Death Match (A Magic Bullet Novel Book 2) by A. Blythe Page B

dignity?
    "Did you know Kieran?" I asked.
    Simon's eyes flickered briefly to Luciano and back to me. "Yes, he was my nephew on my human side."
    Wow. I was not ready for that truth bomb. "Were you close?"
    "Reasonably."
    Thompson folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at Luciano. "Kieran Morrow was your mage's nephew and you'd never heard of him?"
    "Simon and I have a strictly professional relationship," Luciano replied with a little less charm. "Do you know the names of your PTF's colleagues' nephews, Detective Thompson?" He stuck a finger in the air. "Oh wait. You don't have any colleagues, do you? Hence the odd couple routine."
    "Did you know your nephew was taking drugs?" I asked Simon.
    The old man dropped his gaze to the floor. "I don't know anything about it. Kieran was an excellent mage and was looking forward to competing in the games. I was very proud of him. I'd never been chosen, you see. When I told him I placed a bet on his team to win, you should have seen his face light up." Simon squeezed his eyes closed, fighting the pain. "My sister is devastated. The whole family is."
    "Ladies, I'm sorry we can't help you more," Luciano said, "but if you ever want to party, you know where to find me." He winked at me. "And I don't care what Vito says. You'd definitely be more fun in bed alive than dead."
    Charming.
    "Let's go, Detective," I said.
    "Before you go," Luciano said, rising from the net chair, "could you just say a line for me? Miss Winters, just tell the detective, 'this is the cleanest and nicest police car I've ever been in.' Please?"
    "We took the SEPTA train," Thompson replied.
    He slapped his hand on the table and laughed. "You girls are hilarious."
    We had a dead mage, human casualties, and a dangerous drug in circulation. Despite Luciano's cheerful demeanor, nothing about the situation was funny to me.

11
    F arah insisted that an evening at The Night Owl would help ease my grief about Jamie. I didn't believe her, but I went along all the same. I couldn't keep calling Flynn every time I wanted to blow off steam. He'd start to read too much into it.
    Khalil, the bar's owner and a fellow Marid, was behind the bar and sent us a round of free drinks. Since my reemergence in the city, Khalil had decided the first round would be free whenever I came by. My recently impoverished self took full advantage of his generosity.
    "So Luciano was hot, huh?" Farah asked. She could always be trusted to zero in on the important details.
    "What makes you say that?" I asked. I hadn't mentioned his looks.
    "You haven't mentioned his looks," Farah said. "You always make fun of how people look, especially the mobsters. That means he's super hot."
    Well played, best friend.
    "He's young," I said vaguely.
    Farah smacked her hand on the table. "Told you! So is he hotter than Captain Hot Pants?"
    Mix swore under his breath. "Do you need to have these riveting conversations in my presence?"
    Farah nudged him playfully. "You're hot too, Mix. You never hear Alyse talk about your looks, do you?"
    Her comment was a double-edged sword. Mix was perfectly attractive in a quiet, floppy-haired sort of way, but we all knew he wasn't my type. A fact that came to light several years ago when it became apparent he was interested in me. Thankfully, it was old news now. I needed Mix more as a friend than a fleeting relationship.
    "So did Luciano admit to supplying the drug?" Mix asked, trying to steer the conversation back to the case.
    "No," I said, but I explained that, despite the lack of admissions, the meeting at Luciano's frat house had yielded vital information. I now had no doubt that X-caliber had come from Luciano's group and that the drug had been given to Kieran because of his relationship with Simon.
    "But what does X-caliber do?" Farah asked. We sat in a back booth with Mix, trying to piece together the few clues we had.
    "We haven't figured that out yet, but I have someone taking a closer look at the drug's