Free Women of the Otherworld 10.5 - Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong Page A

is involved, and has heard the rumor that Ethan forced Tommy out of the biz so he presumes Tommy’s behind it. But who’s more likely to have found a way to kill those guys from across the room? The fighter? Or the paramedic?”
     
    I climbed into the car. When I still hadn’t said anything and we were pulling from the lot, Savannah glanced over. “You disagree.”
     
    “Let’s just say I’m not convinced. I think it’s a little coincidental that a fighter died last night, when we were there, and that Ethan got a blackmail call just as we’re walking toward his house.”
     
    “You think Ethan isn’t the only one who made us?”
     
    “I think Lucas isn’t the only one reaching the stage where he needs to presume most supernaturals know who he is.”

Follow the Money
     
    As we headed to the hotel, my phone beeped, reminding me I had a message. It’d come in while we were with Tommy, but I’d forgotten to check afterward. Now I read Lucas’s text.
     
    “Well, I’m pretty sure the Gallantes had nothing to do with Jared’s death,” I said when I finished.
     
    “What?”
     
    I motioned for Savannah to keep driving, then sent back a response and a question. The answer came in seconds.
     
    “Lucas is on his way to L.A., but he just got a call-back from one of Jared’s friends. The last time he saw Jared was the day after Jared left the fight club.”
     
    “Maybe Tommy hadn’t found him yet.”
     
    “No, he had. Jared was trying to reduce the swelling from a black eye and complaining about a loose tooth.”
     
    “So he was fine after the beating. But maybe he went back to the club looking for revenge, and a second beating got him killed.”
     
    “Possible. Yet according to the friend, Jared was more frightened than angry. Something—or someone—had him very scared. I think I know what it was.”
     
    I started a reply to Lucas.
     
    “Going to share?” Savannah said as I texted.
     
    “Why did Tommy go after Jared?”
     
    “To teach the brat a lesson.”
     
    “No. Not really.”
     
    As she turned a corner, she checked her mirrors for anyone tailing us. “To get back the money. Which he did. Meaning Jared had nothing left to pay off his debts.”
     
    “Exactly.”
     
    * * * *
     
    At the hotel, I took a good hard look at Ethan and Tommy Gallante , harder than I had earlier, when I thought they were just a step along the path in retracing Jared’s final days. I conducted the kind of background check that disputed Savannah’s assertion about our squeaky clean business. What we run is an effective business and sometimes that takes creative and ethically questionable applications of my computer skills.
     
    “The club is profitable,” I said after I’d done my research. “The brothers paid off that mortgage a year after taking it out. Tommy bought his truck last year without taking a loan. The Mercedes is older, but no loans there either. No lines of credit at all. These guys even pay off their cards every month. They aren’t multimillionaires, but they certainly aren’t in debt.”
     
    “Okay, so no financial motivation to shut down the club. Maybe Ethan just wants out. Get his own life. Leave California. Marry, have kids. Only he’s tied to his brother through an illegal business. Tommy’s not going to let him leave easily. Christ, the guy still lives with him. Imagine how you’ll feel if I’m still leaving gobs of toothpaste in your sink a decade from now.”
     
    “Tommy hasn’t always lived at home. He went to college in Texas.”
     
    “Okay, so he moved out for a couple of years—”
     
    “Then came back to Santa Cruz and rented an apartment, where he lived until he got married and bought a condo with his wife.”
     
    “Wife?”
     
    “Soon to be ex-wife.” I tapped the computer screen. “The divorce is almost final. After they filed, Tommy moved in with Ethan while his wife stayed in the condo. We know Tommy’s not a fighter at heart. Ethan probably