Dime Store Magic
Page 94
Any hope that I could still tell Savannah about Nast vanished when we walked into the living room. Sandford stood by the fireplace. Seated next to him was a tall man with thinning blond hair and broad shoulders. As we entered, he turned and smiled, and I found myself looking into an exact replica of Savannah's big blue eyes. My heart dropped and I knew then that Kristof Nast was indeed Savannah's father.
"Savannah," he said. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this."
"Tell this guy to let me go!" She wriggled, trying to get free. "Put me down. Now!"
Nast waved for Friesen to release Savannah. "My apologies, princess." He chuckled and glanced at Sandford. "Still any doubt she's mine?"
"I'm not yours," Savannah said, pulling her shirt into place. "Not yours. Not hers." She jabbed a finger at Leah. "Not anyone's. Now take me home or there's going to be trouble."
"Savannah, hon," I said. "I need to tell you something. Remember I was telling you about Kristof Nast-"
"This is him?" Her gaze raked over Nast, dismissing him with a snort. "He's the CEO's son? He's what, fifty? By the time he takes over, he'll be ready to retire."
"I'm forty-seven, actually," Nast said with an indulgent smile. "But I take your point. All the better for you, then, isn't it?"
"Isn't what?"
"If I'm so old. All the quicker to get your inheritance."
"Why? What are you, sorcerer? My mom's lawyer?"
Nast looked at me. "You haven't told her?"
"Savannah," I said. "This is-"
"I'm your father," Nast said.
He smiled and reached for Savannah. She jumped back, arms flying up to ward him off. She looked from me to Nast, then back to me.
"That's not funny," she said.
"Savannah, I-" I began.
"No one's joking, Savannah," Nast said. "I know this must come as a shock, but you are my daughter. Your mother-"
"No," she said, voice quiet. She turned to me. "You would have told me, right?"
"I-" I shook my head. "I'm so sorry, hon. We don't know for sure. Mr. Nast claims he's your father. I couldn't believe that. I wanted proof before I told you."
Nast laid a hand on Savannah's arm. When she flung him off, he bent to her height.
"I know you're angry, princess. This wasn't how I planned this. I thought you knew."
"I I don't believe it."
"You don't have to. Now that we've moved beyond human courts, we can clear this up with a simple blood test. I've arranged for our doctors to conduct the test as soon as weget back to California."
"California?" Savannah said. "I can't-I'm not-I won't go. I won't."
"My apologies, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm not taking you anywhere against your will, Savannah. This isn't a kidnapping. I'm sorry I had to resort to such drastic measures to get you here, but I feared it was the only way Paige would allow me to present my case."
"Case?" she said.
"For custody."
She looked from me to him. "We're going to court?"
He laughed. "No, thank God. I've decided to circumvent the horrors of the legal system. No human judge can decide where you belong, Savannah. No person can decide that. It's your life and it should be your decision."
"Good. Then I'm staying with Paige."
"Don't I get to argue my side? Paige has had nearly a year to make her case. Surely you can grant me thirty minutes to make mine. That's all I ask, princess. Thirty minutes to explain why you should stay with me."
"And if I don't want to?"
"Then you're free to go back to East Falls with Paige."
"Bullshit," I said.
Nast looked up, startled, as if the walls had spoken. When he turned to me, his gaze focused somewhere above my head, as if I was literally beneath his notice.
"You doubt my word, Paige?" All indulgent humor drained from his voice. "I'm a Nast. My word is inviolable."
I felt the weight of Savannah's gaze on me. In that moment, I realized what I had to do. I had to shut my mouth. Nast was right. This was her choice. Coven or Cabal. White magic or dark. If I swayed her decision, I'd always feel the pull of the other side working against me.
Let her hear what Nast was offering and she'd see that Eve had made the right decision in sending her to the Coven. Though I doubted Nast would let her leave that easily, I'd jump that hurdle when it came. If I dragged her out kicking and screaming, I'd lose her forever.
Before stating his case, Nast insisted on feeding us. He'd ordered pizza. He even had a delivery guy bring it, further underscoring the point that we weren't being held captive at some top-secret location.
Though Leah and Friesen shared in our meal, Nast looked at the pizza as if expecting the mushrooms to start crawling. He assured us, as if we cared, that he'd be eating lunch later, at a business meeting in Boston.
