Kaylee shot Elijah an evil look to shut him up.

“Or you could ask Shane,” Elijah suggested.

Kaylee laughed shortly. “Over my dead bo—”

Holly and Elijah gazed at Kaylee, waiting for her to hear what she was saying. It had been only a few days since Holly had retrieved Mr. Diamond’s body from the freezer and floated it to a casket so they could give him a proper—and very secret—burial.

“—dy,” Kaylee finished with a sigh. “All right, Holly, you can come.” She took a step closer and told Elijah, “Stop reading my mind.”

“Stop thinking,” Elijah said.

She turned in a cloud of silky blond hair and stalked from the room. She muttered, “I hate mind readers,” just before she slammed the door behind her.

Holly turned back to Elijah and kissed him very carefully on the cheek so as not to smear her dark lipstick. “Thank you for taking up for me. I was afraid you’d want me to stay home.”

“Hell no. I’ve learned my lesson. I want you there to save my ass.” He put out his hand for hers. “Showtime.”

They walked down the corridor to wait in the wings of the set, now modernized according to Holly’s design in black and sleek metal. Throbbing rock music replaced the cheesy trumpets from her dad’s show. She waited for her cue, then burst onto the stage in a cloud of dry-ice mist. She would do a few parlor tricks with sleight of hand and mirrors. Then the real magic would begin.

All the while, she could see Elijah in the wings, wearing a well-tailored suit rather than a scruffy tee. His hair was still a wavy mess, though. And his green eyes and his powerful mind scanned the crowd for danger. Maybe he would find it later tonight, when they investigated what the Res had done. But for now, she could imagine the comparatively innocent thoughts he read from the audience. Awe at the stylish Vegas stage. Appreciation for her costume, or lack of it. Wonder at her gravity-defying illusions. How did she do that?