Shadow Duel (Prof Croft Book 9) by Brad Magnarella (ereader with android .txt) 📕

“Hey, guys.” He nodded at Vega before fixing his gaze on me. The bags under his eyes had retreated back into his face, leaving only faint smudges. “I realized I, um, never thanked you for your help on the case.”

My wife had apparently realized that too. She stood to one side with her arms crossed, watching to ensure her detective partner did the deed properly. Hoffman glanced over as he extended his hand. When I accepted his shake, his emotions seemed to take over. He pulled me into an awkward hug.

“I’m not good at these things, Croft,” he whispered harshly. “But you did save my ass.”

“It was a bit of a winding road,” I managed inside his strong embrace, “but we got there eventually.”

He chortled and jerked me hard against him. “I owe you, buddy.”

Something told me he’d forget the promise the next time we butted heads, but I’d take it for now. I patted his broad back.

“Hey, I want you to meet my family,” he said as we separated.

A middle-aged woman with dark hair and two boys had hung back, and he waved them forward now. The boys looked about ten and eight, their thick builds and curly brown hair marking them as Hoffman’s brood.

“This is my wife, Kay,” he said of the surprisingly pretty woman. “And my boys, Joey and Anthony.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Kay said in a strong New York accent as she handed me a gift-wrapped bottle.

The boys took my hand shyly, the older one tucking a football under his opposite arm. When Hoffman chuckled and ruffled his hair, I could see how proud he was to be a father. I also understood the fear I’d seen on his face when he’d pulled me aside in Bear’s apartment. He’d needed to keep his job not only for his sake, but theirs. I was especially pleased now that I’d been able to help.

“Why don’t you guys join us?” I said, looking over at where Bree-yark was meeting Mae and taking her large basket. “There’s plenty of food.”

“Aw, we’d love to,” Hoffman said, “but we’ve got a party to get to at her parents’ place.”

“It’s their fiftieth wedding anniversary,” Kay explained, taking her husband’s hand.

“And I’m in charge of the grill,” he added importantly.

“Well, wish them a happy anniversary for us,” I said, Vega echoing the sentiment.

When the Hoffmans were out of earshot, I said, “Thanks for looking out for me.”

“What do you mean?” Vega nudged me. “That came straight from Hoffman’s heart.”

“Sure it did.”

I unwrapped the gift and snorted. It was a bottle of Discovery Select. Hoffman grinned over a shoulder and shot me a finger pistol. I wasn’t going to touch the scotch, but I’d find a spot for the bottle in my library. Something to remember our case by. I watched him and his family disappear beyond the crowd.

“They actually look like a functioning unit,” I remarked.

“Thanks to Kay,” Vega said. “Hoff lucked out with her big time.”

“Speaking of families…” I turned to her. “I’ve had a lot of time to think this past week. Even though the box disappearing from the loft ended up being a false alarm, I talked to the building’s owner yesterday. Turns out there’s a basement efficiency he’s taken a couple stabs at fixing up, but at this point he’s willing to sell. I could use it for casting and storing anything that seems even borderline iffy. Who knows, it might even help with my phobia,” I added.

She smiled. “Whatever you decide is best, I’ll support.”

Given the concern she’d shown, I’d expected her to be staunchly in favor of the move. “Really?”

“I may not always understand Everson, the magic-user…” She rose onto her tiptoes to kiss me. “But I trust Everson, the man.”

“Then I’ll talk with the owner again Monday, see how low I can get him. We’re going to have a little girl who’ll be able to shoot up and down that ladder before we know it. Best if we have something set up well in advance.”

“See?” she said, telling me I’d given the right answer.

Bree-yark returned with Mae’s basket. He still looked distraught, but Mae was chatting away, and by the time the food had been passed around and we were all settled on our blankets, he looked semi-relaxed. Until we heard a familiar voice…

“Yoo-hoo!”

You’re kidding me, I thought with a groan.

I looked over to see Gretchen prancing toward us, this time in blue capri pants and a striped shirt. She’d pinned an actual sailor’s hat atop her tied-back hair, and an airy red scarf fluttered around her neck.

“What are the odds of running into you here?” she panted happily as she arrived. “Well, Enzo and I are finally off on our travels. In fact, we’re on our way to the pier now.” She nodded at her boyfriend, who was standing in another suit and broad-rimmed fedora, his arms loaded with suitcases.

“Our boat leaves in thirty minutes.”

“And your route just happened to take you through Central Park?” I asked dryly.

“Unless of course someone thinks I shouldn’t go,” she continued, ignoring me. “In fact, now would be the time to tell me.”

She looked pointedly at Bree-yark, who was glancing between her and Enzo. But like me, he seemed to be noticing something off about Gretchen’s boyfriend. Standing in full sun, his proportions didn’t seem quite right. And why was she always keeping him at a distance?

When the wind picked up, I angled my cane and released a force invocation just strong enough to send the fedora toppling from his head. A monstrous face with a jutting jaw appeared, causing Gretchen to turn with a start. She snapped her fingers, restoring the hat to his head, but Bree-yark had already seen enough.

“Enzo’s a … shaved bugbear?” he asked.

“Why, of course not!” Gretchen replied with a nervous laugh. “Where did you ever get that silly notion? He’s an amazing, adventurous man, who—”

I displaced his hat a second time,