Sleight of Hand by Natasha Deen

Author:Natasha Deen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV021000, JUV006000, JUV039230
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2015-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

I’m not thrilled when Sammy wakes me up at 8:00 am, but he does it only to annoy me. What doesn’t annoy me is him talking about magic.

Sammy’s a talker, and he likes people. When we moved to Canada, he was the first one to get the language. Not me. I’ve gotten used to the fact that he almost never shuts up. In a weird way, it’s comforting. A sign that everything’s okay. So when he keeps a running patter of what we’ll do at the shop, I’m good with it. Especially since it distracts me from my problem with Kevin.

Mom offers to drive us to the store, but that’s just more time with her. More chance for conversations I don’t want and having to fake emotions I don’t have. I opt for the CTrain and take Sammy to Anderson station. It’s almost an hour’s ride to the store, and the sound of the train on the rails is white noise. Any silence is broken by Sammy and his plans for what we’ll do at the shop.

The Vanishing Rabbit is small, but there’s enough stuff packed in the space to keep him busy for the morning. Sammy loves to teach, and I’m happy to listen, ooh and ahh at the right places and help him decide what to buy. It’s all fine until a woman walks in.

It takes me a minute to figure out why I know her. Then I realize. It’s the cop. Anna. No. Andrea. The one who seems to live at Mary’s office. She’s got her hair down, and she’s wearing makeup.

Why is she here? Calgary’s a big city—over a million people. The odds of us running into each other are small. Less than small. I remember what Kevin said about his crew reaching everywhere. And how I don’t know who all the members are. There can only be one conclusion. She’s here to intimidate me.

A man enters the store. He’s brown like me, and he heads straight for Andrea. She smiles as he touches her arm, then reaches up and kisses him.

Okay, maybe she’s not here for me.

Then again…

“You okay?”

I jerk back as Sammy’s voice cuts through my confusion. “What?”

“You look sick. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He squints at me. “Sure? You look like that time you had too much mulligatawny soup and spent the night puking in the bathroom.”

“I’m fine,” I say.

“We can go home.”

I hate Mary. I hate Kevin. I hate what they’re doing to me. “That won’t change how I feel,” I tell him. “Truth is, it’s you. You make me sick.” I lean in and sniff his hair. “You smell like wet cheese.”

“That’s not what your girlfriend said,” he cracks.

I laugh, surprised at the joke. The back-and-forth catches Andrea’s attention. I see her gaze alight on me. Then she’s heading my way.

“Javvan.” She smiles at Sammy, who smiles back. “Hi, I’m Andrea.”

“Sammy.” He jerks his thumb in my direction. “His babysitter.”

Her nose wrinkles. “Tell me he’s toilet trained.”

Sammy shrugs. “Most of the time.

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