Wild Card (11 page)

The two of us had Lady Kaharit’s ring and seven of her jewels and were on our way to return them.

It was twilight in the Goblin District. Light enough for an elf; dark enough for a goblin.

“Tam?”

His lips twitched at the corners. “So
now
you call me by my name.”

“Hey, after you played tug-of-war with a bog over me, let’s just say I know how a wishbone feels. Then you saw—and smelled—me coated in bog slime. . . Well, the mystery’s pretty much gone at this point.”

“I assure you you’re still a complete mystery to me.”

I wasn’t sure how to take that, so I asked the question that’d been nagging at me all day. “You knew the Khrynsani were setting you up?”

“I suspected it.”

“And you helped us anyway.”

“I helped
you
. And I brought backup.”

“Who you couldn’t know would arrive in time.”

“I had them already waiting in the swamp. It was the obvious escape route.”

“What if Taragani hadn’t sent those demons after the players?”

Tam shrugged. “Then it would have been a tougher fight. Some things you simply cannot know before they happen. You roll the dice, you take your chances.”

“Big chances.” I hesitated. “And by now, Taragani’s told this Sarad Nukpana person that losing those souls was because of you. What’s he going to do now?”

“The same thing he was already planning to do. Though after this, I might get bumped up a few places on Sarad’s ‘To Kill’ list.”

“What about the Khrynsani getting revenge on Mermeia? You said—”

“An overexaggeration to get you to back off.”

I shot him an accusing look. “Because you were going to get involved anyway.”

Tam nodded. “Though preferably without you.”

“Without me, you wouldn’t have been able to track those souls.”

“True. But without me, you wouldn’t have reached the swamp in time; and if you had, you would have been reduced to a burnt smudge—or a permanent resident of that bog.”

I winced. “All true.” I gave him a sly smile. “Which only means that we make a good team.”

Tam’s opinion on that was a noncommittal grunt. “Good teams work together, on a plan, agreed upon in advance—and they typically have a leader.”

“We’re not typical,” I said. “Besides, I don’t follow well.”

“I noticed.”

“And unlike Taragani, I’m not predictable.”

“In a deck, you’d definitely be the wild card.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”  

“When our lives are at stake, yes.”

“What if our lives weren’t at stake?”

He gave me a slow, wicked sexy smile. “I own a nightclub and casino. I’m all about having fun.”

Naturally my mind went immediately to Sirens’ doors. I wondered which one was his favorite panel. I had no doubt he’d tell me if I asked. I felt my face get warm and I didn’t ask.

“You don’t sound worried about Nukpana paying you a visit,” I noted, taking a sharp right turn back to my topic.

“I’ve come here, and this is where I’m staying. When Sarad wants to find me, he’ll know where to look. Pavane was right about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“He called Mermeia my home. For someone like me, wherever you are when you decide to stop running, that’s home.”

We walked in silence for a few minutes.

When we arrived at Lady Kaharit’s home, she answered the door herself, dressed in sleek and sumptuous black.

I’d been right. She made a stunning widow, and from the expression on her face when she saw Tam, she’d just spotted husband number two.

I glanced at Tam for his reaction.

He wasn’t looking at her. All of his attention was on me.

The End

Thanks for reading
Wild Card
. I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews help other readers find books and I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Please take a moment and write a review for
Wild Card.

You’ve just read my novella in the Raine Benares Series. Suggested reading order:

1. Magic Lost Trouble Found
   
2. Armed and Magical
   
3. The Trouble with Demons
   
4. Bewitched and Betrayed
   
5. Con and Conjure
   
6. All Spells Break Loose
   

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Visit my Website at
http://lisashearin.com
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You may also enjoy my SPI Files Series.

The Grendel Affair

The Dragon Conspiracy
– January 2015

The Brimstone Deception
– 2015

Lisa Shearin is the national bestselling author of the Raine Benares novels, a series of six comedic fantasy adventures, as well as The SPI Files, an urban fantasy series best described as
Men In Black
with supernaturals instead of aliens. Lisa is a voracious collector of fountain pens both vintage and modern. She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband, three spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds, and enough woodland creatures to fill a Disney movie.

For more information about Lisa and her books, visit her Website at:

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The Raine Benares Series

Magic Lost Trouble Found

Armed and Magical

The Trouble with Demons

Bewitched and Betrayed

Con and Conjure

All Spells Break Loose

The SPI Files Series

The Grendel Affair

The Dragon Conspiracy
– January 2015

The Brimstone Deception
– 2015

WILD CARD

A Raine Benares Novella

Lisa Shearin

Copyright © 2014

All Rights Reserved.

978-1-62051-134-3

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NLA Digital LLC

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