Page 31 of A Skirl of Sorcery (The Cat Lady Chronicles #3)

Suddenly my expression mirrored his. ‘No. He has an image to present to the world and he doesn’t want to appear weak.

He won’t want the likes of the MET officers rummaging through his private papers.

Hollow is supposed to be a man who can defend his own interests – that’s why he scatters wolfsbane around his property.

It’s why his office is in this building with that tiny sign.

He likes to take care of matters himself and he doesn’t want to attract attention. ’

Thane nodded at the door. ‘Shall I?’

I stepped back. ‘Be my guest.’

And with that, Thane used brute force to smash his way in. He was right: sometimes it was prudent to use tweezers and sometimes a sledgehammer was more appropriate.

With the full moon only just over and strong echoes of Thane’s werewolf still lingering beneath the surface of his skin, it only took three shoulder shoves and two well-placed kicks to warp the door enough to force it open.

Panting slightly, he moved to the side as it swung open. I gazed at the gap. The shiver of magic from the barrier ward in place was raising goosebumps on my arms. This was going to hurt.

When I stretched forward and passed the tip of my index finger across the threshold, pain flashed through me and there was a faint smell of burning.

I considered the situation for a moment or two.

The ward wasn’t that strong; plus Tanavantia had told me that Tobias Hollow wasn’t a witch or a druid so there wouldn’t be any lasting injury.

I didn’t want to over-think the problem.

I drew in a breath then leapt through the doorway and inside the building.

As soon I was in, I stumbled and fell forward onto the marble flooring. Bloody hell. That had hurt.

‘You alright, Kit?’ Thane called, not sounding overly concerned since I was clearly still conscious and breathing.

I raised my hand to indicate that I was okay, then scrambled to my feet, turned around and examined the damage.

Despite the swanky building, Tobias Hollow was something of a cheapskate.

Breaking the ward had hurt but only fleetingly because it had been designed for show rather than keeping out undesirables.

As soon as I’d crossed it, the ward had snapped.

Thane could pass through the door without any ill effects.

When I beckoned him forward, he sauntered through the doorway and kicked the bottom of the door to make it obvious to anyone with eyes that it had been broken into. ‘Thanks for taking care of the ward,’ he said.

‘Thanks for taking care of the door,’ I returned. We grinned at each other like we were Bonnie and Clyde; much more of this behaviour and I’d start to embarrass myself.

‘What do you think?’ Thane asked. ‘This way?’ He pointed towards a set of double doors.

I shrugged. ‘Let’s find out.’

Thane opened the doors to reveal a fairly large office. There was a welcoming feel to the space and I noted a small vase of fresh flowers; this was probably where Tobias Hollow’s PA worked. It wasn’t impersonal enough for a man whose bottom line was pure profit without any regard for his fellows.

Thane apparently agreed. He looked around the room then immediately strode towards the next set of doors.

The second room met my expectations. The air contained the lingering scent of strong, expensive aftershave – the sort that the wearer wanted you to recognise as a named brand.

There was a bank of leather-bound books on the shelves at the far side of the room, none of which appeared to have been opened much less read from cover to cover.

In the centre of the room was a large oak desk that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Oval Office. This had to be the right place.

Thane sat down in the leather chair behind the desk and started opening drawers, although from the expression on his face there was nothing useful in any of them.

I circled the room several times to establish that there were no more magical wards or booby traps, then I took up position by the side of the door.

We didn’t have to wait long. Less than ten minutes after Thane and I had entered Tobias Hollow’s inner sanctum, a sharp, feminine cry sounded from outside followed swiftly by footsteps. Two sets of footsteps. I crossed my fingers that one set belonged to Hollow.

A young woman with delicate elfin features and a tight skirt that restricted her movements came in and stared in horror at Thane, who was still seated in Tobias Hollow’s chair. His feet were propped up on the desk and there was a lazy grin on his handsome face.

‘Who are you?’ she burst out, her voice trembling.

Thane didn’t speak or get up; he waited until a well-dressed man in a sharp suit barrelled in past her and yelled. ‘I’ve called the MET!’

Thane continued to smile. ‘Tobias Hollow, I presume?’

Although Hollow exuded magical power, it wasn’t immediately apparent what sort it was – and I didn’t like that.

With his broad shoulders and large frame, he could have been mistaken for a troll but he didn’t have their facial bone structure.

Without knowing what he was capable of, I would struggle to predict his actions but I realised that I was looking forward to this confrontation.

Intimidation, brow-beating victims and leaving my targets alive were not what I was used to; when I’d worked for EEL, I’d rarely even spoken to them. It would be interesting to see if I could find it in myself to bring this affair to a satisfactory conclusion without killing Tobias Hollow.

‘Get out!’ Hollow screeched. ‘Get out of my office!’

Thane stretched out his arms languidly and linked his fingers behind his head. ‘Why don’t we wait for the MET?’

Hollow spluttered in response, confirming that he’d not contacted them. I pushed myself away from the wall. The young woman started when she saw me but her boss only gave me a cursory glance before he turned his attention back to Thane. ‘Who are you?’ he snarled. ‘What do you want?’

‘My name is Thane Barrow and this is my friend, Kit. We’re here to represent the interests of the Green Humbleton trows.’

Hollow’s face screwed up. ‘Who?’

This time I answered. ‘The community who live on your land, Mr Hollow,’ I said softly. ‘The people who’ve been there for generations and who you are trying to kick out by raising their rent to unaffordable levels.’

There was a moment’s silence while Hollow absorbed this information, then he visibly relaxed. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Them.’ He affected a nasty smirk. ‘Ground-dwelling neanderthals.’

I glared with enough force to make the woman flinch, but Hollow paid me no attention. ‘It’s my land,’ he said. ‘I can charge them whatever I like.’

‘You know you’re being unreasonable,’ Thane said. ‘Your goal is to force them out so you can sell their land at inflated prices.’

‘It’s not their land.’ Hollow paused for dramatic effect. ‘It’s my land. My family has been too good to those creatures for too long. It’s about time they realised what it means to live in the real world.’ He bared his teeth. ‘I have nothing against the trows per se. It’s only business.’

Thane didn’t miss a beat. ‘That’s exactly why we’re here.’ He waved a hand between the two of us. ‘This is only business.’

Tobias Hollow’s smile was broader now; Thane was talking a language he thought he understood. ‘You’re interested in purchasing Green Humbleton? I already have several interested parties so your offer will have to be a good one.’

My eyes narrowed. ‘The trows are still living there. How can you already have potential buyers?’

‘Because the trows will leave. They’re already several months behind their rent and I know they can’t afford what I’m demanding. They’ll be under orders to vacate by the end of the month.’

‘So you admit you’re deliberately trying to force them out?’

Annoyance flickered across his face. ‘As I said,’ he bit out, ‘it’s only business.’ He glanced at his assistant. ‘Why don’t you take this lady outside and fetch her a cup of tea or something?’ He looked at Thane. ‘Then the two of us can talk properly without interruption. Mano a mano.’

‘Oh,’ Thane murmured. ‘This is simply too delicious.’

I sent him a small smile and slid out my dagger, then I leapt forward in a blur of movement and pressed it to Hollow’s throat. ‘Perhaps we’ve not made ourselves clear. This isn’t a negotiation. We’re the ones in charge.’

Hollow’s eyes widened and he squeaked.

‘You’re in charge, Kit,’ Thane drawled.

I grinned and pressed the blade a fraction deeper until a bead of blood appeared. ‘If you insist, Thane,’ I said. ‘Now, Mr Hollow, I’m sure we can come to an agreement that suits all parties.’