Southwest Days (Semiautomatic Sorceress Book 2) by Kal Aaron (best book recommendations TXT) 📕

“Now you’re getting me.” Lyssa shook her head. “But I don’t know. That’s what’s bothering me. I didn’t have time to watch every last video, but I watched several and skimmed the titles of most. There’s nothing in there about them going to haunted or spooky places.” She frowned. “This trip was an out-of-nowhere departure from their usual style. We’re talking about going from them putting on a dinosaur costume and tricking an old woman at a grocery store to them heading into an abandoned mine that just happens to have real deadly monsters inside. That’s a big jump.”

Samuel nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. “You’re saying they were murdered? That someone deliberately sent them to that mine?”

“Or they were test subjects,” Lyssa said. “Why? Who knows? Maybe a Sorcerer was clicking through their videos, found them annoying, and decided to take them out, but it’s enough to make me wonder. At a minimum, it’s enough for additional follow-up.”

“I agree. Do you have a plan for how to proceed based on what you’ve told me?”

“I think I should press the survivor a little more and see if I can get something new. He might have noticed something meaningless to the cops that would be a big clue to us.”

“I see,” Samuel replied. “This is something best coordinated with the EAA so they can act as your liaisons with the relevant Shadow authorities. This is stretching the purview of your contract, but I’m not opposed to you continuing the investigation, given the possibility of a rogue being involved and the potential for more monsters in the area. The last thing we need to do is supply anti-sorcery groups with more PR fodder.” He frowned. “You were right earlier. The quicker we handle this, the better it is. What sort of a win did you call it?”

“A quadruple win.” Lyssa smiled. “I’ll check in with Damien.”

“Good.” Samuel stared at her, something searching in his gaze. “I’d rather this be handled as thoroughly as possible without further escalation. Involving Eclipses can be complicated, and given the sensitive history of the area, we should clean up the mess before the Shadows start asking too many questions about Tombstone as well.”

Lyssa laughed. “Sure. I’ll go find the rogue and take him out so we can lie a little longer about something else completely unrelated.”

Chapter Fifteen

Lyssa decided to cut Damien a break by arranging for a meeting at her home later that day. It might have been fun to harass the employees at the federal building, but she didn’t want to create too much trouble for the EAA, especially in the middle of a sensitive investigation.

She also had no reason to mess with anyone else at that building. Lyssa didn’t mind poking people, but she liked to confine it to people who messed with her first. That was how she distinguished between feistiness and bitchiness. Not everyone agreed, but it let her sleep at night.

True to his word, the agent showed up without his government car or suit, though his glasses and hat were a Clark Kent-level attention-drawing disguise. Anyone looking at him would assume he was a fed.

There wasn’t anyone around, so Lyssa didn’t worry much, but she ushered him inside and to the couch before taking a seat herself. He’d learn. She just needed to help him understand.

“First things first,” Lyssa said. “Do you smell anything?”

“Do I smell anything?” Damien sniffed the area. “I’m kind of getting a hint of strawberry.”

“Oh, that’s my shampoo.” Lyssa gestured around the room. “Anything else?”

“No.” Damien shook his head. “Should I? Are you cooking something?”

“No. I’m just checking if I’ve still got monster stink on me after taking another long soak with the help of an enchanted herbal bath bomb. I think I finally got most of it off.” Lyssa shuddered and gestured at her face. “I am trying to figure out how much of it is in my head.”

“You smell nice.” Damien shrugged. His eyes widened, and he swallowed. “Not nice. Not bad either. You smell normal. That’s it. Normal. But normal is good.”

Lyssa smirked. She had to take the bait. “Oh, you sweet-talker, you! Do you tell all the girls they smell normal? Sexy!”

Damien coughed and averted his eyes. “The job. We should talk about the job. From what you sent to me, it’s not over. Please bring me up to speed so I can do my best to help you.”

“Fine.” Lyssa huffed. “Be boring.”

“It’s what I’m best at.” Damien winced.

“Let’s drop it, Damien.” Lyssa grinned. “We have something more important to do.”

She related her progress on the job without mentioning Eclipses, Tombstone, or the OK Corral. Samuel hadn’t been clear about who knew what about that incident, and while she hated politics, she couldn’t escape them. She needed to land this assignment to earn favor, not screw up her chances of getting to Last Remnant.

And she didn’t need to be as pompous as Aisha to care about her Torch duty. Anyone who would make something like the queen she had fought needed to be taken down, especially if they’d set up some stupid college kid to die.

“It does come down to a rogue at the end,” Damien said after Lyssa finished the explanation.

“That’s the most likely explanation, but it’s not concrete. I’d be lying if I said it’s impossible for them to be old holdovers, but I don’t think so.”

“I was worried about that. Ever since Houston, the entire EAA is on high alert.” He held up a hand when Lyssa gave him a worried look. “No, we’re not planning to try to take down any rogues ourselves, but the higher-ups want us to be proactive in defusing incidents with Torch and Eclipse help.”

Lyssa nodded. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“Everyone’s happy with what you and Aisha Khatri accomplished,” Damien continued, “but I think in the back of their minds, they’re wondering why we didn’t know more about the shard smuggling, and they’re also worried about another Sicilian Inferno situation.”

Lyssa nodded. “The Society