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Word about our new massage offering had spread far faster and with more interest than we expected. Frankie and I had worked long into the previous evening, planning out logistics and printing posters and flyers. Thank goodness we’d doubled our initial print estimate at the last minute because it looked like every person here had a flyer in hand or tucked into a pocket already.
Marissa flirted shamelessly with some of the younger, more attractive members loitering near the front door, winking and tossing her flaming red hair over her shoulder. Today, her make-up highlighted her blue eyes, and she’d put all her assets on display with a low-cut crop top and high-waisted yoga pants.
I rolled my eyes at her antics but couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips. At least she’d made time for this because clearly, it was working.
We’d hung a sign-up sheet on a clipboard outside the office, and as I neared the office door, my heart beat faster. A list of names covered the entire first page of open massage times.
Coconuts, this might actually work.
Not only to get the gym out of debt, but it could also help Marissa meet her school requirements faster and stay closer to where I could keep my eye on her. Plus, it might turn into a fantastic starting clientele for when she graduated. Marissa better be ready to grovel at Frankie’s feet for going along with this idea.
A quick scan of the names brought an ounce of disappointment. No Dominic Sato. But really, it was for the best. Out of sight, out of mind.
Eventually.
“Who’s crazy idea was this?” Calvin asked, coming up beside me and leaning on my shoulder.
Not many would lean on me that way considering I was usually dressed for scrubbing toilets and known for being a bit of a loner—compared to Marissa and Frankie, anyway—but I didn’t mind the invasion of my personal space when it came to Calvin. We’d been buddies for years.
“Oh, come on, Cal. Who else is this much of a genius?” I elbowed him playfully in the ribs.
Standing just shy of six feet tall, the wizard grinned down at me. “I knew it. Only your imagination is this wild.”
Although Calvin’s slimmer build wasn’t the typical type that frequented the gym, he was attractive in his own way. A scruffy brown beard hugged his chin, more from forgetting to shave than planned, and his dark hazel eyes almost always twinkled with merriment.
He was also one of the few wizards who’d ever joined Subliminal. Witches and wizards could be either male or female, with the main difference being how they used their magic. Whereas witches typically drew on the elements to harness their spells as needed, wizards performed complex rituals with runes and utilized wands.
Because they could store extra mana in their wands, they didn’t need to rely on elemental particles being nearby like witches did. Wizards were generally considered more powerful than witches and often worked for the Gifted Interests Government, our primary governing agency.
The GIG did more than just police us, however. They also offered various services, such as lawyers, doctors, and even budding cryptozoologists like Calvin.
While he was no exception to working for the GIG, he conveniently “never heard about” the illegal fights. I was sure his superiors would catch on eventually, but for almost three years now, I’d been wrong.
“Blame my imagination on the books,” I said with a shrug. “You’d be surprised how often a damsel in distress becomes her own knight in shining armor with a little creative thinking.”
He chuckled. “Don’t ever give up reading those fantasy books if it gives you awesome ideas like this.”
Like I would ever give up reading anything. I nodded at the list. “I see you signed up.”
“No way would I pass up an opportunity like this.” He rubbed one of his shoulders for emphasis. “You see how brutal it is in the ring.”
He didn’t mean the illegal fights, of which he “knew nothing.” Any gym member could reserve the ring during normal business hours to compete against another sans magic. Just fists and fury. They weren’t nearly as popular as the other fights but took far less preparation and secrecy.
But little did Calvin or anyone else know, I knew exactly how brutal the ring could be from personal experience. Frankie’s fae magic allowed her to conjure up ridiculously lifelike opponents for me to practice with whenever I felt the desire to punch something other than a bag. It was the only reason she knew so much about my magic.
I smiled. “I’m glad we can help you guys out this way while also helping the gym.”
He slung an arm around my shoulder. “Anything for family, right?”
Knowing others felt the same way about this place warmed my heart. “You bet.”
A commotion broke out near one of the punching bags close to where we stood. Mike, one of our regular gym members, and some guy I didn’t recognize were about to come to blows, their faces red and tight with anger.
Fights like this were few and far between but usually over the use of equipment. Before I had a chance to break it up, another man I didn’t recognize stepped in and said something too low to hear. He grasped the other stranger’s hand, passing a small plastic bag filled with something like red rocks between them.
Appeased but still glaring daggers, the man who’d almost fought Mike shoved whatever it was he now held into the pocket of his gym shorts and stormed away, pushing through the crowd.
I frowned. What had that been about?