So we were still in Massachusetts? As I thought this, I realized he'd said lunch, not dinner or supper. With that came the shock that we'd slept through Wednesday and had been gone now nearly twenty-four hours. Again, I thought of Cortez, but I knew there was no sense asking. They'd only tell us what we wanted to hear.
"Savannah," he said. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this."
"Tell this guy to let me go!" She wriggled, trying to get free. "Put me down. Now!"
Nast waved for Friesen to release Savannah. "My apologies, princess." He chuckled and glanced at Sandford. "Still any doubt she's mine?"
"I'm not yours," Savannah said, pulling her shirt into place. "Not yours. Not hers." She jabbed a finger at Leah. "Not anyone's. Now take me home or there's going to be trouble."
"Savannah, hon," I said. "I need to tell you something. Remember I was telling you about Kristof Nast-"
"This is him?" Her gaze raked over Nast, dismissing him with a snort. "He's the CEO's son? He's what, fifty? By the time he takes over, he'll be ready to retire."
"I'm forty-seven, actually," Nast said with an indulgent smile. "But I take your point. All the better for you, then, isn't it?"
"Isn't what?"
"If I'm so old. All the quicker to get your inheritance."
"Why? What are you, sorcerer? My mom's lawyer?"
Nast looked at me. "You haven't told her?"
"Savannah," I said. "This is-"
"I'm your father," Nast said.
He smiled and reached for Savannah. She jumped back, arms flying up to ward him off. She looked from me to Nast, then back to me.
"That's not funny," she said.
"Savannah, I-" I began.
"No one's joking, Savannah," Nast said. "I know this must come as a shock, but you are my daughter. Your mother-"
"No," she said, voice quiet. She turned to me. "You would have told me, right?"
"I-" I shook my head. "I'm so sorry, hon. We don't know for sure. Mr. Nast claims he's your father. I couldn't believe that. I wanted proof before I told you."
Nast laid a hand on Savannah's arm. When she flung him off, he bent to her height.
"I know you're angry, princess. This wasn't how I planned this. I thought you knew."
"I I don't believe it."
"You don't have to. Now that we've moved beyond human courts, we can clear this up with a simple blood test. I've arranged for our doctors to conduct the test as soon as weget back to California."
"California?" Savannah said. "I can't-I'm not-I won't go. I won't."
"My apologies, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm not taking you anywhere against your will, Savannah. This isn't a kidnapping. I'm sorry I had to resort to such drastic measures to get you here, but I feared it was the only way Paige would allow me to present my case."
"Case?" she said.
"For custody."
She looked from me to him. "We're going to court?"
He laughed. "No, thank God. I've decided to circumvent the horrors of the legal system. No human judge can decide where you belong, Savannah. No person can decide that. It's your life and it should be your decision."
"Good. Then I'm staying with Paige."
"Don't I get to argue my side? Paige has had nearly a year to make her case. Surely you can grant me thirty minutes to make mine. That's all I ask, princess. Thirty minutes to explain why you should stay with me."
"And if I don't want to?"
"Then you're free to go back to East Falls with Paige."
"Bullshit," I said.
Nast looked up, startled, as if the walls had spoken. When he turned to me, his gaze focused somewhere above my head, as if I was literally beneath his notice.
"You doubt my word, Paige?" All indulgent humor drained from his voice. "I'm a Nast. My word is inviolable."
I felt the weight of Savannah's gaze on me. In that moment, I realized what I had to do. I had to shut my mouth. Nast was right. This was her choice. Coven or Cabal. White magic or dark. If I swayed her decision, I'd always feel the pull of the other side working against me.
Let her hear what Nast was offering and she'd see that Eve had made the right decision in sending her to the Coven. Though I doubted Nast would let her leave that easily, I'd jump that hurdle when it came. If I dragged her out kicking and screaming, I'd lose her forever.
Before stating his case, Nast insisted on feeding us. He'd ordered pizza. He even had a delivery guy bring it, further underscoring the point that we weren't being held captive at some top-secret location.
Though Leah and Friesen shared in our meal, Nast looked at the pizza as if expecting the mushrooms to start crawling. He assured us, as if we cared, that he'd be eating lunch later, at a business meeting in Boston.
So we were still in Massachusetts? As I thought this, I realized he'd said lunch, not dinner or supper. With that came the shock that we'd slept through Wednesday and had been gone now nearly twenty-four hours. Again, I thought of Cortez, but I knew there was no sense asking. They'd only tell us what we wanted to hear.
