble of drafting in carrier pigeons was enough to give me pause. Yes, we desperately needed him if we were going to stay here but I was starting to think that perhaps he needed us too. The trouble was that I couldn’t work out why.

Julie waved her hand. ‘Que sera sera.’

I let out a mild snort. She didn’t mean that. Julie was someone who made things happen; she didn’t sit back and let them happen to her.

From my backpack, Lucy squeaked. Unsurprisingly, she was growing tired of being cooped up in there all the time. I swung the bag off my shoulders and gently drew her out, dropping her on top of the bar.

Carter, who had just finished pouring me a drink, eyed her. ‘She’s bigger than before. She grows fast.’

Her little mouth opened and her tongue lolled out, puppy-dog fashion.

‘I won’t put anyone in danger,’ I said defensively. ‘If she grows too big or she starts to act aggressively, I’ll deal with it.’

Carter’s eyes met mine. His expression was deadly serious. ‘I know you will. We all know you will. You have that sort of heart.’

Julie drained her drink and got to her feet. ‘Unlike me, you mean,’ she said shortly. ‘I’m just the vampire bitch who almost killed off the world.’ Her sour tone made me cringe.

‘That’s in the past now,’ I said.

‘Yeah, yeah.’ She turned round, wobbling slightly, and teetered towards the door. ‘I’m going home,’ she said over her shoulder. ‘I’ve got a better stash of gin than this place.’

I pursed my lips as she exited. A few days ago her mood had been buoyant but now she was definitely in the doldrums.

‘Too much alcohol can mess with your emotions,’ Carter said quietly.

‘You could stop serving her,’ I pointed out.

‘So she can lock herself in her house and drink herself to death instead? How is that any better?’

‘She’s not a bad person. She’s just done some bad things.’

Carter sighed. ‘I realise that.’ He scratched Lucy under her chin. ‘She nearly caused a worldwide apocalypse. She’s no saint.’

‘None of us are.’

‘No.’ Carter picked up a dishcloth and polished a glass. ‘She’s your friend and you stick up for her and that’s admirable. Would you say the same thing about Fabian Barrett, though? That he’s done some bad things? You don’t have proof of what he’s done.’

For a moment, I didn’t answer. I dropped my gaze, studying the wooden bar top. ‘Do you think I’m too critical of him?’ I asked.

‘That’s not what I said.’

‘Yeah, but…’ I was prevented from finishing my sentence when the door to the bar opened. This time it wasn’t a vampire. I gaped as a hazmat-suited figure stomped in, swept a long look around and then heaved himself onto the bar stool which Julie had just vacated.

I stared at Boyce. I wasn’t the only one; Carter looked as astonished as I did.

‘Got any beer?’ Boyce grunted.

Carter didn’t answer. Boyce’s face contorted. He reached up, fumbled at his hazmat helmet with clumsy gloved hands and yanked it off, dropping it next to Lucy. She immediately scuttled over to investigate it. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

‘I said,’ he repeated, ‘got any beer?’

‘Sure.’ Carter flashed him an insincere, fanged smile. ‘Homebrew alright?’

‘Fine.’ Boyce tugged at his gloves, easing them off his